Climbing the Ladder

Dr. Kayode J Fakinlede (1962 – 1966; SJC 258) CEO – ALA LABORATORIES, AKURE

It was a nice thrill. All we had to do was climb the ladder to the first floor of the yet-to-be-completed Novitiate building and jump down to the ground. There were about seven or eight of us. We really did not have to land on the ground. There was a mound of soil on which we landed and rolled to the ground.
I did it once but was too scared to do it again. John, having done this more than once and thoroughly enjoying it, encouraged me to try again but I would not bulge.
Afar off, close to the lavatory, and coming in our direction, was Brother Thomas. I guess he must have looked around in the assembly and noticed quite a few of us missing. By the time we saw the white gown from the first floor of the building, it was too late for us to come down the ladder. The ladder was facing the direction from where Brother Thomas was coming. About four or five of us, courageous enough to jump down from the opposite side, did so and hightailed it to the bush. I, and about three chicken-livered students, were stuck. We could not come down. We, therefore, pinned ourselves to the floor of the deck, praying that he would not climb the ladder.
For some reason, Brother Thomas did not climb the ladder. Rather, he kept on calling on us to come down and threatening that he would climb the ladder if we did not. We did not. And he did not climb the ladder! I guess he thought that if he did, we might be forced to jump and injure ourselves.
After a few minutes, he decided to leave us alone. We were watching him till he got to the lavatory again, hanging the sweater of one of us he had picked up, on a tree. We quickly came down the ladder and headed to the assembly.
I said to myself. What if he had decided to climb the ladder? I probably would have ended up with a broken arm.
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 90th BIRTHDAY!

The Caged Python
Dr. Kayode J Fakinlede (1962 – 1966; SJC 258) CEO – ALA LABORATORIES, AKURE
I did not have an outstanding talent of any sort. I just happened to be the first second-year student Brother Thomas and the Biology Lab keeper came across while looking for someone to help in cleaning the biology laboratory. And so it was that for the next two years plus, I was in charge of taking care of the lab.
Our biology lab was an interesting place. We had animals of all kinds including snakes, captured on our school ground and even elsewhere. We even had a tank with a small alligator in it. Another one had a small python, captured by Mr. Beatty and Brother Thomas while they were on their way to the Eastern part of our country.
For quite some time, the python would not eat. We even had a chicken placed in its cage, hoping that it would strangle and eat it. But nothing.
We also used the biology lab as an entrance examination center for incoming students.
On this day, while the place was packed with prospective students. Brother Thomas was the supervisor, and I was in there to just wait around for the exam to end so I could start cleaning later. Brother Thomas opened the python’s cage and began to caress its uplifted head. Nothing happened.
This gave me the impetus to stick my own hand into the python’s cage, a thing I would not ordinarily do. And for whatever reason, the snake seemed to differentiate my hand from that of Brother Thomas – and struck.
I screamed. Some of the students taking the exam looked back to see what the commotion was.
Brother Thomas laughed!! I thought he was crazy. He asked to see the finger where the snake was supposed to have bitten me. I showed him a red mark which, at first glance, I had thought were made by the fangs of the snake. It turned out that it was really a mark made previously by a red ballpoint pen
Brother Thomas then told me that that snake did not actually bite me but only struck. Its fangs, he explained to me were curved inwards and were incapable of biting its prey but were used only to hold its prey as it was being swallowed. A lesson I will never forget.

You are Admitted!

Victor Olusegun Asekunowo (1967-1969 Juniorate; 1970-1971 SJC 898) Professor of Economics, Department of Entrepreneurship Technology & Innovation, The Federal University of Technology, Akure.
Prior to 1970, Brother Thomas McCrea to me was just one of those Canadian De La Salle Reverend Brothers carrying out their missionary duties in the big old compound of Saint Joseph’s College (SJC), Ondo. This was because the first three years of my secondary school education were spent in the Juniorate. Since I was a non-Junior, Brother Romuald allowed me to transfer to SJC in January 1970.
So, the first close interaction I had with Brother Thomas was when Brother Romuald sent me to him with my Form 3 results in hand, to deliver the coded message “I am from Brother Romuald”. He immediately admitted me into the Form 4 class of 1970, and I became the 898th student of SJC.

Asekun

While in SJC, my memory of him was that of a school Principal who was usually dressed in light blue shorts and white T-shirts with backless sandals or mule shoes. If not dressed this way, he would appear in white cassocks. Sometimes, a 2 or 3-foot black plastic pipe would dangle from his right hand. I never saw him in a pair of trousers! Boy, I detested his call for morning masses. His “ to” trip from Xavier 1( my dormitory) to Xavier 4 can be uneventful, but the “fro” trip from Xavier 4 to Xavier 1 can be quite eventful as any student caught still slumbering would be at the receiving end of his black rubber pipe. As a person who had been in that position a couple of times, let me tell you that it was a nasty experience, especially during the Harmattan period.
Another memory of his that I have was the time he substituted for Mr. Aliba (who resigned his appointment) as our English Literature Tutor. His manner of teaching was such that a student cannot doze off. You just cannot because his voice would not allow you to. I missed that voice when another very competent Tutor, Mr. Awonogun took over when Brother Thomas went on leave to his native Canada.
I am sure there are many more anecdotes about Brother Thomas that I can relate to only if father time can just be a bit memory friendly. I would just conclude this short piece by saying that I sincerely appreciate the sacrifices that the likes of Brothers Thomas, Romuald, Bernard, Mel, Alphonsus, John, and many others have made towards the intellectual and spiritual development of young Africans when they were here.
I heard that Brother Thomas has clocked or is about to clock 90 years of age. I wish him many more healthy years here on planet earth.

Inclusive Education

Dr. Rafiu Ajao (1965-69)

Rafiu
St Joseph’s was remarkable for admitting pupils from diverse backgrounds if they had requisite qualifications which essentially was to do well at the entrance examination. While many schools tested a pupil’s knowledge, St Joseph’s concentrated on the pupil’s ability to think outside the box. But for that policy, a Muslim student like me would probably have had no chance in the Catholic school. Perhaps this laid the foundation for one of the major points that stood St Joseph’s apart from other schools around: consistently high scores at School Cert, the almighty certification that determined the fate of many pupils in those days. But then St Joseph’s other remarkable attribute was in allowing us spiritual freedom. Muslim students were allowed to go to the mosque on Fridays while Anglican students could attend service in their own church on Sundays.
I always wondered why, but I lacked the courage to approach the principal at the time. Then Brother Thomas took over. The hallmark of his style was to ensure that every pupil had easy access to him, and he would listen to everyone, regardless of class or position. And so, we gathered around him one day as he fielded questions from us. Some students suggested that opening the school’s admission process to pupils from places far from Ondo would increase competition, and invariably boost the School Cert scores further. Brother Thomas listened to our suggestions. Then he told us that the primary reason the school was sited in Ondo was to teach Ondo pupils and that even though good grades were desirable, they were secondary. The admission policy remained. Ordinary as it seemed, that encounter made a lasting impression on my mind of a principal who took pains to explain the policy to his students. It was quintessential Brother Thomas.
Another incident involved our new Physics teacher. This teacher came with the attitude (often referred to as British) of giving students tough questions and then bragging about the low scores. That was his style until Brother Thomas asked him about it. The Physics teacher boasted that his marks did not come easy. But Brother Thomas pointedly told him, “If you teach them the tough topics and questions, they will do better.” As he narrated the encounter later, our teacher admitted that he had not looked at the issue from that perspective. Unknown to us, we had just heard of a way that our teacher was evaluated, and he went on to give us better service thereafter.
I feel extremely privileged to have had the opportunity of passing through Brother Thomas. So, as you celebrate your 90th birthday dear Brother, I pray that the Lord continue to bless you.

Putting Hands on the Plow

Stephen S. Nwabuzor (SJC 192) 1961-1965 Retired Professor of Engineering Hydrology Pioneer Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Federal University Otuoke, Nigeria.

SteveIt is indeed a pleasure to write this short piece on Brother Francis Thomas McCrea. In 1961, when I gained admission to Saint Joseph’s College (SJC), Brother Thomas was merely a twenty-eight (28) year old man, and I was eleven.

SJC was populated by what we then termed Canadian Brothers with Brother Bernard Broderick as the Principal. Along with other sanguine Revd. Brothers, the students of those days worked hard to build a school from the forest that housed SJC. The attributes of a boarding school with discipline and moral instruction were not in short supply and were a beauty to behold.

Brother Thomas was pivotal in ensuring that sporting activities were alive. I vividly recall the removal of the stones on the basketball court and installation of the hoops, which he supervised. He also ensured that baseball became an integral part of the sporting activities by improvising used car tires as base stations.

Part of his lasting impact on my impressionable mind was walking “Bingo”, a communal dog owned by the Revd. Brothers, to the dormitories. “Bingo” always gave Brother Thomas away in his daily rounds, especially to my irrepressible and restive spirit. The latter ensured my name in the weekly roll of honor dubbed “Disobedient Twenty.” I topped the list for two years. Up till today, I remain fond of dogs, and one of them is named Bingo, a nostalgic memento to Brother Thomas.

Brother Thomas, to me, was the solo secret police of the then-staff at SJC. His countenance betrayed his emotions towards me revealing whenever I ran afoul of school rules, and punishment wasn’t far away.

Brother Thomas, I sincerely thank you for the spirit of sacrifice, discipline, and doggedness which you and your confreres instilled into our lives. I am sure you would love to know that I triumphed against all odds and proceeded to obtain a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, UK; became Professor of Engineering Hydrology and pioneer Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at a Federal University in Nigeria. May God continue to bless you and extend your years.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 90th BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY!

Be Prepared and Obey the Law: A Practical Lesson taught by Brother Francis Thomas McCrea

Debo Awosika-Olumo (Aka Bobo) -1970-74 set
President GHMIGROUP INC. Fellow of American College of Epidemiology and Professor of Public Health Administration University of Maryland Global Campus

There are many lessons of “be prepared” taught by Brother Thomas, during my memorable time at Saint Joseph’s College Ondo.
While in form 1, one of our new entrants, Mr. Henry Fasedemi (Jaguar), brought boxing gloves to the school. This experience made many of us venture into boxing as one of the recreation sports in the school. Brother Thomas got interested in this sport and bought more gloves, and also gave the rule that no one should hit anyone in the abdomen (tummy) during weight classified bouts. There was this particular day, I was wearing a top over my navy-blue shorts instead of the khaki shorts after classes. Brother Thomas gave a go-ahead to the person I was fighting with to hit me in the stomach. This individual hit me in the tummy as instructed by a wink from Brother Thomas. I was expecting brother Thomas to discipline the guy that flouted the rule, instead, he told me to go and change and wear the correct dress code for the period. Hence, the joke was on me. The next “be prepared” lesson was when some of the new entrants brought different musical instruments to the school. We started a ragtag musical group. Brother Thomas got interested and decided to make the group more formal with the acquisition of more sophisticated musical instruments. He decided to go to Ibadan with some students to buy the new musical instruments. Fortunately, some of us were just strolling around. Of the four-six of us strolling around, only two students were wearing the correct dress code. He stopped and told dress code folks to go and change to their colors and accompanied him to Ibadan. These two experiences taught me the lesson, to always be prepared and obey the constituted laws of any community of residency.

Bobo
I am grateful to God that I have the opportunity to share these two experiences on how God used a man early in my life to teach me this important lesson of life.

Happy Birthday and Many Happy Returns of the Day in perfect health Brother Francis Thomas McCrea

A Ride of My Life

Olurinde Ebenezer Lafe [SJC315 (1965-69)]
Chairman, The MIDATCO Group, Bentleyville, Ohio, USA
Former Director, Center for Renewable Energy Technology and Professor, School of Engineering & Engineering Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure.

Lafe

The year was 1966. I was in my second year at St Joseph’s College (SJC). It was during one of the holidays. I was leisurely strolling on the road in front of our family home in Igunrin Street, Ondo. An old VW car drove by. The driver and I made full eye contact. It was Brother Thomas! He recognized me. He reversed to where I was. We chatted for a few seconds. He then asked if I would like to go for a ride. I enthusiastically responded, “Yes!”
I hopped into the car and had a ride of my life with Brother Thomas. We drove to Ile-Oluji. We talked about so many subjects under the sun. The 15-year-old me had tons of questions. For example, I asked him why our school uniform wasn’t the traditional Yoruba outfit. He calmly explained to me that our school uniform, as designed, was best suited for all the academic and vigorous extracurricular activities we engaged in as students. I was thrilled. I was on the proverbial Cloud 9!
The Snakes
A constant and perpetual wonder for SJC students was the boldness and dexterity with which Brother Thomas handled snakes. An open discussion came up in our class one day. Many of us believed Brother Thomas must possess some magical powers to pick up snakes without any fear. Our classroom teacher decided to chime in. He told us Brother Thomas had the same issues we had with snakes when he first arrived in our neck of the woods. Brother Thomas went back to North America and took it upon himself to read books on snakes. He educated himself and developed the uncanny knowledge to decipher between venomous and non-venomous snakes. The discussion opened my young teenage mind. Just like Brother Thomas was able to overcome the conventional fear by acquiring knowledge on the crawling, elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles, I too can develop mastery of obstacles by studying to unravel the mystery surrounding what we fear.
The Waiver
I was a day student in my last 3 years at SJC. Around the time of our WASC exams in 1969, a nighttime fire incident in my house had burnt the majority of my personal belongings including books and clothes. My school uniforms had also gone up in smoke. Some of my native “Ankara” native clothing escaped the fire. Undeterred, I put on a set of the Ankara “Buba and ṣokoto” that survived the fire and decided to go to school. I went straight to Brother Thomas to recount the story of the fire and why I was in traditional attire. He sympathized with me. He then chose to give me an unconventional waiver from the requirement to wear the school uniform. I enjoyed that waiver until the end of our school term.
The Affirmation
About a year after leaving SJC, a close senior relative and I traveled to Ondo from Lagos. We made a quick stop at SJC to check on his son who was a new student at SJC. Brother Thomas was on the school grounds. My relative shared with me later the private chat with Brother Thomas during the visit when my name came up. Brother Thomas told him, “He is a gentleman.” My senior relative was so impressed by that brief comment made by Brother Thomas. He repeated that story for years to scores of our family members. Learning about the opinion of Brother Thomas, my Secondary School Principal, about me was a major morale booster while embarking on my undergraduate studies in engineering at the University of Lagos.
The Lessons of Life
I recall Brother Thomas, with his long flashlight, going from dormitory to dormitory early in the mornings and late at night. He was dutifully checking that all was well with us. I marveled at his skill and fearlessness in handling those snakes we saw regularly in SJC. His selflessness, devotion, and dedication gave us a solid foundation and valuable lessons during our beginning years. I was highly privileged and enormously blessed to have been trained, mentored, and influenced by Brother Francis Thomas McCrea. Happy 90th Birthday, Brother Thomas!

Letting Us Have Our Fun

Omotayo (Cornelius) Fakinlede (SJC 518: 1966-71)
Professor, University of Lagos

It was late in the year 1970. The prefects for the next year had been appointed. This included several of our classmates such as Segun Filani – Senior Prefect, Juwon Awosika, etc. It was only form five students that were normally exempted from regular housework which included cutting grass, compound cleaning, etc. A number of us, some of whom felt bad that we were not so appointed, refused to do housework and obey our classmates that had just been given power. We constituted ourselves into what we called “The Supremes of SJC”. We even went to the usual classroom front and took a group photograph and we made ourselves a rival power block. The new prefects could not control us and, I believe, they must have gone to report the matter to the Principal, Brother Thomas.
He came to hostels one afternoon and rounded all of us up; he had bought brand new cutlasses for each of us. He came fully dressed in his own Khaki on Khaki. Seeing our principal in his Khaki uniform defeated our ability to refuse to be so dressed. And he marched us towards the piggery and asked us to start cutting the trees for the firewood needed to make our meals in the school kitchen, himself leading the way! We did that, with him, every afternoon from 4:00 pm until the end of the year. That ended our rebellion.

Brother Thomas
Brother Thomas with Omotayo Fakinlede near City Hall, Toronto. June 2018

One late afternoon, as we were walking towards the piggery, Brother Thomas in front, the rest of us, no exceptions, followed to the usual workplace. I took my cutlass, pretending I wanted to cut off his head! The remaining pupils burst into uproarious laughter. I enjoyed it so much that I did it repeatedly, and we laughed. Brother Thomas looked back and asked: “Why are you laughing?” We all pretended there was nothing causing the laughter. He just went with us, made us cut the trees as we were supposed to do. And that was it. I needed to grow up many years later to realize that Brother Thomas was fully aware of my buffoonery; He was simply allowing us to have our fun. That was what we thought we were: The Supremes of SJC just because we reached the end of the year in form four!

NB. I have not been able to locate the photo we took at that time. It had the caption “The Supremes of SJC. Please if anyone can find it, it will be a good picture to post here.