St. Edward’s University honors the life and service of an important member of our university community this week. Former St. Edward’s president and Holy Cross Brother Stephen Walsh, CSC, 62, PhD, died on Monday, Jan. 10 at the age of 69.

Brother Stephen began his long relationship with the St. Edward’s University community in 1962 when he earned a BS in History and was named valedictorian of his class. In 1966, he joined the faculty, and he then served as academic dean in 1970. By 1972, Brother Stephen became the university’s youngest president at the age of 31, serving until 1984.

His contributions and commitment to St. Edward’s and Holy Cross education are many, but most notably, Brother Stephen is credited for his leadership and initiation of  New College, the university’s adult undergraduate program, and the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) developed in response to the needs of children of migrant workers.

Following his term as president, he lived for a year with the Holy Cross Brothers Community at Notre Dame International School in Rome. For the next decade, he served in various roles as an educational consultant and principal at secondary schools in California. In 1993, he became Headmaster at Holy Cross School in New Orleans.

In 2005, he was appointed as the first executive director of the Holy Cross Institute at St. Edward’s, which serves Holy Cross schools around the country and throughout the world, helping them become better educational institutions in the Holy Cross Tradition. He also served as honorary co-chair of A Special Destiny campaign which raised $70.3 million.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, Jan. 17, at 2 p.m. at St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church, 126 West Oltorf St. in Austin, Texas.

While plans develop to appropriately memorialize Brother Stephen, his family of Brothers within the Congregation’s South-West Province, along with the entire St. Edward’s community, would like to promptly honor him. In lieu of flowers, the Brothers request that gifts be made in his memory to St. Edward’s University and be designated to either the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) or the Holy Cross Institute – initiatives he championed passionately. These gifts will be immediate tributes to Br. Stephen’s dual commitment to social justice and the Holy Cross educational tradition. 

You may give online or send gifts to Cheri Sullivan, Director of Advancement Services, St. Edward’s University, 3001 S. Congress Ave., Austin, Texas 78704. If you have questions, Cheri may be contacted at (512) 448-8430 or cherih@stedwards.edu.
Cards and letters of condolence may be sent in care of Brother Donald Blauvelt, CSC, Brothers of Holy Cross, Province Center, 1101 St. Edward’s Drive, Austin, TX 78704-6512.

Read a tribute to Brother Stephen in the Austin American-Statesman.

Read Dr. Martin's Eulogy for Brother Stephen (PDF).

Share your memories of Brother Stephen and read others.