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Father Wade’s 80th Birthday Celebration
Gerald T. “Jerry” Wade, S.J.
was born on December 12, 1937, in San Jose, California, to Walter William Wade and Clara Cecilia Gorman Wade. Walter, who was born and raised on Julian Street near San Pedro Street in downtown San Jose, was the pharmacist and owner of Wade’s Mission Pharmacy in Santa Clara. Clara, who grew up on the outskirts of Santa Clara, along Lawrence Station Road (now Lawrence Expressway), was a homemaker. As fate would have it, the Jesuits played a large part in the upbringing of both of Father Wade’s parents, who grew up attending Jesuit parishes – Clara at St. Clare in Santa Clara and Walter at St. Joseph in San Jose.
Santa Clara
Jerry grew up in the town of Santa Clara, where his folks were deeply involved in the community, especially at St. Clare Parish. Clara was known as “the first lady of Jefferson Street,” always inviting people over and listening to the stories of her friends’ lives. Much like her son, she had an uncanny memory for faces, names, and events. Father Wade is very proud of his family’s deep roots to the Santa Clara Valley, which extend back seven generations to the late 1700s and the Alviso family, who were early settlers to the region, and after whom the Alviso neighborhood in San Jose is named. His greatgrandfather, Charles, who arrived in the area in 1849 as a five-year-old aboard the “Wade Wagon”– one of the few wagons that was able to travel safely through Death Valley – married Estefina Alviso, thereby cementing the family’s place in Santa Clara Valley history.
Bellarmine Class of 1955
Jerry’s love of Bellarmine
College Preparatory began when he started attending Bellarmine football games as a middle school student at St. Clare Elementary. Once he became a student at Bellarmine, he embraced everything the school had to offer. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur at St. Clare’s had instilled in him a strong educational tradition and he was happy to adopt that to his high school experience. Jerry rarely missed a dance, football game or basketball game. He was a member of student council, and by senior year he was the editor-in-chief of the Cardinal Newspaper. Father Wade’s favorite part of being a student at Bellarmine wasn’t the excitement of newspaper deadlines or how many games the football team won, it was “the great brotherhood, and being at a school that felt like family.” During his time as a student at Bellarmine, Father Wade enjoyed the presence of many Jesuit scholastics and priests on campus, as well as their fellow lay colleagues. He was impressed by the happiness, energy, and enthusiasm of the young Jesuits teaching at Bellarmine and he saw the distinct possibility of “becoming a part of this community of men – young and old – who were making a difference in the lives of many young men, not doing it so much as individuals, but rather in collaboration with one another.”
Father Wade entered the Society of
Jesus at the Jesuit Novitiate in Los Gatos, California, on August 14, 1955. His journey as a young Jesuit took him from the Bay Area to Spokane, Washington; Los Angeles; and Sacramento before returning “home” to Bellarmine College Preparatory. 1955–1962 After pronouncing his vows as a Jesuit scholastic in 1957, Mr. Wade, n.S.J. followed the standard course of studies for Jesuits in the California Province, receiving his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Liberal Arts and Master of Arts (M.A.) in Philosophy from Gonzaga University. 1962–1965 Mr. Wade, S.J. returned to Bellarmine as a Jesuit scholastic, where he taught Latin, ran the senior dorm, moderated the newspaper, and was a bus driver for athletic teams and resident students. 1965–1968 Studied Theology at Alma College (an affiliate of Santa Clara University).
1968 Father Wade was ordained to the priesthood June 1st at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco.
1969 Received a M.A. in Theology from Santa Clara University.
1969–1975 Received a M.A. in Latin from the University of Southern California in 1970, and became the vice principal and prefect of discipline at Loyola High School of Los Angeles for five years. 1975–1979 Rector of the Jesuit community and president at Jesuit High School in Sacramento.
Father Wade returned to Bellarmine College Preparatory in 1979
as rector of the Jesuit community and president of the school. Over the course of his fourteen-year tenure, Bellarmine’s campus grew in size and beauty, in part to accommodate the expansion of curriculum and athletic programs. Father Wade credits the input and insight of Father Ed Reese, S.J., principal for 13 years of Father Wade’s presidency, as well as the expertise of Ron Pine ’57, then vice president for advancement, and the Boards of Regents and Trustees, as crucial to the growth and success of the school during this period of time. Providing for student needs and preparing the campus for the future was important to both Father Reese and Father Wade. When the student resident program ended in 1983, and O’Donnell Hall was renovated from a dormitory to classrooms and offices, they believed it was a safety issue for students to cross Elm Street multiple times each day amidst traffic. They worked with then San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery ’63 and San Jose’s city council to close Elm Street from University Avenue to Hedding Street. Father Wade also oversaw the many updates on campus, including the demolition of older buildings such as the old gym and Kostka Hall, to make room for new spaces including the James A. Carney Science Center and the Leo J. and Mary G. Lucas Quad. With the leadership of Bellarmine’s Board of Regents, Father Reese and Father Wade prompted the school to purchase the 2.5 acre property on the other side of Hedding Street in 1981, where the soccer and lacrosse field now resides. For the entirety of his presidency, and for 12 years thereafter, Father Wade was the moderator for the Bellarmine Mothers’ Guild, a responsibility that brought him much joy. Working alongside all Bellarmine parents – both moms and dads – allowed him to forge many great and long-lasting friendships.
The Wade Family Financial Aid Endowment was established in 1993 in memory of Father Wade’s father, Walter Wade. Both Walter and Clara Wade believed and hoped that all qualified young men would be able to attend Bellarmine College Preparatory just as their son did, regardless of financial ability. One of Father Wade’s highest priorities during his time as president and chancellor has been to grow the financial aid program, especially financial aid endowments. As tuition costs continue to rise, endowment funds are vital to Bellarmine College Preparatory’s ability to provide financial assistance to the nearly 25% of our students who receive aid every year. If you wish to honor Father Wade on the occasion of his 80th birthday, he asks that you consider a donation to The Wade Family Financial Aid Endowment in lieu of a personal gift. Father Wade is pleased that your gift will honor his mom and dad, Clara and Walter, while supporting Bellarmine College Preparatory students in perpetuity – not just this year, but every year into the future. Donations can be made to The Wade Family Financial Aid Endowment at www.bcp.org/fatherwade.
Father Wade is grateful to his Bellarmine colleagues – past and present, lay and Jesuit, faculty and staff – for their inspiration, support, and friendship. He would especially like to thank President Chris Meyercord ’88 and Principal Kristina Luscher for their stewardship in continuing to advance Bellarmine’s mission.
He would also like to thank the Diocese of San Jose for their leadership in growing Catholic education in the “Valley of St. Clare,” in particular Bishop Pierre DuMaine, Bishop Patrick J. McGrath, and Superintendents of Schools, Sister Mary Claude Power, P.B.V.M., Ms. Marian Stuckey, and Mrs. Kathy Almazol.
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Program Beginning at 4:15 p.m. Patrick Wayne Valley Memorial Gymnasium It will also be streamed live in the Student Life Center (SLC), the Hall of Honor in the Schott Athletic Center, as well as in the Main Stage Theatre in Sobrato Center. Seating is available in the Theatre.
Don’t Miss! Video Screening: Reflections from Father Dick Cobb, S.J. Main Stage Theatre in Sobrato Center Father Cobb reflects on his years of friendship with Father Wade, what makes Father Wade special to Bellarmine, and provides a few laughs along the way.
Photo Booth and Guestbook Student Life Center (SLC)
GYMNASIUM
POOL SOBRATO CENTER
SLC
SCHOTT ATHLETIC CENTER
LICCARDO
CHAPEL CARNEY
LOKEY