IN MEMORIAM

Pope John Paul II High/Preparatory School has been blessed with many generous benefactors who have played a pivotal role in the formation of our school community. Two of those men were Mr. William Puryear III and Mr. Richard Stephenson, both men of deep faith who shared a love of literature and art. They each contributed to the school community and to Sumner County in many ways, and their legacies continue to influence who we are today.

Mr. Stephenson and Mr. Puryear are pictured above with student writers at the 5th Annual Writers Cafe where they were both featured authors. That evening, they shared their work: Mr. Puryear read from his award winning series on the Cumberland Trail, “Thoroughfare for Freedom,” and Mr. Stephenson read several humorous and heartwarming poems written for his son when he was a young boy. They both encouraged young authors through their work and example.

MR. WILLIAM PURYEAR III 1933-2023

Mr. William Puryear III was a Reaissance man, much like our namesake St. Pope John Paul II. He was founding Treasurer of Nashville Memorial Hospital and of Pope John Paul II High School. He served as Chairman Emeritus of The Memorial Foundation and retired in 2000 as Senior Partner of the CPA firm he founded in 1962 to devote full time to painting and writing. Inspired by his mother’s legacy as a teacher, Mr. Puryear was dedicated to edcuation as his focus of civic service.

Mr. Puryear was instrumental in starting Pope John Paul II High School with Bishop Kmiec and brought the dream of a Catholic high school in Sumner County to fruition. He served on the board of trustees from 2002-2006 and was honored for his contribution when Bishop Kmiec named the Claudia and William Puryear Library after him. Mr. Puyear had grandchildren who attended Pope Prep: Pierce Weber ‘06, Ellen Weber, John Puryear, James Puryear ‘14, and Anna Puryear ‘22.

Mr. Puryear left a legacy to Pope John Paul II Preparatory School by sharing his gift of a an original artwork that pays tribute to Mike McLaren’s work as the first Dean of Students (see page 26 for more information).

MR. RICHARD STEPHENSON 1945-2023

Mr. Richard “Coach” Stephenson was a founding faculty member and English department chair of Pope John Paul II High School in 2002. After teaching English at Castle Heights Military Academy for five years and Gallatin High School for 30 years, he taught in our English department and served as department chair until 2010, when he officially retired. He was the first varsity Golf coach at JPII, and he was known for his love of the Bible and British literature and for his theory of the historical “development of literature.” Mr. Stephenson sponsored several school trips abroad and had a passion for sharing his extensive knowledge of English history with students and faculty alike. Richard Stephenson’s legacy for our community was establishing the culture of the English department by emphasizing a deep study of the traditional canon of literature paired with extensive writing instruction, both of which have been proven effective as our alumni return to tell stories of their positive university experiences in English and writing. Mr. Stephenson was a captivating teacher in the classroom: he was known for the stories and histories that he had gathered over a lifetime of study and during his 43 years of teaching and coaching experiences.