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Jim O'Brien '69
I remember the first time I walked into Mr. O'Brien's room as a sophomore at Damien. I was amazed by the posters, the pictures, the culture, and just about everything else that filled his room on the walls, the chalkboard, and on his desks. It was a stark contrast to the other rooms of Damien High School, which are generally plain and unadorned in comparison to this museum of a classroom. I think that Mr. O'Brien's room demonstrates two points about this amazing man. First, it shows the cultured and diverse life he has led by his travels around the globe from the jungles of central America to the sites of Europe. But more importantly, it shows Mr. O'Brien's history and dedication to Damien. Amassing that much material and decorating the classroom in such a way must have required years. Not in terms of actual decorating, but in terms of what exactly is in the room. Trophies from the eighties, banners, pictures, and signs from foreign lands, and pictures of his life demonstrate his uniqueness. And by the look of room 503, it seems as if Mr. O'Brien will not be leaving Damien at least for a while. His dedication and love for Damien are unparalleled, and consequently, Mr. James O'Brien is more than deserving of this excellent honor tonight.
Mr. O'Brien chose to become a teacher because of the family in which he grew up. The family was comprised of five sisters and four brothers, with him being the oldest. It was during his childhood and his experiences that he first began his teaching career as a role model and teacher to his younger siblings. What also separates Mr. O'Brien as a teacher is the fact that he is one of the many teachers at Damien who attended Damien. His experience as a teacher has been just as much a learning experience as was his experience as a student as member of the class of 1969. At Damien, he served his school by being the Senior class Vice President, being a part of the Surf Club, and doing well academically, which put him on the school's honor roll. He feels that his experiences as a student gave him an appreciation for culture from the diversity at Damien, creativity in both writing, expression, and thought, and the idea to make each day important and to live life to its fullest, which he has done.
He pursued his college education at St. Mary's college because his grandfather attended the institution and he made a visit there over Easter, which impressed him. He then pursued his MA in bilingual education at the University of La Verne while he continued to teach and coach at Damien. In college, he was very involved in activities. He lettered in both rugby and golf, was on the debate team for four years, was the frosh class vice president, and sophomore, junior, and senior class president. He received his BA in political science and did so well that he received a partial scholarship in his junior and senior years. After graduation, he joined the Peace Corps in Guatemala in October 1973 to December 1975.
He worked in the highlands of Guatemala in soil conservation and livestock management. It was here that he enhanced and perfected his ability to speak the Spanish Language.
He then came back to Damien to pursue a teaching career. He chose Damien because he feels that the school is not only an institution of education but also a family. He feels that what distinguishes Damien from other schools are the obvious differences of college prep classes, but also the fact that we can celebrate the Catholic faith in school by praying in class and celebrating Mass. He is Associated Student body director, Department Chair of Language Arts, he is a teacher in Spanish I, II, III, AP Spanish, Spanish Literature, Social Studies, and Religion 12. He also coaches or has coached soccer, football, and golf. He was a coach of this year's nationally-ranked soccer team and his golf record is 303-43. As a teacher, the highlights of his career have been seeing the alumni back on campus and seeing what they are doing with their lives. But most importantly, he is proud of the friendships he has forged with fellow teachers such as Fr. Travers, Fr. Cronin, Fr. McCarthy, Tom Carroll, Pete Liptai, Jim Dineen, Ron Castillo, Derrick Kerr, Rich Miller, Chuck Ballingall, Ralph Goldstein, Ed Clark, Doc Williams, and Gary Lewis, who have all contributed immeasurably to the Damien community.
But what distinguishes this man from other teachers are his experiences abroad. He has traveled to countries such as Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Beliz, Nicaragua, Panama, Ireland, England, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. However, Mr. O'Brien is not just staying in the Holiday Inn and taking tour buses around these countries. Rather, he is immersing himself in the culture by speaking the languages and interacting with the people. Moreover, he has lived in both Costa Rica and Guatemala. He also gives students, parents, teachers, and just about anyone else the chance to travel to these foreign lands. It seems that every year I have been at Damien there has been some kind of trip to Mexico or Europe headed by Mr. O'Brien. In 1998, for example, he traveled to Europe with 32 other people. During this trip, the group prayed in seven different languages with the Pope at his summer residence in Castel Gandalfo, Italy.
In his spare time, Mr. O'Brien enjoys fly fishing, sailing, hiking, traveling, and writing. His proudest and biggest accomplishment is starting his own business by writing and producing conversational Spanish books and tapes for business and libraries. His future goals include finishing a book of short stories in Spanish about Latin American public figures who have made a difference in the world with their lives. To say that Mr. O'Brien is Damien's Renaissance Man is an understatement. I have always believed that success is not achieving money, positions, or other superficial aspects of life. Rather, success is the state of happiness and contentment. And this is what is truly important to this man. He has achieved success beyond any measure, and for this we are honored to have him as a part of the Damien community. The Damien community would like to thank Mr. O'Brien for his contributions and changes to Damien and in the lives of his students, teachers, and others. It is therefore appropriate that Mr. O'Brien receive this fitting distinction.
by Sam McCarthy '00
William Duffy '77
Damien High School has always molded and produced fine young men who are both prepared and willing to go out into the world and make a difference. Though that difference may come in many forms, it is often positive, influential, and driven by a wholehearted commitment to excellence and pride. Many students who have passed through these halls have gone on to promote their own careers, to live out their personal goals, and to carry out God's work, but few have been able to do so with as much success and dedication as Bill Duffy, Damien High School graduate of 1977. He has struggled to attain success throughout his professional career while at the same time building a solid, family-based personal life. Moreover, he has been able to influence and lead many young men in the right direction, just as his family and Damien had done for him. For such accomplishments, Mr. Billy Duffy becomes one of Damien's most successful alumni to be inaugurated into the Hall of Fame.
Much of what Bill Duffy is today is an extension of his family and his development. He comes from a traditional Christian family made up of his parents and his siblings, three of whom are adopted, which advocated moral values, peace, and ideals. His home, however, was not so traditional, as his father was a colonel in the United States Army, and he and his family had to move frequently. Although Mr. Duffy was born in Pomona, his childhood was spent across the Pacific Ocean in an entirely different setting. He began school at St. Christopher's in Taiwan, but prior to that, lived in Germany and the Philippines. This unique experience would prove both memorable and useful, since it showed him how to become sociable and make new friends, taught him the importance of respecting other cultures, and allowed him to build a sense of toleration of other nationalities.
The places where Bill Duffy grew, the many homes he had, only played a secondary role in his development as a young adult. The biggest impact on his growing up was his family, formed from a combination of strict discipline, loving and caring attitudes, and a religious influence, which shaped his behavior, beliefs, and the perspective he now holds on the world. His father provided the authority, discipline and hard work ethic necessary to keep Mr. Duffy on the right path while his mother gave him the love, affection, and spiritual discipline that only mothers have the ability to give.
It was at Damien where Bill Duffy began his long and arduous road to success. He was not only a dedicated student but also an active participant in school affairs, demonstrating school pride and a true Spartan spirit. He wrote for the Laconian, the school newspaper, he was part of an accreditation committee, but his favorite and most important activity at Damien was the basketball program, of which he was an integral part.
When he came to Damien, he saw the poor shape of the basketball program as a challenge, one that would entail bringing it respect, popularity, and tradition. He had clearly done so, what with his various achievements including CIF 3A Player of the Year, Pomona Valley Player of the Year, and making 2nd Team All-American.
The campus life was just as important to Bill Duffy as was the athletic one. He saw the education as excellent, with a competitive environment that facilitated the transition to college. More importantly, Damien allowed him to associate with others who weren't like himself and build strong friendships, some of which have endured to the present time.
From Damien, Bill Duffy went on to attend the University of Minnesota for two years, after which he transferred to Santa Clara University, from which he graduated in 1982. He majored in Humanities and Public Relations while continuing to play basketball. His innate talent for the game allowed him to make All West Coast, All League, and some Academic All-American teams. After college he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 1982, but he decided to work behind the scenes as a professional agent. Since he had played the game of basketball and had a passion for it, he knew the business that was involved. He also felt that he had an ability to identify potential talent and the people skills to strengthen and develop such talent. In this style he helps them, guides them both in athletics and in advice; shows them how to invest their money and continue their education with the expectation of having the option to choose a non-basketball career in their futures.
His career experiences began with his first rejections, which to him were merely healthy learning experiences that he was able to recover from. It particularly taught him how to follow up, get organized, and learn the dynamics of the industry. He has served on the Agent Advisor Committee for three years, working closely with the people and procedures that make up policies, rules, and regulations. For his many accomplishments and achievements, he was especially recognized by the Black Sports Association as Agent of the Year.
As for the personal Bill Duffy, he has been able to build and extend a loving relationship into a family that he cherishes. He has three children, whom he has plans of rearing just as his parents had, by teaching them the values and relationships that are important in life. From his past experiences he has inherited a commitment to spirituality, putting God at the forefront of his life and allowing for things to fall in place. This also connects with his concept of success, measuring it in terms of living a good, decent, balanced life and in short, leaving a place better than when you entered it. This idea is evident in the outline he has for the future. One of his most important goals is to work for another ten years, and then after leaving the busy life of his career, to focus on helping people. He would be glad to do this in any way, either by volunteering or by being a mentor, but just so long as he is able to help other people get their lives together.
Mr. Bill Duffy has most certainly accomplished a considerable amount within the span of his career. Through his family's influence and the environment to which he was exposed at Damien, Mr. Duffy has been able to grow from a fine, young man to a well-educated, disciplined, loving, and spiritual man of values. He would say to those Damien students who are still in school to take advantage of the time they have with one another and seize the experiences they are presented with, for it is the relationships that one takes to college and beyond.
by Mauricio Abril '00
Jason Wight '77
Damien has called up three of its finest to accept the nomination into the Spartan Hall of Fame. But I do not feel Damien can claim them just for itself. These three men are examples by which all others should be measured. Not only for those Spartans, but for all of us.
Although he asked me to call him Jason, I could not bring myself to do it. Mr. Wight has grown up like us, in the same classrooms, the same ball fields, with the same hopes and aspirations that we all share. Yet by the alignment of the stars, by the twists of fate, whatever it was, he was compelled to do the extraordinary. Something so profound as to question, to challenge the very nature of family and companionship. Going against seemingly all common sense, he did take it upon himself to act. We can only hope that within each of us there lies the same passion for life Mr. Wight has, because it is often so lost in the hurried pace of our daily lives.
Mr. Wight's high school life was no doubt hurried; he was captain of both the football and soccer teams and an active participant in track and baseball. He was class president, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt his abilities on and off the field. Time and time again he showed his attributes in one strict sense. But was the quality time that he spent with Father Travers and the cheers he shared with his fellow Spartans that helped him come closer to more important things. Still, his greatest achievements were still to come. His times on the field were great, but what are they really without his friends and family to share them with? Mr. Wight saw this at an earlier age than most of us do, at a later age than we should. Commenting on what he learned at Damien, Mr. Wight said, "I learned everything about life during my time at Damien; friendship, teamwork, and the strength to make it through mistakes. Everything was a positive experience". Should we be so proud as to take credit? Hang on to something we wish we could become? I think not. Father Travers, maybe, but certainly not us.
As with all young people, a time is set aside, in which an evaluation of one's life takes place. How fortunate we are; Mr. Wight examined his at the right time, pardon the pun. It seemed college had worn away at him. "I saw my life in the fraternity house, saw all the time and money I was wasting. School was not for me". How fortunate we are. It is ironic that we are told from the cradle that only the highest academic success will give us a fulfilling life. How shallow we have become.
It was indeed a rude awakening, coming from school and into the "real world. Having to buy the groceries and pay the bills was disconcerting at first. But he did have one constant in his life, his wife, Mary Beth, whom he had fittingly known since the two attended St. Lucy's and Damien, respectively. The two were blessed with children at a young age, during the trying times all families face at the very beginning. With a strong family, anything is possible. It was not with a bat, a ball, or doctorate that enabled him, at a relatively young age, to fulfill the challenging role of rearing three daughters.
The strength of this family is no less apparent in Mrs. Wight's response to Jason's decision to donate one of his kidneys to a friend in need. Instead of doubting, fearing, she remained firm, with the same resolve that Mr. Wight showed in his decision, telling him "If you are unable to do it, I will". The unwavering dedication of his wife and the support of his friends and family only strengthened the will he had deep within himself. However, Mr. Wight had made his decision the moment he learned that his fire chief and close friend of several years was ill and needed a transplant. "He taught me so much, about life and everything". He felt fortunate for the opportunity to partake in this. Fortunate that he could spare a piece of himself, a small part of his soul. Hardly the reaction one would think while entering a serious operation.This award could be handed out just for surviving the small trials and miracles we face everyday. These are the victories and celebrations we bear that go unnoticed by most, if not ourselves, on a daily basis. I often thought philosophers as the highest class of people, but now I am not so sure. Life is so complex in all its fundamentals; not even the most intelligent scientist can grasp it. Why we are put in the situations we are is a mystery, the possibilities even more cloudy. It always seems to work itself out, though, this thing we call life-this continuous string of experiences and events that shape who we are. Or maybe it is inside us from the time we are infants. In either case, Mr. Wight and his family has it straightened out.
Mr. Wight feels overwhelmed at the prospect of being elected over the likes of Mark McGwire and other prominent Damien athletes. But with all due respect, I feel he is missing the point. Something deeper lies in his actions than in any home run hit, any goal scored. There is a time for everything. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a time for heroes and saints.
by Greg Trueblood '01
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