Br. James Augustine (“Gus”)

Brother Gus the Novitiate in Glencoe in May of 1955 where he received the religious name of Brother James Augustine. He was the son of Joseph and Anna (Sarna) Kossuth of Chicago. Gus had received his B.A. degree from St. Mary’s College in Winona, Minnesota in 1958 and in 1966 completed work for his M.Ed. from St. Mary’s College. Upon completion of his Scholasticate training in August of 1958 he was assigned to teach at Pacelli High School in Stephens Point, Wisconsin. After four years he moved to Benilde High School in St. Louis Park, Illinois but for only one year before be moved to Bergan High School in Peoria. There he began as a teacher, later became Assistant Principal and then Principal. After ten years at Bergan, Gus was named Principal of Christian Brothers High School in St. Louis, Missouri. After six years as Principal in St. Louis he was granted a Sabbatical in 1979 to pursue graduate Studies. Later that same year he was named Principal of Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he remained for five years. From 1984 to 1985 he worked for Christian Brothers Services as a Religious Medical Insurance Supervisor and then taught for one year, 1985-1986 at Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Tennessee. He came to the Lewis University campus in 1986 and served for one year as Bursar and later that year was granted a sabbatical to study at Notre Dame University. In 1988 he returned to Lewis and became Grounds Supervisor and continued in that position until 1996 when he officially retired. From 1996 until the time of his death in 2015 he remained living in the Christian Brothers Community at Lewis University