The Fr. Tom Devereux Endowed Directorship in Drama and Stage in the School of Humanities and Fine Arts
An appreciation of drama as a means of building self-confidence and character has been a Saint Vincent tradition which Archabbot Boniface Wimmer encouraged when he founded the monastery in 1846. Numerous pictures of collegians, Prepsters, and Scholastics in yearbooks and magazines show the wide range of dramatic activities: Prep productions, the annual Passion Play, operettas with Saint Xavier's Academy, college plays such as A Man for All Seasons and musicals beginning with West Side Story, and the recent success of "The Company," a student drama organization, all demonstrate the popularity of drama on campus. In 1969, the curtain raised for the first time on the Saint Vincent Summer Theatre with the production of Arsenic and Old Lace. The Summer Theatre offers college students the unique opportunity to work with professionals. Its impact on the artistic and entertainment climate of this area is immeasurable.
Benedictine monks who have supported drama at Saint Vincent include: Fathers Aloysius, Arthur, Bonaventure, Omer, Ralph, and Thomas Devereux. This Endowed Directorship will recognize not only the invaluable contributions which Fr. Tom has made to promoting drama at Saint Vincent, his influence on generations of students who worked for him "Back Stage," and the manner in which he worked to enrich the local community through summer productions, but it will also ensure that drama at Saint Vincent College will continue to flourish.
The Fr. Tom Devereux Endowed Directorship will be supported by a $1 million endowment and will fund a "Director's Chair." The holder of this chair will supervise and oversee the development of drama and theatre at Saint Vincent College. He/she will co-ordinate the scheduling of plays, arrange and conduct auditions, direct at least one major production each year, teach 2 classes each semester in his/her specialty, and help recruit students with an interest in drama to enroll at Saint Vincent College. The holder of the Fr. Tom Devereux Chair will work closely with and assist the Director of the Summer Theatre to promote its activities. The endowment will also support honoraria for visiting performers, student travel to nearby performances, a scholarship, and financial support for student workers associated with the College's drama programs and the Summer Theatre.
The successful candidate will possess a Ph.D. or M.F.A. in Drama or have extensive experience in directing and producing plays. The holder of the Chair must also have a record of successful work with undergraduates in the classroom and in stage productions.
Fr. Thomas Devereux, O.S.B.
Fr. Tom was born on May 23, 1932, in St. Mary's, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Saint Vincent Preparatory School (1950), Saint Vincent College (1955), and Saint Vincent Seminary (1959). Fr. Tom made his solemn profession as a Bendictine monk on July 11, 1956, and was ordained a priest on May 23, 1959, by Bishop Hugh Lamb.
Most of Fr. Tom's priestly ministry involved work with Prep School and College students. He served as a Prefect in both the Prep School and College, Dean of Students at Saint Vincent College (1975-84), and as a College instructor. But Fr. Tom's main contribution to Saint Vincent and the surrounding community—drama and stage—began in 1961 when he was appointed Director of the Saint Vincent Stage and Stage Guild. This was followed by graduate study in drama and theatre at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
Fr. Tom's work in the dramatic arts was not limited to Saint Vincent College. In 1984, the Latrobe Area Chamber of Commerce presented him with the prestigious Community Service Award for his contributions to local theatre and noted that he "is a most unique individual who is extremely generous to all with whom he comes in contact. At peace with himself, this man thinks the unthinkable and makes it happen—sees solutions and succeeds." In 1993, The Tall Cedars of North America also saluted Fr. Tom for his service to the community and his church, as well as "making people laugh with quality entertainment." In the following year the Ligonier Valley Writers honored him with the "Hot Dogger of the Year Award" for providing a relaxing venue, the Summer Theatre Cabaret, where the theatre goers relax after a performance, feast on hot dogs, and meet members of the cast. (It has been estimated that over 500,000 hot dogs have been served from 1969-1994!) And in 1990, Fr. Tom volunteered to direct The Odd Couple (Female Version) at Greater Latrobe High School because the school's director was on sabbatical. When asked why, he replied the he "didn't want the kids to have a year without a play."
But the campus of Saint Vincent College is Fr. Tom's favorite venue. Generations of students remember the curly red hair, the red cheeks, the enthusiasm, the energy, and the commitment of this Benedictine monk. Fr. Tom has married hundreds of former students, corrected and even disciplined many in a kind and loving manner, and has mentored many more as a work supervisor or director. Until recently, he had served as the official "parking supervisor" who welcomed and greeted people arriving at the Summer Theatre. Moreover, for over 20 years, Fr. Tom decorated the college campus to celebrate the Christmas season. He once remarked that he is "not really into Christmas, personally. I just like an ordinary Tuesday. Christmas comes once a year, but Tuesday comes 52 times."
His name, however, is associated with the stage, and the obvious success of drama at Saint Vincent can be measured by the names of actors and stage crew painted on "The Wall" backstage, the cars and buses which make the annual pilgrimage to the Summer Theatre, and the glowing reviews which the local papers give to his performances.
In May, 2003, Fr. Tom suffered a stroke. An electric wheelchair became his new director's chair. He accepted this in a manner much like the two masks associated with theatre—tragedy and comedy. Sadly, Fr. Tom admitted, he missed driving, shopping, and flea markets. With a chuckle and a grin, however, Fr. Tom described his driving skills in the monastery: "I've run over everyone's toes on this floor."
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