Ancient History

When he heard the name Francis Ryan, Bob Brill thought it sounded familiar. So he went for his 1982 Northeast Catholic High School yearbook. Sure enough, there was his high school history teacher: Francis Ryan.

But this one is the father of our assistant professor of history. And here (above) are father and son (age 11) at an outdoor game—perhaps watching Bob (below) playing soccer.

“My father was 34 in that picture,” says Fran, “just the age that I am now.” Bob, now associate professor of psychology, was a 17- year-old junior at the time.

Not long after this photo was taken, Ryan Sr. left the school to earn a Ph.D. He is now a professor of history at LaSalle University, where both Bob and young Fran got their undergraduate degrees.