Class Notes The Golden Years 1915-1935

This is Ralph “Pete” French’s last column. For those of you who don’t know, our dad passed away on October 2 at the age of 93. Before he died, he asked that we write his last column and we agreed. When we asked him what he wanted us to write, he told us to put: “I love John Carroll.” He also asked that we include part of a reflection that he had liked and we will include it a bit later. As generations of John Carroll and St. Ignatius High School students know, the goal of a Jesuit education is to produce “A man for others who lives by the motto “Ad Majoreum Dei Gloria.” Our father lived by that motto. Ralph loved his wife of 62 years, Lillian, his family, his friends, the law, his God and John Carroll University. For most of his adult life he was active in the St. Vincent DePaul Society as a member, officer, local president and for several years, national vice president. In addition to being active in St. Agatha and St Gregory the Great parishes, he was also on the board of Catholic Charities for years. Dad was devoted to the completion of his Golden Years column for the Alumni Journal, and he was comforted to know that the standard bearer for the column will befall to his friend Larry Kelley. John Carroll University made a profound difference in his life and he spent his entire life giving back something to the university whether it was the Blue and Gold Club, Board of Trustee, columnist, Alumni Medal Recipient or as a student and the manager of the football and basketball teams. He was never so proud as when his sons Peter ’68 and Richard ’69 and grandchildren Matt Nocella, Jennifer French ’99 and Justin French ’02 attended John Carroll. We are unable to regale you with stories of the men dad knew from the Golden Years but we can leave you with a reflection he enjoyed. THE STATION By Robert J. Hastings Tucked away in our subconscious minds is an idyllic vision in which we see ourselves on a long journey that spans an entire continent. We’re traveling by train and, from the windows, we drink in the passing scenes of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at crossings, of cattle grazing in distant pastures, of smoke pouring from power plants, of row upon row of cotton and corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of city skylines and village halls. But uppermost in our minds is our final destination - for at a certain hour and on a given day, our train will finally pull into the station with bells ringing, flags waving, and bands playing. And once that day comes, so many wonderful dreams will come true. So restlessly, we pace the aisles and count the miles, peering ahead, waiting, waiting, waiting for the station. “Yes, when we reach the station, that will be it!” we promise ourselves. “When we’re eighteen ... win that promotion ... put the last kid through college ... buy that 450 SL Mercedes Benz ... pay off the mortgage ... have a nest egg for retirement.” From that day on we will all live happily every after. Sooner or later, however, we must realize there is no station in this life, no one earthly place to arrive at once and for all. The journey is the joy. The station is an illusion-it constantly outdistances us. Yesterday’s a memory, tomorrow’s a dream. Yesterday belongs to history, tomorrow belongs to God. Yesterday’s a fading sunset, tomorrow’s a faint sunrise. Only today is there light enough to love and live. So gently close the door on yesterday and throw the key away. It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men mad, but rather the regret over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. “Relish the moment” is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, swim more rivers, climb more mountains, kiss more babies, count more stars. Laugh more and cry less. Go barefoot oftener. Eat more ice cream. Ride more merry-go-rounds. Watch more sunsets. Life must be lived as we go along. In conclusion, God bless you and God bless John Carroll University.

Peter ’68, James, Richard ’69