Submitted by: Dan Rich

Brother Thomas F. Corcoran CSC

Nov. 15, 1927 -- Jan. 24, 2004

South Bend Tribune 1/26/2004                                     

Brother Thomas Francis Corcoran, CSC, 76, died in Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center on Saturday, Jan. 24, after a long illness. Br. Thomas was born on Nov. 15, 1927, in Indianapolis, Ind., the son of John J. and Rose Fay Corcoran. He attended Holy Angels Elementary School and the brothers' Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, graduating from the latter in 1945. After working for the U.S. Postal Service for a short time, Br. Thomas entered the aspirancy program of the Holy Cross Brothers in Watertown, Wis., in Sept. 1945. From there he advanced to the novitiate of the brothers in Rolling Prairie, Ind., receiving the religious habit Feb. 2, 1946. A year later he made his first vows as a brother, and in August 1950 pronounced his perpetual profession of vows at Notre Dame, Ind.

Br. Thomas studied at the University of Notre Dame, then was assigned to the staff of St. Charles Boys Home in Milwaukee, Wis., in early 1950. From there he joined the faculty of Reitz Memorial High School in Evansville, Ind., from 1950-1954. The next two years he taught at Holy Trinity High School, Chicago, Ill., and spent 1956-1957 on the staff of Boysville of Michigan, Macon, Mich. In 1957 he was transferred to St. Joseph High School, South Bend, Ind., and taught there until 1961.

Br. Thomas was asked that year to assume duties as Assistant Director of Vocations with offices in Watertown, Wis. In 1962 he became the Province Director of Vocations. Five years later he moved his office to Holy Cross High School in River Grove, Ill., and continued as Vocations Director until 1969. That year he joined the faculty of the River Grove school and taught until 1979, when he became principal of Holy Cross, a post he held until 1987. That year he became president of the school.

Putting his post-graduate studies to work, in 1987 Br. Thomas began a four-year period as a very effective counselor to the students. During that time he underwent an operation on his back that left him partially paralyzed. From October 1990 until January 1991 he was a patient at Marianjoy in Illinois, undergoing physical therapy. From there he moved to the province infirmary, Dujarie House, for four months, then onto the Notre Dame campus to the brothers' residence, Columba Hall.

In 1997 Br. Thomas retired to Schubert Villa, the newly constructed assisted living facility at Holy Cross Village for the brothers. While there, Br. Thomas continued physical therapy and spend considerable time assisting as a tutor, keeping his hand in education at a tutor at Ivy Tech College, the South Bend Public School Corporation, and Holy Cross College. In 2001 his health dictated that he move to Dujarie House, adjacent to Schubert Villa.

Br. Thomas was an imposing man with a commanding bearing and a voice to match. No student or colleague ever wondered who was in charge, whether the matter at hand affected the entire school or just a small department in it. He was a professional in all that he undertook and refused to operate under any conditions other than those with which he felt comfortable and which could virtually assure the success of any of his responsibilities. He had a talent for public speaking and was asked to act as master of ceremonies for many events. His wit, his broad smile and his hearty laugh dominated many a scene. Those about him were put at ease by his lighthearted manner, but they consistently sensed that below a very thin veneer on his temperament lay his ever present demand for complete loyalty to the school, propriety in the fulfillment of one's duties, and unstinting effort. He would be satisfied with nothing less, either from himself or from others. His years of volunteer tutoring won him awards and the attention of the media. He carried on a heavy volume of e-mail and regular correspondence, and was up to date on current events within the Holy Cross community and the surrounding area. After all, his major in college was social studies. His determination to walk unaided again was not to be fulfilled, but though his patience was often severely tested, there was no lack of effort on his part. His sense of humor helped him redirect his professionalism as a teacher and counselor into his volunteer activities and his correspondence. His commanding presence will surely be missed.

Visitation will begin at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27, in St. Joseph Chapel, the brothers' Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame, 54515 St. Rd. 933. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 3 p.m., with interment immediately afterward at St. Joseph's Cemetery on the Village grounds.