On May 19th, longtime athletic director, boys basketball coach, history teacher, part-time college counselor, and, most importantly, a beloved member of our community, Jim Fenerty 1760 passed away. Many GA community members were able to celebrate his life at his funeral on May 24th.
Fenerty is a legend in the Philadelphia basketball community, with 626 career wins, which is the most in Inter-Ac League boys basketball history, and has led the Patriots to 17 Inter-Academic League Championships. But along with all his victories, he also touched the lives of countless students and teachers at GA. Current Head of School Rich Schellhas reflected on Fenerty’s legacy in an email addressing the school saying, “as a man, as a role model, he taught us to be defined by love, by relationships, by kindness, by passion, and by integrity – and never by our wins and losses.” Schellhas also remarked that Fenerty was “a true family man who loved and lived for his wife Mary and children Jimmy ’09, Erin ’12, and Jessica, son-in-law Jawan, future daughter-in-law Emily, and grandson Jalen.” The many community members interviewed for this article also echoed this statement.
When reflecting on their relationship with Fenerty, many community members talked about how he had the ability to make you feel special. Diana Caramanico, GA alum and current math teacher, explained, “You felt when you were talking to him that he had nothing better to do than to talk to you or sit with you and help you with whatever it was you needed help with. And if he couldn’t…he’d make an appointment to talk to you later that day or call and check in.” A current member of the basketball team, Jake Hsu ‘22, spoke about one of these times when he recalled a trip Fenerty took him on to see a UPenn basketball game: “Even though it was a basketball trip to get a feel for the team, it was just such a great experience and one I really cherish now. We talked the whole car ride down; there was never a dull moment.” Hsu elaborated on how Coach Fenerty really cared about his players as people, saying, “He focused on the team, not just about basketball but the players in general” and “the only time we talked about basketball was at practice, and outside of that it was just like we were friends and I think that’s one of the things that makes him so special.”
Carlos Chubb, Spanish teacher and assistant boys basketball coach, highlights Fenerty’s “kind and caring” heart and good humor. Chubb, like many others in the school community, was “taken under [Fenerty’s] wing” and inspired by his continuous generosity. When describing his legacy, Chubb states, “He is definitely a legend in the basketball panorama in Pennsylvania. His legacy reaches out further than the limits of basketball…He’s like a second father to all his former players, and they keep seeing him as a reference even when they graduate.”
In addition to his involvement at GA as a coach, Fenerty was also a beloved teacher. He taught a course called Civil Liberties, in which students critically analyzed the context of Supreme Court cases and how they affect us today. History Department Head Bob Moyer explains “it is easy to see why so many students requested his class every year.” He adds, “he had a way of telling the stories of the cases and then getting students to connect these legal decisions to what was going on around them in politics, government, and ultimately their own lives.”
Fenerty was also so much more to our GA community than a legendary basketball coach and teacher. Theater director K Richardson recalled his kindness to her when she first stepped into the role of director. She says, “he reached out to me and was very sympathetic and understanding” and adds “it meant a lot to me, he was a really empathetic, gentle, compassionate man.” She also told a unique story about Fenerty’s support of Belfry shows. He attended every show, and when there was a need for a boys chorus line in the musical 9 to 5, “he had his whole basketball team and the wrestling team come in too.” Richardson remembers “it was really fun and it meant a lot to the kids in Belfry that they did it…I don’t think there’s a lot of athletic directors who would do something like that.”
Caramanico described Fenerty as “a connector” who maintained lifelong connections with students and alums and also helped others build connections with each other, saying, “he constantly had his eye out for anything he could do to help anybody.” Caramanico also explained that his legacy will live on through all the relationships he formed, saying, “he’ll be connecting people even though he is not here.”
Matt Dolan, who knew Mr. Fenerty personally since 2011 and is now GA boys basketball head coach, notes Fenerty’s endless “humility” and generosity. He mentions that Fenerty was “always trying to do the right thing and make people feel important.” On the topic of Fenerty’s legacy, Dolan says, “the best compliment I can give Coach Fenerty is that he did so many great things for people that people don’t even know of. His ability to do things for others and not need or want the credit….speaks to the type of person that he was.” Dolan adds, “he wanted to serve others, and he did it on such a consistent basis that it’s pretty unbelievable.” Schellhas echoed this sentiment in his statement, writing, “his legacy is, and will always be, his heart.”
