END OF AN ERA cover feature

Here’s a job for you. Create a living myth. A legend. A larger-than-life person whose sphere of influence ripples ever outward like waves from a stone dropped upon calm water. Someone timeless. Here are the rules.

Rule #1: Your mythic hero must have an encyclopedic knowledge of names, genealogy, and ancestry. We’re talking super-computer abilities here. Not just parents and siblings. Not just grandparents. This hero must immediately identify third cousins twice removed, half-brothers from several marriages ago, distant relations whose very existence hovers in a twilight zone between familial memory and ancestral lore. This hero will often seem to know more about your family than you do.

Rule #2: Your mythic hero must be able to identify—by name, parish, school, and produce vendor— warrens scattered far and wide around the city, localities which are disremembered by most and unheard of by many. Places like Lucy, Shadrach, Klondike, Rozelle, and Normal Station that take on Faulknerian complexities in the telling and are the storied proving ground of your hero’s youth.

Rule #3: Your mythic hero must have the superhuman ability to drop important matters at a moment’s notice in order to attend to your own mundane affairs. Complex administrative duties, looming financial decisions, strategic planning concerns . . . your hero will instantly set aside these tasks and others to help you make copies, replace a dead dry-erase marker, locate a lost textbook, or unlock your own filing cabinet so you can give a vocabulary quiz to your third period class which starts in seven minutes.

Rule #4: Your mythic hero must have keys to everything (see Rule #3).

Rule #5: Your mythic hero must have infinite patience. Seriously, we’re talking limitless patience here. If you’ve misplaced your homework, or arrived late for class, or neglected to charge your laptop, or fallen asleep and drooled all over your desk, or been distracted by your cell phone, or snuck a six-pound bag of gummy bears into class, or perfected feral cat noises, or any of ten billion other petty annoyances—your hero must remain unflappable and soldier on.

Rule #6: Your mythic hero must have a razor-sharp sense of humor, a cutting wit and spot-on sense of timing that in another life could easily evolve into a decades-long career in standup. Dry, informed, trenchant, but ultimately humane . . . your hero must find laughter in the minutiae of daily life.

Rule # 7: This final one is tough. Your mythic hero must forego the normal trappings of heroism. Don’t take the easy way out and settle for a macho, puffedup, self-inflated, trumpeting cartoon character. This hero must embody humility, gentleness, quiet service to others, consistency, and compassion. This hero disguises himself as a simple servant. This hero puts others first and can usually be found cleaning the hallways between classes.

Have you played by the rules? Have you meticulously gathered all the required traits? Good.

Now

— Dr. Jamie Brummer

Mark Bray

32 Years at CBHS

For many years, Mark's presence at CBHS was not unlike the radio program, Chickenman: ”He’s everywhere! He’s everywhere!” bout with cancer. He remains deeply devoted to his children.

Mark’s early years at CBHS were in the history department, and he taught every course we offered. He was thorough, thoughtful, and he engaged with his students. In his later years at CBHS, Mark became the backbone of the Religion department.

If he is in your parish, you see him there quite often pitching in to keep the parish lively. In his next chapter, Mark will never grow idle. He’ll be doing God’s work outside of CBHS, and we will miss him and we thank him for his rich presence in the life of the school these many years!

A piece of the fabric of Christian Brothers has been cut away by his retirement. May his successors be a new patch of cloth to complete that worthy garment!

— Brother Joel McGraw '63

Don Whittington 26 Years at CBHS

To be honest, when Don's retirement was announced, I experienced two very conflicting emotions: one of sincere happiness for him and the other of overwhelming grief.

build upon the culture that makes CBHS a very special place. Only by God’s grace and dedication to our students will Don's shoes be filled. His quality of instruction, attention to detail, love of the Brothers, and kindness toward every student has left a legacy that will endure.

This fall, his curiosity will be absent. Master teachers are curious about the lives of their students and encourage their students to be curious. Fostering curiosity is a gift and the mark of a great teacher. That is Don's legacy.

His thoroughness could drive an impatient person mad because he made sure he was prepared, which took time! If he was preparing a retreat, a freshman orientation day, a wrestling match,a class activity, or a set of grades…they were ready when he got them ready. If you were waiting and on a time clock…prepare to spend a bit more time waiting. Quality was always his aim. "Rush jobs” were never his style.

Admissions, coaching wrestling or soccer, or whatever needed to be done, Mark was the go-to man in his career at CBHS.

Mark modeled the Lasallian spirits of zeal, concern for the poor, service, and education. He is a dedicated family man who misses daily his dear Carla who left for heaven following a long, courageous

For many years, I have had a ringside seat to Don's servitude to both his students and to Christian Brothers High School. Don's undaunted effort in the classroom as a master teacher is not his only contribution to CBHS. He has also shown unwavering commitment on Friday nights as “The Voice of CBHS” for decades. Don has worked as hard as any faculty member here. He has moved mountains for the school, setting the bar high for the teachers who enter these halls. My happiness for him is knowing without question that Don has earned his retirement, this time for himself and his family.

When a titan leaves our campus, he leaves with it a massive gap fashioned by decades of experience, educational wisdom, and relationships that have helped shape the culture of our school. Don leaves a challenge for others to step up, close the gap, and strive to

For years, Don and I were neighbors on campus, our classrooms adjacent to one another. During breaks, I would stroll over to Don’s class and ask him the most random questions related to science. He would always put down his pen from grading papers and eagerly engage me in discussion.

To know Don is to know that his love of fishing and his collection of ties are unparalleled. I will miss his fishing stories and looking forward to what tie he'll wear on a given day. We will all miss Don’s work ethic, positive attitude, and the care he showed for our students.

But, we will still have Friday nights. When his voice resonates through the stands, we can smile knowing that Don will remain a vital part of our community for years to come.

Thank you for giving of yourself all these years, Don. Your students and colleagues are better by simply knowing and learning from you.

— Dr. Durant Fleming '79