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Tom Gaudett ’10 speaks at the President’s Dinner
Why Fairfield Prep?
Tom Gaudett ’10 with Fr. Jack Hanwell, S.J., at the President’s Dinner,
which is held annually to honor Prep benefactors.
The major question that I want to tackle this evening is:
Why Fairfield Prep? Why do students from all over the
state choose to attend Prep? Why do parents choose to
send their sons to Prep, especially those who struggle to afford
that tuition payment each month? Why have all of you gathered
here this evening chosen to invest in Fairfield Prep?
Prep Values
Fairfield Prep’s comparative advantage in education is values,
and values are the tools that we use in our adulthood to make
better decisions. There are three values in particular that are
imparted during one’s time at Prep.
Academic Excellence
Fairfield Prep fosters in its students academic excellence and
a love of learning. This is not about memorizing the elements
of the periodic table or dates in history; rather, this is about
education of the whole self. In the classroom, there are high
standards and there are opportunities to excel. But perhaps the
best indicator that academic excellence is a value at Fairfield
Prep is the attention that is paid and the support that is given
to those who need extra help in their studies. Some of the best
memories that I have as a Prep student are from my days with
the SEED Program, especially tutoring students. Through efforts
like this Prep demonstrates its commitment to education.
Virtually 100 percent of the senior class graduates and
goes onto an institution of higher learning—a remarkable
achievement that our community should be very proud of.
Service/Being Men for Others
The value of service, or being Men for Others is particularly
important at Prep because of its Jesuit mission and history. We
need look no further than the example of the newly-elected
Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope of the Catholic Church. Pope
Francis calls on each of us to live at the service of other people
in our daily lives, paying special attention to those who are the
most vulnerable.
Prep men answer this call to service by taking trips to third
world countries to minister to the needs of the poor and the
needy. Through the Urban Plunge program, Prep men go into
urban communities in our own area to serve the vulnerable
members of our society. And on a daily basis, through theology,
campus ministry, and all that Prep men do, they learn to treat
everyone with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Indeed,
they learn to truly be Men for Others.
Brotherhood
Finally, a Prep education seeks to instill the value of
brotherhood in its students. Whether they are on the football
team, the swimming team, or the debate team, Prep men learn
brotherhood by working and competing together. Through
their extracurriculars, Prep men learn brotherhood by sharing
common interests, passions, and goals. And brotherhood is built
through institutional programming, such as retreats. Prep men
have the opportunity to participate in the Kairos Retreat, during
which they seal the bonds of brotherhood that they have made
with their fellow classmates.
Overall, Prep men are instilled with a strong sense of
brotherhood, which serves as the foundation of the Prep family
that all students are a part of long after graduation. And, at the
end of four years, because of these values, Prep men become a
fraternity of educated men in the service of others.
A Worthwhile Investment
For those who have not been exposed to these Prep values
and are not aware of the importance of a Prep education, I say
that they ought look no further than this dinner as evidence of
what Prep stands for and the values that it teaches. This dinner
is a testament to your generosity, a reflection of the Prep values
that we all cherish. Your generosity embodies the call to give and
not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil
and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward.
Your generosity helps people like me who, raised by a single
mother and grandmother, could not possibly have afforded
the tuition at Fairfield Prep. Your generosity has provided this
son of Bridgeport the opportunity to become an educated man,
to learn Prep values, and to prove my merit without financial
barrier. I now have the opportunity to attend Harvard. For this,
I am extremely grateful and indebted to all of those who have
invested in my education.
And so let me be very clear about my message here tonight, in
case anyone was unsure: your investment in Prep is worthwhile.
AMDG
One day as a freshman and my theology teacher talked to us
about an old Prep tradition. Traditionally, students would write
at the top left-hand corner of every assignment “AMDG” which
stands for “Ad Majorem De Gloriam” (For the greater glory of
God). Realizing how remarkable this tradition was, I began to put
it into practice for myself. From that point forth, at the top lefthand
corner of every page, I wrote “AMDG” as a reminder of my
Prep values and in recognition of the fact that, in all that I did, I
was serving a cause greater than myself.
I have worn my Prep ring every day since my junior year when
I received it. My ring has served as a constant reminder of Prep
values and the great education that I received at my alma mater.
You see, unlike most things that are taught in school which
are inevitably forgotten, values operate on a different model.
Once values are instilled in a person, they are meant to last. As
the English author Terry Pratchet puts it, “Build a man a fire, and
he will be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he will be warm
for the rest of his life.”
The flame of Prep values has been kindled within me, and I
am warm, and will forever be. (Taken from speech)
40 Prep Today