- ST.
NORBERT ABBEY,
- DE
PERE, WISCONSIN, U.S.A.
- Rev.
Francis H. Clabots, O. Praem.
- b. Monday,
July 17, 1899 – d. Wednesday, Sept. 5, 1979
Our brother
Francis Clabots was born in
Humboldt
,
Wisconsin
in 1899 and joined the Order in 1920, making his solemn profession in 1925. He
began his involvement in teaching before ordination at St. Norbert in 1922,
interrupted it for study at
Catholic
University
, where he earned an M.A. in 1928, and returned to teaching sociology in 1929.
In
1931, Frank began study at the
University
of
Wisconsin
in
Madison
, which lasted until 1936. During
those years he was also chaplain at
Wisconsin General
Hospital
, and assistant at
St. Joseph
and
St. Paul
’s Chapel on the campus.
Frank
returned to college teaching in 1929 and was appointed principal of St. Norbert
High in 1942, a position he held until 1958.
Known for his love of the railroad, he was fondly called “Choo Choo.”
He was frequently seen at night going through the 4th floor
corridor of Boyle Hall with a railroad cap on his head, holding a flashlight
above it and making the noise of a train as he “Choo, chooed” down the hall.
The students loved him for his frequent days off without any reason.
The frats that taught there didn’t because they already had their class
preparations made.
In
1958, Choo Choo was appointed pastor of Holy Cross in Bay Settlement and began a
series of articles called “Behind the Fence”, which recalled events in the
lives of Norbertines.
Frank
retired to the abbey in 1971 and died Wednesday,
Sept. 5th, 1979 at the age
of 80.
