Dr. Warren F. Caire, AFSC, was recently honored on the occasion of his retirement after 55 years as a member of the faculty of De La Salle High School in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Dr. Warren Caire, AFSC
Two separate celebrations were held for “Doc”, as generations of De La Salle students and colleagues have affectionately called him. Both paid tribute to Dr. Caire’s extraordinary career as a Lasallian Partner and educator.
On March 18 at an all-school assembly, longtime colleague Peggy St. John, AFSC, offered a retrospective on Dr. Caire’s many years of service. She recounted the chance encounter that a young Warren Caire had with Brother Camillus Gremillion, FSC, on a New Orleans streetcar one afternoon in the summer of 1962. When Brother Camillus, a teacher at De La Salle, learned that Dr. Caire had just received his teaching degree, he convinced him to come to De La Salle and meet the principal, Brother Cassian Lange, FSC. Following introductions and an on-the-spot interview, Dr. Caire walked out of the school with a teaching contract in hand.
In the 55 years that followed, Dr. Caire would take on a variety of jobs at De La Salle, including teaching Latin, French, and Religion; directing the school’s retreat program; moderating the National Honor Society, the Junior Classical League (Latin Honor Society), and Wrestling team, which he also helped coach; and founding the school’s racquetball club.
Dr. Caire helps students lead the singing at a school Mass.
However, Dr. Caire’s impact at De La Salle extended well beyond his professional tour of duty. During the assembly, former De La Salle faculty member Brother Michael Livaudais, FSC reflected on Dr. Caire’s influence as a mentor and role model. Reminding the audience that “while teachers, coaches, and moderators at De La Salle are expected to be excellent at what they do in and out of the classroom,” Brother Michael pointed out that, “the more important question is how these teachers are doing in the salvation and relationship business. Dr. Caire’s 55 years of devoted and selfless service demonstrated excellence both in and out of the classroom and in the salvation and relationship business. (He) lives his life in such a way that people have seen Jesus alive in him. Dr. Caire has allowed Jesus to shine on us through him, and he has allowed Jesus to love us through him.”
The second celebration of Dr. Caire’s career took place on May 25, beginning with Mass at nearby Holy Name of Jesus Church. Retired New Orleans Archbishop Alfred Hughes, a friend and former classmate of Dr. Caire, presided. Concelebrants included current De La Salle chaplain Father Michael Schneller; former De La Salle faculty member Father Ed Lauden; former classmates Monsignor Douglas Doussan and Father Douglas Brougher; and family friend Father Terry Becnel. Two of Dr. Caire’s sisters, Sister Laura Ann Caire, RSCJ, and Sister Sr. Margaret Mary Caire, RSCJ, served as readers.
Dr. Caire shares a laugh with retired Archbishop Alfred Hughes.
Following Mass, guests gathered across St. Charles Avenue at the Round Table Club for a well-attended reception. There, De La Salle president Michael Giambelluca said, “For the past 55 years as a teacher, coach, and moderator, Dr. Warren Caire, AFSC has embodied our Lasallian core principles.” He then announced that, in Dr. Caire’s honor, De La Salle would establish the Caire Excellence in Lasallian Leadership fund. According to Giambelluca, it will be used to advance those areas on which Dr. Caire had such a major impact in advancing the Lasallian mission at De La Salle, including spirituality, academics, athletics, and the arts. Before the evening was over, the first pledges to the new fund had already been made.
As for the man himself, Dr. Caire accepted all of these accolades with his characteristic humility. He has always been more comfortable focusing attention on his students and his school than on himself. Once, when asked about what had been the constant for him in working with young people all these years, he said simply, “They are all looking to the future, and at De La Salle we’ve tried to give them a foundation that includes academics and moral and religious principles. We plant the seed and watch it grow.”
Today, there are many seeds growing at De La Salle, as well as many more that have grown and gone on to put down roots throughout the world. Regardless of years and miles, these people are bound together by the excellence of a Lasallian education as given to them by of one of its master practitioners. They have seen what it means to live with faith, purpose, and joy, and how to turn every day into a celebration of grace. All thanks to the dedication and example of Dr. Warren Caire.
Story content contributed by Jessica Atwood and Kathleen Calder, De La Salle High School. All photos courtesy De La Salle High School.
