Sadly enough, another of the Benedictine pioneers has passed on and Sean McWeeney and I in a recent conversation talked about persons such as him on those who had such a groundbreaking influence on our early lives.  Fr. Tuck was one of them.  He had a profound influence on the lives of many and in much the same way that Deacon Lou and Fr. Bonaventure had an impact on many, Fr. Tuck's impact was equally as great and as lasting, especially for those of us who gravitated to the Arts.  I knew him well.

Our first encounter was in First Form in a class which was simply time-tabled as Music, a prerequisite of all students in those days.  I can still recall our first meeting.  His music room was at the bottom of the staircase at ground level in the old school, near to the bicycle rack.  The music room had an upright piano, a few chairs lined against the wall, various musical instruments such as recorders in boxes, and sheet music stacked in neat piles all over the place.  At the centre of it all was a huge (but not fat) burly man in his cotton white monastic gown.  He had a booming voice and made sure that there was attentiveness in the room.

Much of the detail of the class is not worth remembering now, but it was his sense of discipline, his desire to make us learn about more than the mundane in terms of our exposure to great musical tradition and his great sense of style that stand out.  As First Formers we all had to do voice try out and together with about six others I was selected to join the CHORUS and to sing in various groups: - 1st tenor, 2nd tenor, 1st bass and 2nd bass.  Most of us endured in the CHORUS for the full five years of SAC and some like William Rahming went on to sing professionally.  Others such as myself never lost my love of music and credit whatever singing ability that I continue to have to the CHORUS.

Fr. Tuck trusted in me as the years moved on in many ways.  I remember, for example that when he became a part of the Renaissance Singers he always insisted that I attended the performances (he would collect me from off East St. in the monk's van) and have me attend the concerts, usually held at Christ Church Cathedral where my job was to make sure that the then state of the art recording machines with reels, etc. was properly set up and switched on and that the recording was being carefully monitored for audio quality.  Afterwards, wherever a post-concert reception was being held, I would go along.

It was high class exposure for a fellow from off East Street.  From Form 3 onwards, I had increasingly major roles in all of his end of year operatic/musical productions.  There is so much more to remember ... but another iconic figure has passed on.

REQUIESCAT PACEM, Fr. Tuck.
Luther E. Smith