Bro. James P. Dunne S.J. - A Personal Remembrance

Bro. James. P. Dunne S.J. -- A Personal Remembrance

Some men are born to greatness, others are born to serve their fellow man. James Patrick Dunne was one of the latter. On his headstone one would see his name and the dates “1935-2003”. To me, the little “–“ between the numerals is the most significant, for it symbolizes his entire lifetime, a lifetime he dedicated to the service of our Lord. He really, truly personified “Omnia In Christo”. I consider myself fortunate that he shared four years of that lifetime with me and countless other Ateneans. He was our freshman moderator when I entered the halls of the Ateneo in 1974. Time hasn’t dimmed my fond memories of him.

They are deeply etched in my consciousness as if they just happened yesterday. Some of these recollections are sublime, some happy, some sad, some are downright funny. All are priceless. With Brod, the learning didn’t stop at the classroom. We learned about Dr. Tom Dooley’s dedication in providing medical care to the poor children of Laos. One quote from the story that I still clearly remember was “Nothing undermines a person’s self-respect more that limitless, endless, charity.” Thinking about it now, I couldn’t help but draw parallels -- what Dr. Dooley did for the children of Laos, Bro. Dunne did for the children of San Pablo. There were so many poor kids who would not have gotten the benefits of an Ateneo education if it hadn’t been for Brod. I know because I was one of them. In “The Gift of the Magi” we learned that there is no greater love than to sacrifice what is most valuable for the sake of someone you love. This lesson was echoed in “The Fourth Wise Man”-- how Artaban spent his lifetime searching for Jesus, only to find Him at the end, about to be nailed to the Cross. To us young, impressionable kids, Brod was our Irish Pied Piper. His old office by the bookstore became an unofficial “student lounge”. We would hang out there during lunch breaks, reading his collection of National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, and Popular Mechanics magazines. He had a radio-cassette recorder that was always wrapped in an old sweater. He would listen to the soundtrack of “Fiddler On The Roof” while he worked, surrounded by his “sons”. To this day, I couldn’t help but think of Brod whenever I hear the song “Sunrise, Sunset”. As befits his Irish lineage, he liked nothing better that a cold brew

after a hard day’s work. His favorite baseball team was the Yankees, and Brod himself could swing a baseball bat like Babe Ruth. Bro. Dunne taught me a deep appreciation of literature. I enjoyed reading and doing book reports. When I did my 200th book report in 1975, he gave me a bible -- a copy of “The Way” with his personal dedication on the cover page. Faded and tattered now, this memento is one of my most treasured possessions and is still with me today. There was a lighter side to Brod too. At Intrams, his coaching instructions were simple and straightforward. He would point to one kid and say, “You play forward”, then to another “You play guard”. Then he would say “Now get in there and win the game”. Then there was one time that he spotted Wally Outlaw making faces at him from the back of the classroom. Nonchalantly, Brod remarked “You look like Alice Cooper”. At the time, I had no idea who Alice Cooper was. During one holiday season, he gave us Christmas Package Drive letters to present to prospective donors, then turned us loose on an unsuspecting public. So armed with the letter, myself, Melgreg Barranco, and Cris Alip set forth to collect donations. One of the rich merchants in town gave us a couple of cans of imported corned beef. We promptly got on a tricycle, went to Cris’ house, bought a bag of pandesal, a family-size bottle of Pepsi, and had a feast. His lasting gift to all of us was the help we got getting college scholarships during our senior year. I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have been able to go otherwise. I last saw Brod during the Alumni Millennium Homecoming on December 30, 1999. It was the first time since my graduation in 1978. After twenty-one years, he had gotten older. Gone was the Babe Ruth swagger, replaced by a slow shuffle, but his wit and his memory were as sharp as ever. Little did I know that it would be the last time I would see him. I am grateful that I was able to share that one day with him before the Lord called him home in July 2003. Brod, wherever you are, thank you for all you have done for us. We love you and we miss you. You will always be remembered by those of us whose lives you have touched.