CISTERCIAN PREPARATORY SCHOOL THE FIRST 50 YEARS 1962 2012 David E. Stewart Headmasters CISTercIAN PreparaTORY SCHOOL 1962 - 2012 Fr. Damian Szödényi, 1962 - 1969 Fr. Denis Farkasfalvy, 1969 - 1974 Fr. Henry Marton 1974 - 1975 Fr. Denis Farkasfalvy, 1975 - 1981 Fr. Bernard Marton, 1981 - 1996 Fr. Peter Verhalen ’73, 1996 - 2012 Fr. Paul McCormick, 2012 - Fr. Damian Szödényi Fr. Henry Marton Headmaster, 1962 - 1969 Headmaster, 1974 - 1975 (b. 1912, d. 1998) (b. 1925, d. 2006) Pictured on the cover (l-r): Fr. Bernard Marton, Abbot Peter Verhalen ’73, Fr. Paul McCormick, and Abbot Emeritus Denis Farkasfalvy. Cover photo by Jim Reisch CISTERCIAN PREPARATORY SCHOOL THE FIRST 50 YEARS David E. Stewart ’74 Thanks and acknowledgements The heart of this book comes from over ten years of stories published in The Continuum, the alumni magazine for Cistercian Prep School. Thanks to Abbot Peter Verhalen and Abbot Emeritus Denis Farkasfalvy and many other monks, faculty members, staff, alumni, and parents for their trust and willingness to share so much in the pages of the magazine and this book. Christine Medaille contributed her time and talent to writing Chapter 8 and Brian Melton ’71 contributed mightily to Chapter 11. Thanks to Jim Reisch for his outstanding photography throughout this book, and especially for the cover shot. Priceless moments from the sixties were captured by or provided by Jane Bret and Fr. Melchior Chladek. Thanks to Rodney Walter for collecting the yearbook photographs used in the book and identifying the students in them. Thanks to Fr. Bernard Marton, Sylvia Najera, and Bridgette Gimenez for their help in editing and proofing. Thanks to Erin Hart and Abbot Peter for their help and guidance. — David E. Stewart ’74 Written (except as noted above), edited, and designed by David E. Stewart, Yardstick Communications. www.yardstick.co © 2012, Cistercian Preparatory School 3660 Cistercian Road Irving, Texas 75039 469-499-5400 vi Contents Part I The founding and development of the school Chapter 1 Opportunity knocks — 1960 - 1963 3 Chapter 2 Struggling identies — 1963 - 1969 17 Chapter 3 Tough love — 1969 - 1981 33 Chapter 4 Road to stability — 1981 - 1996 47 Chapter 5 One of our own — 1996 - 2012 59 Part II Student life through the years Chapter 6 Building a class 73 Chapter 7 Cistercian athletics 83 Chapter 8 Outside the classroom 99 Chapter 9 Social evolution 107 Part III The story behind Our Lady of Dallas Chapter 10 Unlikely Texans 121 Chapter 11 Worlds apart 131 Chapter 12 Generation gap 143 Chapter 13 A place in the clouds 153 Chapter 14 Mater Cistercium 161 vii “How ’bout a game?” Fr. Matthew, thanks for many years of fun. viii Dedicated to the monks of the Cistercian Abbey and the faculty members of Cistercian Prep School whose love and expertise have formed so many boys over five decades. ix Chapter 1 Opportunity knocks — 1960 - 1963 “We don’t have any place to send our boys before whom they were seeking a top-notch education. they reach high school,” Jane Bret complained to “These three ladies didn’t like what they saw in Fr. Louis Lékai after one of his history classes at the private and parochial schools,” remembered Bryan the University of Dallas (UD) in late 1959. F. Smith. “They soon convinced their respective Mrs. Bret, a Montessori teacher and mother spouses that the education of their sons was in serious of three boys, was working to complete her degree trouble.” A Harvard graduate with five sons and two at UD. Fr. Louis was playing a key role at UD; he daughters, Smith enthusiastically jumped aboard was also one of the primary reasons that Hungarian the small bandwagon that still had little direction. Cistercians had landed in Texas and Irving. A feature story in the January 1960 edition of “We need a school like Ursuline for boys,” the Catholic magazine, Jubilee, changed that. she explained. (Note: Ursuline Academy The story trumpeted the exploits of a new school in served grades K-12 in those days.) St. Louis. The Priory School had been founded in 1955 The parochial schools overflowed with children, by parents who recruited Oxford-educated Benedictine sometimes 75 to 80 students filling a class. The monks to serve as the nucleus of their faculty. private schools weren’t much better. Two other The monks from the Ampleforth Abbey of York, moms, Pat Healy and Beth Smith shared her England, had enjoyed tremendous success, sending concerns. All three had a number of sons for a large percentage of the students in their first 3 graduating class of 1960 to the nation’s top colleges. On the other hand, they knew the University of The magazine story, or word of it, slowly made the Dallas could not guarantee employment for the Cister- rounds. The Priory School paradigm appeared solid. cians forever. A prep school operated by the Cistercian Mrs. Bret, who had studied under Fr. Damian would put the monks in control of their own destiny. as well as Fr. Louis at UD, recommended that Frs. Louis and Anselm also may have understood the growing band of “zealots” that Jane Bret represented (Bryan Smith’s term) consider the more than just the concerns Cistercian monks as an option. of a few families. Here was an opportunity that might not come knocking again for some time. Jane Bret’s comments on the They accepted the challenge, need for a Catholic boys school must believing that in the long-term, have lifted the spirits of Fr. Louis. the monks (many of whom had He quickly passed along the news struggled to find steady work to his longtime friend, Cistercian between 1950 and 1955) needed classmate and novice-mate, Fr. Anselm the prep school as much as parents Nagy, the prior and superior of the like Jane Bret needed the monks. Cistercian community in Irving. Frs. Louis and Anselm had served as the scouts who explored “Yes, indeed we’d like to form America for a home where they could a school,” Fr. Anselm told her. “We keep the flame of their Hungarian have been teaching secondary school traditions burning (see Chapter 10). A students for centuries in Hungary. But preeminent history scholar (he wrote we’ll need more than moral support.” two definitive texts on the Cistercian Mr. Smith, the chief financial Order) with wit, charm, and grace, officer for Texas Instruments, began to Fr. Louis served as the community’s line up that support. He approached lightning rod and passionate salesman. his good friend, Pat Haggerty, then A meticulous and quiet numbers man, president of Texas Instruments. Mr. Fr. Anselm preferred to remain in the Haggerty (who later would become background, focused on moderating the company’s chairman) had a son the disputes and financing the operation. same age as Mr. Smith’s oldest son. A prep school had been in their “I could really get interested plans all along. Secondary education, in this,” said Haggerty. after all, had been the Cistercians’ Smith then asked Mrs. Bea traditional vocation in Europe for Fr. Anselm Nagy (above) and Haggerty to help him enlist the centuries. But a prep school was Fr. Louis Lékai were classmates support of Bishop Gorman for this envisioned only after the Cister- at St. Emeric’s, the Cistercian new Catholic boys school. They found cians had rooted themselves in the school in Budapest. Fr. Louis the bishop preoccupied with a variety Dallas area, perhaps in the seventies. brought vision and passion of other projects, including the creation Both worried that a prep school to the monastery, while Fr. of two new diocesan high schools, at this juncture would distract the Anselm calmly maintained Bishop Dunne and Bishop Lynch. Cistercians from the very purpose for order as well as the books. “Bea and I had to sit on the which they had settled in Dallas — bishop’s desk, literally,” Smith laughed. to teach at the University of Dallas. This community “We would not let the subject drop; we kept him on of highly educated monks took pride in their roles as the case. He finally said, ‘If you’re going to do this college professors. They might not be inclined to give school, go ahead.’” There was, however, a condition. up well-behaved young adults for unruly adolescents. The bishop prohibited fund-raising efforts for this 4 Cistercian Prep School: The First 50 Years new boys’ school from “I sensed that Fr. interfering with his Damian really didn’t other projects — in want the job,” recalled other words, no public Mr. Smith in his remarks campaign. Without at Fr. Damian’s Rosary advertising, the message and Vigil Service in would have to spread December 1998. “I soon by word of mouth. discovered he had a In the Spring of 1961, reservoir of negotiating Dr. Mike Healy, Mr. skills when he finally Bill Bret, and Fr. Moses agreed to assume the Nagy traveled to St. task, but only if he would Louis to visit The Priory be free from the respon- School. The trip fueled sibility for fundraising the group’s enthusiasm and the school’s finances; and provided fodder for Bryan Smith (in tuxedo) and wife Beth hosted a party in thus cleverly shifting Fr. Moses’ first and, as it May 1961 to introduce Dallasites to the Cistercians and back to the lay zealots turned out, last presen- generate interest in their new Catholic school. Prior Anselm the responsibility for tation on the new school. (left) and Fr. Moses represented the monks. those essential tasks.” The Smiths hosted a buffet in May 1961 for interested parents. Sixty attended and heard Fr.