O’Dea High School celebrates centennial
Creating men of character, faith and service
O’Dea High School, the only all-male Catholic high school in the Pacific Northwest, is celebrating its 100th year of preparing students to be men of character, faith and service.
“Young men are drawn to O’Dea for our strong academics, single-gender education, array of athletic and co-curricular activities, and a brotherhood that lasts a lifetime,” said Principal Jim Walker.
O’Dea opened Sept. 4, 1923, across the street from St. James Cathedral, with 166 students in grades 7-10. They attended classes in three portable buildings until construction of the Gothic-style main building at 803 Terry Ave. was complete. On March 16, 1924, Bishop Edward J. O’Dea blessed the school; students moved in the next day.
In the early years, students took classes in Latin, English, chemistry, physics and mathematics. Athletics began with an 11-member football squad. The gym on the school’s top floor was the biggest in the city. For nearly the first 20 years, members of the Congregation of Christian Brothers made up the entire faculty.
During World War II, O’Dea let students graduate in January so they could serve their country; in 1947, 24 students were honored after losing their lives in the war.
Over the years, the school expanded to accommodate growing enrollment. For many years, most O’Dea students came from nearby parish grade schools. Today, 460 students are enrolled, coming from 95 Seattle-area ZIP codes; nearly 40% of O’Dea’s students are non-Catholic and 47% come from culturally diverse backgrounds.
“After four years, the young men leave prepared for the future, with friendships that often last decades and span generations, a connection known as the ‘O’Dea brotherhood,’” Walker said.
In the last 100 years, more than 8,000 young men have graduated from O’Dea. They include leaders in business and public service, an archbishop, professional athletes and even a media personality.
As O’Dea celebrates its centennial, “we feel a deep sense of pride and appreciation for those who came before us,” Walker said — the people who built “a remarkable school that provides a quality education and an extraordinary high school experience to any deserving young man, regardless of his socio-economic circumstances.”
Reintroducing the O’Dea Hall of Fame
In its centennial year, O’Dea is reintroducing its Hall of Fame, celebrating individuals from the O’Dea community — alumni or supporters — who have made significant contributions while representing O’Dea’s principles of character, faith and service.
The Hall of Fame also honors all alumni first responders who have died in the line of duty.
At its June 3 marquee event for the centennial year, O’Dea is inducting six people into the Hall of Fame, two of them posthumously. The 2023 inductees are:
Joselito ‘Lito’ Barber ’98
Raised in Seattle, Joselito “Lito” Barber attended St. Paul School before enrolling at O’Dea in 1994. A student leader, he was active in campus ministry and social service projects. He was known for his fun nature and caring personality; the staff remembered him as a wonderful student who got along with everyone. He graduated from the University of Washington in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in science, technology and environment. After graduating from the state’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy, he began working for the Seattle Police Department in 2006, assigned to the East Precinct. On Aug. 13, 2006, he died in the line of duty after his patrol car was struck by a speeding impaired driver. He was 26. Friends and family are working to endow an O’Dea scholarship in his name.
Nate Burleson ’99
At O’Dea, Nate Burleson was a three-sport letterman: football, basketball and track & field. He played football in college, followed by 11 years in the NFL as a wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions. In 2014 he became an analyst for the NFL Network; in 2016 he was a co-host on Good Morning Football and in 2017 he joined the NFL on CBS as a studio analyst. He won two Sports Emmy Awards for his work. In 2021, he was named co-anchor of CBS Mornings. He co-hosted Nickelodeon’s 2023 Kids’ Choice Awards.
During his broadcasting career, Burleson has given shout-outs to O’Dea, participated in various virtual O’Dea events and maintained relationships with his former O’Dea teachers, coaches and classmates. School officials said Burleson represents the O’Dea hallmarks for character, faith and service everywhere he goes in life. “As much as I love sports and entertainment,” he has said, “I also want to be part of those stories that create a better world because … I don’t think there’s anything more fulfilling than that.”
Dr. Jeanne Eulberg
Educated and trained as a pediatrician, Dr. Eulberg took time off to raise her four children. She was introduced to the O’Dea experience when her son Jeff (Class of 2000) enrolled. After his graduation, she accepted a full-time role at O’Dea, holding several jobs before becoming assistant principal for student services and college admissions counselor until retiring 2019. She significantly enhanced O’Dea’s counseling department and student experience, built relationships with college representatives and wrote letters of support for countless students’ college applications. She helped students reach their full potential by setting high expectations and holding students accountable. She served as president of the Pacific Northwest Association for College Admission Counseling and in 2017 received its Sister Shawn Marie Barry Distinguished Service to Youth Award, given in recognition of “those who have given outstanding and faithful service to youth.”
Christian Brother D.D. Murray
After graduating from Brother Rice High School in Chicago, Donald Murray joined the Congregation of Christian Brothers and professed vows as Brother Dominic. In his first assignment at O’Dea, he taught religion and math, directed a small band, and started a class in choral music.
He moved on to other Christian Brother schools, but eventually returned to O’Dea. He served as principal from 1993-2010, the longest tenure of any O’Dea principal. Brother Murray brought joy to people through his love of music — singing Broadway show tunes and Irish ballads or playing the electric keyboard kept in his office. He was an example of servant leadership, always available for people in times of need, whether academically or personally, and serving them with humility and grace.
Michael Patterson
As a parent of two O’Dea graduates (Kristian ’01 and Kristopher ’05) Michael Patterson knew firsthand the role O’Dea had in developing young men with character, strength and resolve. He committed himself to supporting O’Dea’s faculty, staff and students in meaningful ways. A successful attorney, Patterson provided insight and valuable advice to school leaders and assisted any faculty or staff member in need.
Patterson was resolute in his Catholic faith and advocated for Catholic education. He supported O’Dea financially to ensure an exceptional experience for students. He and his family attended the O’Dea auction every year; he and his wife, Emma chaired the auction in 2004 and 2005. In recognition of his contributions, O’Dea named the Patterson Counseling Center for him. Shortly before he died in 2018, Patterson told O’Dea’s principal that he had asked his family to continue supporting O’Dea in his name.
Roy F. Simperman
Educated at an Edmund Rice Christian Brother School in Montana, Roy F. Simperman has been integral in moving O’Dea High School forward in many ways since his son Roy graduated in 1988. The elder Simperman has been chairman of the board, volunteered as fulltime business manager and financially supported the school. His interest in technology and its importance in education led him to create O’Dea’s first computer lab in the 1990s. He has continued funding and guiding the technological tools at O’Dea, provided support for significant renovations to the 1923 school building and helped students receive financial assistance so that an O’Dea education is accessible to all qualified young men, regardless of their economic circumstances. The school’s common area on the fourth floor is now known as the Simperman Student Resource Center in recognition for all he has done for the school. In 2019, Simperman received an honorary O’Dea diploma.