Dear Friends of Denny,
Dad had his induction into the St. Bernard's Hall of Fame this weekend and he was overwhelmed by all the love and support from the community! Thank you to everyone who came to see him and all of you who sent lovely notes and comments in other ways. And thanks also to everyone who worked so hard to make it such a wonderful event. Here are some pictures of the evening taken by his sister, Sally. Note that it was a mini-reunion for the graduating class of 1957.
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| Representatives of the Class of 1957! |
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| The Cahill Clan |
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We three kids were given the honor of introducing Dad, and we wanted to share what we said here because while many of you know different facets of Dad's life, these stories might be new to you:
We are so
proud to be here to celebrate our Dad.
As Denny’s kids we’ve always
thought that he embodies the idea of how to lead a good Catholic life: He has
always followed the Crusader Motto of Faith, Intellect, Service! We are so happy
to see him recognized by the rest of the community. Indeed, Dad bleeds green
and white. Even though he graduated 57 years ago (in the class of 57) and his last
kid left SB over a decade ago, Dad still
very much considers St. Bernard’s his family.
As his kids, we’ve seen how
SB shaped his life. He joined SB family in 1948 as a 4th grader. At
that time it was only the elementary school and the colors were red & white.
When Dad’s class hit 8th
grade, the nuns decided to start a high school, so the class of ‘57 was the
first freshmen, first sophomore, first jr. and first graduating high school
class at St. Bernard’s. Dad’s class honored him by asking him to represent them as the first ASB president.
Together, they helped establish many of the traditions of school spirit; voting
for green and white over blue and gold as the school colors and choosing the
Crusader as their mascot. They also brought home the first championship flag (for
Baseball). The nuns clearly decided to continue the high school due to that
wonderful first class. So it is thanks to them that we’re all here today (though
the principal, Sister Mary James, might have some interesting stories to tell if
she were with us tonight)
St. Bernard’s instilled more
than just school spirit; Dad also took to heart its
Catholic teachings. He served as an alter boy for many years and after graduation he enrolled at the Mt Angel Seminary
for two years. He says he realized that the
priesthood was not for him when he spent more time bird-watching than
meditating while on their nature retreats. And when he had a difficult
time abiding by the periods of silence that were required in the evening due to
his gift of gab. He realized that he could
still give back to the community, however, by becoming a teacher.
In fact, his first teaching
post was teaching 4-8th grade science classes at SB Elementary School. If you want to know how deep
his roots run at SB, he taught Joe Rodgers, one of our other honorees this
evening as well as his sister Sally, another distinguished alumni – and
probably many of the rest of you.
Teaching was the perfect
career for him and his instruction has left a lasting impression on the
community here and outside of the redwood curtain. He gave 43 years of service
to thousands of kids, teaching them about marine biology and the amazing
science of the ocean around us. Every time we go out with
him, we run into at least one former student who tells him how much they
appreciated him as a teacher.
In fact, he is something of a
legend, some of you may have received the circulating chain email “You Know
You’re From Eureka When…”
And wouldn’t you know it, being
taught by Mr. Cahill was #29 on the list?
Over the years Dad has
devoted much time to SB, including serving as a coach for boys jv sports while
he was teaching here, coaching basketball for all three of us at SB Elementary
school for a total of 16 seasons, making cameos as “Mr. Science” for many an elementary
school class, and volunteering at plenty of Mardi Gras celebrations. On top of
that, he served as president of the SB Elementary School PTA (leading the
effort to put in the playground). He also drove our teams on many sporting trips around the county. Who remembers driving in the brown Chevy van
to S. Humboldt and listening to the 8-track tapes of Dolly Parton or John
Denver? You could say SB has been the center of his life (except that time when
he married that cute Arcata High Grad).
He literally left a lasting
mark on the school when he donated, in lieu of flowers for his mother’s
funeral, the cross that adorns the Eastern entrance of the high school.
Getting into the hall of fame
with those being honored tonight (Colleen & Jim Cruz, Joe Rodgers, and the late Father Eric Freed) and all of the other inspirational hall of
famers, including his little sister, Cathy Maher, seems like such a fitting
next chapter in a wonderful SBS life. Although we may never hear the end of it.
Please join me in a toast to
Dad, his fellow honorees, and SB:
May the road rise to met you
May the wind be always at your back
May the rain fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
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| Proud of Dad! |
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