Fr. Carlin moved SI from its fifth campus on Stanyan Street to its current location in the Sunset District in 1969. He died in 2006 at the age of 89. Had he lived, we would be celebrating his 100th birthday today. Go to our Facebook page for photos of Fr. Carlin, who is memorialized by the Carlin Commons at SI.
Read about Fr. Carlin on our history site here and see his obituary from 2006 below.
Fr. Harry V. Carlin, SJ, Known as the "founder of the modern SI," died Mar. 1 in Los Gatos. He was 89. As president of St. Ignatius High School from 1964 to 1970, Fr. Carlin oversaw the 1969 move to the school's sixth site in the Sunset district and its rechristening as St. Ignatius College Preparatory. As executive vice president from 1970 to 2005, he worked to raise funds to pay for the new campus and to increase the school's endowment funds to help all students attend SI, regardless of their ability to pay tuition. In his 70-year ministry as a Jesuit, Fr. Carlin went from being a strict taskmaster of both students and scholastics (those training for the priesthood) to an elder statesman for the school, known for his compassion and wisdom. The youngest of six children born to William and Evelyn Carlin, Fr. Carlin grew up in Berkeley and moved to St. Agnes Parish in S.F. at the age of 13. In 1931, he entered the brand-new SI campus on Stanyan Street, and by his junior year, he knew that he wanted to become a Jesuit. He entered the Society after graduating from SI in 1935, and his father told him, "Go. I'll see you in a week. You'll miss your movies too much." He worked hard at his studies and at picking grapes with the other novices at Los Gatos. "From early morning to late afternoon, with only a break for lunch, we'd pick grapes," he recalled. "After two weeks, our Levis could stand by themselves from all the dried grape juice on them." In 1942, Fr. Carlin returned to SI to teach English and coach basketball, and he led his 110's team to the city championship. From 1945-1949 he studied theology at Alma College, and in 1948 was ordained to the priesthood. Although he felt that teaching was his true calling, he was asked in 1950 to serve as Loyola High's vice principal - the school disciplinarian. He impressed his superiors so much that they sent him to Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, where, according to his superior, the "newness of the school, the lack of traditions and the greater freedom of spirit of the boys in Arizona" required a strong hand. In 1957, he returned to SI where he once again proved a firm disciplinarian with both students and faculty, Jesuits included. "If a young scholastic or lay teacher couldn't handle a tough class, Fr. Carlin would give him a quick lesson in classroom management skills," noted veteran SI teacher and coach Bob Drucker. He left in 1959 to work with scholastics as vice president of Alma College, and then was offered the president's job at SI in 1964, which he reluctantly accepted. He had hoped to teach students instead of running a high school. Fr. Carlin began his presidency by carrying out his predecessor's plan to move the school to a new campus that would allow for modern science labs and more classroom space. He began raising funds for this endeavor by launching the Genesis campaign in November 1964. In 1965, he purchased the site of the current school and worked until 1981 to pay for it. He became famous among SI alumni for being an effective fundraiser. Fr. Carlin then served as executive vice president until 2005, working in the development office and raising money through Cadillac Raffles, Stagecoach West fund raisers, auctions and the time-honored method of shaking hands, looking people in the eyes and asking for donations. Many of those who met this determined man ended up digging deep to help the school. "It's amazing what he did with no experience," said the late Edward McFadden, SJ, in a 1990 interview. "Without him, there would be no new SI campus." In addition to naming the commons after Fr. Carlin, the school honored him in 1999 by giving him the highest award it bestows upon alumni - the Christ the King Award. In his later years at SI, Fr. Carlin led a quiet, prayerful life that impressed many, including Rita O'Malley, head of adult ministry at the school. "Harry Carlin was a man of God and a man of history," she noted. "Everyone who knew him was struck by his profound love and care for each person, by his daily faithfulness to his prayer and by his obvious devotion to the Eucharist. As such, he made his way into all our hearts." "In all, Fr. Carlin devoted 50 years to SI - 46 as Jesuit and four as student - a third of the school's 150-year history, a record of devotion and service, a legacy for future generations to enjoy," said SI's current president, Fr. Anthony P. Sauer, SJ. Fr. Carlin is survived by his nephew Arthur C. Latno, Jr. and his wife, Joan; and their children: Jeannine, Michele, Arthur III, Mary Suzanne, and Patrice, and their 12 children; grandnephews, Gregory, Chris, Rob, and Kevin King; grandniece, Katie King; and his cousin Lenore Cresalia and her family. All are invited to a Prayer Service at Orradre Chapel on the SI campus Wednesday, March 8, at 1pm followed by Visitation from 1:30-4pm. Another Visitation will take place at St. Ignatius Church on Fulton Street from 6pm until the 7:30 pm Mass of Christian Burial. A reception in the Carlin Commons at St. Ignatius College Preparatory will follow. Private burial will take place Thursday morning at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery. Arrangements by DARLING & FISCHER CHAPEL OF THE HILLS in Los Gatos.
Published in San Francisco Chronicle from Mar. 3 to Mar. 4, 2006 - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sfgate/obituary.a...