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Rev. Joseph David Ayd, S.J.
Facts and Events
| Name[1][2][3] |
Rev. Joseph David Ayd, S.J. |
| Gender |
Male |
| Birth? |
14 Feb 1923 |
Baltimore (independent city), Maryland, United States |
| Death[1] |
17 Nov 1999 |
Scranton, Lackawanna, Pennsylvania, United Statesat Mercy Hospital |
| Burial[2][3] |
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Jesuit Cemetery, Wernersville, Berks, Pennsylvania, United States |
Research Notes
- 1948 (?) - earned a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from St. Louis University in Missouri, a Jesuit university
- 19?? - earned a Theology degree, Woodstock College, Maryland (former Jesuit seminary)
- 1951 - published a book, "Tomorrow's memories" {Dodd, Mead & Company, New York, 1951}
- 1954 - ordained into the priesthood
- 1957-1970 - served as Principal of St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 1966 - saved buildings at St. Joseph's from destruction during an early morning fire and then worked to get the school up and running again within a week's time
- 1970 - left St. Joseph's to work at Scranton Preparatory School in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he taught English for 16 years and served as superior of the Jesuit community
- 1980 - published "H.L., Where Are You? A Celebration of Henry Mencken on the Centennial of His Birth", English Journal, 69, no. 6 (1980): 32-37
- 1981 - published Satisfaction, Religious poetry
- 1981-1986 - served as President of Scranton Preparatory School. Loyola Athletic Field is dedicated to him.
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Baltimore Sun. (Baltimore (independent city), Maryland, United States)
23 Nov 1999.
Rev. Joseph D. Ayd, 76, former principal of St. Joseph's Prep School in Philadelphia & former President of Scranton Prep, died Weds at Mercy Hospital in Scranton, Pa. He lived at the Scranton Jesuit Community at the University of Scranton. Born in Baltimore and raised on East Monument Street ....Ordained a Jesuit priest in 1954, graduate of St. Louis University, where he received a bachelor of science in biology in 1948. In 1955, he received a bachelor's degree in theology from Woodstock College. ....
Funeral yesterday. Survived by two brothers, Frank Ayd and Robert Ayd, both of Baltimore; and two sisters, Jane Morales of York, Pa., and Regina Brockmeyer of Baltimore.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 99046008, in Find A Grave
[includes headstone photo].
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Philadelphia Inquirer. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
20 Nov 1999 - The Rev. Joseph D. Ayd, 76, who as principal guided the rebuilding of St. Joseph's Preparatory School after a devastating fire, died Wednesday of complications following a stroke at Mercy Hospital in Scranton. Thirty-three years ago, an eight-alarm fire caused by a circuit breaker that malfunctioned destroyed 70 percent of the St. Joseph's facilities. Eight classrooms and the school's library, gymnasium, cafeteria, auditorium and student chapel were lost in the blaze, which destroyed a 98-year-old building on Stiles Street and heavily damaged a newer building on 17th Street. At the time, 847 students attended St. Joseph's. When the fire broke out in the early morning hours of a Sunday in late January 1966, Father Ayd acted quickly, rushing from the rectory nearby and getting to the buildings in time to close the fire doors between them, said Dan Brennan, the school's vice president for development, who has worked at St. Joseph's Prep for 39 years. Most of the classrooms and science labs in the 17th Street building were saved through Father Ayd's action, Brennan said. More important, "classes resumed within a week" under Father Ayd's supervision, Brennan said. Classes were held at several locations, including the Gesu convent on 17th Street. "What he did in such a short period of time was incredible," Brennan said. Father Ayd, who served as principal of St. Joseph's from 1957 to 1970, also oversaw fund-raising for the rebuilding of the school. In December 1968 - less than three years after the fire - a $5 million building at 18th Street and Girard Avenue was dedicated. Students began attending classes in the new building in January 1969. Today, the student population at St. Joseph's Prep is 930. Father Ayd left St. Joseph's Prep to join the faculty at Scranton Prep. In 16 years there, he taught English, served as superior of the Jesuit community, and was president of the school. After he retired in 1986, Father Ayd lived with the Jesuit community in Scranton. A native of Baltimore, Father Ayd earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from St. Louis University and a degree in theology from the former Woodstock College in Maryland. He was ordained into the priesthood in 1954. He is survived by brothers Frank and Robert, and sisters Jane Morales and Regina Brockmeyer. A viewing will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. tomorrow at Campion Hall on the grounds of the University of Scranton. A Funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Peter's Cathedral in Scranton. Burial will be at the Jesuit community cemetery in Wernersville, Pa. (By Rusty Pray, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER)
- Remembrances, in THE WORLD ACCORDING TO 44 website.
[last accessed 20130214]
"And make no mistake; it’s difficult to follow in Jesuit footsteps. Case in point: when the great Prep fire happened in the 1960s, then-Principal Father Joe Ayd, SJ went running into the fire to rescue the Blessed Sacrament from the Prep Chapel. This man had devoted his entire life to the Prep mission, his entire calling was St. Joseph’s Prep.
Who of us here would be willing to rush into a burning Prep today to rescue something precious for fear it be lost forever?"
~ Tony Braithwaite's Call to Arms (St. Joseph's Prep)
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