PAST PRESIDENTS

“President since 1975, Father Driscoll notified the board of trustees at its Dec. 8 meeting that he will be stepping down as the university’s chief administrative officer in August 1988.

Father Driscoll, 64, has served longer than any president in Villanova’s history.  He succeeded the Rev. Edward J. McCarthy, O.S.A., in July 1975.  At the time of his election, Father Driscoll was serving as vice president for Academic Affairs at Villanova.  He came here in 1965 from Merrimack College in New England, where he was religious superior of the Augustinian community and a member of that school’s board of trustees.

A 1948 graduate of Villanova, Father Driscoll earned both his master’s degree and his doctorate in philosophy from Catholic University.  He was ordained in 1951, and began a teaching career at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C., shortly thereafter.

In 1956 he was transferred to Merrimack, where he served as a philosophy teacher and later as vice president and dean.  He remained there until his assignment to Villanova in the mid-1960s.  It was a time of national turmoil involving campus protests and students demanding a stronger voice in university governance.  As vice president, Father Driscoll played a major role in student-university relations that eventually brought about the university senate at Villanova.

He became the university’s 30th president in July 1975, beginning tenure of distinguished service.  In 1978 he was elected president of the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities and became a recognized educational leader in the state.

During the 12 years of his presidency, those qualities of leadership were reflected in the growth, advancement and reputation of the university.  The purchase of land extended the borders of campus.  New dormitories were constructed.  Both the Connelly Center and the Pavilion were completed, and numerous buildings were renovated.  A comprehensive internal evaluation nears completion.

To help offset the costs of expansion, Father Driscoll instituted the university’s first national fund-raising campaign.  The Covenant Campaign, in two phases, raised more than $34 million over a 10-year period.

But most important, Villanova has grown academically, from a good university to one that U.S. News and World Report called one of America’s best.  Under Father Driscoll’s direction, Villanova joined the academic elite.  Its student body is increasingly more select and geographically diverse and its academic curriculum more innovate and challenging.  Its faculty ranks among the best in the nation, providing a values-centered education that earned plaudits in a recent national poll of college presidents.

All of the objective indicators of institutional excellence have been met during Father Driscoll’s presidency, and as a result, Villanova’s course has never been brighter as it prepares for the future.”

Father Edward James McCarthy was born in Troy, New York, to Edward McCarthy and Katherine Grimley on 1 April 1912. He received his early education in the public schools of Troy and Mechanicville. He entered Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, as a postulant in 1925 and was received into the Augustinian novitiate in September 1929. He professed simple vows on 11 September 1930 and three years later, solemn vows. He was graduated from Villanova College in 1934 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy. He pursued theological studies at Augustinian College, Washington, D.C.; and was ordained a priest there on 15 June 1937. After ordination he earned an M.A. (1938) and a doctorate in history from the Catholic University of America.

Father McCarthy's first assignment after ordination was to the then Villanova College as a professor of history. In June 1946 he went to the Universidad de S. Tomas de Villanueva, Havana, Cuba, as Dean and professor of history. In the school year 1947/1948 he traveled extensively throughout South American to become acquainted with its various cultures. In 1947 he returned to his teaching position at Villanova College and was named first Dean of Arts and Sciences (1948-1950) and then Dean of the Graduate and Extension Schools (1950-1953). In 1953 he returned to the Universidad de Villanueva as Academic Vice President (1953-1957), later becoming prior of the religious community (1958-1961). When the Augustinians were being expelled from Cuba in 1961, Father McCarthy and the other Augustinians, lined up in the school auditorium, thought they were going to be shot but were told instead to leave Cuba immediately. This they did with just their personal belongings. Thus ended the era of the Universidad de Villanueva in Cuba.

In 1961 the Archdiocese of Miami, then looking for a religious order to staff a college, appealed to the Augustinians who assumed sponsorship. Father McCarthy was named the first president (1961-1968). Through his efforts Biscayne College, as the college was named, was put on a solid foundation. In 1968 he was named prior of Our Mother of Good Counsel Monastery at Merrimack College serving also as chairman of the Department of History there (1968-1971) there. In 1971 he was elected president of Villanova University, a position he held until 1975. He was successful both in achieving peace and harmony on the campus and in continuing to improve the academic standards of the University.

From 1975 to 1979 Father took up parochial ministry as pastor of Resurrection Parish in Dania, Florida, and later, from 1977 to 1979, as assistant pastor of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine, Bronx, New York. But once again the academic community called upon him. From 1979-1981 he was Vice President for Academic Affairs at Merrimack College, North Andover, Massachusetts. In 1981 he was called to Villanova to serve on the governing board of the Augustinian Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova and was named Assistant Provincial. He was elected chairman of the Board of Trustees of Villanova University.

In 1990 Father was assigned to Saint Augustine Church, Casselberry, Florida. At this time he was experiencing some health difficulties for which warmer climate was thought to be better. In 1993, at the age of 81, he at the request of Archbishop McCarthy assumed the position of interim President of Saint Thomas University (formerly Biscayne College). In his usual thorough and professional manner he directed the course of the University until a new president was in place. Having personally witnessed the wisdom and dynamism of Father McCarthy, the new president kept him on as a consultant, a position he held until his final illness.

Father McCarthy died on 8 April 1996 and is buried in the Augustinian cemetery on the campus of Villanova University.

Father Robert Joseph Welsh was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Robert Welsh and Elizabeth Walpole on 15 July 1921. He had one brother and four sisters. Baptized in the church of Saint Agatha in Philadelphia on 7 August 1921, he began his education in that parish. After finishing grammar school he attended West Catholic High School in Philadelphia, from which he graduated in 1938. After a semester at La Salle College in Philadelphia, he transferred to Augustinian Academy, the Preparatory Seminary on Staten Island, New York, as a post-graduate student. In September 1939, he was received as a novice and spent a year at Our Mother of Good Counsel Novitiate, where on 10 September 1940, he professed simple vows. Three years later, at Saint Mary's Hall, the Augustinian collegiate seminary on the Campus of Villanova College in Pennsylvania, he professed solemn vows. He graduated from Villanova in 1943 with an A.B. degree and began his study of theology at Augustinian College in Washington, D.C. During the summer months he took graduate courses in English at the nearby Catholic University of America. On 11 February 1947 he was ordained to the priesthood at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Following ordination, he was sent to Collegio Santa Monica, the Augustinian international house of studies in Rome, Italy. There he began graduate studies in theology at the Gregorian University. In 1948 he earned an S.T.L., degree and two years later was awarded an S.T.D. cum laude.

Father Welsh's first assignment was to Augustinian College in Washington, D.C., where from 1950-1956 he taught moral theology and was Submaster of Professed. In 1956 he was transferred to Villanova University, where he taught in the department of theology until 1965. From 1956 to 1959 he also served as Secretary of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova. In 1960 he was appointed Assistant Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the following year became Dean. In 1967 Father Welsh became the 28th President of Villanova University, a position he held until 1971. These were years of change and campus unrest during which his patience and understanding was greatly appreciated by both students and faculty. In 1971 he was named prior of Augustinian College in Washington, D.C., and was chosen to serve at the same time as President of the Washington Theological Union. In 1975 he was elected to the Council of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova and was transferred to Saint Thomas of Villanova Monastery, Villanova, Pennsylvania. On the Council Father Welsh served as Province Director of Education until 1979. From 1980 to 1984 he brought his wealth of experience to Malvern Preparatory School, Malvern, Pennsylvania, becoming there a popular and respected guidance counselor. In 1985 Father Welsh was named treasurer of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova and held that position until 1988. In that year he was named Assistant to the President of Villanova University, a position he continued to hold even as his health began to fail. During his active years in the education apostolate, Father Welsh served on the Boards of Trustees of Villanova University, of Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, and of Malvern Preparatory School, Malvern, Pennsylvania. A building on the West Campus of Villanova University has been named in his honor.

A very private person, Father endured with patience the discomfort associated with the treatment of his final illness giving all with whom he was associated an example of Christian suffering. At his death Father Welsh was survived by two sisters, one of whom was an invalid, whom he had continued to visit even as his own health failed.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at Saint Thomas of Villanova Church on 11 November 1992. Father Edmund J. Dobbin, O.S.A., then President of Villanova University, delivered the homily. The following day the interment took place in the Augustinian plot of Calvary Cemetery in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

Father Joseph Anthony Flaherty was born on 13 June 1916 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to James A. Flaherty and Mary A. Bradley. He was baptized in the Church of the Gesu, Philadelphia. He attended the Gesu Parochial School, Saint Joseph's Preparatory School, and in 1938 received an A.B. degree from Saint Joseph's College in Philadelphia. In the fall of 1938 he was accepted into the Augustinian novitiate in New Hamburg, New York, and professed simple vows on 31 October 1939. Three years later he made his solemn profession at Villanova College, Villanova, Pennsylvania, where he was taking courses in philosophy. In 1940 he began his theological studies at Augustinian College, Washington, D.C. During the summer months he took graduate courses at the nearby Catholic University of America. On 29 May 1943, he was ordained to the priesthood at Trinity College Chapel in Washington, D.C. In 1946 he was granted a Master's degree, and in 1949 a Ph.D., in English from Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In 1947 Father Flaherty was assigned to the newly opened Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, as a teacher of English. He at first resided at Saint Augustine's Rectory in Andover but on moving onto the campus in 1947 he became chairman of the English department; and from 1951 to 1964 he held the position of director of the Part-time Division of the College. In 1964 he was transferred to Villanova University and appointed Vice-President for Academic Affairs. In the following year, 1965, he became the twenty-seventh president of the University. During his tenure as president the entire curriculum of the university was made available to women students; the construction of the first residence hall for women was begun; and salaries for the faculty were raised. In 1967 Father Flaherty returned to Merrimack College as a professor of English because of failing health but continued to teach until he retired in the mid-1980s. Even after a major operation his condition continued to worsen, and in 1993 he was transferred from Our Mother of Good Counsel Monastery on the Merrimack College campus to Saint Thomas of Villanova Monastery on the Villanova University campus. It was here that he died peacefully on 8 August 1993 at the age of 77.

Honorary degrees were bestowed on Father Flaherty by Saint Joseph's College in 1965; by La Salle College in 1966; by Merrimack College in 1967. He was a member of the Association of Higher Education of Teachers of English and, by presidential appointment, a member of the Board of Visitors of the United States Air Force Academy.

Father Joseph Flaherty's life as a religious priest was aptly described in a tribute given him as he finished his tenure as president of Villanova: "To generations of students, to his colleagues in higher education, and to his Augustinian brothers, Father Joseph Flaherty is a man of great wit, wisdom, and culture. Although an able administrator, he is above all a teacher, a communicator of literary treasurers, an inspiration to young and old alike."

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at Saint Thomas of Villanova Church on the campus of Villanova University on 11 August 1993. Father George P. Lawless, O.S.A. delivered the homily. Interment was on the following day in the Augustinian plot of Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Some days later a memorial Mass was celebrated at the Collegiate Church of Christ the Teacher on the campus of Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts.

Father John A. Klekotka was born in Philadelphia on 4 February 1915. He attended James Alcorn Public School, St. Stanislaus Parochial school, and Roman Catholic High School (where he received the Latin Prize at graduation). He was awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Villanova College in 1935.

Working for a while as a typist, he entered the Augustinians as a postulant in March 1936 and pronounced his first vows on 10 September 1937. He did his theological studies at Augustinian College, Washington, D.C. and was ordained to the priesthood 10 June 1941. The following year he received his Master's degree in Physics from Catholic University and began to teach at Villanova College.

At Villanova Father Klekotka served in many capacities: he was a professor of science, from 1951 to 1956, headed the Electrical Engineering School from 1954 to 1956, was Executive Coordinator of the Nursing Division from 1954 to 1959, was Director of Alumni Relations from 1957 to 1959, was for a time Director of Admissions, and from 1959 to 1965 was President of the University 1959 to 1965. He earlier had also been moderator of the student newspaper, The Villanovan, college chaplain and for many years, dorm counselor.

From 1965 to 1971 he served as prior of the Augustinian community at Monsignor Bonner High School, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania; from 1971 to 1975 was Pastor of Saint Thomas of Villanova parish, Rosemont, Pennsylvania, and from 1975 to 1977, was prior of the Augustinian community at Our Mother of Consolation parish, Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania.

After having suffered several strokes, he returned to Saint Thomas of Villanova parish as an associate in 1977; and it was as a member of this community that he died.

During his ministry, Father Klekotka's talents glowed through his quiet and self-effacing personality. He received several honorary degrees: ScD from Alliance College, Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania (1960); a D. Ped from La Salle College, Philadelphia (1962); and a Dr. Hebrew Letters from Dropsie College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1964). He also served on the board of directors of Villanova University and of Holy Family College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Twice he was awarded the prestigious Freedoms Foundation Medal and was also the recipient of the Villanova Alumni medal. He served on the Crime Commission of the City of Philadelphia, on the Philadelphia World Affairs Council, on the Education Council of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, on the Priests Senate of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and on the Board of Directors of the Urban League. He was also a member of such professional societies as Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, the Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, and the Philadelphia Professional Society.

Father Klekotka died suddenly in Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital on 4 November 1978. He is buried in the Augustinian plot, Calvary Cemetery, Conshohoken, Pennsylvania.

Father James Donnellon was born in Niagara Falls, New York, in 1906, and was raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He graduated from Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, in 1924 and from Villanova College in 1930. He pursued his theological training in Washington, D.C. at Augustinian College, and the Catholic University, and was ordained a priest in June 1932.

Father Donnellon received an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1936 and 1938, respectively. He also did graduate studies at Harvard Medical School and at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Father Donnellon taught Biology at Villanova College, where he was also chairman of the department at Fordham University. In 1954 he was named president of Villanova College. In June 1959 he was elected Provincial of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova and served in that capacity until 1965. He was then appointed Prior of the Augustinian Monastery at Villanova.

Father held many professional memberships, as a member of the advisory Panel of the Joint State [of Pennsylvania] Government Commission of the New York Academy of Sciences, and of the International Biometero Logical Study Commission. He received honorary doctorates from La Salle College, Philadelphia; Merrimack College, North Andover, Massachusetts; and Saint Joseph's College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Father Donnellon died on 11 April 1971 and is buried at Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohoken, Pennsylvania.

Father Francis Xavier McGuire, son of Francis and Bridget (Foley) McGuire, was born in the Bronx, New York, on November 21, 1909.  On December 5, 1909, he was baptized in Saint. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, New York.  He began his early education at Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Parochial school, St. Ann Academy, and Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York, where he was admitted as a postulant.  He began his novitiate at New Hamburg, New York, on September 8, 1927, professed first vows a year later, and received solemn profession on September 9, 1931.

In 1932, after graduating from Villanova College with a BA degree, he studies theology at the Gregorian University in Rome, was ordained to the priesthood in Rome on July 21, 1935, and earned his Doctorate of Divinity in 1939.

Father McGuire’s first assignment was assisting at St. James Parish in Carthage, New York.  In September 1939, he began teaching theology at Villanova College, and served as prefect of studies until 1941.  During the Provincial Chapter of 1941, Father McGuire was appointed Vice President of Villanova College and three years later, at age 34, became Villanova’s 24th president.

While President of Villanova from 1944 to 1954, Father McGuire oversaw the transformation of Villanova College from a small liberal arts college to an expanded institution of higher education, culminating in Villanova’s elevation to University status in 1953.  During Father McGuire’s tenure as President, new buildings were erected on campus to accommodate the increasing enrollment; namely, Falvey Library, Barry Hall, Dougherty Hall, the Chemical Engineering Building, the Commerce and Finance Building and Mendel Hall.  The College of Nursing, Villanova Law School, and part-time studies program were established during his presidency.  Between 1945 and 1954, the year he retired from office, he had received honorary Doctor of Law degrees from LaSalle College, and Saint Joseph University, both of Philadelphia, Pa., and Doctor of Humane Letters from Long Island University in New York.  In 1954, he directed Villanova’s Development Foundation until 1959.

Father McGuire’s career as an Augustinian priest included his call to be professor of philosophy and religious studies, while on Boards of Trustees at Villanova University and Rosemont College.  He was elected Counselor to the Provincial from 1950 to 1956.  He served on the Joint State Government Commission of Pennsylvania, and held an executive position of the Association of Naval Reserve Officer Training Colleges and Universities.

After Father McGuire left Villanova He shared his expertise in Augustinian parishes.  Parishioners remember him for his keen mind, charm and quick wit, all interwoven with a deep spirituality.  His magnetic personality developed from both his reputation as a spiritual leader and educator and the fact that, when he spoke, people listened.  They marveled at his insight, wisdom and humorous anecdotes.

Father McGuire taught at Merrimack College, in North Andover, Massachusetts, before continuing parochial ministries in Andover and Lawrence, Mass.; Jamaca, the Bronx, and Staten Island, New York.  His last active assignment was prior of the Retreat House, formerly Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York.      

In 1996, when his health began to fail, Father McGuire returned to Saint Thomas Monastery, at Villanova.  He remained in the Health Care Unite at the monastery until January 2003, when he moved to Sacred Heart Manor in Philadelphia.  Father McGruire died at the age of 93.  A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in Saint Thomas of Villanova Church on campus.  His body was interred at the Augustinian Cemetery on Villanova’s campus, on Thursday, May 15.

Father Edward Valentine Stanford, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, entered the Augustinian Order in 1917 after completing three years at Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. He was ordained in Philadelphia by His Eminence Denis Cardinal Dougherty on 10 June 1922.

Father Stanford's first assignment was to Villanova College, in 1923, as teacher of Descriptive Geometry. Later on he assumed the duties of chaplain of the College. After nine years as chaplain he was appointed the 23rd President of Villanova College. In 1940 he was elected President of the Association of American Colleges. Noted as an administrator, he served during World War II as an advisory-board member of the War Manpower Commission.

In 1944 Father Stanford was appointed Prior and Rector of Augustinian College in Washington, D.C. It was during his term there that he helped organize, and acted as secretary of, the Catholic Commission for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs, a group of learned and famous Catholic scholars. In 1950 Father Stanford moved to Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C., as the schools' first Principal and Superior of the Augustinian Community there. He was principal there for nine years.

In 1959 Father Stanford was assigned to Saint Mary's Hall, Villanova, Pennsylvania, and was given the opportunity to devote his time to educational pursuits and writing. Father was the author of several books including A Guide to Catholic College Administration. He held honorary degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, Saint John's University, Loyola University of Chicago, and Boston College.

At the time of his death, he was serving as an administrative consultant to the Association of American Colleges. Father had been attending a Board of Trustees meeting at Biscayne College in Opa-Locka, Florida, and was preparing to return to Philadelphia, when he took ill and died at the Rectory of the Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord in Dania, Florida, on 17 February 1966 at the age of 69. He is buried at the Augustinian Community cemetery at Villanova University.

Father James Griffin was born 11 December 1891 in the Bronx, New York. He entered the Augustinian novitiate in 1909 and was professed a year later. In September 1912, after graduating from Villanova College, he was sent to Saint Monica's International College in Rome, to study theology. The onset of World War I called him home in 1915. He was ordained at Villanova.

From 1915 to 1926 Father Griffin served the parish of Our Mother of Consolation in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In June 1926 he was appointed President of Villanova College.

It was during his presidency that Villanova, in 1928, suffered the first of two fires separated by only a few years.

In 1932 Father Griffin began a series of pastorates in New York State: at Waterford, Jamaica, Staten Island and Greenwich. He gained a widespread reputation throughout New York State as an organizer working with the Saint Vincent De Paul Society and as chaplain of Queens General Hospital, New York. He was also noted for his work with alcoholics and drug addicts.

In 1968 he was appointed Prior of the Augustinian Community at Saint Augustine's, Lawrence, Massachusetts. With health failing him, he was transferred a year later to Saint Augustine's, Troy, New York, where he died at the age of 81. He is buried in the Augustinian community cemetery on the Villanova University campus.

Father Mortimer Augustine Sullivan was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on 2 January 1887. He entered the Augustinian novitiate at Villanova, Pennsylvania in 1904 and two years later went to Rome to study at the International College of Saint Monica. He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome in 1909.

After ordination Father Sullivan returned to the United States where he served as an assistant at Saint Laurence's parish in Lawrence, Massachusetts; at Saint Rita's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and at Immaculate Conception in Hoosick Falls, New York. From 1914 to 1917 he was a member of the Augustinian mission band. He also served as a chaplain in the United States Navy during the First World War.

After the War, Father Sullivan served as an assistant at Saint Nicholas of Tolentine in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1925 he was named President of Villanova College. The following year he was appointed Prior and Pastor at Saint Matthew's in Flint, Michigan. He held the same office at Saint Nicholas of Tolentine in Jamaica, New York, in 1929.

At the Chapter of 1932 Father Sullivan was elected Prior Provincial of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova. After serving two terms in this office, he became Prior and Pastor at Saint Nicholas of Tolentine in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He served again as Provincial from 1944 to 1949. During his last term as Provincial, Merrimack College in Andover, Massachusetts, was established, and negotiations were proceeding for the opening of Carroll High School, Washington, D.C.

Father Sullivan was 62 when he died in Atlantic City Hospital, Atlantic City, New Jersey, on 13 July 1949. He is buried in the Augustinian Community plot of the Saint Mary's cemetery in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Two buildings are named in Father Sullivan's honor: the Liberal Arts building at Merrimack College, Andover, Massachusetts, and Sullivan Hall on the Villanova University campus.

Father Joseph Hickey was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1883. He went to Villanova, Pennsylvania, in 1898 as an Augustinian postulant and entered the novitiate in 1902. Two years later he was sent to the International College of Saint Monica in Rome, Italy, to continue his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained in Rome in 1906. After ordination, he remained in Rome to do graduate work in Canon Law, for which he was granted a doctorate in 1908.

Father Hickey then returned to the United States and was assigned to the newly established Saint Rita's High School in Chicago, Illinois. In 1910, he became Rector of Saint Rita's Hall, the Augustinian preparatory seminary at Villanova and, also, a professor at the College. He was appointed Province Regent of Studies in 1913, Definitor in 1914, and Provincial Socius and Secretary in 1918.

Father Hickey became the first Prior of Saint Mary's Hall at Villanova and held this post until he was appointed President of Villanova College in January 1925. At the General Chapter of September 1925, he was named Assistant General for the English-speaking provinces of the Augustinian Order. From that time until 1953, except for the war years, he lived in Rome, Italy.

At the General Chapter of 1947, Father Hickey was elected Prior-General of the Order of Saint Augustine. During his term of office, Saint Monica's in Rome was completely remodeled, and the new Curia building was erected. In 1953, after completing his term as Prior General, he retired to Saint Thomas of Villanova Monastery on the Villanova University campus. He was seventy-two years old when he died on 9 July 1955 in Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He is buried in the Augustinian Community Cemetery on the Villanova University campus.

Father Francis Driscoll was born on Staten Island, New York, in 1899. He entered the novitiate at Villanova, Pennsylvania, in 1905 and was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1912.

After ordination Father Driscoll was assigned to Villanova College as a professor of mathematics. In 1914 he was appointed Vice-President of the College and President from 1920 until 1924. In 1925 he founded Cascia Hall, a new Augustinian preparatory school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Father Driscoll was 56 when he died in Florida, on 6 February 1945, following an illness of three years. He was the first priest of the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel (just previously established) to die. He is buried in the Augustinian Community Cemetery at Villanova.

Reverend James Joseph Dean, O.S.A., was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts on 14 March 1879. After completing college studies at Villanova, he did graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania. He was ordained to the priesthood on 29 September 1901. For twenty-five years he was a member of the Villanova faculty, teaching mathematics.

During his brief time as president of Villanova, he, in 1918, underwent two serious operations and was thereafter in poor health. His successor in the presidency was Father Francis A. Driscoll, O.S.A., previously prefect-of--studies and vice-president.

Father Dean was an able orator. During World War I this talent of his was drawn upon for Liberty Loan drives and other patriotic celebrations.

In October 1919 Governor Spoul appointed Father Dean a member of the State College and University Council, which passed on charters of incorporation for educational institutions. Father Dean was the first Catholic college president ever appointed to this council. He died in April 1964.

The above account is based on an entry in the Evening Bulletin, June 1920 bearing the headings: The Rev. J. J. Dean Quits Villanova. Resigns as President Because of Illness. Succeeded by Rev. Francis A. Driscoll.

Father Edward George Dohan was born in Troy, New York, in 1870. He entered the Augustinian novitiate at Villanova, Pennsylvania, in 1895, and was ordained by Archbishop Patrick John Ryan in 1899.

He was stationed on Staten Island, New York, until 1906. Having from there, in 1905, established a mission in the Bronx, New York, he in the following year became pastor there of the newly established church of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine.

Father Dohan was appointed President of Villanova College in 1910 and held that position until 1917, after which he became Rector of Saint Joseph's in Greenwich, New York. From 1920 to 1926, he was in charge of Our Mother of Good Counsel parish, and of the Augustinian Academy, on Staten Island, New York. Father Dohan thus became the first Rector of the Academy, (school for Augustinian Postulants) when it was moved from Villanova to Staten Island. He also remained its the first Rector when it was moved from Austin Place to Grimes Hill on Staten Island. Later he served at Greenwich and Troy, New York.

Father Dohan died in Troy on 16 January 1936 at the age of 66. He is buried there in Saint Augustine's (Saint John's) Cemetery.

Father Laurence Delurey was born in Easton, New York, on 15 May 1864. He entered the Augustinian novitiate at Villanova, Pennsylvania, in 1885, and was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Patrick John Ryan of Philadelphia in 1890. He served for a short time at Saint Nicholas of Tolentine in New York City, in 1901 before being transferred to Saint Augustine's in Havana, Cuba. After becoming, first, Procurator and then Vice-President at Villanova College, he served as President there from 1895 to 1910. In 1905, during his presidency, the inauguration of the engineering school was announced.

Father Delurey died in the General Hospital in Troy, New York, on 21 December 1922 at the age of 58. He is buried in Saint Augustine's (Saint John's) Cemetery in Troy.

Delurey Hall, a residence hall on the Villanova University campus, is named in his honor.

Father Francis McShane was born in Aughnocloy, Ireland, in 1846. When he first came to the United States, he lived with the Brothers of the Holy Cross in South Bend, Indiana. In 1868, he entered the Augustinian novitiate at Villanova, Pennsylvania, and was ordained a priest by Bishop James F. Wood in 1872.

For some years, including those of 1874 and 1877, he worked with the diocesan priests on the missions in Harrisburg, Centralia, and Elizabethtown in Pennsylvania; and later, on missions in Texas. For many years he was Prior and Pastor of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and of Our Mother of Consolation, Chestnut Hill, Pennsylania. From 1894 to 1895, he was President of Villanova College and was then and for some time longer, a Provincial Definitor. He also served at Schaghticoke and Carthage in New York. From 1919 to 1929, he was the Superior of the new Augustinian theologate in Washington, D.C.

Father McShane died on 28 March 1932 in Misericordia Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 28 March 1932, at the age of 86. He is buried in the Augustinian Community Cemetery on the Villanova campus.

Father Christopher McEvoy was born in Queens County, Ireland, in 1840. Before coming to Villanova College in 1866, he attended Notre Dame University and Niagara College. In 1868 he entered the novitiate at Villanova, Pennsylvania, and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop James F. Wood in 1871.

After ordination, Father McEvoy was stationed at Our Mother of Consolation in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania; and in 1881 he opened the first parochial school there, in the basement of the Church. From 1882 to 1890, he served as Provincial of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova. As Provincial, he attended the Third Plenary Council in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1884.

Father McEvoy next served at Villanova, where he was President of the College, Prior of the Augustinian Community, and Pastor of Saint Thomas of Villanova Church. He also served at Saint Denis' in Ardmore, Pennsylvania; at Saint Augustine's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and, again, at Our Mother of Consolation in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania. Still later, he was stationed at Saint Mary's in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He was also on the mission band for a time.

On 14 December 1914, at age of 74, Father McEvoy died at Villanova. He is buried in the Augustinian Community Cemetery on campus.

Father Francis Michael Sheeran was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1840. He received his high school education in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and came to Villanova in 1857. In 1858, with Father Thomas Cooke Middleton, he entered the Augustinian novitiate at Tolentine, Italy, and was ordained to the priesthood in Rome, in 1863.

Father Sheeran returned to the United States in 1865 and was stationed, first at Villanova, and then at Saint Augustine's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From 1886-1898, he was President of Villanova College, and then Master of Novices and of professed students of his Order, and afterwards was Prior of the Augustinian community and Pastor of Saint Thomas of Villanova Church. Later he served at Saint Denis' in Ardmore, Pennsylvania; at Saint Augustine's in Philadelphia; at Saint Nicholas' in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and at Our Mother of Consolation in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania.

He died at Villanova on 19 January 1912, at the age of 72, and is buried in the Augustinian Community Cemetery there.

Rev. Joseph A. Coleman, O.S.A., was a native of Ireland. He did his early studies with the Augustinian Fathers in his native land, completing his education for the priesthood at Ghent, Belgium. Very Rev. John J. Fedigan, O.S.A., was his classmate. After his ordination he returned to Ireland and was for a time prior at St. Augustine's and St. John's churches, Dublin. In 1875 he came to America and was engaged in mission work for two years, and then returned to his native land. He came back to America and became affiliated with the American province. At St. Augustine's parish, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he served for about three years, he reorganized the Sacred Heart Society, succeeding so well that its membership under his direction approached nearly one thousand.

From July, 1880, to July, 1886, he was president of Villanova College and prior of the monastery there. During this time the Church of St. Thomas of Villanova was erected. At the close of his term as president he went to Australia as a missionary and, while there, met with an accident, a fall from a horse, which left lasting damage and was eventually the cause of his death.

While in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on his way home to Ireland from Australia, he received instructions from the prior general of his order to remain there and engage in the collection of funds for the newly established Italian Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel. This involvement was successful in great measure because of his efforts. He died while there at Good Counsel and was buried in the priests vault at St. Augustine's. Archbishop Ryan of Philadelphia performed the final funeral rite preceding interment of the body.

Father John Joseph Fedigan was born in Rathbran, Ireland on 27 April 1842. He studied at Saint Mary's College in Wilmington, Delaware, before entering the Augustinian novitiate at Ghent, Belgium. He was ordained to the priesthood on 24 October 1868 by Bishop Shanahan in the Philadelphia Cathedral.

During his forty years as a priest, Father Fedigan held many positions in the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova. In addition, he made many contributions to the spread of the faith and to the growth of the Augustinian Province. In 1874, he was the first Augustinian to serve in Carthage, New York, and became the first Rector there. He was also elected Definitor for American Augustinians at several chapters.

Serving as Prior and Pastor at Saint Nicholas' in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for eighteen years, he established the first rectory and was the first resident Pastor. Through negotiations with Cardinal Gibbons and Archbishop Ireland, he also secured for the Augustinians a parish in Cuba.

In 1879 he opened the mission of Saint Monica at Reeseville (Berwyn), Pennsylvania, to which he sent Father William Jones, later Bishop of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Father Fedigan also negotiated with Archbishop Corrigan for the assignment of "Old Austin Place" on Staten Island, New York, (previously a Visitation Convent) to the Augustinians as a parish.

Father Fedgian served as President of Villanova College from 1878 to 1880, and at the Chapter of 1898, he was elected Provincial. In this position, he raised more than $275,000 to erect a new college building and Augustinian Monastery at Villanova. These buildings were completed in 1900 and 1901, respectively, and the new monastery was officially blessed by Father Fedigan on 29 June 1901. From 1902 to 1906, he served as Prior at Our Mother of Good Counsel, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, after which he returned to the monastery at Villanova.

Father Fedigan died on 27 April 1908 at the age of 66. He is buried in the Augustinian Community Cemetery at Villanova. Fedigan Hall, a residence building at Villanova University, is named in his honor.

Father Thomas Cooke Middleton was born in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, on 30 March 1842 of a Quaker family. He was baptized at the age of 12 with his entire family, then including his mother and five sisters. He entered the Augustinian novitiate at Tolentine, Italy, in 1858, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1864.

In 1865, Father Middleton returned to the United States and Villanova College, where he served and lived for the next 58 years. At Villanova College he was a teacher, Prefect of Studies of the College, Archivist, and Secretary and Socius of the Province. He also served as President of Villanova College from 1876 to 1878 and College Librarian from 1865 to 1923.

In 1884, Father Middleton helped organize the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia, of which he was the first President. He was the author of many essays on local Catholic history and the history of the Order of Saint Augustine, including the Introduction to the Oratorian translations of the Life of Saint Thomas of Villanova. He also prepared an historical sketch of Villanova College (Historical Sketch of the Augustinian Monastery, College, and Mission of St. Thomas of Villanova, Delaware County, Pa: During the first half century of their existence, 1842-1892 (Villanova, Pa., 1893)) which was published on its fiftieth anniversary in 1893.

Father Middleton was 81 when he died at Villanova on 19 November 1923. He is buried here at Villanova in the Augustinian Community Cemetery. Middleton Hall is named in his honor.

Bishop Thomas Galberry was born in County Kildare, Ireland, in 1833. He entered the Augustinian novitiate at Villanova, Pennsylvania. His ordination to the priesthood by Bishop John Neumann of Philadelphia took place in 1856.

The newly--ordained Father Galberry first served on the missions of Saint Denis' in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, and of Saint Augustine's in Lansingburg (Troy), New York. He later was Prior of Saint Thomas of Villanova Monastery and President of Villanova College from 1872 to 1876. During this time, the west wing of Alumni Hall was added to the original building.

Father Galberry's next assignment was as Commisssary-General of the Vice Province in America, and, when it became a Province; he was elected its first Provincial.

In 1876, he was consecrated the fourth Bishop of Hartford, Connecticut. Bishop

Galberry was on his way to Villanova College from Hartford when he died in New York City on 10 October 1878, at the age of 45. He was buried in the Cathedral at Hartford, Connecticut.

The building currently housing the Graphic Services Department on the Villanova University campus is named in his honor.

Father Patrick Stanton was born in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland, in 1826 and was a nephew of Reverend Thomas A. Kyle, O.S.A.

He first came to the United States in 1841, but the next year returned to Europe to make his novitiate at Tolentine, Italy. He studied for a time at Perugia and was ordained a sub-deacon by Cardinal Pecci, who later becomes Pope Leo XIII. He returned to the United States in 1847 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1848 at Saint Augustine's Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by Bishop Francis Patrick Kenrick.

Father Stanton served at both Saint Augustine's and Villanova College. In 1858, he was appointed Commissary Provincial of the American Augustinians, an office he held until 1866. In 1859, he took up residence at Saint Augustine's, Philadelphia, where he lived until 1869, when he became President of Villanova College. He held that post until 1872. Two years later, in 1874, he was appointed Commissary General to preside at the first Chapter of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova. He also served on the Commission for the Revision of Rules and Discipline.

Pope Leo XIII, in 1884, appointed Father Stanton to act as Socius and Secretary to Monsignor Sepiacci, the papal delegate to the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, where Father Stanton served as theologian and notary. In 1886 he was appointed Advocatus Diaboli in the cause of Bishop John Neumann.

In 1889, he attended the General Chapter of the Augustinians in Rome as ex-Assistant General. Shortly after returning from Rome, Father Stanton became seriously ill. He died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 28 February 1891 at the age of 65. He is buried at Saint Augustine's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Father Ambrose Mullen was born on 12 April 1827. His place of birth has been listed as Brooklyn, New York, although it is not known with certainty where he was born. He entered the novitiate in Italy in 1843, and four years later returned to the United States. He was ordained to the priesthood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by Bishop Francis X. Gartland of Savannah in 1850. Father Mullen was the younger brother of Father Edward Mullen.

Father Mullen was first stationed at Saint Augustine's in Philadelphia and later at Lawrence, Massachusetts. From 1865 to 1869, he was President and Prior at Villanova College. His next assignment was to Saint Augustine's, Andover, Massachusetts, where he died on 7 July 1876 at the age of 49. He is buried in Saint Mary's Cemetery in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Father William Harnett was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1822. He was the first American-born to enter the Augustinian Order in the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova. He entered the novitiate and continued his studies in Italy, where at Genazzano his Novice Master was Blessed Stephen Bellesini. He returned to the United States in 1843 and taught Latin and Greek at Villanova College. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1844 by Bishop Francis Patrick Kendrick of Philadelphia.

Father Harnett was President of Villanova College from 1847 to 1848, 1850 to 1851 and 1855 to 1857. He also served at Saint Augustine's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and at Saint Mary's, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He died in Lawrence, Massachusetts on 28 March 1875, at the age of 55. He is buried at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Father Patrick Eugene Moriarty was born in Ireland in 1805. He studied there at Carlow College and later in Italy, where he was ordained in Rome in 1828.

Father Moriarty spent a short time in Ireland following ordination, after which he went to the newly established Vicariate of Madras, India. There he served as Chaplain to the General Hospital Garrison at Fort St. George. Between 1832 and 1834, Father Moriarty served as a military chaplain in Lisbon, Portugal.

After refusing an Indian Bishopric, he volunteered for assignments in the United States, where he arrived in 1839. He served as Prior and Pastor of Saint Augustine's Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and also as Commissary General of the American Augustinians three times.

Before beginning his missionary activities in the United States, he had been granted a Doctorate of Divinity by Pope Gregory XVI. During his first assignment in the United States, he attended the IV and V Baltimore Councils. He also earned widespread fame as an orator and a lecturer. He spoke at the corner-stone laying, dedication and blessing of such churches as Saint Mary's in Lawrence, Massachusetts; at the Cathedral in Charlestown, South Carolina; and, in Pennsylvania at St. Mary's in Phoenixville, Saint Michael's in Chester, and Saint Philip Neri's in Philadelphia.

In 1841, he and Father Thomas Kyle negotiated the purchase of the Belle-Air Estate. In 1847, Father Moriarty went to Rome where he was appointed Assistant General. He returned to the United States in 1850 to continue his activities for the new Commissary Province. He served as President of Villanova College from 1851 to 1855. Later he served as the first Pastor of Saint Augustine's parish in Lansingburg (Troy), New York. He wrote a "Life of St. Augustine," and delivered his last lecture in the Academy of Music in Philadelphia on 17 March 1875.

Father Moriarty was seventy when he died, 10 July 1875, at Villanova, Pennsylvania. He is buried at Saint Augustine's in Philadelphia. Bishop John Quinlan of Mobile, Alabama, preached the eulogy. In a biographical sketch of Father Moriarty, the Catholic Annual stated: "There is not a man, woman or child, where Dr. Moriarty is known, who does not venerate his name and deplore his loss."

Moriarty Hall, a residence building on the Villanova University campus, is named in his honor.

Father John Possidius O'Dwyer was born in Callan, County Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1816. His early education in Kilkenny led to his entrance into the Augustinian novitiate at Grantstown, Wexford, in 1835. After his profession of vows in 1836 he was sent to Italy for higher studies.

He was assigned by the Augustinian Prior General to the Studium at Perugia, Italy where in 1839 he was ordained to the priesthood. After his ordination and a brief return to Ireland he was sent to Philadelphia, where he arrived in the late summer of 1840.

After two years of labor at Saint Augustine's Church there, he returned to Italy to recover his endangered health. On his return in the summer 1843, he with the permission of the Prior General brought with him to America, Father Francis Ashe of the Irish Province and William Harnett (then a sub-deacon -- the first native born American vocation for the Province who had been sent to Italy in 1837).

Father O'Dwyer formed the first Augustinian community at Villanova, in August 1843. He offered the first Mass there, blessed the new foundation, and placed it under the patronage of Saint Thomas of Villanova. He was the first President of the College, and taught Latin and Greek in its early years.

In 1844 he constructed the first separate building for students: a combined chapel/study hall and upper-level dormitory. And in 1848-1849 he built the east wing of the present Alumni Hall.

The destruction of Saint Augustine's Church in Philadelphia by fire in 1844, combined with the departure of Father Patrick Eugene Moriarty, the Superior, and of Father Thomas Kyle, the senior priest, left Father O'Dwyer with the enormous tasks of continuing the College, of constructing a new chapel in Philadelphia for the congregation of Saint Augustine's, and of pursuing the long, difficult legal struggle for justice against bitter opposition. The church of Saint Augustine was rebuilt during the year 1847 and 1848. Early in 1850, his health gave signs of failing, and on 2 April he entered the hospital of the Sisters of Charity in Baltimore. Despite constant care, and the spiritual assistance of Saint John Neumann, C.SS.R., then chaplain of the hospital, he died 24 May 1850, at the age of 34.

At the Provincial Council of Baltimore in 1849, he had been recommended to the Holy See, in the "terna" sent to Rome regarding the appointment of a new Bishop for the diocese of Savannah -- as being a "vir doctrina, pietate, peritia in rebus agendis plane insignis." Saint John Neumann confirmed this testimony to Father O'Dwyer's piety when he told Father Patrick Augustine Stanton, O.S.A., that "in his last illness Father O'Dwyer, in humble reverence for his Savior, insisted on not receiving the Holy Eucharist in bed but, rising and kneeling on the floor, thus would receive his Viaticum."

His ten years in America had been indeed full and fruitful. He died on 24 May 1850.