91�����

Students returning to their residence halls after classes on February 8 took a detour past St. Joseph Commons to visit some old friends � and enjoy some final pre-Lenten treats! Barbara O�Flynn, affectionately known at 91����� Aquinas College as �the Banana Bread Lady,� spent hours in the Dumb Ox Café with her husband, Patrick, conversing with students and distributing baked goods � a ritual that has punctuated semesters on the California campus for almost six years.

Members of the College�s President�s Council, the O�Flynns began paying their semi-annual visits (with goodies) in 2017. As a younger man, Mr. O�Flynn had read St. John Henry Newman�s The Idea of a University with approval: �I said to myself, �That�s the proper form of education!�� When he learned that Newman�s writings had strongly influenced the College�s founding document, Mr. O�Flynn decided he needed to see Newman�s famous idea in action.

The O�Flynns got their wish. They visited several classes during that first visit and were delighted by the Discussion Method. �What I found most fascinating,� reflects Mr. O�Flynn, �is that often a student who hadn�t said a word during the back and forth would suddenly say something that tied everything together perfectly, abstracting the meat of an idea from all the different positions � and then not say another word the rest of class!�

But if it was the College�s reputation that first attracted them, the O�Flynns now return so regularly because of its students. �When we first came, they asked us, �Who are you here to visit?�� recalls Mrs. O�Flynn. �We told them, �You!� We�re not their aunts and uncles, not their parents or teachers; we have no children to send here. Our idea is just to tell the students how important we feel it is for them to get this education.�

They also bring treats. �Up to this time, she�s been known as �the wife of the guy with the long white beard,�� laughs Mr. O�Flynn. �But she became �the Banana Bread Lady,� and I became �the husband of the Banana Bread Lady!�� All Mrs. O�Flynn can do is smile. �It�s a title that makes my heart swell!�

It is also well earned. Mrs. O�Flynn bakes and freezes around 30 loaves of banana bread in anticipation of the couple�s fall visits. In the week before their most recent sojourn, she was merrily mired in batch after batch of brownies. The work is well worth it, however: No matter what she makes, there are never any leftovers.

The students, of course, look forward to more than just banana bread or brownies. �The O�Flynns� visit is always a treat,� says Michaela Lessard (�23). �The fact that they have no ties to the College besides their love of our mission reminds us all how blessed we are to be here.� The steady stream of students to the Dumb Ox Café last week eloquently echoed that sentiment. �We truly love this place,� says Mrs. O�Flynn. For its part, the College looks forward to welcoming the Banana Bread Lady (and her husband) for many semesters to come.