An Unexpected Blessing
Sender
Dr. Francis Klocke '52
Posted On
2014-11-25
Year
1948
Memoir
St. Joe’s turned out to be an unexpected blessing for all of us. My Dad and his two brothers - one of whom was a Jesuit - all taught at Canisius High during the 1930’s. Dad switched to the Buffalo Public Schools after Bob arrived and the Klocke children proved to have bigger appetites than Jesuitical salaries contemplated! In any event, we were definitely a “Canisius-oriented” family. When I was finishing grammar school, the St. Joe’s entrance exam preceded the Canisius exam by a week and I took it “for practice”. One of the Brothers called later that day to say I’d won a scholarship and asked if we’d accept it. We probably weren’t required to give a firm answer on the spot but didn’t turn it down. As we thought about things the next few days, we concluded that we’d committed sufficiently that I shouldn’t pursue Canisius further. I quickly became enthusiastic about St. Joe’s and have always remembered the importance Dad placed on having “given your word” when making an unexpected decision.
St. Joe’s did, of course, work out excellently for me – and then for Bob and Don as well. And all three of us continued in the LaSallian tradition at Manhattan College. Dad and Mother - who was also a teacher - became good friends with the Brothers and lay faculty at St. Joe’s, and Dad ended up even serving a term as President of the SJCI PTA.
St. Joe’s did, of course, work out excellently for me – and then for Bob and Don as well. And all three of us continued in the LaSallian tradition at Manhattan College. Dad and Mother - who was also a teacher - became good friends with the Brothers and lay faculty at St. Joe’s, and Dad ended up even serving a term as President of the SJCI PTA.