The Jesuit High History

by Father Jack Deeves,S.J.

El Paso Jesuit High School opened with a Freshman class in 1959, and closed in May, 1972, for financial reasons. Ten classes graduated from Jesuit, the first class graduating in 1963. Total school property was about 26 acres. In the lower property there was a cotton field. The upper property had more acreage, sufficient for the large main building, the building immediately behind the main building, and the building which became the athletic building, complete with lockers and showers. There was also a combined auto garage and a complete and well-equipped shop. Later, the new gym was constructed in December, 1966. These buildings and the extensive surrounding property, which eventually became El Paso Jesuit, was purchased by the New Orleans Province at some time in the fall of 1957. Fr. Lawrence O’Neill was the Provincial at the time. At the time of purchase, the province was undecided as to the future of the property. The building had been erected by the Jesuits of the province of Mexico in 1926. The persecution of the Church in Mexico at that time had caused the Mexican Jesuits to seek refuge for their seminarians at a location close to the border. Blessed Miguel Pro, who was martyred for the faith, did seminary training in El Paso in the same building which later became Jesuit High School. The graduated alumni of Jesuit, 669 in number, have been extremely loyal, with well attended reunions almost every year. When the school closed, approximately 250 students were forced to finish their high school years at other schools in El Paso. I recall the names of those students posted on the corridor walls, indicating the public school nearest their residence. Until March 2009, transcripts of all Jesuit students were kept at Dallas Jesuit Prep. Now they are kept in New Orleans in the Province archives.

My sources for this history are: The yearbooks, of which I have one for every year of publication, some copies of The Eagle Eye, a few El Paso newspaper clippings, and my own recollections – I was assigned to the school from August 1961 until its closing in May 1972.

El Paso is a city of large area. The city is more or less “F-shaped”, the Rio Grande representing the long arm of the F, and the two arms of the letter situated east and west of the Franklin mountain range of the Rockies, which extends to just north of downtown El Paso. Jesuit was located 11 miles east of downtown, a half mile south of Interstate 10. I-10 more or less parallels the Rio Grande. Most of Jesuit’s students lived at relatively large distances from the school, west and north of the campus.

The Jesuit provincial, Fr. Lawrence O’Neill, sent the very reliable and talented Jesuit brother, Martial Lapeyre, to reside at the new property and to begin to prepare the building for use by New Orleans Province Jesuits. At some time after that Fr. O’Neill sent also Brother Manuel Trujillo and the then scholastic Frank Brou to assist Brother Lapeyre. Fr. Ignatius Fabacher, who had been athletic director at Jesuit New Orleans, arrived in June of 1958 and became the minister of the community until the summer of 1966.

In the summer of 1958, the provincial asked several scholastics and myself, a newly ordained priest, to go to El Paso and help in whatever way Brother Lapeyre directed us. The scholastics were Joseph Tetlow,Charles Thibodeaux, Ewert Cousins, Wollie Wolcott, Ed Coles, and Paul Schott. As noted above, we were told that the province had not yet decided for what purpose the building was to be used. But before our departure in early August, Fr. Henry Tiblier, recently appointed first superior of the new Jesuit community on the property, publicly announced that a new Jesuit high school would begin at the location.

Once the future of the location had been decided, work continued for an entire year to prepare for what became Jesuit High School of El Paso. At some time during that year, the decision was made to include a boarding school of limited capacity. The two-story building immediately behind the main building was renovated to accommodate the boarders. This building included an attractive auditorium with a stage. As I recall, the auditorium could seat about 200.

The province members were growing in number every year. Sometime between the fall of 1958 and August of 1959, several Jesuits were added to the school community. Brothers were Dennis Lonergan, Al Nowak, Lee Phillips, Burt Rivet, and Michael Rosenblath. Priests added were: Edward Bergen, Richard Gaul, Sal San Marco, and Jack Vessels (newly named Principal).

Jesuit began with only a freshman class in September, 1959. Each year an additional class was added so that in the school year beginning in 1962 Jesuit had its first Senior class. Jesuit’s last graduating class finished on May 19th, 1972. Fr. Martin Elsner, the Principal in 1972, made the decision to make that date the last day of the school’s existence.

Complete history by Father Deeves