Brother Ralph Bucci, FSC, ’66, was the first of his immediate family to attend La Salle, due to the inspiration of his youngest uncle Eugene Bucci,’59, a member of the Rams hockey team.

“Uncle Gene is only seven year older than I, so I considered him as an older brother,” said Brother Ralph.  “Despite my not being an athlete, he encouraged me to attend La Salle because he really enjoyed the camaraderie of friends from all over the state and the Brother-student relationships that developed and encouraged the learning process.”

“Looking back at my years at La Salle, I particularly remember Tom Lowery who was my senior English teacher and who would later become my academic supervisor when he was Assistant Principal and, even later, was as a teaching colleague. He focused on improving our writing.  I received an adequate grade on one paper, but Mr. Lowery was the first teacher who allowed us the option to rework the paper for an improved grade.  This teaching method did two things for me: first, it taught me the importance of reviewing and rewriting papers, and it demonstrated the confidence he had in us.  So it was a significant learning experience.”

“At the risk of leaving someone out, many Brothers who I best remember had an important impact on me.  The then Brother Sean Drury was my Italian teacher for Italian III.  He was also a co-moderator of the LSSAA, (La Salle Apostolic Activities), a service program that transitioned after our school left its membership in the Legion of Mary, much to the Legion’s distressed,” said Brother  “We had about 100 guys doing all kinds of volunteer service – after school hours. Brothers Jim Bonilla and Thomas Berry, both of whom taught Spanish, were other co-moderators.  My relationship grew with these good young Brothers, especially with Sean, with whom I spent endless hours talking after school.” 

“Of course, one can never forget Brother Timothy Rapa.  He was another Italian teacher of mine.  He was in charge of the sophomore and senior monitors who accompanied classes up to their next classrooms after lining up outside after lunch.   Tim later became Principal.  I loved his tough-love affection for us.  And then, my freshman Italian teacher Brother Paul Goodwin.  We had a class of 45 students.  One novel technique he employed was to line us up around the room and to have us keep counting – forward and in reverse,” said Brother Ralph.  “Occasionally on Saturday mornings, I joined some other classmates to play touch football with other Brothers.  Due to the influence of these men and the activities they encouraged, I thought about becoming a Brother as a junior.  My classmate, Brother Frederick Mueller, and I shared membership in many of the same activities and clubs.”

Brother Ralph added, “In addition to the LSSAA, I was a member of the sophomore senate and the student council my senior year.  I had also been a member of the Benilde Club and the math and chemistry clubs.  After graduation, Fred Mueller and I were off to the Brothers’ novitiate in Narragansett from June 1966 to September 1967 with four other classmates for our first year of training as Brothers.  It was a great year of personal and spiritual growth, and an opportunity to develop some friendships among the Brothers that have lasted some 44 years.”

From Narragansett, Brother Ralph went to the scholasticate in Washington, DC, where he joined about 120 other young brothers, still in training and studying for their undergraduate degrees at The Catholic University of America.  Initially, he planned on being a math major but switched to Italian literature and graduated in the spring of 1971, taking a number of graduate courses like many others because CUA may not have had an undergraduate program at the time.  After graduation and a six week trip to Italy, he was back at La Salle, initially teaching Italian; he later expanded his repertoire to senior religion, and after an MAT in ceramics at RIC, a class in ceramics and design.

For the next eleven years, 1971 – 1982, Brother enjoyed working with students in a variety of capacities:  teaching; serving as moderator for tennis and hockey (which teams won the state titles in the same year, and then hockey again the subsequent year before the Mount began its long streak), cross country, and indoor/outdoor track, and soccer for a year; and for the junior class; and the yearbook. 

In 1976, while Brother Robert Hazard was principal, and Mr. Michael McNamara was Assistant Principal, Brother Ralph became the assistant vice-principal, sharing with Brother William Kemmerer, the VP, responsible for student life, which concerned the well-running of the school day, the school climate, discipline and behavioral counseling, while teaching a senior religion class and continuing as moderator.

“I was only five years older than the current seniors when I began teaching,” he said.  “And it seemed a bit awkward at first relating to my former teachers of just a few years previous as colleagues,” Brother Ralph continued.  “But they were a very welcoming group, making it easy to join their ranks.  As the years went by, I became involved in other teacher- and administrator- committees, including the Academic Counsel and the Principal’s Advisory Board.”

In the fall of 1982 he began a two-year stint at Salve Regina University where he was taught English composition and ceramics and served on faculty committees.  More on ceramics in a moment.

From 1984 to the spring of 1987, Brother studied for a Master of Fine Arts degree in ceramics at The George Washington University, in Washington, DC.  In addition to his studies, he earned a partial scholarship as a ceramic studio assistant and worked as a gallery assistant at the Dimock Gallery at GWU.  Upon returning to Salve, he was director of the art gallery and as instructor of 2- and 3D design.  He was nominated by the chair of the department to serve on the Rhode Island’s State Arts Council as a higher education representative, and later served for about three years as the Director of the Art in Public Places Program for RISCA, while continuing on Salve’s faculty.

Brother recounts his other roles at Salve, “During my second tenure, I served on faculty committees, the most exciting and challenging being the faculty senate, where I later became its president for five years.”

Following a six-month assignment as assistant to the Provincial at the De La Salle Christian Brothers Center in Narragansett, he was back with Salve for two years as the coordinator of academic advising and academic advisor to the junior and senior classes.  “Then, wanting to serve in a Brother-sponsored ministry again, I returned to La Salle in 2001 as the Dean of the Class of 2005,” Brother added.

“When I returned as Dean, it was my first time teaching young adolescent girls.  It was different from teaching college-aged females and much different than teaching boys at either end of the adolescent spectrum,” said Brother Ralph.  “Sometimes while monitoring lunches, it was though I saw students (the boys) who were at La Salle during my first life at La Salle.  The Class of 2005 was my life for those four years. Although not all of them may have understood it clearly, I loved them as my younger sisters and brothers. It was tough to see them move on,” he added.

Then Brother returned to higher education again, this time at Manhattan College in Riverdale, NY, another Brother-sponsored college.  He first served as the director of the mentor program for two years, and then as director of resident life from 2007 to 2009.  “It was great to meet so many dedicated alums while working at the mentor program.  Besides matching students with alums in the work the students aspired to enter, the job also involved helping build good relations between the alums and the College,” Brother Ralph explained.  “My work with residence life spanned all kinds of initiatives: working with the resident assistants, the resident directors and area coordinators; assuring proper food service and housing assignments and residence hall maintenance, among them.”

That brings us to the 2009-2010 academic year. “I was fortunate to earn a sabbatical from the LINE district this year.  I took a graduate course in Old Testament at Providence College and returned to my clay work after a hiatus of close to 10 years.  I am grateful for the opportunity and have already been in three art exhibits.  Clay work keeps me grounded physically, spiritually, and psychically.  I was able to do my ceramic work at PC’s studio, where I took my first class, and where I met lots of other dedicated artists, younger and older.”

Brother concluded with a quick look back to see how La Salle has become something of a family tradition.

“My brothers Robert, ’78, a basketball co-captain, and Ronald, ’79, an LSA actor for a short while, were at La Salle when I was assistant vice principal.  My nephew Christopher Lavigne, ’02, was a “Pegascite” before entering the high school,” said Brother.  Chris, now a videographer, has prepared the video presentations for the last couple of Hall of Fame Dinners and prepares the senior slide show for the graduation dinner.  Ron’s daughter Mary will be a junior; and a cousin, Tony Bucci, attended, as does his daughter Christine, also a junior.  Obviously, this school means a great deal to us.”

And now Brother Ralph is off to La Salle University in Philadelphia where he is joining the campus ministry team.  Still with a special place for our La Salle in his heart, he adds, "Maybe I will return here again, if the good Lord wants."