Brother Timothy Dean, FSC 1931-2011

Eulogy given by
Michael Andrejko, FSC

Oh! What a joy a Brother of the Christian Schools will have when he sees a great number of his students in possession of eternal happiness, for which they are indebted to him by the grace of Jesus Christ! What a sharing of joy there will be between the teacher and his disciples! What a special union with one another there will be in the presence of God!

Born Francis William Dean on June 10, 1931, Francis William entered the Brothers of the Christian Schools on February 1, 1951, and became Brother Daniel Timothy. Even though Brother Timothy was a graduate of that institution on North Capital Street (Gonzaga High School), a fact that he was always proud of even when I would chide him about it, we still accepted him into the community. I am sure it took a while for him to change from a Jesuit product to a Brother’s boy.

It did not take the Brothers long to realize that, in addition to Tim being a cracker jack teacher, he also had the great gift, and often times, the great burden, of being a good manager of people. Therefore it was not long after a stint of teaching at West Philadelphia High School for Boys that he became the Commandant of Cadets, the last person to hold the title, here at St. John’s from 1962 to 1971. It was during this time that Brother Timothy established himself as a no-nonsense but fair disciplinarian who cared deeply about the students who were entrusted to him.

From a professional standpoint, Brother Tim held a vast array of positions over the career of his religious life: teacher, principal, assistant principal, commandant of cadets, assistant superintendent of schools, and Lasallian animator. These positions have earned Brother Tim the respect and esteem that many of his colleagues and Brothers hold for him. Words like steadfast, loyal, and hard working come foremost in the mind of many a Lasallian educator when they hear the name of Brother Timothy Dean.

Tim had the ability to have the balance between wielding the iron fist, at which he was an expert, and the velvet glove with his students, as well as with many of the Brothers. At Brother Timothy’s 50th jubilee celebration, which was in this room, I witnessed the esteem, respect, and admiration that his former students had for him. When Tim was giving his jubilee speech, a group of students started to get up and sing a cheer that was not permitted under the former Commandant of Cadets. All he had to do was raise his finger and say, “Don’t you dare sing that song!” and immediately these grown men all sat down.

As for his religious community, Tim was oftentimes called into service because of his organizational and his downright practical ways of running a religious community. Because of this, Brother Tim was the Superior/Director when he was in Jersey City, NJ, and Radnor, PA. He even spent a year as the Sub-Director of Novices on the shores of Lake Skaneateles in upstate New York. Once again, Brother Tim’s balance of concern for the individual Brother as well as for the common good of the community proved his selfless willingness to put his own talents and gifts at the service of his fellow Christian Brothers.

Twenty-three years ago, when I met Tim for the first time, he was the seasoned veteran Brother, and I was twenty, and still quite wet behind the ears as a new member of the Christian Brothers. As Tim did with so many of the young Brothers of that time, he took me under his, I dare say, “eagle” wing, and instantly won my admiration, respect, and a healthy fear for a mature Brother. At this time in Tim’s life , he had much to offer in terms of wisdom and sound practical advice to an aspiring young “buck” like me. In addition to his professional expertise, Tim had a deep sense of the Holy, and quite frequently did spiritual reading and spiritual direction throughout the course of his life. This enabled him to be able to say oftentimes, to me, that whatever was troubling me was beyond my control, and that I had to take this problem to prayer. As he reflected upon my own mother’s death, he simply said, “When you need to cry about this, just cry.”

The thing I will remember the most about Tim is the strong friendship that we developed over the years. There never was a time when he wasn’t supportive, loyal, or compassionate, even if at times, especially early on, I knew he was being corrective.

Tim touched the lives of everyone with whom he came into contact: students, faculty, staff, alumns, Brothers, and his family because he was a believer. Tim believed in those who were entrusted to his care and believed deeply about being a Brother of the Christian Schools. That is why he called others to greatness and challenged them to step outside of themselves and become a part of something much larger.

Upon my last visit with Tim, we talked about perhaps having a picnic in the near future, where we could just relax and have some good hot dogs and hamburgers, and, of course, some liquid refreshment. When I was leaving the room, I said, “We are going to have that picnic, aren’t we?” And he replied, “We sure will.” Tim knew that we were saying good-bye for now, but that we would all meet again someday.

May he rest in peace.