But Chris persisted and Father relented, with one condition. “I said it would be okay, but only if they did it also in memory and in honor of my father and mother: Walter and Clara Wade. They were examples all their lives of Bellarmine’s goal for students to develop their talents, abilities and gifts to make a difference for the good in the lives of others.”

Clara and Walter Wade

From the start, Clara and Walter instilled in young Jerry the value and the examples of what it meant to live for and with others. Father Wade fondly recalled, “My Dad was a trusted community figure. Mom would visit the sick. They were very much ‘people-persons.’ Dad was friendly, especially with Jesuit and lay professors and students from Santa Clara University. Clara was also doing the same with her neighbors and volunteering at Saint Clare.” Their selfless service was a shining example for young Jerry, who decided he wanted to be like his parents.

Walter Wade owned Wade’s Mission Pharmacy in the former downtown area of Santa Clara before the pharmacy, along with the rest of the city’s historic city center, was controversially leveled. Reflecting further about his dad, Father Wade recalled, “Dad took time to affirm and appreciate all who worked for him — pharmacists, clerks, janitors, drivers, those from the linens supply company, sundries — and every[one]. If a client called on a Sunday, my dad would go down and open the store for them. Or he would bring them medicine himself, even if he had to take the bus. That's why he was beloved.”

Neither Clara nor Walter ever learned to drive a car, and both always preferred to walk to their parish of Saint Clare, where they were married in 1934 and sent young Jerry, born in 1937, to school. During his formative years, the Sisters of Notre Dame ran the school, and they had an irrevocable effect on young Jerry.

Bellarmine College Preparatory

Jerry Wade entered the Jesuits in 1955 following his graduation from Bellarmine, where he recalled, “I loved being a Bellarmine young man.” After years of pursuing degrees in philosophy, theology, and classical language — as well as working as Vice Principal at Loyola High School — Father Wade returned as President of Bellarmine in 1979 where he has spent a lifetime intentionally, and legendarily, learning the names of nearly everyone even while his own name has become constitutive of the DNA of the school itself. In the words of Chris Meyercord, “Father Wade's impact on the Bellarmine community cannot be measured. No person embodies all that we are better than Father Wade. Or to put it more accurately: Father Wade embodies Bellarmine when we are at our best.”

Fellow Jesuit and longtime close friend and travel companion Father Richard Cobb SJ spoke of Father Wade’s ability to epitomize what it means to live ‘for others.’ He confirmed of his friend, “His memory is incredible! He cares for people and constantly phones or emails to check on them.” Father Cobb also appeared in a video tribute for Father Wade (see sidebar).

Other long-term Bellarmine acquaintances and friends echo Father Wade’s effect on the school as well as their own lives and faith. The school’s Vice President, Brian Adams, reflected on how “Father Wade's presence, his care and compassion, and his genuine goodness have changed lives for good. He was the celebrant at the baptism of my eldest grandson, a witness to my son's marriage, and a supportive presence during a time of family loss. He has been a true friend and confidant and has encouraged me to see God in all things.”

Mike Janda, retired instructor and football coach at Bellarmine, also shared that, “No matter the outcome of the game, he would always wait to greet me and my coaches. He always had the right words for every situation. Just seeing him there during those moments meant the world to me.”

The Name of Wade: The Legacy of Walter and Clara

The name that once adorned the sign of Wade’s Mission Pharmacy in Santa Clara will now forever be etched on Bellarmine campus’s newest 43,000 sq. ft. structure, the Wade Academic Center. Per Father Wade’s request, a special homage to his parents exists on a dedication plaque in the lobby and includes a picture of Walter and Clara.

Father expressed his hope for both his and his parents’ legacies for all Jesuit high school graduates. “My Mom and Dad were humble in the good sense of humility, from very young ages. I hope that my legacy will be that I tried to be a “leader,” by bringing people together in friendship and happy moments, with their having felt affirmed and appreciated."

Now in his eighties, Father’s ministry is predominantly administering the sacrament of the sick. Of this new apostolate, his thoughts drift, as perhaps they always do, to his parents. “My mom and dad would be happy to know I am working with the sick. Dad would go to rosaries and funerals of customers. My parents read the obituaries every day, and I would read the obituaries every day.” It is easy to perceive how behind all of Father Wade’s actions stand Walter and Clara, his original models of faith, cornerstones of their community who, Father Wade mused, “were ‘Jesus’ quite often for others.”

In his own words

During his years of leadership, Father Wade shared that it was fulfilling for him as a Jesuit priest to have the opportunity of being with everyone, from students and alumni to parents and their families, daily. Particularly, he enjoyed sharing the Catholic sacraments with them, especially the sacrament of the sick, baptisms, and marriages. “Just being present with families has been very meaningful,” Father Wade reflected. He also enjoyed the early years of the Diocese of San José and working with the welcoming leadership of its Bishops — DuMaine, McGrath, and now Cantú — as well as many of the diocesan clergy and chancery leaders such as Monsignor Fran Cilia and Sister Mary Claude Power PBVM.

At Bellarmine, Father Wade is especially proud of building strong endowments to provide tuition assistance and equitable opportunities for students to attend Bellarmine. Of what he hopes people will say of him when they enter Wade Academic Center, he shared, “I hope they say that Wade was the person who wanted to ensure a diverse school; that he was a people person who loved being a Jesuit and a priest. I hope they remember that Wade was involved in the activities at Bellarmine. He wanted our graduates to be men for and with others, and, in unison with their dioceses, to help people.”

Father described his faith as still being invigorating and hope-filled. “I pray to Jesus, my friend, every night. As a Jesuit and priest, I still reflect on whether I made a difference for the good for those whom I had spent time with that day, whether I welcomed the opportunity to be like Jesus.” This is also what he hopes people will remember about him as both the namesake of the academic center and the cornerstone of his community. “I hope they remember that Wade always had a smile on his face. And that I took the time to remember people’s names. Like the Good Shepherd, “He called them by name” (Jn 10:3).