When I first saw Father Tom Phelan, I was moved. I was consumed with an emotion, one which Father Tom would probably never have wanted me to experience on his behalf: sorrow.
Sorrow has again consumed my heart with regard to Father Tom after hearing he finally lost his prolonged battle with Parkinson’s disease last week. But I do not grieve for a man who lived a life of vibrancy. He has moved on to a better life.
No, today I mourn for myself and everyone who did not have the privilege to experience Father Tom when his vigorous spirit still flowed freely, before his physical limitations crippled his body.
The current student body likely noted Father Tom’s passing with mild neglect. Only the current senior class would have still witnessed this man in action, before he was harnessed to a wheelchair by the harshness of nature. And still their experiences—like mine—would be incomplete.
Father Tom was an extremely enthusiastic and energetic man. He had to be to challenge the forces often working against him on this apathetic campus. He was a man of faith, not just of Catholicism, but all faiths. He was an inspiration to those he touched. He impacted all of RPI’s students, past and present, and this was vibrantly on display as the Chapel + Cultural Center filled to capacity for two masses in honor of its pastor for the past 47 years.
His dedication to the RPI community was always on display as he drove over 500,000 miles in his yellow Volkswagen Beatle to raise funds to purchase and build the C+CC, which opened in 1968. He also, as the dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, challenged the students and current administration to see the value of humanities even at a technical institution.
But Father Tom’s most important achievements are not buildings or curriculum changes, and they can’t be summarized in an e-mail from President Jackson. His greatest accomplishments rest within the hearts of the students he touched, and continues to touch after his passing.
The man convinced Arthur Gajarsa to stay at Rensselaer. Gajarsa has only gone on to become Vice Chairman of the RPI Board of Trustees and a judge on US Court of Appeals Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. As Gajarsa stated, Father Tom really did reshape people’s lives by inspiring them to push themselves.
Amazingly, in just one short year, Father Tom also managed to inspire me. Despite his withered physical state, Father Tom showed his dedication to the students and the church by performing mass every week. His homilies were authentic and challenged you both as a student and as a Catholic.
His obvious commitment to serve motivated me to pursue my goals with the utmost ardor. I only wish I could have gotten to know him better.
I’ve been told the wine connoisseur was a great man to have a drink with. Cheers! Here’s to you Father Tom.
I’ll save you a seat in my heart.
