Austin Conley, professor emeritus of classics who nurtured a close connection with the college even in retirement, died Thursday, July 2, following a short illness.
Professor Conley started teaching at Saint Anselm in 1948, when he was one of only four non-clergy faculty members. He taught courses in English literature, grammar, Latin and
Greek. He chaired the classics department for nearly 30 years, and was instrumental in bringing the Humanities Program into the curriculum through his translations of Latin primary sources.
He was married to Ruth Conley, a 1956 graduate of Saint Anselm who lectured in the nursing department. After his retirement in 1984, the couple continued to live near the college and regularly attended art exhibitions, lectures and commencement exercises. “This is our second home and
the people are like family,” Mrs. Conley said in a 2005 interview with Portraits magazine.
The Conleys also have been important benefactors of the college, offering generous support to the Geisel Library and in 2001 establishing an endowed scholarship to assist talented students in the English department.
Professor Conley was an honorary Golden Anselmian, the name given to alumni who have been graduated for 50 years, and he shared the designation with some of the students he taught. Father Jonathan DeFelice, O.S.B., president of the college, is one of Professor Conley’s former students.
“For more than 60 years, Austin Conley was an important and beloved figure on the Saint Anselm campus,” said Father Jonathan. “He was a mentor to countless students during his long teaching career, sharing with them his love of English and the classics. After he retired, he and Ruth continued to help Saint Anselm students with generous donations. Professor Conley remained an active member of the Saint Anselm community to the end of his life, satisfying his great appetite for learning by attending lectures, art exhibits and other cultural events. He will be greatly missed by me and the many people who knew and loved him.”
Professor Conley liked to travel, visiting with his wife locations in Europe and the eastern provinces of Canada.
His body will be waked Monday, July 6, from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Connor-Healey Funeral Home, on Union Street, Manchester. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday, July 7, at 10 a.m. in the Abbey Church.