David T. Horn Jr., 77, teacher who inspired

David T. Horn Jr., 77, of Laverock, a teacher and debate coach at Bishop McDevitt High School who pointed the way to higher education for many working-class families, died Saturday, Oct. 3, of congestive heart failure at Mercy Philadelphia Hospital.

Mr. Horn taught English, history, and the humanities to three generations of pupils at the Wyncote-based school. He retired last year after 53 years in the classroom. For 27 years, beginning in the 1960s, he coached McDevitt's nationally ranked debate team.

He was revered for his precise manner, ironic wit, the high expectations he had for all his students, and an appreciation for good writing and oratory.

An only child with no family, Mr. Horn made his life's work placing hundreds of his students, many from humble beginnings, at some of the country's best colleges and universities. In most cases, the students were the first of their family to seek higher education.

"I never heard of Dartmouth College, and he helped me get a full ride, and then pointed me at Yale Law School, where I was joined by another of his debaters from McDevitt, the only two Catholic Leaguers in our time up there," said Tom Foley, a former student and president of Mount Aloysius College.

Mr. Horn held fund-raisers and spent his own money so his debating teams could compete across Pennsylvania and at schools such as Georgetown, Dartmouth, Harvard, and Marquette. "And when we did well, he talked the schools into giving us scholarships to go there," Foley said.

Born and reared in Philadelphia, Mr. Horn was a graduate of St. Joseph's Preparatory School and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

He held graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Oxford University.

Mr. Horn received the National Teachers Medal from the Freedoms Foundation in Valley Forge in the 1970s, was elected president of the National Catholic Forensic League in the 1980s, and received both the Rochambeau Award from the Knights of St. Lazarus in Jerusalem and the Brothers of Charity Triest Medal for his volunteerism in the 1990s.

He founded the World Affairs Club at McDevitt and used the organization as a launching pad for expeditions with students to conferences in the Hague, Netherlands, at St. Andrew's School in Scotland, and in other locations.

Foley said that as a teacher Mr. Horn was unmatched. "His humanities class my senior year . . . was as good an educational experience as I ever had at any level of education. He challenged us in that classroom every single day."

Brian Siegel, a former student debater, spent time with Mr. Horn in the last months of his life. Siegel said people came by to visit in droves, saying he had helped them find their voice and to achieve success in life.

"He embodied Christian leadership and service for the benefit of all and had a tremendous impact in shaping the convictions, ethics, and ethos of many current leaders," Siegel said.

His former students felt so strongly about Mr. Horn that they founded and financed scholarships in his honor before he retired. After he died, they flocked to the McDevitt Facebook page to comment on his passing.

Another former student and debater of Mr. Horn's, Herman Fala, said Mr. Horn was much beloved by students. "Mr. Horn raised the bar for every one of us and, though it made us uncomfortable at first, those lofty expectations taught us to reach higher. I think we continue to surprise ourselves with our reach," Fala said.

Former student Jen Resling said she was terrified of being called on in Mr. Horn's class her sophomore year and not knowing the answer to a question.

"In the end, after two years of his classes, he turned out to be my favorite teacher, the one from whom I learned the most, and the one who best prepared me for my future after high school," Resling said.

In addition to his students, Mr. Horn left behind the Brothers of Charity, with whom he lived in Laverock for the last 30 years. He enjoyed the camaraderie, the spiritual atmosphere of the home, and working with adults with mental disabilities for whom the brothers cared.

A visitation is to be Thursday, Oct. 8, from 5 to 9 p.m., at St. Luke the Evangelist Church, 2316 Fairhill Ave., Glenside. A Funeral Mass is to be said at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, at the church. Interment is private.

Donations may be made to the David T. Horn Jr. Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 205, Spring House, Pa. 19477.

bcook@phillynews.com

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