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.

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.