AMAZING
EDUCATORS
A LA SALLE LEGEND RETIRES AFTER 35 YEARS By: Carolyn Neuhausen ’04
PATRICK BONACCI didn’t envision retiring this way. But with the country and the Lasallian community reeling from a global pandemic, his time at La Salle came to an end in a way he never could have imagined. “Ending with COVID has been ugly. From March on, not being able to be with my students has just killed me. To tell someone promptly that today is the last day of school it was terrible. It felt like a death.” But time waits for no one and after 49 years in education, 35 of those at La Salle College Preparatory, Pat Bonacci officially retired on June 30, 2020. Almost 50 years after he began his life in education, Bonacci reflects on how he got here. He was first exposed to the Lasallian education philosophy while attending St. Mary’s College, a Christian Brothers school, which considered teaching an act of Catholic service. Bonacci felt aligned with that mission, citing the way
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LANCER MAGAZINE
the Christian Brothers treated him and his peers with kindness and care as a driving principle he admired. “I made the decision that I could best be of service by staying in Catholic education, first at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and then to La Salle College Preparatory. I saw my teaching as an extension of my faith,” he said. Since beginning his tenure at La Salle in 1985, Bonacci has held multiple administrative positions, starting as Dean of Students, later becoming Principal, and actinginterim President when both Philip Clark and Dr. Gray retired. “My 49 years in Catholic Education, and in particular my 35 years in Lasallian education, have made me appreciate the awe and wonder of faith based education. The values presented to the students are
