| March 21, 2007 | Vol 8. No. 10 |
Canisius Community Mourns the Loss of Father Ruddick
Rev. James J. Ruddick, S.J., professor emeritus of physics at Canisius College and director of the college’s Braun Seismograph Station, died suddenly on Sunday, March 18 from natural causes. He was 83. Father Ruddick also served as associate vicar for religious for the Diocese of Buffalo. A wake will be held at St. Ann’s Church (Broadway at Emslie Street) on Thursday, March 22 from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. and Friday, March 23 from 12:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, March 24 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Ann’s Church. Burial services will be held at the Jesuit Cemetery in Auriesville, NY.
Born in Elmira, NY, Father Ruddick entered the Society of Jesus at the Jesuit Novitiate in Poughkeepsie, NY, on September 7, 1940 and was ordained a priest in 1955 at Fordham University Chapel, Bronx, NY.
Father Ruddick taught at Canisius College for nearly four decades. He joined the Physics Department as an assistant professor in 1957 and served as chair of the Physics Department from 1959 – 1970. He was promoted to professor emeritus of physics in 1994. Father Ruddick also served as rector of the Canisius Jesuit community from 1971 – 1977 and as acting rector from 1986 – 1987 and 1996 – 1997. He was also a member of the college’s Board of Trustees from 1971-1977, and served as moderator of the Canisius College Scholarship Associates for 21 years.
“Father Ruddick was an enthusiastic, entertaining, and generous priest who was full of life and loved to be with people in good times and bad,” said Rev. Patrick J. Lynch, S.J., associate professor and chair of religious studies and theology, and rector of the Jesuit community. “He was a conversationalist without equal in the Jesuit community. There was hardly a jubilee, wake or funeral that he missed. He was always ready to help someone in need. If he had chosen another path in life, he would probably have been a politician.”
Father Ruddick was named associate vicar for religious for the Diocese of Buffalo in 1989, and in that capacity, was elected treasurer of the National Conference of Vicars for Religious.
Prior to his death, Father Ruddick assisted at St. Ann’s Church in Buffalo, where he lived in the parish residence. He served as a counselor and spiritual director to many priests, sisters and lay people. For many years, he served as the chaplain of the Korean Catholic Community of Western New York.
“Father Jim Ruddick was as holy a priest and as kind a man as I have ever known,” said Rev. James F. Joyce, S.J., pastor at St. Ann’s Church and superior of St. Ann’s Jesuit community. “He often directed people in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, who founded the Jesuits. Our parishioners here at St. Ann’s on the East Side of Buffalo were just enormously broken up when they heard of his leaving us, even though they all said they knew he was happy at home in heaven.”
A 1940 graduate of Elmira Catholic High School (now Notre Dame High School), Father Ruddick received AB and PhL degrees from Woodstock College in 1946 and 1947 respectively. He received a MS in 1950 and a PhD in 1952 from St. Louis University.
A long-time member of the National Catholic Council on Alcoholism (NCCA), Father Ruddick was elected to the Board of Directors of NCCA in 1992 and was named chairperson of the board in 1996. Father Ruddick was also a member of the national Catholic group on alcoholism, CALIX, where he served as treasurer. When asked how he would like to be remembered, Father Ruddick said that he was grateful to have been called to be a Jesuit priest, and grateful to have been a member of Al-Anon.
Seismic research was also an important part of Father Ruddick’s life. As director of the Canisius Braun Seismograph Station, he computerized the seismograph instruments to enable the college’s station to determine not only the distance but also the direction of earthquakes which occur within 900 km of Buffalo.
In addition to being a seismologist, Father Ruddick was also a genealogist, who traced his family’s history, and a necrologist, who recorded data on the Jesuits who had died from the three provinces – New York, New England and Maryland.
Father Ruddick is survived by three sisters, Helen Bentley (Arnold) of Corning, NY, Madeline Dailey (late Thomas) of Bethlehem, PA, Sr. Theresa Rutty, RSM, serving in Chile, one brother, John Ruddick (Joyce) of Wilmington, DE, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Condolences may be sent to John Ruddick, 305 Walden Road, Wilmington, DE, 19803. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Father Ruddick to the charitable works of St. Ann’s Jesuit community, St. Ann’s Church, 501 Emslie Street, Buffalo, NY 14212.
New Peter Canisius Distinguished Professorships Awarded
Autism disorders and African American history are the latest areas of study to be supported by the Peter Canisius Distinguished Teaching Professorship Program. The three-year grants, which begin June 2007, provide the college's best faculty with the resources to create innovative programs that enhance undergraduate teaching through interdisciplinary projects, scholarly travel, experiential courses and the incorporation of technology in the classroom.
The 2007 recipients of a Peter Canisius Distinguished Teaching Professorship are: Robert E. Nida, PhD, associate professor of education, and Susan Putnam, PhD, associate professor of psychology. Together, they will create the Canisius College Center for the Study of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The center will provide Canisius students with instruction, clinical training and hands-on, graduate-level research experiences in the field of autism and related clinical disorders. Moreover, the center will establish Canisius as an innovative leader in the pursuit of biological and psychological underpinnings related to ASD-associated behaviors. 
Bruce J. Dierenfield, PhD, professor of history and director of the All-College Honors Program, will use his Peter Canisius Professorship to continue The Canisius College Program in the African American Experience. First established through a Peter Canisius Professorship in 2002, the program provides unique learning opportunities about African American history to Canisius students, area educators and the larger Buffalo community. New to this professorship will be a trip to West Africa. Formal lectures will also be supplemented by musical and theatrical performances, story telling, presentations by leading scholars and civil rights activists, films by and about African Americans and visits to Harlem, NY and Mississippi. Peter Canisius Professors are chosen through a competitive grant process that focuses on creativity and the extent to which their proposals will advance the college's vision.
Celebration of Service to Recognize Canisius Employees
The service milestones of more than 50 Canisius employees will be recognized at the Celebration of Service on Friday, April 20 at 3 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center. Those who have reached 20 or more years of service, as well as those who will retire from the college this year, will be honored. Everyone is welcome to attend and congratulate their Canisius colleagues.
Latest Issue of Connections Now On-line
The latest issue of Connections, the on-line newsletter of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) is now on-line. To read, click here. "Diversity Initiatives at Jesuit Institutions" is the theme of this month's issue.
College Closed for Good Friday
The college will be closed, except for essential operating personnel, on Friday, April 6 in observance of Good Friday.