Tim Nally has been a well known figure around McQuaid Jesuit for many years, but who is the real Nally?

Tim Nally is a member of the McQuaid class of 1967 and is still around to this day. His presence has been felt around these halls since the time he was a student. He has always enjoyed what McQuaid offers and really understands how this school prepares you for the future. Nally was never the top of the class for grades, but he tried to live the experience throughout his life.

“McQuaid taught me how to learn. It helped prepare me for the real world and what would come next. The school allowed me to pick and pursue my interests. It was a really good experience and a great preparation for life.”

Nally first worked at General Motors. While there, he essentially managed the IT department and became more and more familiar with the computer functions. Nally then left for a job at IBM where he helped to manage the Xerox and Kodak accounts.

After 30 years of working at IBM, Nally got the call to come back to his alma mater. Father Salmon gave him a call back and asked if he would like to come back and be at McQuaid once again.

“Father Salmon gave me a call and said, Nalls, why don’t you come back to McQuaid and you can be in high school again. I responded immediately, I’m in!”

Nally says his favorite part of being at McQuaid is working with the kids. He is deeply involved with the Simba Society and he can be found at any sports games. From varsity to modified, he is there.

“I do believe these kids see us as role models,” Nally said. “I love seeing how they grow throughout their years at McQuaid and it is important to help lead them in the right direction, and the great thing is, they always come back to visit even after graduation. That is what is really special for me.”

Faculty and staff have adored Nally for years. He is popular among the faculty and very well liked by his peers. Nally has always been seen as the one faculty member that always puts a smile on people’s faces. Perhaps no faculty member might know him better than his colleague from the advancement staff,  Ms. Heather Whiting. 

“Working with Nally for some years know has been a real exciting experience and fun time,” as Ms. Whiting puts it. 

To Whiting, Nally is one of the most well known figures around McQuaid.

“I like to call Nally the unofficial face of McQuaid. As a graduate he exemplifies what a McQuaid man and he works daily to inspire those McQuaid graduate traits in today’s students. Faculty members like myself love working and being around him. He is McQuaid Jesuit.”

Nally recently spoke at the fifth annual Agape Latte hear at McQuaid. Nally himself though at first did not believe he would not be prepared to give the speech. He at first did not even know what Agape Latte was.

“Guilty, I had no idea what it even was.  When first approached, I just assumed it was going to be like ten guys in a room just to talk about stuff,” as Nally states.

When he realized the importance of the talk, he realized that he needed to be more prepared.

Nally admitted he does not go to church all the time, but felt many kids were in the same boat and that he could open up about his relationship with God. 

“To me, I use my relationship with God to help me with challenges and hardships through life. I think I’m a good person and I try to do the right thing all the time.”

Nally decided to name the talk “Handling Life’s Challenges”. He used this title because he wanted to teach the kids how to use our relationship with God to help us through challenges and he even used examples from his own life.

Nally has unfortunately had some experiences with addiction. Two of his sons, both McQuaid graduates, have battled addiction in their lives. He opened up about his experiences during his Agape Latte talk. He feels that opening up was important for kids to realize they are not alone in their struggles and everyone has problems, not just you.

Nally greatly pushed the Kairos retreat during his talk. He believes the Kairos retreat can be the most transforming and life changing experience during a McQuaid man’s career. Nally himself knows how much it changed his life and he will continue to encourage students to have their own Kairos experience.

Nally has been an important and inspirational figure during his time here at McQuaid. His legacy will continue to live on in the McQuaid halls and he will continue to be the same old Nally. He is the true embodiment of a McQuaid Jesuit man.