BMHS Shield CRIMSON SHIELD
THE ONLINE MAGAZINE OF BROTHER MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL		 BMHS Shield
September 2012
Published Monthly September through May
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Brother Donnan Berry, S.C. (1928-2012)

Brother Donnan, the third principal of Brother Martin, died on July 6, just xxx days after Ricky Nusslein.


Brother Donnan Berry, S.C.
Brother Donnan in his last year at Brother Martin

Brother Donnan and Bob Conlin
Brother Donnan introduces Coach Bob Conlin at a 1977 pep rally
Brother Donnan Berry, S.C. ('44) grew up in New Orleans.
  • He attended St. Aloysius, where he was a classmate of Saints owner Tom Benson and Bishop Stanley Ott, among other luminaries.
  • After a semester at Loyola University, he joined the Brothers of the Sacred Heart at Metuchen NJ.
  • He eventually earned a B.S. degree from Loyola and a Masters in Education from Fordham in New York City. He did additional graduate work at a number of other universities.
  • After six years of teaching, Brother Donnan was named Vocation Director for the U.S. province, a post he manned for anothre six years.
  • The province leadership then tapped him for school leadership, first at Menard Memorial High School in Alexandria LA. then at Catholic High in Baton Rouge.
  • He came to Brother Martin in the second semester of 1974-5 as Guidance Counsellor before taking over as principal the following year.

His six years as principal saw two major additions to the campus.

  • With the approval of the Board of Directors (composed entirely of brothers) that began in the second year of his tenure, he signed the contract that added the E. A. Farley property to the campus.
  • He supervised the building of the North wing that opened in 1977 that added five badly needed classrooms as well as a workshop, student patio, and offices for yearbook, photography, newspaper, and NJROTC supply.
Brother Ivy LeBlanc, who served as disciplinarian under Brother Donnan and then replaced him as principal, thinks his predecessor's impact on Brother Martin is under-appreciated.

By the time he became principal, we had gone through that very creative burst of energy of the merger. That was tailing off.

  • The first principal, Brother Mark Thornton, gave department chairs the freedom and flexibility to lead their staffs.
  • With changes in personnel, what had been flexibility had, in some cases, become laxity.
  • Brother Ivy:

Donnan put in place good, solid Brothers of the Sacred Heart policies, practices, procedures, and accountability. He was also particularly good at addressing major difficult issues.

I also found him very attuned to seeking out kids nobody else sought out. He was really interested in those kids.
On leaving Brother Martin to become Director of Development at Catholic High, Brother Donnan admitted to the Crusader:

It is very hard. I have grown attached to the students, faculty and parents and will miss having the opportunity to share experiences with them.

  • Asked what his greatest accomplishment at Martin was, he responded: Enhancing the learning atmosphere.
Brother Donnan with students
Brother Donnan presents certificates to Larry Hardouin and Joseph Wolf in 1977
Brother Donnan was a member of several important educational organizations.
  • He served as President of the National Catholic Education Association Secondary Schools Department from 1979-82.
  • He was also a member of the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
  • In addition, he served on various diocesan boards in Louisiana.

After thirteen years in fund-raising at CHS, he moved to St. Stanislaus in Bay St. Louis MS.

  • He served as Director of Finances for a year, then became President in 1994.
  • He held that office for four years until his appointment as Treasurer of the New Orleans Province.
  • He retired from active ministry in 2005.
  • He lived his last years at St. Clare's Manor in Baton Rouge.

The provincial, Brother Ronald Talbot, summarized Donnan's life in his eulogy.

Donnan loved the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. At the request of his superiors, he took on various and difficult assignments. Rarely did superiors assign him easy jobs; they gave him hard jobs, because he was big, strong, talented, committed, and determined. Most of the time, we saw Donnan with a big smile, displaying confidence, and assuring others that things are good and will only get better. Being in charge came naturally and reflexively to him. Yet, the burdens of leadership weighed heavy on him.

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