If you are interested in honoring Tim, he has asked that you make a donation to his scholarship, the Timothy Bunce Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship was started in 2011 by Dianna Wilke `88, who served as a member of the Board of Directors and sought to establish an endowed scholarship to honor one of her valued teachers, Mr. Timothy Bunce. With the interest and support of other alumni, the Timothy Bunce Endowed Scholarship was formed.
The scholarship is intended to support a Villanova student for all four years of his or her education. It has been awarded to legacy students, children, and siblings of alumni who show potential and are interested in pursuing a college degree. Thank you to those who have already supported the TB Scholarship, we are very grateful!
Hello to Everyone,
Well, this is it. It is Ave Atque Vale time. After forty years at Villanova, I will retire at the end of June 2024. I would like to thank everyone for their constant support, and good wishes throughout my time at Villanova. Fifteen years ago, marking my 25th anniversary, I wrote down the following musings:
“I recently was walking through a mall when the radio began playing Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It.” Hmm, I thought, that song came out the year I started at Villanova. At the end of the song, the DJ cut in with the announcement, “Stay tuned for more from Classic Rock Oldies Radio.” It just let me know how much time had elapsed since I started teaching.”
It seems hard to realize that 40 years have gone by so quickly. When I started, Villanova was regarded as a quality school that stood for a high level of academic excellence. I wasn’t sure that a school of this caliber would accept a newly minted teacher, but much to my surprise, I was hired the day after my interview. I will always remember Brother Gerry Watt calling me and telling me to come in the next day as first-of-the-year meetings began.
I was blessed to know some incredible educators who mentored me along the way. Father John Glynn, Brother Steve McKenna, and Bill and Irene Snively are the names that most often come to mind, and there are so many more.
I have to say, more than anything, that the students have made my time at VPS so meaningful. Smart, funny, inquisitive, challenging, and incredibly loyal, I am surrounded by their echoes and the sound of their laughter. In addition, they also gave me Bunce’s First Rule for Survival as a Villanova Teacher: Admit you have students who are smarter than you. And kinder. And more generous. And more understanding. Thank you all for the best past life I could have ever imagined.
Funny. At the end of forty years, it turns out that love had quite a bit to do with it.
—Mr. Timothy Bunce