John R. McConnell Jr., founding president of Cristo Rey High School, has died at 72
He was so motivated to provide quality education for local high school students in financial need that he quit his job as a management consultant and founded Cristo Rey in North Philadelphia.
John R. McConnell Jr., 72, of St. Davids, founding president of Cristo Rey High School, longtime management consultant, four-time Mummers Parade champion, mentor, and volunteer, died Monday, Nov. 4, of sepsis and organ failure at Kindred Hospital Philadelphia-Havertown.
Mr. McConnell grew up in Rosemont and graduated from St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in 1970 and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1982. He lived in St. Davids with his wife, Gwen, and their four children, and was so motivated to provide quality education for local high school students in financial need that he quit his job as a management consultant and founded Cristo Rey in North Philadelphia.
In 10 years as president at Cristo Rey and 12 overall, Mr. McConnell oversaw a high school that became the largest in the national Cristo Rey network and graduated more than 900 students, all of whom were accepted at colleges. He opened the four-year college preparatory school in a former elementary school in 2012, and it specialized in placing student interns with local companies and organizations where they were mentored by college-educated adults.
Mr. McConnell called the idea “meaningful encountering,” and he championed educational inclusion and opportunity for all students everywhere. He quoted Mother Teresa when he spoke of the school’s mission and promoted a future “unbounded and full of open possibilities.”
In 2019, the school moved to a new $40 million campus on Allegheny Avenue. He retired to much fanfare in 2022.
“Without him, there would be no Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School,” colleagues said in a tribute. “He believed in our students. He believed in our mission. And he worked every day to make it all possible.”
In 2008, Mr. McConnell ended his 26-year career as a business management consultant at Deloitte and spent the next four years attracting benefactors and students, hiring architects and builders, and finding qualified teachers and administrators for Cristo Rey. He studied education at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and Villanova University, joined the Association of Catholic Teachers, and taught religion classes at St. Pius X High School in Pottstown for a year to get reacquainted with the classroom.
“John had confidence in a better future and worked to make that future real every day with our young people at Cristo Rey Philadelphia,” current president Tom Shoemaker said in a tribute. Mr. McConnell said: “These kids may not have started at the same place as I did in life. But I’d like to ensure that they will finish the same.”
His work at Cristo Rey was recognized by the Philadelphia Business Journal, and he received honorary degrees from Cabrini and Neumann Universities. He mentored hundreds of students and staff, volunteered on boards and councils, and served as chairman of the board at St. Joseph’s Prep.
He was a “curious problem-solver,” his family said in a tribute.
Mr. McConnell also cofounded the Wayne Strutters in 1987, and the Mummers Parade comic brigade won four top prizes and expanded to nearly 20 families over 10 years. In 2021, Mr. McConnell and his daughter, Katy, did their Mummers strut during the father-daughter dance at her wedding.
“It’s tough for Main Liners because we are so far removed from the action, mostly in South Philadelphia,” Mr. McConnell told The Inquirer in 1988. “It’s lots of fun and good times, and you don’t do it for the money. But how many Main Liners do you know who are Mummers?”
John Roderer McConnell Jr. was born Aug. 17, 1952, in Camden. His family moved to Rosemont when he was young, and he graduated from St. Joseph’s Prep and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at Georgetown University in Washington in 1974.
Inspired as a boy by his father’s empathy and embrace of social justice, he sought ways to help his friends and neighbors, especially young people, through education. He taught CCD at his local Catholic parish for years and even created his own text and lesson plans.
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He met Gwen Welsch at a financial management program in 1976, and they married in 1978, and had sons John, Matt, and Mike and a daughter, Katy. “Life with John was the adventure of a lifetime with surprises around every corner,” his wife said.
Mr. McConnell was a prolific painter, and he created memorable portraits, landscapes, and still lifes. He organized the annual McConnell Cup golf championship for his sons, the 75-mile family bike ride from Philadelphia to Avalon, and swim tests for the young kids at the family pool. He especially enjoyed gardening, fishing, and time with his family on the Avalon, N.J., beach.
“He was great at seeing everyone’s potential, often before they could see it in themselves,” his son Matt said. His son John said: “His spirit was and will continue to be carried to us through people he made an impact on in his life.”
His son Mike said: “He delighted in scheming up the next adventure, creating new traditions, and bringing people together.” His daughter said: “I am thankful for the strength of his legacy and these great memories that will live with us forever.”
In addition to his wife and children, Mr. McConnell is survived by eight grandchildren, a sister, and other relatives. Two sisters died earlier.
Services were held on Nov. 10 and 11.
Donations in his name may be made to Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School, 1717 W. Allegheny Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19132.