In Memoriam: Dom Francis Crowley, O.S.B

“I am Brother Francis, Benedictine monk, teacher, environ mentalist, scientist; this is my resumé. It explains who I am and what my background has been. I don’t know why, but some people think it is strange that someone with a science background could be a monk; I find both have fit very well together in my personal journey.”

DOM FRANCIS CROWLEY, O.S.B.

Dom Francis Crowley, OSB, a monk of Portsmouth Abbey, passed away August 14, 2019, after a brief illness, at Rhode Island Hospital, in the 79th year of his age and the 25th year of his monastic life.

Born James E. Crowley in Providence, RI, to Daniel Crowley and Eleanor (Sauter) Crowley in 1940, he grew up in Providence and began his education at LaSalle Academy. He graduated in 1958 and attended Providence College, where he completed his undergraduate studies in chemistry. After earning his master’s degree at Brown University, James returned to Providence College, earning his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 1970. During his advanced studies he found joy as a teacher, holding positions at Cranston West and Moses Brown School and later at and Moses Brown School and later at Roger Williams College and Rhode Roger Williams College and Rhode Island College. In 1970, he entered the Island College. In 1970, he entered the private sector, and began a 20-year private sector, and began a 20-year career with CIBA-GEIGY Corporation, career with CIBA-GEIGY Corporation, from which he retired his position of from which he retired his position of Corporate Director of Environmental Corporate Director of Environmental Technology in 1991. Technology in 1991.

As a lay person, his life was divided into family and work. He was married for twenty fi ve years and had two daughters: Lisa and Michaela.

As Brother Francis was fond of saying, he entered the monastery a mere forty minutes after he retired on his last day of work. He made his solemn profession as Dom Francis Crowley, O.S.B., a monk of Portsmouth Abbey, in 1994. At Portsmouth, Brother Francis taught in the science and Christian doctrine departments, putting the young Third-Form students through the paces in conceptual physics. He reveled in teaching and said “the best part about being a teacher at Portsmouth Abbey is that I fi nally realized my job here is to simply love the students and let them share their joy of discovery of science with me.” He knew that this joy could only be experienced through the often painstaking adherence to the steps. Though this was frustrating for many, the students knew that he loved them. This was even more conceptual or foundational than the science. He would say audaciously, over and over again: I love you.

For 15 years, Brother Francis also served as the community’s master of ceremonies, overseeing the liturgies and celebrants and altar servers with exacting precision and a keen eye for detail. He demanded much from his servers, but he was always quick with his sincere and joyous laud -- “terrrifi c” for a job well done. He said “I love the students like a grandparent; I love to see them come, and I love to see them go…and when they are away, I miss them.”

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Friday, August 23, 2019, at Portsmouth Abbey’s Church of St. Gregory the Great, with interment in the Portsmouth Abbey cemetery.

JAMES. F. BURKE ’83

The Abbey can be proud of my brother James for representing the best of qualities that the School and the church has striven to impress upon the youth, especially today with so much drawing youth and adults away from the Godcentered traditions. Jim was my brother and while I certainly speak highly of him because of that, I truly believe he had profoundly important examples of character and virtue that should be spoken of and honored in future generations.

He was a truly great man. He revered God and the family and our American Nation and the civilization the Church built. He was the son and grandson of devoutly Catholic mothers and traditions, and he grew up in a military family surrounded by these traditions, in historical Acton/Concord. James was a boy scout, an award-winning athelete in his youth, and he embarked on a life of education and shaping of his ethics and values, in which our dear mother and grandmother played key roles, as well as Portsmouth Abbey School. He graduated from the Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and attended Leningrad University in the old Soviet Union. He became involved in intelligence work, playing key roles in several programs that helped to destroy the tyranny of Soviet communism and its threat to our world. He was fluent in Russian, and later Arabic and French, and worked in myriad intelligence-related think tanks. He met with dissidents in Latvia and played a role in their uprising against the Soviet system, once being interrogated by KGB.

Jim had a very interesting life, most of it unknown and “unsung.” He was never a boaster – always a quiet, thoughtful and moral man whose strength of character I have always looked up to in awe. He studied all his life, and could speed-read large volumes of texts that took most people weeks to comprehend, and Jim could do it in a day! And actually recall virtually all of it!

In later years Jim became a key figure in the financial industry applying his genius of mind and background in intelligence into the capital markets intelligence field. It was this work that became his passion and was his way of defending our nation and our way of life from foreign interests seeking to undermine our country through financial manipulations. Jim loved his golf! He actually taught me just last year the basics. He was a great golfer, and seemed to excel at all he set his heart and mind to. His love of history, and knowledge of it was profound. Most important to Jim though, was always family. He was the selfless son and brother who strove to live for God and Family in as exemplary life as possible, such as taking care of our mother and grandmother and me through many years; it took its toll on Jim. The financial industry as well is known for high degrees of stress and limited lifespans.

I said at my brother’s funeral that God’s love is most beautifully expressed through the love of family. Jim’s love for us throughout his life, and literally to his last days certainly expressed this in ways that will forever bless my memories of him and I ask that others see Jim for the kind of man that has profoundly important lessons for us all and for generations to come.

Jim always kept his Abbey patches, photos and yearbooks and always fondly recalled those years, and often donated to the school. Portsmouth Abbey played a very important role in the shaping of my brother’s life.

I want to thank all of you at Portsmouth Abbey for being such a meaningful part of my brother’s life and thus our family’s life as well. I also thank the monks for the Mass in his name. It will all be remembered and spoken of with reverence in future generations, as I have a baby girl due in August. Jim had truly hoped one day to have children and he was truly happy to know that he was to be an uncle. I will always speak well of you all and teach my children of the important role you had in this life and how it was an important part of what made him the man he was and of course the traditions of the church.

You may find it of interest that in honor of Jim’s lifelong Catholic faith and his defense of our nation and Western Christian Civilization, this past Christmas of 2019, our last together, I gave him a Knights Templar Sword with the Latin inscribed upon it’s blade: ”non nobis domine,non nobis sed nomimi tuo da glorium.”

There is so much more that can be said, but I believe it must be seen in the larger context of God’s plan for us in this universe. On the first page of my brother’s “Last Words” he began:

“The guiding hand is real! Thank you God, Mom, and Dad For my life Defend America, for the love of God!”

Please remember him fondly, as do I, with love in your hearts and teach his example through time. He was truly a great man. And he was my brother and in whom I have known God’s love. God Bless James F. Burke. God Bless You All. – John Burke

JOHN SKEEHAN LACKNER ’72

John Lackner died on June 8, 2020; he was 66 years old. John was the beloved son of Vincent F. and Margaret Skeehan Lackner of Sheraden, PA.

He attended Holy Innocents Grade School and Sewickley Academy, and graduated from Portsmouth Abbey School in 1972. John enjoyed meeting people and made friends easily. He was multi-talented and became an expert in many fields on his own.

A gifted athlete, John pitched a Little League no-hitter and had a triple play at the age of eight. In high school, he starred in basketball and soccer. As a junior, he was named to the all-New England basketball team. In July 1971, he traveled with the Rhode Island High School Select team that played teams in England and Scotland. His team won the International Club Tournament in Edinburgh, Scotland, and he was the leading scorer in several of the games.

With a raconteur’s tendency to enhance his stories, John came back from the trip to the UK talking about one player he had to guard and claimed that he was 7’6” and weighed 350 pounds. We did the normal adjustment and took off six inches and 50 pounds. It turns out that John understated his opponent’s size: he was actually 7’6-1/4” and all of 350 pounds, and held the record as the UK’s tallest man from 1967 through 2007. John’s cred within the family shot up from that day forward.

For the rest of the 70s, John played lead guitar in the Walnut Band, a Grateful-Dead-inspired group popular in Boston and at colleges and nightclubs up and down the East coast. After the band broke up, he worked in construction on homes and highways and managed explosives in building tunnels in Pittsburgh. In yet another switch, he opened perfume shops in Shadyside, East Hampton (NY), and Denver, where he was adept at mixing natural oils to create custom scents for his clients.

Ahead of the times, John then co-founded AMPS Wireless Data in Phoenix, a company that developed one of the first wireless credit card processing devices ever used, with particular focus on stadiums, taxicabs, golf courses, and airplanes. Some seven years later, he moved on to sell luxury cars in Phoenix and Los Angeles.

John playing one of his Skeehan Custom Guitars. See a photo of John with his 1972 classmates at their reunion dinner on page 52.

Always quick to respond to people’s needs, John returned to Pittsburgh in 2010 to help care for his aging parents. He managed home repairs, built a wheelchair ramp off the front porch, installed a first-floor bathroom, expanded the vegetable garden, and became an inventive cook.

During his last three years, he made some 50 Skeehan Custom Guitars, named after his grandfather. Each guitar was a work of art that impressed not only his friends and family but also big-band stars. See https://www.skeehancustomguitars.com to read John’s story in his own words.

John was grateful for the opportunity to receive immunotherapy treatment that allowed him to extend his life for several years. He lost his long battle with lung cancer on Monday, June 8, 2020, and died at home in his sleep.

The thoughts and prayers of the Portsmouth Abbey community go out to John and his family.

WILLIAM O. MELVIN, JR. ’55

Bill Melvin of Vero Beach, FL, passed away March 27, 2020, at his home, surrounded by his loved ones. He was 83 years old.

Bill grew up on the banks of the Hudson River in Ardsley on Hudson, NY. He was the eldest of six children of Eileen Monks Melvin and William Oscar Melvin. In his youth, he attended Immaculate Conception School in Irvington, NY. Bill continued his education at Portsmouth Abbey School, then Portsmouth Priory, graduating in 1955. He learned some of his most valuable skills, and life lessons during his time at Portsmouth and was forever thankful for his time spent there. A leader on and off the field, Bill was named all-state in football while at the Priory, and competed in both hockey and football while earning his degree at Brown University. He then joined the Army National Guard to do his part in serving his country in a time of war. This allowed him to live out a hidden passion for riding motorcycles in the deserts of southern Texas.

Bill moved to Scarborough, NY, and spent his career in financial management. He honed his skills on Wall Street before starting his own firm, Acorn Derivatives Management Corporation, in White Plains, NY, where he managed some of the largest pension funds in the world until his retirement in 2010.

In addition to his family and career, Bill’s greatest passion in life was the game of golf. Bill spent countless days perfecting his skills and walking the hills above the Hudson River at Sleepy Hollow Country Club where he was a member for over 50 years. In Vero Beach, FL, he was frequently found at The Moorings Yacht & Country Club or Riomar Country Club golf courses. Both Bill and his wife, Ellen, were known for their generous philanthropic ventures. Bill served on the board of directors for Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, NY, for many years and started the Phelps Memorial Classic golf tournament in 2003, raising millions of dollars for the hospital. During the 9/11 crisis Bill and Ellen donated a hyperbaric chamber to Phelps, which helped save the lives of many burn victims and first responders.

Bill also gave very generously to the School over his lifetime, culminating in a $1 million gift to the Science Building in honor of his favorite math teacher Dom Andrew Jenks to whom he gave much credit for his success in life.

Bill will always be known as a true gentleman and chivalrous being. His undeniable fondness for witty humor and positivity about the world around him made him a joy to be with. He never shied away from showing his appreciation and affection toward those he loved. Bill is survived in death by his beloved wife, Ellen, with whom he spent 45 inseparable years. He is also survived by three of his four children.

The Portsmouth Abbey community extends its sincerest condolences to and prayers for the Melvin family.

As a result of Bill’s wonderful memories and deep affection for Portsmouth Abbey, the Melvin family has designated Portsmouth Abbey for memorial contributions in honor of Bill’s life and legacy. Your charitable contribution may either be mailed to Portsmouth Abbey School Office of Development and Alumni Affairs or may be made online at https:// www.portsmouthabbey.org/support/give. Kindly specify the gift to be made: In Memory of Mr. William O. Melvin ‘55.

W. PETER MINER ’48

Peter Miner, a beloved acting teacher and esteemed director, passed away on March 26 after a brief illness. He was 90 years old.

Peter grew up in and around show business. The son of television pioneer Worthington Miner and actress Frances Fuller, the father of former actor Peter Miner and actress Rachel Miner, as well as the cousin of television director Kirk Browning, he was a child actor who made his Broadway debut at age eight and was described by Joshua Logan as “the best child actor I ever saw.” A graduate of Georgetown School of Foreign Service, he earned a B.S. in Diplomatic and Consular Practice.

Following a distinguished career in television, he dedicated himself to teaching at Columbia University’s Graduate Film School and T. Schreiber Studio. During his television career, he directed One Life to Live (awarded two Emmys and eight nominations); produced “Dark Shadows” and “Hey Cinderella” (featuring Jim Henson’s puppets); aired the first Marvel animated series, “Spider-Man”; directed and produced numerous short films, TV series and plays.

Throughout his career, teaching and mentoring actors and directors was a passion and a calling. He joyfully dedicated his heartfelt focus to this role, developing a loving and talented following. His first wife, “Mimi” passed away in 1970. He is survived by his wife, Diane who partnered with him in teaching; children Peter, Caroline, Robert, James and Rachel; son-inlaw, Shaughan, daughters-in-law, Joan and Rosemary; grandchildren, Caila, Peter and Zachary and sister, Margaret.

We pray for the repose of the soul of Peter and send heartfelt condolences from the Portsmouth Abbey community to the Miner family.

JOHN AMAND WALSH ’41

Rear Admiral John Amand Walsh, USN Retired, Portsmouth Abbey Class of 1941, died April 17, 2020 after a short illness from the COVID-19 virus. He was 96. Jack spent 33 years in the U.S. Navy, serving as an intelligence officer and a submarine commander.

Jack was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on January 3, 1924, the son of Captain John A. Walsh, USN and Odette Fautrat Walsh. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1945. He served on the cruiser USS Columbus (CA-74) during the Second World War.

As a young officer in 1949, Jack served aboard the USS Carp (SS-338) on an expedition that began the first attempts for submarines to navigate under the polar icecap. In 1954, he served as an assistant naval attache at the American Embassy in Rome, working for Ambassador Clare Boothe Luce. While in Italy, Jack assisted in discussions with Auguste Piccard, which lead to the Navy acquiring the bathyscaphe, Trieste.

Jack was commanding officer first in 1959 on the diesel submarine, USS Entemedor (SS-340). On the USS Dace (SSN-607), a nuclear attack submarine, he supervised its construction and then commissioned the ship into the Navy as its first skipper. Later, he commanded the ballistic missile submarine, USS Thomas Jefferson (SSN618). In Charleston, SC, Jack served as Commodore of Submarine Squadron Four and was awarded the Legion of Merit Medal in 1972. Jack earned a masters degree in economics from the University of Maryland. As rear admiral, he served as assistant director of the National Security Agency and chief of staff of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Jack married Sheila Hardwick Keliher in 1948, moving on an average of every year-and-a-half while a navy family. After Jack’s retirement, they settled in Framingham, MA, for 37 years until Sheila’s death in 2015. Jack became very active in his adopted town, now the City of Framingham, serving on the Historical Society and other city organizations. He and his family enjoyed visits to the beloved vacation home at Birch Island, ME, where the family spent time fishing, sailing, mucking for clams on the tidal mudflats, and keeping busy with work that entailed no dire consequences.

Jack with his Portsmouth Priory football team Jack had a quiet, enduring, but complex faith, anchored in his Catholicism. He was strongly attracted to the ideas of Dom Aelred Graham, a former prior of the Portmouth monastery, as presented in his book, Zen Catholicism. Often while on shore duty, Jack would attend mass daily. Jack’s faith was a thread that tied God, country and family together. For Jack his faith provided a spiritual structure similar to the regime that his career in the navy had provided him.

Jack is survived by his son, David (Class of 1968), his daughter, Keliher Eckhouse, and six grandchildren. His son, John Christopher (Class of 1970), passed away in 2018, having served for seven years as the representative from Framingham in the Massachusetts state legislature. Jack’s two nephews also attended Portsmouth, Michael Veysey (Class of 1962) and Peter Veysey (Class of 1970). Jack will be remembered by his family and friends with a deep sense of loss, combined with the knowledge that he lived a very full, active, and interesting life. He will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery along with his wife, Sheila.

The Portsmouth Abbey community extends its prayers and deepest condolences to the Walsh family.