Remembering Father John L. Zoph

In short, Father John L. Zoph's tenure at Serra High School was the stuff of which legends are made.  When he passed away on December 6, 2002, at the age of 94, the loss was profound for many in the Serra community.  As a founding member of the faculty there are few memories of the school that do not inlcude Father Zoph. 

The following was written by alum Scott Delucchi '85 in memory of Father Zoph.

“I sure hope the lettering doesn’t read “The John Zoph Memorial Library,” joked Serra’s living treasure upon learning in 1994 that the Junipero Serra Library would bear his name.  In the weeks between the day he learned of the honor and the day he walked under the gold leaf letters for the first time, he downplayed it.  Deep down, he was touched and honored.  Truly, a fitting gift to the man who needed or wanted nothing other than to help others learn.
 

Fr. Zoph’s relationship with Serra began in 1944, almost by accident, when he was told by Archbishop Mitty that he would be one of four priests to teach students at the then brand-new Serra High School. Zoph, of course, accepted.

He taught full-time at Serra for the next 23 years. Diminutive in size, but imposing in stature, Fr. Zoph was a rigid teacher who stressed the fundamentals while teaching his staples: English and Latin. He used to say that parents would often complain to him on Back to School Night.  “My son never received a C before.”  His reply: “There’s always a first for everything.” Though he was rarely the most popular of teachers due to his academic demands, Fr. Zoph was often the teacher to whom graduates from Serra’s first quarter century would credit their college success.

Following his teaching career, Fr. Zoph served as Serra’s librarian until 1973. By then, he was meeting sons of the students he taught.  From the mid ‘70s through the mid ‘90s, Fr. Zoph spent time in the library every school day, helping students, assisting the librarian and selecting books for the school’s collection. Still very much a part of the school, Fr. Zoph followed Serra’s sports teams and kept in touch with countless graduates from all walks of life.

When people outside of Serra dropped Barry Bonds’ name in conversation, Fr. Zoph loved telling the story of how he once “tossed Bonds out of the library.”  It was actually Barry Bonds’ younger brother, Ricky, Class of ’83, and the two later became friends. And, this Bonds wasn’t exactly in select company. Library shenanigans were addressed consistently. Zero tolerance.

During his 50-plus years at Serra, Fr. Zoph lived through countless societal changes: presidents, wars, Civil Rights, female teachers and co-ed classes, advancements and new threats in all areas of life. Long before the Internet, Fr. Zoph was a walking Wikipedia in priestly black and collar. And, by the time the Information Superhighway criss-crossed all areas of our lives, Fr. Zoph stayed in the slow lane, but merged on nonetheless.  

For a man who was always helping students learn and learning himself, having the library named in his honor was perfect; that he was alive to enjoy the honor was special.

-- Scott Delucchi ‘85