WHEREAS, the Reverend John P. Smyth, ordained as a priest in 1962, and the Executive Director of Maryville Academy, the largest provider of foster care in the State of Illinois until 2004, entered into eternal life on April 16, 2019, at the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago has been informed of his passing by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, bom in Chicago, the Reverend John P. Smyth graduated from DePaul Academy in 1952 and the University of Notre Dame; and
WHEREAS, an outstanding collegiate varsity basketball player, the Reverend John P. Smyth captained the Notre Dame squad and was named an honorable mention Ail-American during his senior year; and
WHEREAS, upon completion of his undergraduate studies, the St. Louis Hawks of the National Basketball Association selected him in the first round ofthe college draft; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend John P. Smyth elected to forgo a professional basketball career and entered the seminary instead; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend John P. Smyth was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in April 1962, and began his first and only assignment as a priest at Maryville Academy in Des Plaines, Illinois; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend John P. Smyth was named Executive Director of Maryville in 1970 during a time of financial crisis at Maryville Academy; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend John P. Smyth had dedicated eight years as assistant superintendent before he was put in charge with a mandate to turn around the money-losing institution within one year; and
WHEREAS, the physical condition of the Maryville Academy property plant was deemed to be beyond repair; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend John P. Smyth raised necessary funding to renovate the campus, replaced the dormitories with group homes, and instituted a program of child care originally developed at Boys Town in Nebraska; and
WHEREAS, utilizing his networking abilities and persuasive skills, the Reverend John P. Smyth restored sound fiscal manage...
Click here for full text