Terrier Volume 78, Number 1 - Spring 2014 | Page 7

Francis J. Greene

A Half Century of Inspiration
The pursuit of knowledge is something to be cherished; sharing that information, an inspiration.
For nearly half a century, Francis J. Greene has inspired thousands, sharing his treasure trove
of knowledge with all who knew him at St. Francis College.

D

r. Greene has now completed his 46th
Dr. Greene also helped re-invigorate the
and final year as a full time professor at
Study Abroad program as its co-director for the
St. Francis. Although his fulltime presence
past five years with Professor Jennifer Wingate.
in our halls will be missed, thankfully his
An alumnus of St. Peter’s College and
new title of Professor Emeritus signals that
Rutgers graduate school, Dr. Greene taught
Dr. Greene is not making a clean break with
for four years before coming across the harbor
the College.
to Brooklyn.
In fact, he hopes to teach an Honors course
That makes 50 years at the head of a
in the fall as well as a cultural-based class.
classroom. But even with a reduced role at
That would be a fitting post considering
St. Francis, Dr. Greene’s impact will live on.
Dr. Greene on the 2011 TV show, Mysteries
of the Church (NET TV), talking about the
Dr. Greene co-founded the Honors Program
The people he’s taught have made huge
changing artistic representations of Jesus
just a few years after taking over the Duns
contributions to St. Francis College and the
throughout history.
Scotus Honor Society in 1980. He stayed on as
world beyond.
a moderator of Duns Scotus until this year.
For example: Bro. William Boslet, OSF ’70
“With his doors always open, I could turn
has served as Superior General of the
to Dr. Greene be it for advice, encouragement,
Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn for a number
or inspiration,” recalls Tamas Toth ’12, a former
of years. June McGris ken ’76 is now the
President of the Duns Scotus Honor Society
Executive Vice President of the College.
now studying in Paris. “Even after graduation,
Michael MacIntyre ’97 is Global Head of
he was there as a mentor continuously guiding
Intra Group Services/Wealth Management
me and supporting me throughout my graduate
for HSBC and a member of the Alumni Board
school application.”
of Directors.
Dr. Greene plans to use his time now to
“I do a lot of travelling for my job and I credit
pursue his passions including the study of 19th
Dr. Greene for making me a more well-rounded
century architecture and developing his growing
person,” said MacIntyre. “Being able to adapt
love for gothic work. Recently, Dr. Greene has
and adjust to different cultures is an important
also found himself as art historian to several
skill. Almost 20 years later, we still share a
churches in Brooklyn. He discovered the
bond and talk about the various museums and
origin of the stained glass windows in nearby
countries where we’ve both visited.”
Frank Greene with Jeffrey Sachs, Director of
St. Charles Borromeo and decoded the windows
Other alumni who studied with Dr. Greene
the Earth Institute, last October, at the first
annual Dr. Francis J. Greene Honors Lecture.
at St. James Basilica, Brooklyn, located between
include Carl Quigley ’75 (Assistant Athletic
the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. His work
Director), Edmund Greco, Jr. ’79 (President,
at St. James eventually became a book!
Midhattan Woodworking Corp.), Joseph
The College owes Dr. Greene a great debt for his other
Hemway ’84 (President, Alumni Association), Dr. Victor
contributions as well, including having served as the Chair
Masi ’89 (Board of Trustees), and Ken Daly ’88 (President
of the Department of Foreign Languages, Fine Arts, and
National Grid New York, Board of Trustees).
International Cultural Studies for 31 years. He helped start
It is not a one-way street. Dr. Greene, in turn, keeps
the International Studies program and was instrumental in
in regular contact with many of his former students
creating the International Business option which mixes
and remembers details about them. “I still remember
foreign language, culture, and arts with business.
the subject of Ken Daly’s term paper for an honors
“The combination offers cultural literacy to students
course — Edward Hopper.”
Dr. Greene tells the story
who want to be in the business world,” he said, a goal that
After 46 years, Dr. Greene has borne witness to
for each stained glass in
Dr. Greene found vital for success as more and more jobs
an amazing evolution at St. Francis but some things,
the book, The Light
began to fall under the umbrella of globalization.
he says, have stayed the same. “The culture has changed
Within The Cathedral.
“He opened our eyes to appreciate the most beautiful
enormously but the students haven’t changed,” said
things in the world and in return we appreciated the knowledge,
Dr. Greene. “They are still curious, generous, and kind. Idealistic about
guidance, and support he gave us,” said Robert Oliva ’04, now Director
what we should be doing but uncertain about themselves and in need
of Community Partnerships and Special Events at St. Francis.
of encouragement.” ●

ST. FR ANCIS COLLEGE TERRIER | SPRING 2014 | 5