Father Edward L. Maginnis taught at Regis for 44 years. He died on October 7, 2018 in his native St. Louis aged 95. He was a Jesuit for 78 years and a priest for 65 years. He mirrored what Jesuits are noted for,” men astutely trained.”
He earned a BA in Latin at St. Louis University, an MA and Doctorate in Philosophy, and a doctorate in Sacred Theology at Institue Catholique in Paris.
He developed a Music Appreciation class on Sunday evenings in the old Regis Library in Loyola Hall on the North Denver Campus.
We lads all took the class because women were allowed to take the class at Regis then an all-male institution. The class was our chance to meet young women on campus.
Fr. Maginnis was classical music critic for KVOD radio in Denver and helped encourage classical music in Denver for many decades.
We all thought the class might be an easy ‘A’ but with his colleague Fr. Robert Boyle, the course was one of the toughest classes I ever took as a student at Regis.
He left an indelible mark on all of his many students who admired and tried to emulate his outstanding wisdom. He was truly blessed with an analytical mind and an expansive understanding of humanity.
Fr. Maginnis always remembered his working-class roots and shared his great sense of humor far and wide, as evidenced in the rewrite of this song poking fun at Nixon and his gang of crooks.
How we miss him. He would have a field day with Trump and his Ukrainian shenanigans.
The Honorable Dennis Gallagher is a former city auditor, city councilman, state senator and state representative. He’ll be sharing thoughts and stories from North Denver’s past and future in his recurring column in the North Star.
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