When you walk into the fifth floor atrium of the Russell Sage Laboratory, the most striking feature is a large portrait of a contemplative older man on the far wall—the humble but confident figure is that of Thomas Phelan, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences from 1974 to 1994. The painting shows Phelan the teacher, but he was much more than this; as told through the countless number of individuals whose lives he touched, he was a leader, friend, care-giver, historian, renaissance man, art connoisseur, Catholic clergyman, cook, gardener, and even a student himself. When Reverend Phelan died on Friday, RPI and the entire Capital Region said goodbye to one of the area’s greatest leaders.
Educated at Oxford and a native of Rensselaer, Phelan, also known as Father Tom, joined RPI as resident chaplain in 1959. From that time on, he never stopped pushing the boundaries of the Institute’s academic, extracurricular, and enrichment activities. He established the Festival of Religion and the Arts to expand students’ world view. After several relocations of the Catholic student gathering place, Phelan led the Rensselaer Newman Foundation in the construction of the Chapel + Cultural Center, the foundation’s current home. Through the C+CC, Phelan made a daring foray into the crossover of arts and religion, inviting people of all backgrounds and tendencies to take in its sights and sounds. According to Director of the Union Rick Hartt’70, as an early director of the C+CC, “Tom linked the arts to spiritual and intellectual growth.”
Reverend Phelan’s tenure as dean of Humanities and Social Sciences was marked by the school’s rapid growth, increased prominence, varied curricula, and relocation to newly-renovated Sage Lab. Vice President for Student Life Eddie Knowles identified him as the “trailblazer” who gained support for holistic education, spurring the formation of the Science and Technology Studies and Arts departments. As a student of history, Phelan advocated tirelessly for the preservation of Troy’s historical architecture, founding the Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway in the face of destructive urban development projects.
Phelan’s own story prior to his arrival at RPI was one from which much could be learned. Born in 1925, he saw some of the most difficult years in American history in an area extremely dependent on industry and trade. During World War II, he received a purple heart after a shrapnel wound during a kamikaze attack on the U.S.S. Boyd destroyer. He went on to earn an S.T.L. from the Catholic University of America preparing him for ordination in the Albany Diocese the following year.
Phelan’s intellectual and community achievements might seem extraordinary for any person, but making them even more amazing were his responsibilities to the priesthood. According to David Haviland, recently retired vice president for Institute Advancement and a member of Phelan’s parish since the early 1970s, “The fact that Tom was a priest was at the center of everything he did.” The current RPI chaplain, Rev. Edward Kacerguis, said, “Every single thing he did must be viewed in that sense. It was the cement of his life.” He founded the University Parish of Christ Sun of Justice at the C+CC concurrently with the building’s construction; reframing a statement from the ancient greek philosopher Protagoras, he established the parish’s motto: “God is the measure of all things.”
At Phelan’s funeral services on Tuesday, Bishop Howard Hubbard noted, “He wore a wide variety of hats.” To many, the most influential of his roles was that of mentor. Rev. Winston Bath learned from him that “what we say and what we profess had to be integrated with the way we lived our lives.” His communication, always concise but never shallow in meaning, respected the intelligence of those he taught and advised. Haviland reflected “he thought high thoughts, but he never had to dumb them down for others.” He would treat people at any level of society with the same level of respect.
What seemed to strike those he touched more than any particular accomplishment was his sense of humanism and respect. “The city of God, city of Troy, city of RPI...He saw all of these as human endeavor,” noted Haviland. Kacerguis shared that in Phelan’s work as both a professor and priest, “He learned, he taught, he shared, he challenged.” No person had a story that he couldn’t learn from.
Rev. Gary Gelfenbien ‘45, who was convinced to pursue his Ph.D. at RPI by Phelan, said when it came to being involved in his community and surroudings, “I don’t think he could help himself.” He tried to integrate history and culture into all aspects of life. “Everything applied, whether ancient or Judeo-Christian,” Gelfenbien said.
After Phelan left his position in H&SS in 1994, he was appointed as Institute dean, Institute historian, and senior advisor to the president. Late in Phelan’s life, he was afflicted with a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, impacting both mind and body and limiting his ability to minister and teach. He continued to preach as his health allowed, and he remained a frequent fixture at Christ Sun of Justice services until recent months.
In a statement issued Friday, Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson said, “[Phelan] was a builder of community who also realized the value of understanding and documenting our rich history. The legacy he has left behind is as grand as the life he lived.” At the close of Tuesday’s ceremony, Bishop Hubbard cited Reverend Phelan as “truly the epitome of John Cardinal Newman’s definition” of a university chaplain and mentor—perhaps the greatest compliment which he could have delivered that day—and applauded his accomplishments as a “social justice activist and promoter of humanism.”
Though his burial took place on Tuesday, Father Tom’s final lesson to his community was delivered true to form by Rev. Kacerguis at the celebration of his life on Monday night: “I have tried to empower you to live in the freedom of the resurrection ... Go. Go and do likewise.”
