My Everlasting Education at Saint Finbarr’s College: Academics, Discipline, and Sports

By Deji Badiru

This book presents an interesting and inspirational account of high school education at Saint Finbarr’s College, Lagos, Nigeria, a Catholic school started by Reverend Father Denis Slattery in 1956. Saint Finbarr’s College is a highly-regarded school with a wide reputation for Academics, Discipline, and Sports. Graduates of the school have gone on to make worldwide contributions in many facets of professional advancements. The graduates are extremely proud of their Finbarr’s pedigree and speak highly of the school and the founder regarding the value of their education at the school. In this book, the author celebrates the educational impacts he received at the school. Education, in general, is promoted in this book as a universal asset that everyone should have an opportunity to enjoy, embrace, and utilize for personal and professional development.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: May 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781532098642

Deji Badiru

Deji Badiru is a Professor of Systems Engineering in Dayton, Ohio. He is a registered professional engineer and a fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers as well as a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering. He has a BS degree in Industrial Engineering, MS in Mathematics, and MS in Industrial Engineering from Tennessee Technological University, and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida. He is the author of several books and technical journal articles.

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Copyright © 2020 DEJI BADIRU.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-9863-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-9864-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020909354

iUniverse rev. date: 05/22/2020

Adedeji Badiru writes as the primary author for ABICS Publications (www.abicspublications.com), A Division of AB International Consulting Services, dedicated to publishing books for home, work, and leisure.

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Books in the ABICS Publications book series, published by iUniverse, Inc., on recreational, educational, motivational, and personal development books, include the titles below:

My Everlasting Education at Saint Finbarr’s College: Academics, Discipline, and Sports

Secret of the 25th Hour in the Day: Getting More Done Each Day

Kitchen Project Management: The Art and Science of an Organized Kitchen

Wives of the Same School: Tributes and Straight Talk

The Rooster and the Hen: Story of Love at Last Look

The Story of Saint Finbarr’s College: Contributions to Education and Sports Development in Nigeria

Physics of Soccer II: Science and Strategies for a Better Game

Kitchen Dynamics: The rice way

Consumer Economics: The value of dollars and sense for money management

Youth Soccer Training Slides: A Math and Science Approach

My Little Blue Book of Project Management

8 by 3 Paradigm for Time Management

Badiru’s Equation of Student Success: Intelligence, Common Sense, and Self-discipline

Isi Cookbook: Collection of Easy Nigerian Recipes

Blessings of a Father: Education contributions of Father Slattery at Saint Finbarr’s College

Physics in the Nigerian Kitchen: The Science, the Art, and the Recipes

The Physics of Soccer: Using Math and Science to Improve Your Game

Getting things done through project management

Dedication

Dedicated to all my educational mentors of the past, present, and future. The good deeds of many of these mentors have shaped the way I have committed myself over the years to support and advance the educational pursuits of others. Some names that should be mentioned, in addition to my own family members, are Sid and Pat Gilbreath, Carroll Viera (nee Carroll Miller), late Gary Whitehouse, Ravi Ravindran, and George Igbuan (Baba Monday).

Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1     Introduction to Saint Finbarr’s College

Chapter 2     Academics at Saint Finbarr’s College

Chapter 3     Discipline at Saint Finbarr’s College

Chapter 4     Sports at Saint Finbarr’s College

Chapter 5     The Wide Reach of Education

Chapter 6     Summary of My Lessons from Saint Finbarr’s College

Appendix: Educational, Aspirational, and Inspirational Quotes, Proverbs, and Dictums

Acknowledgments

I thank all my fellow Saint Finbarr’s College conquerors for their friendship and fellowship over the years. There are too many to name in a brief acknowledgment statement. However, my special expression of gratitude goes to Derek Oladokun, who joyfully took my personal photo that is used in the front cover of this book. We all appreciate his altruistic leveraging of his photography skills and interest for the benefit of Saint Finbarr’s programs and events. At the Nigerian end of the activities of the Old Boys of Saint Finbarr’s College, I am delighted to recognize the long-standing and consistent leadership of Segun Ajanlekoko, Yinka Bashorun, and Benedict Ikwenobe. These gentlemen never fail to answer the call of Finbarr’s. They have served the school and the alumni association in various forms at various active levels for multiple decades. That is a true mark of demonstrating Fidelitas. They are all much appreciated! At the Ireland end of the spectrum, my distinct thanks go to Mr. Joe Slattery, Father Slattery’s nephew in Fermoy, Ireland, who has kept vigil over the continuing connectivity of Finbarr’s to the Slattery Family of Ireland. He and his wife, Catherine, continue to be favorite friends and fans of Finbarr’s.

Chapter One

Introduction to Saint Finbarr’s College

Education is the bastion of national advancement and workforce development. If we want a sustainable economic and intellectual development of a nation, we must invest in education. Education should be an entitlement of every citizen of every nation. Unfortunately, education is often brushed aside, poorly funded, or crosshatched in many political wrangling in many nations. The premise of my writing this book is not only to sing the praises of Saint Finbarr’s College, but also to illuminate the value of education across the spectrum of human endeavors. Even in the pursuit of national defense, which often gets a hefty budget, I opine that education could be a powerful weapon of national defense. Education is multidimensional in effect and can solve a variety of national problems.

Education is a universal asset that opens the world up to all those fortunate enough to receive it at an opportune time in life. I was fortunate to have received an everlasting educational foundation at Saint Finbarr’s College (SFC), Lagos, Nigeria. In many instances, the school is affectionately referred to simply as Finbarr’s.

The declaration by Nelson Mandela, the late South African elder statesman, taught us that:

"Education is the most powerful weapon

you can use to change the world."

He made this statement in the context of social and economic advancement of not only his people, but also for the entire world. The solid education provided by Saint Finbarr’s College has continued to change the world, through worldwide accomplishments of the school’s graduates. In both small and large ways, Ex-Finbarrians spread the ideals of the school through personal, professional, and spiritual platforms. This perpetuation of the school’s educational contributions is my motivation for writing this book. The exceptional professional footprints of Finbarr’s graduates span all sorts of career pursuits, including the following:

Academics

Architecture

Banking

Business

Civil service

Clergy

Coaching

Construction

Consulting

Culinary arts

Design

Economics

Education administration

Engineering

Entrepreneur

Evangelist

Finance

Fine Arts

Government

Law enforcement

Legal profession

Manufacturing

Mathematics

Medicine

Military

Ministering

Motivational speaking

Photography

Politics

Priesthood

Restauranteur

Science

Social science

Sports

Technology

Trading

The school and its contributions are celebrated on the pages of what lies ahead of readers.

What is gained, learned, and earned through education stays with a person throughout his or her lifetime. This led to the choice of this book’s title of My Everlasting Education at Saint Finbarr’s College. May the message stick in the minds of all readers.

This book is the fourth in my series of books celebrating the glory of Saint Finbarr’s College and its founder, late Reverend Denis Joseph Slattery. If you have read the previous books, you might notice similarities in the contends and stories presented. This is by design. Oftentimes, duplications and repeats are essential for spreading the good word far and wide so that notable achievements are not forgotten. The Chinese Philosopher, Confucius, enjoined us with the following statement:

"Tell me and I forget;

Show me and I remember;

Involve me and I understand."

I attended Saint Finbarr’s College from January 1968 through December 1972 and my life has continued to be enriched by that unique experience.

My purpose in this book is to tell, show, and involve readers so that we can all understand how the good examples from Saint Finbarr’s College and Father Slattery can be fully understood for the purpose of replicating them elsewhere and everywhere. The previous books that provide the foundation for this current book are listed below.

1. Blessings of a Father: A Tribute to the Life and Work of Reverend Father Denis Joseph Slattery (printed in 2005 both in Nigeria and USA).

2. Blessings of a Father: Education contributions of Father Slattery at Saint Finbarr’s College (published in 2013)

3. The Story of Saint Finbarr’s College: Father Slattery’s Contributions to Education and Sports in Nigeria (published in 2018)

The foci of the first three books had been either the school itself or Father Slattery himself (Badiru (2005, 2013, 2018). This current book focuses on education as the main character or star of the narrations on the pages therein contained. The worldwide power of education is conveyed in the words of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl, whom the Taliban attempted to kill with a bullet because of her activism for female education in 2012. She survived. She later said:

"Extremists have shown what frightens

them most: A Girl with a Book."

Malala later became the youngest Nobel Laureate for her commitment to mobilizing education of women.

In effect, education has many lifelong benefits. The one that is most readily noticed is the ability to read and write, in the sense that an educated person is said to be literate. Actually, beyond literacy, education has more subtle benefits, such as critical thinking, empathy, social connectivity, sense of responsibility, global awareness, collaborative fellowship, and so on. Education at Saint Finbarr’s College instilled many desirable characteristics in the students. What I am today, professionally and personally, is the product of the educational and discipline foundations that I acquired at Saint Finbarr’s College. For this, I remain eternally grateful.

Even though Finbarr’s is a Catholic school, non-denominational education is the product of Saint Finbarr’s College, at least at the time that I went through the school. Whichever focus is chosen for writing a book about Saint Finbarr’s College, the stories of the school and the Father are intertwined. I cannot write about one without touching on the aspects of the other. The three main attributes that characterize Saint Finbarr’s College are:

1. Academics

2. Discipline

3. Sports (most notably, soccer)

We adore these three attributes deeply. So proud are the Boys of Finbarr’s (or Finbarrians), as cherish to be called, that we seek all kinds of opportunities to celebrate the school. Two examples shown in Figure 1 are the school ring and lapel pin. The cover of this book is adorned with the author wearing the famous blazer of Saint Finbarr’s College. The nickname for Saint Finbarr’s College is The Conquerors. You will see this name in our sports songs, insignias, and documents.

Figure 1. Saint Finbarr’s College School Ring and Lapel Pin

Figure%2001%20(Finbarr%27s%20Lapel%20Pin)%20-%20This%20is%20a%20new%20Figure%2001%2c%20replaces%20the%20previous%20Figure%2001.jpg

The organization of this book centers around the three unique attributes of Saint Finbarr’s College: Academics, Discipline, and Sports). They are addressed sequentially in the chapters that follow.

My first book on Saint Finbarr’s College was launched publicly with national fanfare in Lagos, Nigeria on July 5, 2005. The invitation card for the event is shown in Figure 2. All the proceeds from the book launch were donated to the school. In addition, over 700 additional copies were donated to the school for subsequent fundraising programs. The school administration acknowledged the book donation in a January 14, 2006 conversation, which I recall as follows:

Congratulations on the 50th anniversary of your Alma Mater, may we continue to enjoy the blessings and graces of the Founder and God. Thanks a lot for your contributions and encouragement to me in particular, may God grant us our desires for the school. As part of the school’s programme for the anniversary, we intend to relaunch your book, ‘THE FATHER’S BLESSINGS’. We still