John J Connolly

John Joseph (J.J.) Patrick Connolly passed away on the evening of December, 11, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. J.J. was born in Salem, Massachusetts on March 30, 1922, the proud son of Irish immigrants Michael (a tanner) and Catherine (a homemaker) who arrived at Ellis Island just before the First World War.

After earning his A.B. degree from Boston College in 1943, he served in the U.S. military in Europe during World War II. He remained in France after the war ended and attended the Université de Franche-Comté (Besancon) where he received a French language diploma. After returning to the United States in 1946, he worked in a leather tannery and as a golf caddy, while also attending night classes in English, Latin, and history, ultimately completing his M.A. degree at Boston University.

His teaching opportunity came after he met a local Boston private school headmaster named Robert Iglehart who had just accepted the headmaster position at a boys’ preparatory school in Dallas. Mr. Connolly began his teaching career at Texas Country Day School in 1949 (which became St. Mark’s School of Texas in 1950). He taught Latin until 1967 and his 7th Grade English class became a rite of passage for Marksmen until his departure in 1991. Mr. Connolly’s legendary 7th Grade class is oft-remembered by students who can still recite poems by the likes of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost, and recall their nervous anticipation before delivering Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” from memory in a room full of classmates. He also hosted a Beau Geste Night, an event for seventh-graders and their families as part of the study of the novel Beau Geste. When the book went out of print, he secured a set of hard cover copies that were passed down by his seventh-grade students year after year. His long tenure at the school meant that he often had the opportunity to teach the sons of his former students.

In addition to his duties as a faculty member, Mr. Connolly was a Dorm Master for 11 years and, following the closing of the boarding department on campus in 1960, he continued to provide housing for a handful of boarding students in his University Park home until 1986. Over the course of his 42 years at St. Mark’s, he coached every sport offered in Middle School and, for many years coached the Upper School golf team. From 1967 to 1975, Mr. Connolly was Head of the Upper School and he also served as the School’s first Senior Master.

Mr. Connolly left a significant mark on St. Mark’s during the school’s formative years. While his contributions are far too numerous to list, a number of them stand out and endure at the school to this day. He wrote the words to St. Mark’s Alma Mater, founded the Senior Follies (a satirical review of the year written, performed, and directed by the Senior class), and in 1959, he began the CanPaign, a school-wide community outreach program that collected canned food for the Dallas-area missions. This evolved into the school’s current community service program. The classes of 1959, 1967, 1975, 1986, and 1989 dedicated their yearbooks to the beloved Mr. Connolly. In 1955, St. Mark’s awarded him the first School Flag for going above and beyond to support the education of his students. Today the School Flag is awarded to a student in the Senior class “for loyalty, dedication, and distinguished service to the School”.

In 1990, Mr. Connolly was featured in a book called I am a Teacher: A Tribute To America’s Teachers. The book celebrated outstanding teachers across America. In conversations and letters to friends and former students, he frequently quoted his favorite poets and authors including this one from Flannery O’Connor’s “On Literature and the Eighth Grade”: “If the student finds it is not to his taste, well, that is regrettable. His taste should not be consulted; it is being formed.” That quotation was included in a 1996 “D Magazine” article on St. Mark’s which also included this from one of his students: “He was stern and intimidating as a teacher…but if you could stand up to his bantering, you emerged knowing that you had earned his respect and also a friend for life”.

In May 2008, St. Mark’s alumni, faculty and friends from across the country welcomed Mr. Connolly back to campus to announce the establishment of the J.J. Connolly Master Teaching Chair to recognize Mr. Connolly’s enduring service and commitment to St. Mark’s.

J.J. Connolly was preceded in death by his brothers, James, Thomas, and Michael, and his sister, Mary Gizitsky. He is survived by nieces and nephew Donna Gizitsky, Lori Ginsey, Cheryl Meyers, Kathy Knowles, Susan Middleton, and Michael Connolly; grand-nephews and grand-nieces; Jaime, Derek, Kyle, Devin, Dana, Hannah, Brielle, Harrison, Brian, Jennifer, Sarah, Caroline, William, and Matthew.

A Funeral Mass will be held on January 10, 2015 at 10:00 AM at Christ the King Catholic Church located at 8017 Preston Road, Dallas, TX 75225 and a Memorial Service and Remembrance will be held February 9, 2015 at 4:00 PM at St. Mark’s School of Texas located at 10600 Preston Road. Dallas, TX 75230.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to any of the following organizations: St. Vincent De Paul Society of Christ the King Church, St. Mark’s School of Texas, Dallas, TX.