Forty-eight years ago, when Assistant Principal for Academics Tom Becvar first stepped foot on Oakland Avenue, Richard Nixon was being investigated for his involvement in the Watergate scandal, the last American troops were leaving Vietnam, and the term ‘internet’ had not even been conceived. After a career that long, Becvar has served nearly 10,000 students and held a multitude of important titles at SLUH. Decades after the start of his career, though, Becvar announced this year that he will be retiring, leaving behind a SLUH community that is much better off because of his work.

Becvar has served as the Assistant Principal for Academics for the past 16 years, and before that he served as the Math Department Chair for 23 years. His arrival at SLUH in 1973, though, was not marked by much pomp or circumstance. Becvar himself describes it as a fairly straightforward affair.

“I had heard there was an opening here when I was teaching in the St. Louis Public Schools and I thought ‘this is something I really want to do,’” said Becvar. “I came over, applied, and the rest is history.” 

What followed, though, was indeed history, as reported by the teachers and students who have known him. Myriad of teachers have come and gone in his tenure, including the vast array of Jesuits that used to occupy the majority of teaching positions at the school.

“When I started here, half the faculty were Jesuits and they pretty much handled all the mission type things. As the number of Jesuits diminished, the lay people took over,” reflected Becvar. “When they asked me if I would do a retreat probably in the 80’s somewhere, I was one of the first lay people asked to do that.”

Even though the people have changed over time, there has been one constant for Becvar: a love of math—a love that inspired his pivotal work with the AP program as the chair of the Math Department. It was Becvar, for example, who first introduced the AP Calculus curriculum at SLUH.

“During my time (as Department chair), I probably brought the AP program to where it is now. We had no AP Calculus when I started but we now have over 150 students taking AP Calculus. Overall, the AP program has been a really big (project) that I’ve worked on for the school.”

Becvar’s work with AP classes is something he considers one of his greatest accomplishments at SLUH, and this year alone over 1,000 AP tests were administered at SLUH, highlighting the work that’s been done in his time here. 

As Assistant Principal for Academics, Becvar brought the same energy and dedication, working for weeks each year in front of a computer to ensure students even had classes to attend. Craig Hannick, a fellow math teacher and close friend of Becvar, was quick to point out Becvar’s work day in and day out for students. 

“He goes through incredible toil to make sure that students get the schedules that they want and that the classes are balanced. All those tiny, little things, he spends an inordinate amount of time on just to make the school runs very efficiently,” said Hannick.

While they did guarantee him a comfy seat in the main office, Becvar’s administrative titles alone do not do his time at SLUH justice. Most students already know he controls the schedules, but what they may not know is the full extent of his impact on SLUH. 

“It’s hard to point to an area of the school that he hasn’t been involved in at some point. Teaching just scrapes the surface of what he’s done,” said Dan Becvar, Tom Becvar’s son and Math Department colleague.

From overseeing the music for Senior Follies to score keeping at basketball games and even to leading SLUH’s bowling team, Becvar has had a hand in nearly every part of student life at SLUH. 

Still, it is first and foremost his role as a teacher, the job he was originally hired for, that has made Becvar stand out the most.

“(Becvar) is a master teacher, one of the few people in my life that I look at as who made me who I am today,” said fellow math teacher Craig Hannick. “His skill for teaching, his care for every student, his passion for the subject are things that I try to emulate everyday. I think of him often in terms of my own teaching.”

“He’s taught for quite a long time and I rely on him a lot for tips on how to present different topics. He has a gift for taking things that seem really difficult and breaking them down and presenting them in ways that make them seem much more simple,” agreed Dan Becvar.

Tom Becvar’s love of teaching informed everything he did at SLUH and his passion for learning spread quickly.

“On the first day, Mr. Becvar told us ‘Calculus is fun’ and I guess he was right in the end. I was always really excited to see him so I don't know if it was more Calculus or more him that made me excited, but either way I always looked forward to seeing him smiling up at the front of class,” said Anthony Adem, who was a student of Becvar this year. “He also said ‘Calculus is always easier when I do it’ because, you know, we really struggled. It was a hard class, but he always found ways to make it fun for us and make us laugh, which I enjoyed.”

While Calculus may in fact have come easy to Becvar, he never took that for granted, always remembering the struggles of his students.

“(Becvar is) very patient, that’s one thing that stood out about his teaching,” reflected senior Kevin Hickey. “I had him for BC Calc, which isn't exactly an easy class, but he was very good at being patient as everyone in the class was confused with the difficulty of the material. Of the AP classes I took, Calc was the most thorough, and we definitely covered everything that we needed. Mr. Becvar was one of my favorite teachers this year.”

In fact, for Hannick, who even in his own long tenure doesn’t come close to matching Becvar’s experience, Becvar’s care for the students and faculty at SLUH is unmatched.

“He has an ear for the new faculty. They go to him with questions and he’s free to give advice, which is always good and certainly, he always, always in meetings will speak up for the needs of the student. He always keeps that in mind,” Hannick said emphatically.

Perhaps most significant about Becvar’s role as a teacher was that he did not limit himself to just his students. Countless faculty throughout the building can also attribute their success in class to Becvar’s mentorship.

“(Becvar) was a huge influence on my wanting to be a teacher and to teach math in general. In terms of my relationship with him as a colleague, he has been an incredible mentor for me,” said Dan Becvar. “He’s always been incredibly supportive of me, but I know that a lot of my other colleagues would say the same thing—that he’s in their corner and that he’s been a source of guidance when they’ve gone through struggles. He looks out for the faculty members here.”

Hannick agreed, noting that Becvar’s compassionate leadership has been a part of him for decades.

“As a very young teacher, new to SLUH, he would invite me over to his house in the evenings and we would go over lesson plans, classroom management, and homework together. Back then, young Mr. Becvar was just baby Becvar. I felt a part of his family from the day I walked into this building and I still do today.”

As for Becvar’s next steps, they will unsurprisingly still involve St. Louis U. High—after all, it takes more than a retirement party to undo 48 years of work. He plans to work closely with the new Assistant Principal for Academics Kevin Foy over the next few months to help teach the scheduling software and other jobs of the Assistant Principal. Next year, he will work as a consultant for Foy and the administration. Plus, with some of his own family members working in the building like son Dan and daughter-in-law Sarah Becvar, it’s unlikely that Tom will be a stranger to SLU High.

“I’ll miss the camaraderie with the faculty as well. Over the years I’ve met some wonderful people. I won’t lose total contact with what’s going on,” said Tom Becvar. “I’ll still be here a lot.”

When not at SLUH, Becvar plans to spend more time with his family, including his four new grandchildren, something his son is glad he’s taking the time for.

“I hope he gets the time to relax and enjoy things (in retirement),” said Dan Becvar. “I know the last couple months have been tough with all the pandemic restrictions. It’s been quite a lot of work for the administration to reorganize things and try and keep the school running as much as possible. He’s got a couple new grandkids so he should get ready for some grandpa babysitting duties. It’ll be good that he can spend more time with family.”

As Tom Becvar prepares for a new chapter in his life without SLUH, teachers and students throughout the school are preparing for a new chapter without Becvar. Students and faculty alike recognize the void he will leave behind.

“I definitely think there will be a void without (Becvar),” said Adem. “Of course, I think Dr. Foy is qualified to take his spot but it’s just going to be so weird to not have him sitting in that office. Everything at SLUH is going through some kind of change now because everything was run through Mr. Becvar but now he’s gone.”

“He always provides a sense of calm when I walk into his office,” noted Dan Becvar. “It was nice to have that opportunity available every day. It was just always nice to be able to stop by and check in; it reminded me of the times when he taught me when I was a senior. I’m not aware of a SLUH without my dad. That’s going to be something really tough to get used to, but I know he’s still going to be involved with the school. His influence over me will certainly remain strong.”

Becvar will certainly cherish the memories he’s made in his 48 years. Of course, the memories that will stand out most of all are those that connect back to his love of math and of teaching in a classroom environment.

“There are so many favorite parts (of my time at SLUH) but certainly teaching Calculus is one of them. I have fun in the classroom, I have a good time. We learn a lot but it's worth doing because everyday I go in and it’s enjoyable. Sometimes I can leave my office where I’m dealing with all this craziness and leave it for an hour and just go to class and have a good time. That’s a big part of what I’ll miss.”