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He was nothing short of a legend.
goals. We were allowed to innovate, create, even take risks, but make decisions. He instilled in us
Arriving a year before Texas Country Day School and the Cathedral School for Boys merged to form St. Mark’s, J.J. Connolly had an immediate and lasting impact on campus.
the desire, the will, the need to perform, and not to let him down.” Bart’s class was the first of five to dedicate their Marksmen yearbook to Mr. Connolly, an unprecedented honor.
Beyond teaching English and Latin, Mr. Connolly coached all of the sports in Middle School, served as Dorm Master for
Through his stern, old-school teaching style, Mr.
11 years, instituted the CanPaign and Senior Follies, headed
Connolly pushed his boys with high expectations
the Upper School for eight years, and was the School’s first Senior Master. But these accomplishments were only part of what endeared him to his students.
and never accepted anything but their best. Many alumni still sweat remembering Mr. Connolly’s required recitation of the full Gettysburg Address or the thick folder of poems they were expected to memorize. Nevertheless, students understood
At a memorial service in February 2015, hundreds of alumni gathered to
that Mr. Connolly was only pushing them to be
remember their teacher. As a member of one of Mr. Connolly’s first classes, Bart
their best.
Brown ’59, said, “He offered us the freedom and encouragement to pursue our
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St. Mark’s School of Texas