An Extraordinary Life: President emeritus at Lewis University in Romeoville had passion for teaching

ROMEOVILLE – No professor at Lewis University in Romeoville was more brilliant and effective than president emeritus Brother Paul French, said current president Brother James Gaffney.

The foundations Paul laid when he was president from 1967 to 1971 helped bring the university to where it is today, Gaffney said. Paul is the only professor to receive the honor of Distinguished Senior Professor, Gaffney added.

“I had nothing but tremendous respect and appreciation to him,” Gaffney said.

And yet Brother Paul, No. 2 in a Catholic family of 10 children that prayed the rosary every day, began his own schooling in a small North Dakota country school called St. Aloysius Academy. It was run by a group of French nuns, many of whom did not speak English, said Paul’s brother, Brother Michael French, a member of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, as was Paul.

A tiny motherly nun by the name of St. Marie influenced Paul’s lifelong love for education – especially the humanities – as well as religious life,

“Paul later talked about her kindness and compassion,” Michael said, “and that she taught him to read from a very early age.”

At 19, Paul earned a certificate allowing him teach, Michael said. He returned to the country school, eventually teaching three of his sisters, Michael added, but Paul continued his education.

In 1951, when Paul decided to join the Christian Brothers in Missouri, he did so without telling his family until two weeks before he left, Michael said.

Years later, Michael, who said he is 17 years younger than Paul, joined Paul in the same order. Looking back, Michael said it makes perfect sense why Paul chose this order.

“Our foundation insists on the relationship between the teacher and student,” Michael said. “It’s the quality of that relationship that cements the learning process. There’s a series of things that Paul eventually had to learn.”

According to a Lewis University news release, Paul began teaching English at Lewis College in 1963, left to pursue his doctorate at Loyola University Chicago and returned to Lewis in 1966 to teach briefly before becoming president at age 33.

Paul laid the foundation for the addition of graduate programs, which led to Lewis becoming a university in 1973. Paul also led the negotiations for a possible merger with the College of St. Francis (now University of St. Francis) in Joliet, the release also said.

In addition, Paul oversaw the construction of the Learning Resource Center at Lewis University. The center was later renamed the Brother Paul French, FSC, Learning Resource Center, the release said.

After his presidency, Paul returned to the classroom, the seat of his true passion, Gaffney said.

In 1984, French and Chet Kondratowicz, former chair of Lewis’ theater department and now professor emeritus, created the Arts & Ideas Series, which continues today, offering approximately 100 art and cultural events a year, Gaffney said, either free or at little cost.

Michael said Paul was extremely proud to have been a teacher. Because Paul was tenacious about learning and demanding in the classroom, many people never saw his extremely tender heart, Michael added.

“I used to tell him, ‘If I knew half of what you’ve forgotten, I’d be very fortunate,’ ” Michael said.

Paul was 83 when he died Dec. 10, 2015. At his services, Gaffney said Paul’s family gave away 300 to 400 of Paul’s books – Paul read everything from classics to contemporary fiction, Gaffney said – requesting people take no more than three.

“I have one on architecture,” Gaffney said, “and a novel by one of his favorite novelists.”

• To feature someone in “An Extraordinary Life,” contact Denise M. Baran-Unland at 815-280-4122 or dunland@shawmedia.com.