Brother Nicholas Geisenberg, S.C. (1912-2010) - a reflection

Brother Nicholas passed away on Friday. He was 98. During his long tenure at the BOSH schools in New Orleans, Brother Nicholas served in a number of roles, but he is most remembered as a Math teacher or as "the brother in the bookstore."

In 1971, when I told St. Aloysius and Cor Jesu alums I was going to Brother Martin as an eighth grader that fall, almost to a man they warned me "Watch out for Brother Nick and Brother Greg." I eventually encountered Brother Nicholas and the late Brother Gregory Gru, S.C., and gave them both a wide berth. (Frankly, I never got the fear of Brother Greg, but then I never had him as a teacher. For me, it was always the occasional 'good morning' or 'hello' in the hall.) As I got settled into the BMHS community, I heard more and more guys complain about how difficult "Senior Math" class with Bro. Nicholas was. It was one of those things where, as a senior, a young man would swear about the work and the studying he had to do, then nothing but appreciation and compliments for Bro. Nicholas once they were out in the real world.

I found out for myself when I took "Senior Math" as a junior in 1974-75. Since I was a non-honors-math student who started with Algebra I as an eighth grader, junior year was my fourth year of math, so it was Brother Nicholas and his trusty Trigonometry textbook. The photo above (from Yesterday 1976) is exactly how I remember Brother all through my five years at BMHS, seated at his overhead projector, speaking to his classes in an even tone.

For all the Aloysius guys would talk about Brother Nicholas being a physical disciplinarian, I never saw him hit a student. Of course, he was in his sixties by the time I got to BMHS, but in spite of that, he didn't need it. Brother Nicholas had that "older brother" aura about him, that certain something whose mere existence demanded deference and respect, particularly from the younger students. After three years of showing that deference, naturally we entered Brother Nicholas' classroom quietly, with a healthy dose of respect, and yes, perhaps with a touch of fear as well.

I don't think Brother Nicholas cared much for me, because I was always missing his class on Fridays. Between Quiz Bowl and Debate, I regularly had "excused absences." Brother took it as a mark of personal disrespect on my part, and my relief at not having to do Trig on those days didn't help much, truth be told. Still, I didn't realize just how much I learned in Brother Nicholas' class until the next year, when I became one of the "celebrated reprobates of third period Calculus." A lot of what Brother More Schaefer, S.C., taught us went over my head in senior year, but I did manage a solid grasp of the basics, and I have Brother Nicholas to thank for that.

The one thing I always admired Brother Nicholas for was his passion for learning. He was not only a teacher, but a student as well, taking the three years of German right along with the students. In studying German, he was a year ahead of me, so I'd see him coming out of Ms. Palmisano's classroom as I was going in. Again, the nod, the deference, the respect. When I'd encounter Brother in later years, I always wished he had been in my class-maybe I could have earned some of that respect back.

Fast forward to 2001, and my son, Justin, was now an eighth grader at BMHS. I encountered Brother Nicholas occasionally, going to the school for parents things and such. To Justin, Brother Nicholas was the "old brother who ran the bookstore." While doing research for the book, I found the parallels between Brother Nicholas' career and that of Brother Bonaventure, S.C., interesting. I've got a photo of "Bonny" from 1917, posing with one of the St. Aloysius basketball teams. Crusaders from the 1960s remember him as "the old brother who ran the bookstore," though. I always heard stories of how Brother Nicholas would break up fights around school by taking the combatants to the gym, put boxing gloves on them, and have them settle the dispute there.

Even though he had left the classroom, Brother Nicholas' value to the school was incredible, and went well beyond merely being the "old brother who ran the bookstore." When the Province decided to close St. Aloysius and merge the student body with Cor Jesu's at the Gentilly school's campus, Brother Nicholas was an important part of the plan. Brother Mark Thornton S.C., BMHS' first principal, turned to Brother Nicholas as one of his main alumni liaisons. Brother Nicholas taught so many of those guys at both schools, it was a logical step. Not only was he a teacher at Aloysius, but he was Assistant Principal at Cor Jesu as well. That experience, along with his age helped him smooth over a lot of the ruffled feathers in the early 1970s. Brother Nicholas was so well-respected that, if he said this was the right thing to do, many of those upset with the closure of St. Aloysius gave it a second thought. In later years, Brother Nicholas would attend the St. Aloysius and Cor Jesu reunions, renewing acquaintances and living the charism of the Institute.

Brother Nicholas was never "Brother Nick"--well, not to his face, anyway.   I never could be sure if, when he took over the bookstore in the 1990s, he wore a nametag to set an example for students, or to identify how he should be addressed. Either way, we always addressed him as "Brother Nicholas" or simply "Brother."

When I was at UNO in the late 1970s, we'd run into Brother Nicholas at Privateer baseball games. Brother had a passion for baseball, and even in his later years, was one of the biggest fans of Crusader baseball. The parents of boys on the team appreciated Brother's support, and arranged a "first pitch" ceremony for Brother for the final district game of the 2003 season. Unfortunately for future Crusaders, that game would be one of the last public appearances Brother Nicholas would make at BMHS. He was evacuated to Rhode Island when Hurricane Katrina struck, and lived there until his passing.

Brother Nicholas will always be part of that certain unidentifiable something that makes Brother Martin High School what it is. He will be missed.

According to BrotherMartin.com, the following arrangements have been made for Brother Nicholas:

WAKE SERVICE

Monday, November 1: 6:00-8:00 pm

Ridgley Center at Brother Martin High School

VISITATION

Tuesday, November 2: 12:30-1:30 pm

St. Dominic Church, 775 Harrison Avenue

FUNERAL MASS

Tuesday, November 2: 1:30 pm

St. Dominic Church

INTERMENT

Tuesday, November 2: 4:30 pm

Brothers Cemetery, Bay St. Louis MS

In lieu of flowers, donations preferred to the Brothers of the Sacred Heart Foundation, 4600 Elysian Fields Avenue, New Orleans LA 70122