Brother Terence McLaughlin, FSC – known to many simply as Brother Terence – passed away peacefully on May 25, 2025, at the remarkable age of 102. Born John Patrick McLaughlin on December 14, 1922, in Duluth, Minnesota, he was drawn to the Christian Brothers as a young student, inspired by their commitment to education and service. His journey into the Institute began in 1938 through the Juniorate and Novitiate programs in Glencoe, Missouri, where he first received the Brother’s habit and professed his vows, setting a course that would span more than eight decades.

Brother Terence’s path led him to Christian Brothers High School (CBHS) in Memphis in 1949, as the school embarked on a new chapter on East Parkway. He served in teaching and leadership roles across the Midwest — including in Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota — as well as abroad. Yet Memphis would always call him back.

In 1962, Brother Terence returned to Memphis to assume the presidency of Christian Brothers College – a pivotal moment for both the institution and the city. He not only helped lay the foundation for the new CBHS campus on Walnut Grove Road but also took a courageous stand that would change Memphis forever: he admitted Jesse Turner Jr. as the first Black student to CBHS, making it the first integrated high school in Memphis. For this, Brother Terence is remembered as a pioneer – the “father and hero of integration” in Memphis and the Mid-South.

Throughout his life, Brother Terence remained a friend and advisor to ten presidents of CBU. When he passed, he had been a De La Salle Christian Brother for 84 faithful years.

Brother Terence’s impact extended beyond the classroom and administrative offices; it lived in the thousands of lives he touched with his humility, courage, and grace. He is survived by his sister, nieces, nephew, and several cousins.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on June 2 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, with interment at Calvary Cemetery. As we remember Brother Terence, we honor not only a life well-lived but a legacy that continues to inspire us all.