- ST.
NORBERT ABBEY
- DE
PERE, WISCONSIN, U.S.A.
- Rev.
Geoffrey G. Claridge, O. Praem.
- b. Thursday,
Oct. 31, 1912 – d. Saturday, July 24, 1982
Our brother
Geoffrey Claridge was born in
Reedsburg
,
Wisconsin
in 1912. After graduating from the
University
of
Michigan
, he joined the Order in 1934, and began teaching at the college in 1936.
He was solemnly professed in 1939.
In
1940, Jeff studied at Notre Dame; in 1942, did research for the Army in
Chicago
, and in 1945, earned a Master’s degree in Science from the
University
of
Michigan
. In 1946 he resumed teaching
physics at the college and added the job of abbey archivist in 1951.
Jeff spent from 1961 until 1963 at U.W. Madison in post graduate studies.
Jeff
was a BIG man on campus, physically big, that is.
All 6-foot plus of him, walked with an air of dignity, shoulders back,
chest forward. He exuded a
personality that was difficult to ascertain.
After his research for the Army, many were led to believe that he was
instrumental in helping discover the atom bomb.
He basked in that misconception.
From
1965 to 1969, he was econome (E-co-nam)
and librarian at the Generalate in
Rome
, after which he joined the faculty at Abbot Pennings High from 1970 to 1976.
Beginning in 1973, he was also librarian and archivist at the abbey.
Jeff
died at the college priory, Saturday,
July 24th 1982, at the age of 69.
