From:
http://www.nepalitimes.com.np/issue/2009/08/21/Review/16251

Not many who met the late James J Donnelly will ever be able to
forget him: his thundering voice and commanding stature, his phenomenal
memory of his students.

The Cincinnati-born Irish American lad
came to Nepal in 1961 as a young Jesuit priest, and spent his entire
life serving the country as a teacher at St Xavier's in Godavari and
Jawalakhel. He inspired both awe and fear, especially if you were a
growing Nepali boy under his tutelage having had to confront the giant
that he was when he was upset with some homework not done.

There
have been unfortunate ones who have faced the Donnelly fury. But this
was because the teacher of English grammar and later principal was a
perfectionist who drove his students to achieve excellence. Not a comma
could be out of place, and the use of every semi-colon needed to be
fully justified. There is a whole generation of Nepalis today in their
middle ages whose grammar and punctuation is what it is because of Fr
Donnelley.

Long before he even decided to come to Nepal, Jim
knew that the path he had chosen, to serve God through the Society of
Jesus was not an easy one, but he was not a man to falter. This was a
character reflected in his personal life. The goal he set himself to,
improving the standard and quality of the English language knowledge of
his students is one of his biggest contributions to the education
sector of Nepal.

It was not easy seeing a man one associated
with so much of energy and life vegetate into an invalid, forgotten by
those whose every detail he remembered and filed, until his death in
coma last week. His last wish, to be bestowed an honorary Nepali
citizenship was left unfulfilled.

Alok Tumbahangphey