It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that Fr. Edward A. “Eddie” Reese, S.J., who served as President of Brophy from 1996 to 2016, died peacefully this morning after a short battle with cancer. Fr. Reese was a Jesuit for more than sixty years, a priest for more than fifty, and a bold and visionary leader whose impact on Brophy is difficult to overstate. 

When people think back to Fr. Reese’s time at Brophy, they will often first talk about all the buildings he built.  He did transform our campus by investing more than $100 million into the physical plant during his tenure. But the buildings were only manifestations of his bold vision of what Jesuit education is and what Brophy could be for its students and the community. Fr. Reese built the Eller Fine Arts building because he believed in the importance of the arts for a full human life. He constructed the Piper Center for Math and Science because he understood that 21st century learning requires spaces that accommodate collaborative, student centered activity. The Graham Family Sports Campus, The Reese Aquatic Center, and the Dutch Athletic Complex were built because our programming had expanded so dramatically that we needed space for our students to develop physically as well as intellectually. Harper Great Hall is a testament to his belief that Brophy is not just a school. We are a community, and we need a place to gather and to celebrate. Finally, he knew that schools are ultimately about people, not facilities, and so he benchmarked our faculty pay scale with the highest-paying district in the state. 

His conviction that leadership is not confined to certain zip codes or socioeconomic backgrounds led him to dramatically increase Brophy’s commitment to financial aid, ensuring our ability to meet the full demonstrated need of every admitted student. Then, in 2011, he established Loyola Academy, our tuition-free middle school which has since become a national model. 

Fr. Reese was also known for his sense of humor and his love of animals, but mostly for the joy he experienced when he was around young people. I had the privilege of witnessing this firsthand during the decade I spent working alongside him as principal. He loved walking the mall each day with his dogs and chatting with students. When we built the Innovation Commons, he spent almost as much time there as he did in his office. He delighted in sitting with students, watching their projects unfold, and having them teach him how to use the laser cutter, the 3D printer—whatever was new and exciting. That spirit of curiosity and innovation animated his leadership and, ever since, has been one of the defining characteristics of our school culture.   

Fr. Reese spent his final weeks at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, surrounded by his Jesuit brothers and consoled by the notes of support he received from so many of you. Since my email announcement about his diagnosis last month, I’ve been touched by all the stories people have told me about their connection with him, windows into Fr. Reese’s pastoral ministry. I was able to visit him recently, and he spoke with great affection about his years in Phoenix with this wonderful Brophy community. I will miss this cherished mentor and friend, but find great consolation in knowing that he has finally come face to face with the God he so faithfully served his entire life.  

 

Fr. Reese’s funeral Mass will be held in the coming days in San Francisco, but we will have a special Celebration of Life Mass in Brophy Chapel soon after his funeral. Details about this Mass as well as photos and other information related to Fr. Reese’s life and how to honor his legacy will be added to this page. For now, we give thanks for a remarkable man whose leadership reshaped Brophy, and whose true legacy lives on in the thousands of Men for Others he helped form.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May he rest in peace.