Moments: Tom Mugavin, Rhodes Scholar? Really?

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Yes, indeed! I once heard Tom say, "I was in prison for 30 years," followed by an appropriate pause, awaiting a reaction. A mischievous smile broke across his face and he explained.

Tom received his Bellarmine Bachelor's degree in sociology, magna cum laude, and then a Master's degree from Xavier University. Yes, he was in prison, four by the last count. He didn't do the crime, but he did do the time. In the 1990s, Tom coached a 7th & 8th grade soccer team named Mother of Good Counsel. Wonder where he got that name?

His story is a great one and his path as well. Somewhere in this site, I spoke to the Passionist's attempt around 1964 to align with Bellarmine to get an accredited degree for their seminarians, specifically a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy. Tom is living proof that that is not the way it played out.

Many of us entered majors of a different sort: psychology, physics, biology, history, and English, as well as philosophy. The Passionists were far-sighted enough to see that this was the future, even though their many monks before 1965 had been confined to philosophy and theology. I applaud their foresight.

Tom was one of seven candidates in the Great Lakes Region to compete for this prestigious award—a 2-year scholarship to Oxford University. He won that award but did he take the scholarship? Let us know, Tom! or anyone else so inclined.