CRIMSON SHIELD
THE ONLINE MAGAZINE OF BROTHER MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL
November 2011
Published Monthly September through May
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A Chat with the President

John Devlin 2011
Brother Martin President John Devlin

Brother Martin's President, John Devlin, went to college intent on becoming a doctor.

  • During his two years in pre-med at LSU, his parents died within 15 months of each other.
  • "It was clear that I wouldn't be able to pursue a career in medicine. I had had a wonderful experience at De La Salle with the Christian Brothers. I was an 'associate,' one of the students interested in a possible vocation as a brother."
  • He also admired Felix Gaudin, who taught him two years of Biology at De La Salle. "He modeled being a Catholic family man with the vocation of working with high school age kids and teaching something you're passionate about."
  • So John transferred to UNO and switched his major to secondary education.

Another reason for returning to the Crescent City was that John had adopted his brother, who was seven years younger and a student at De La Salle.

  • "I attended the Parents Club meetings and dealt with the same teachers who taught me several years earlier. I was undoubtedly the youngest parent in attendance. 'John, what are you doing here?' they asked."
  • The fact that De La Salle waived the tuition for his brother made John even more interested in teaching in a Catholic school.

When he completed his degree, John applied to the Orleans and Jefferson Parish public schools as well as the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

  • Then as now, math/science teachers didn't grow on trees. So he received a favorable response from all three systems.
  • Brother Maurus Bordelon, S.C., the Science Department Chair, interviewed him.

I had known of Brother Martin because I started at De La Salle in 1968 in 8th grade. We played both St. Aloysius and Cor Jesu. After the merger, I was one of the kids in the Spirit Club who made a sign for the basketball game, "Brother Who?" I had been on the campus.

  • With offers from Archbishop Chapelle as well as Orleans and Jefferson, John waited to hear back from Brother Martin. Once the principal, Brother Donnan Berry, S.C., returned from out of town, he interviewed John and offered him the position.

Mary Picou had been hired earlier that summer. Mary wanted the biology position but was also certified in chemistry. Brother Maurus told her she'd get the biology position if he could find a chemistry teacher. Since I wasn't certified in chemistry, Mary taught chemistry.

Brother Maurus, John Devlin, Mary Picou
Brother Maurus, John Devlin, and Mary Picou in 1978-9

John moved quickly up the ladder at Brother Martin.

  • He taught biology full time for two years starting in 1978-9.
  • He then became the Science Department Chair and taught the new 8th grade Earth Science course.
  • He also moderated the student newspaper for several years, then worked with the Student Council.

John joined the administration for the 1984-5 school year.

  • Brother Francis David, S.C., the disciplinarian, moved to Catholic High while the academic assistant principal, Brother Celestine Algero, S.C., became the principal at St. Stanislaus.
  • So John became the disciplinarian, and Greg Brandao took over for Brother Celestine. Brother Ivy LeBlanc, S.C., the principal (the position of president didn't exist yet), planned to have John and Greg swap places after four years as part of his plan to develop lay leadership.
  • However, Greg left after two years to return to his alma mater, Catholic High. So John had to give up "the job I loved the most" (disciplinarian) to take over as academic assistant principal. During this period, he completed a master's degree in Secondary School Administration at Loyola.

When I signed my first contract, Brother Donnan asked me what my aspirations were. I said, "I'd like to be chair of the Science Department one day. I don't know what's possible beyond that." Brother Donnan brought up the possibility of being an assistant principal "because I don't think we'll ever have a lay principal."

1984-5 Brother Martin Administration
1984-5 Brother Martin Administration: Brother Jean Sobert, S.C., Brother Ivy LeBlanc, S.C.,
principal (seated), John Devlin, Greg Brandao, Jack Schommer

After one year as Academic Assistant Principal, John did the same job but with the title "Vice Principal."

That was the signal that you're next in line. At that point, it was becoming burdensome for one person to run the school and the business of the school.

In 1988, Brother Ivy became President of Brother Martin and John at age 33 took over as the first lay principal at any of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart schools in New Orleans.

  • John served as principal for eleven years, giving way to Gene Tullier for 1999-2000.
  • With the expectation that Brother Ivy would be elected Provincial of the New Orleans Province in 2000, John spent a year as the Executive Vice President of the school.
  • When Brother Ivy attended a religious renewal program in Rome during the second semester, John served as president on an interim basis.
  • Brother Ivy indeed became Provincial in August 2000. So John took the reins as President.

Since the Ridgley Center had just been completed, John turned his attention to implementing Phase Two of the school's building program.

  • With the number of brothers dwindling, the residence that stood next to the school at the corner of Elysian Fields and Sumpter since Cor Jesu opened in 1954 was torn down in 2003.
  • Construction of the Math-Science Building on the site began the following year.

Then Katrina changed everyone's plans.

To be continued next month ...

 John Devlin 1990
Principal John Devlin 1990
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