John G. Holbrook, SJ

A gregarious human being and a keen listener, Fr. John G. Holbrook, 84, died of cancer at St. Camillus Health Care Center on Aug. 30, 2004 in Wauwatosa, Wis.

Born in Des Moines, Iowa on July 28, 1920, John graduated from Campion in 1938 and entered the Society of Jesus at Florissant, Mo. He pursued degrees in speech and in counseling and was ordained a priest in 1952.

Over the years he garnered many friends while at Marquette University (1954-64) and at Creighton University (1964-2003). At Creighton he held many positions: chaplain in the School of Dentistry, residence hall chaplain, rector of the Jesuit community, and director of pastoral care at St. Joseph’s Hospital. He loved to visit with people, and even in retirement he would staff the desk in the surgery waiting room of the hospital. He married, baptized and buried countless number of people whom he met at Creighton.

An avid sportsman, John loved scuba diving, downhill skiing, tennis and golf. He left Creighton in 2003 and in 2004 was diagnosed with cancer.

Basil M. Price, SJ

A cheerful, generous soul, Fr. Basil M. Price, 81, died Sept. 29, 2004 of colon cancer in Seoul, Korea.

One of nine boys, Basil was born June 18, 1923 on the family homestead south of Amelia, Neb. He always dreamed of being a missionary and joined the Jesuits in 1941. But the farthest from home he got before ordination was Campion Jesuit High School (1949-51).

After ordination in 1954 his dreams came true in 1957 when he boarded a cargo ship in San Francisco and soon arrived in Inchon, South Korea, where he participated in the construction of Sogang College in Seoul.

He later taught history, theology, and English at the college, which became Sogang University, but over time he did even more. Among other things, he founded and ran the Institute for Labor and Management where, between 1966 and 2004, 10,000 labor union leaders received an education in labormanagement relations.

In early August 2004 Basil was diagnosed with late-stage colon cancer. He died less than two months later in the St. Mary Hospital hospice ward in Seoul after slipping into a coma.