Christian Brother Gerard “Gerry” Molyneaux took a vow of silence that lasted 15 months after he joined the Roman Catholic religious order, but the beloved La Salle University professor emeritus has spoken quite a bit – and quite articulately – since then.
Now 90 years old, Brother Gerry, as he is known at the school, became a revered teacher of communications, mass media and film studies, serving for 52 years at La Salle, which was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of Christian Schools.
“When I was 10, I thought about being a …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
You can also purchase this individual item for $1.50
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
Christian Brother Gerard “Gerry” Molyneaux took a vow of silence that lasted 15 months after he joined the Roman Catholic religious order, but the beloved La Salle University professor emeritus has spoken quite a bit – and quite articulately – since then.
Now 90 years old, Brother Gerry, as he is known at the school, became a revered teacher of communications, mass media and film studies, serving for 52 years at La Salle, which was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of Christian Schools.
“When I was 10, I thought about being a priest,” Molyneaux said last week in his office at La Salle, “so I joined the Christian Brothers, as did my high school friend, Peter Boyle, who became a prominent actor on TV and movies (“Joe,” “Everybody Loves Raymond”). As a novice, I got calluses from praying on my knees so much, but I am not a priest. I would find that boring. I am a Brother. I could marry people, but I haven't.”
Like priests, Christian brothers take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The difference is that priests receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders and can therefore celebrate Mass, hear confessions, proclaim the Gospel and preach.
After his novitiate, Molyneaux became an English major at La Salle University, where he also earned a master's degree in theology. Thanks to a grant from the Wall Street Journal, the West Catholic High School graduate was able to attend Notre Dame University, where he earned a second master's degree, this one in English in 1965. He then switched to communications and film studies, earning a Ph.D in communication arts in 1976 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His dissertation was on the masterful 1931 Charlie Chaplin film, “City Lights.”
“I never got to meet Charlie Chaplin,” he said, “but I did get to meet and interview the leading lady in the film, Virginia Cherrill, in 1972.”
Molyneaux has become a true film savant. He has written biographies of Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck and film director John Sayles. For the last 14 years, he has been working on a book called “Fighting for Justice, The Peace Corps and Notre Dame.” (There is an ocean of handwritten notes all over his office desk.)
“When I first came to La Salle, I was in the literature department,” he said. “but they didn't know what to do with me. I was told, 'You can teach film, but what else can you do?' So I taught introduction to mass media in addition to film production.”
Over the years, Molyneaux has taught numerous courses and film seminars, presented many academic papers, been interviewed often on television and radio, and founded and chaired several college departments and programs. He has received 19 awards including the Distinguished Service Award, Distinguished Lasallian Educator Award and the Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching.
Molyneaux is particularly proud of former students who started in his Internship course and went on to success in TV, radio, film, and the corporate world. Two of them, Tom Namako and Michael Mishak, were interns at the Chestnut Hill Local and have gone on to significant success in journalism. Namako is a senior executive editor for NBC News, and Mishak is a senior editor at ProPublica who won a Pulitzer Prize at the Las Vegas Sun for a series about construction deaths on the Las Vegas Strip.
“Kevin Wildes, a former student of mine, does a TV sports show, 'One More Thing,'” Molyneaux said. “He graduated in 2000. He had a comedy show here, 'The Eric La Salle Show.' Four guys in the Eagles' video department went here. Terrific guys, talented, hard working. I had a female student, Erin Holly, who didn't even like sports at first. Now she is at a TV station in Texas doing sports and loves it. Mike Sielski and David Murphy, sportswriters for The Inquirer, were students here.
“Many employers used to think of an intern as a person who just gets coffee. No more,” Molyneaux continued. “They do social media, among other things. We have had our students do TV, radio, work for the Eagles, Sixers, Flyers and Union, also in public relations, advertising and other businesses.”
In 1995, Molyneaux started a student program in Athens, Greece, a three-credit course that is still in existence. Later he started one in Prague, the Czech Republic. People come from all over the world to study at both. “My undergrads got to go to Berlin, Budapest, Krakow, Vienna, Prague, etc.,” he said. “Many said this was the greatest thing that ever happened to them. And they had an uncanny knack for finding Irish bars everywhere. So I never get into a rut. It has been a great experience to see where these students took their education, what they did with it.”
For 48 years, Molyneaux has been a moderator of Sigma Phi Lambda fraternity. For 14 years, the group has raised funds for a grade school, La Salle Academy, in Kensington. The fraternity is currently raising $65,000 for the school with a lottery, a race and an auction. Last year, members raised $40,000.
“The kids there are going through terrible things,” he said. “One kid found his father lying in the street, passed out on drugs … You never know what will be a turning point in a kid's life. One former student I taught in Pittsburgh did not think of himself as much of a student, but I saw something in him and urged him to take advanced placement English. He is now retired, was chief counsel for one of the biggest hotel chains in the country. I myself had an English course in college with a Brother who would not even grade my first two papers. He said it was 'not college writing.' But he convinced me I could do it. Eventually my office wound up next to his at La Salle.”
Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com