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Three Life-Long Learners Added to College Faculty

(Fall 2006 Newsletter)

John Finley (’99)
John Finley was—quite literally—born into the Thomas Aquinas College community. His father, Norman DeSilva (’75), was a member of the College’s first graduating class, and his mother, Maureen Barlow (’76), was a member of its second graduating class. John’s father went on to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy at the Université Laval. The DeSilvas then returned to the College, where Norman served as a tutor until his untimely death from brain cancer in 1985. The following year, when the College honored Dr. DeSilva posthumously with its highest award, the Saint Thomas Aquinas Medallion, it was his eldest son, John, then eight years old, who accepted it on behalf of the family.

His mother then married a close family friend and fellow graduate of the College, Jim Finley (’76), and together they raised John, his three siblings, and their six additional children. John was home schooled until he entered Thomas Aquinas College, from which he graduated in 1999. While entertaining thoughts of a career in the military or in public policy, he moved to Washington, D.C., and worked for Crisis magazine. Before long, though, he recognized an abiding desire for the intellectual life and for teaching.

Mr. Finley enrolled, therefore, in the graduate school at the University of Dallas (UD) where he received an M.A. in philosophy in 2003. Not wanting to become a “professional student” and eager to begin teaching, John accelerated his doctoral studies and sought out teaching opportunities along the way. In spite of his heavy workload, he was chosen by the UD Graduate Faculty for its 2004 “Distinguished Student Award.” The chair of the philosophy department there, Dr. Lance Simmons, commented that “I have had a unique opportunity to observe how John is regarded by the UD faculty, by his fellow graduate students, and by the undergraduates with whom he has come in contact through his teaching….John is more highly regarded by all three groups than any graduate student I have seen in several years.” Mr. Finley is now completing his doctoral thesis in philosophy on human individuality and the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas.

While completing his coursework, John applied for a faculty appointment at his alma mater, where the interview process for new tutors is as unique as the curriculum. Prospective tutors must conduct a seminar with student volunteers and deliver a lecture, as well. About the process as a whole, John confides, “It was great to come back to the campus….But it really was a tough couple of days.” In spite of the rigors of the process, John was soon after offered an appointment to the faculty.

With his life so intertwined with the College, Mr. Finley considers his return a kind of home-coming as well as a way to honor the memory of his father. He recently discovered boxes of books in the attic of his family’s home. “They contained an entire set of Aquinas in Latin that belonged to my dad,” he relates, “and now I’m using the same books to tutor more students at Thomas Aquinas College.” With a touch of nostalgia, he adds, “And here I am, with the same occupation at the very school he loved so much.”

Joseph Hattrup (’01)
The oldest of eight children, Joseph grew up in Cottonwood, Idaho. He attended public elementary and middle school, but was home schooled during high school. His search for an authentic, Catholic college led him to Thomas Aquinas College in 1997. “As a student here, I saw there were things that could be known,” he says, “that the mind could comprehend these things. One of the things that impressed me most was that despite the fact that I had never gotten much out of math and science, these became some of my favorite subjects; the way they were presented really made sense.”

Joseph’s newfound fondness for math and science, however, was surpassed by two even greater loves. The first was for a classmate, Mary Irene Herman (’01). The two met freshman year and were married after graduation from the College. They now have a 16-month old daughter, Therese Felicity.

The other, he explains, was for the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. “At the College,” he says, “I fell in love with St. Thomas and knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him; that was when I became interested in being a teacher.”

So motivated, Joseph applied to and was accepted at the University of St. Thomas in Houston to pursue a doctorate in philosophy. While completing his coursework, he sought out and received a number of teaching assignments both at the University and at nearby community colleges. He decided to apply to his alma mater for an appointment as a tutor, hoping to spend the rest of his life not only “with St. Thomas,” but probing the depth and breadth of the entire curriculum with his students.

When he received an appointment to the Thomas Aquinas College faculty, Joseph arranged to move to California in time to participate in this past summer’s faculty development program. Designed especially to deepen the faculty’s understanding of the thought of Aristotle and St. Thomas, Joseph considered it an indispensable preparation for his new career. “First,” he explains, “I felt that I was among true friends who had a genuine interest in leading me to the truth.” In addition, “It was a wonderful example of how to read and study St. Thomas. I was exposed to a reading of the Angelic Doctor that while intensely critical was done in the way of a disciple, with humility, acknowledging the greatness of the author, while seeking understanding.” Perhaps most important, he adds, “In participating in the summer faculty program it became clear to me just how much the life of the tutor is still the life of a learner.”

Jennifer and Jeff Lehman with children Samantha (6), Jonathan (5), and Emily (10).

Dr. Jeffrey Lehman
Jeffrey Lehman comes from a strong Methodist family in Ohio. Though raised on a farm, Jeff entered Taylor University in Indiana as an undergraduate where he majored in philosophy and Biblical literature. In his first week at school he met another Biblical literature major named Jennifer. By the time they were juniors, they were married.

In his senior year, Jeff was encouraged by his professors to pursue graduate work. As he had developed an interest in the history of philosophy, one of his mentors suggested he consider the University of Dallas (UD), which, though Catholic, offered an integrated curriculum that included politics, literature, philosophy, and theology. Jeff applied and was accepted there, and the couple moved to Texas where he completed the doctoral program in philosophy.

During their time there, he and Jennifer were deeply affected by the vibrancy of the Catholic community at the school—one animated by personal piety, genuine charity, and a deep devotion to the Holy Eucharist. Though feeling an ever stronger attraction to the Catholic Church, they were not yet ready to leave their protestant roots behind.

Upon finishing his coursework, Jeffrey received an appointment to the faculty at Biola University in Southern California, a strongly protestant institution with a detailed statement of faith that faculty members are required to sign annually. As the Lehmans were drawn through reading, discussion, and prayer ever closer to the Catholic Church, however, it became increasingly difficult to sign that statement. When they did eventually convert to Catholicism—a momentous event, given that all their means of support and nearly all their friends and family were in one way or another connected to protestantism—Jeff decided he could not remain as a professor at Biola. For a time he worked as a private tutor. He then began making inquiries about a faculty appointment at Thomas Aquinas College.

In graduate school, he had known graduates of Thomas Aquinas College and was impressed with their ability to think clearly and argue logically. He had also been to the campus in Santa Paula and was, he remembers, “incredibly impressed by two things, in particular: the humility and charity of faculty and students alike.” After going through the normal interview process, he did indeed receive the appointment for which he had hoped.

Jeff explains that while he did not have a particular guide on his journey to the Catholic Church, he relied heavily on the writings of St. Thomas More and his example of courage and steadfastness. “I had read a spiritual biography of St. Thomas More, A Portrait of Courage,” he explains, “and it had a formative influence in helping me see my way to the Catholic faith.” As Providence disposed it, when Jeff stood to take the Oath of Fidelity and make a Profession of Faith at the matriculation ceremony in August, just over his shoulder—from his wife’s vantage point—on the wall behind him, hung a portrait of this very saint. (From a different vantage point, the portrait of St. Thomas Aquinas could be seen over his shoulder, as in the photo on the left.)

May St. Thomas More continue to watch over and intercede for Dr. Lehman and his family.

-- Qtrly Newsletter, Fall 2006