This is the first in a new series of recurring articles in Ramview highlighting our faculty . David Gelpi , PhD P ’ 12 is in his 29th year at the Prep . He reflects on his time in classroom , on the rugby pitch , and on those colleagues who have inspired him along the way .
The message on the answering machine was from Fordham Prep headmaster Dr . Neil McCarthy ’ 53 . It was August 1992 , and David Gelpi had just returned home to Poughkeepsie . He ’ d just sat for an interview at the Prep with Religious Studies Department Chairperson Barbara Reynolds . It was the last week of summer vacation and Dr . McCarthy had called to see when David could start teaching .
During the interview , David and Barbara talked mostly about social justice issues , a topic of mutual interest and one of the reasons he and his wife , Laraine , lived in Poughkeepsie - he ’ d joined the admissions department at Marist College specifically to help with the recruitment and success of under-represented students at the college . But the then-Mr . Gelpi ’ s main interest and the subject in which he ultimately earned his PhD , was Christology , so when the opportunity to work in the Religious Studies Department presented itself , he tendered his resignation at Marist and the following week , David Gelpi was teaching seniors at the Prep .
Twenty-nine years later , he ’ s still here , and in that time , Dr . Gelpi earned his PhD in Religion and Religious Education ( Fordham University , 2008 ), served as the Assistant Director of the Higher Achievement Program , Coordinator of Global Education , Chair of our Religious Studies Department , moderator of a host of school clubs - from the Fenians to the Students for a Free Tibet- and taught the majority of seniors who have graduated from Fordham Prep in the last three decades . In that time he was also listed twice in Who ’ s Who Among American Teachers .
The class which Dr . Gelpi has developed from the framework of Religious Studies
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For Many of Us , We Become What We See .”
IV , Men and Masculinity , ( formerly The Quest for the Male Soul ) is a soughtafter , capstone senior-elective course , one which Dr . Gelpi has been asked to present on at schools around the country and as far away as Semarang , Indonesia . The course focuses on the graduating seniors ’ transition to manhood and God as a partner in one ’ s journey towards understanding one ’ s self . Dr . Gelpi offers a lens with which to view these enormous concepts that 17 and 18 year olds can more easily understand , using works from Joseph Campbell and the Hero ’ s Journey , to the 1992 apartheid-era drama , The Power of One , starring Stephen Dorff and Morgan Freeman .
Since 2012 , Dr . Gelpi has served as the Rugby moderator , a position which has given him a chance to leverage his long time passion of photography in service of his students . From a 1980s darkroom at Cardinal Hayes when David was a student , to his college yearbook , photography has always been a hobby , and since he
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attended the matches anyway , Dr . Gelpi started taking photos of the Rugby team to supplement the photos parents were sharing , trying to capture at least one good shot of every player . These days , you will find him on the sidelines of many Prep games and meets , shooting with his Canon 7D . Though you ’ ll find his photos featured on the Prep ’ s official social media channels , as well as this magazine , he embraces his amateur status and says the only thing he knows about photography is “ when I ’ m screwing up .”
When you ask him what ’ s happened since the summer of ’ 92 , Dr . Gelpi responds , “ I ’ ve grown up here at the Prep .” He ’ ll tell you that what helps is to have professional coworkers who hold him to a high standard . “ There are a lot of really smart people here ,” he says . Teachers Barbara Reynolds , Bill Bozzone , and Paul Homer , and Frances Sinon P ’ 82 ,’ 83 , GP ’ 22 , ( Neil McCarthy ’ s assistant ) all helped with Dr . Gelpi ’ s acclimation , transition , and development into the compassionate , hilarious , not-unintimidating teacher that so many students have been guided by here at the Prep .
He still finds his students to be profoundly funny - something that hasn ’ t changed in his time here - and says that laughing with his students in class is the best way to work . Remote learning this year and a changed status quo only highlighted for him his students ’ profound patience and his gratitude . “ They ’ re more resilient than we give them credit for .”
Dr . Gelpi is a stalwart example of the Prep ’ s timelessly resilient , patient , passionate faculty . From all the Rams questing for their souls on that Long Maroon Line , thank you Doc .
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