This isn’t a story about drinking at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. It’s about Jesuit education and the lifelong impact it leaves.
Jazz Fest is massive. Despite its name, it’s not just jazz. It’s rock, zydeco, gospel, blues, R&B and anything else you can think of.
Walking around in sweaty August New Orleans humidity, I get a text from someone I thought was a Tampa Jesuit classmate. We messaged back and forth during the concert but never connected. Eventually, we agreed to meet at a bar around midnight.
When I walked up, I realized I didn’t know him at all. Turns out he was an alum but from a different class. It didn’t matter. Jesuit people speak the same language. We sat down and he told me his story until 4am.
He went to Tulane which was “no bueno” since he liked to drink…a lot. At 30, he said Jesuit values hit him over the head like a two-by-four. It woke him up.
His Jesuit education instilled three anchors:
- Think critically.
- Be a man for others.
- Spend time on what truly matters.
Fast forward. He’s now a world-renowned cancer researcher.
Every time I meet a Jesuit grad, I’m reminded what kind of people that education produces. Smart, curious, grounded and quietly driven to make the world better. Conversations have this “je ne sais quoi” basis of trust. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but you can feel it.
The Jesuit framework of critical thinking, service and giving beyond self-mirrors the professional code of appraisal: integrity, precision and public trust.
Especially today, when the value of education is questioned. I think about how important that foundation that Jesuit provided for me, the trifecta: God, sports, education. My three grandsons would benefit from that ethical compass at Jesuit (wink wink Nick Suszynski).
If you knew Father Hartnett, you remember the “down boy” spine compressing fist drop for misbehaving. Or Coach “Wild Bill” Minahan for his loud in-your-face salty but loving speeches. Or Father Kaack, the rebel priest who taught that faith isn’t about rules to follow but truths to live by. He taught that little “t” traditions shape our culture, but big “T” traditions shape our souls.
So today, this is a thank you.
To my Jesuit teachers.
To my parents for the direction.
And to that enduring ripple in the education pond that still moves outward.
Quietly shaping men’s lives.