Br. Jovitus Edward

John Lambert Doody was born the youngest of nine children of Patrick and Johanna Cleary Doody, on March 30, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois. He attended St. Ann's Grade School and entered De La Salle High School in 1938. John entered the Juniorate in 1939 and upon graduation entered the Novitiate in 1942 where he received the habit of the Brothers and the religious name of Brother Jovitus Edward. Always a brilliant student, he received his bachelor's degree from St. Mary's College in Winona, Minnesota, in 1946 and was assigned to teach at Christian Brothers High School in St. Louis, Missouri. He completed his master's degree at St. Louis University in 1950 and was assigned to Christian Brothers College in Memphis, Tennessee. He remained there, establishing the chemistry department for two years before returning to St. Louis University to complete his doctoral studies in chemistry. In 1953 he returned to Christian Brothers College where he spent the next fifty-one years of his career. He spent many years teaching chemistry, writing for professional journals, moderating the Shelby County Science Fair and attracting millions of dollars in grants to the College. He died at age seventy-nine years of age, having been a De La Salle Christian Brother for sixty-two years.