Congratulations, Mr. John Wall, on 20 Years at St. Cecilia Academy!

We asked Mr. Wall to share his background and thoughts about his associations with St. Cecilia Academy.

Mr. Wall has been on the Dominican Campus since kindergarten. “I was born and raised in Nashville and attended Overbrook Catholic School in the ‘carriage house’ and the ‘barracks’ on the property before the new Overbrook Catholic school building was built.” 

He received his B.A. in English Literature at Vanderbilt University and attended graduate school at Middle Tennessee State University. Mr. Wall is a Navy veteran, having been a member of the U.S. Navy for 20 years and retiring as a Commander. Prior to the Dominican Campus, he was a Plant Manager at LDM Technologies in Franklin, TN, where he supervised more than 400 employees.

For years, his wife Joyce, who was already working on the Dominican Campus, told him about the ups and downs of the Facilities Department. She believed he would be a perfect fit to run the organization, given his business and military experience. As fate would have it, just as he had decided to leave the manufacturing plant, the Facilities Manager role opened, and he accepted the position.

He was drawn to work for St. Cecilia Academy, given his family’s long history with the school. His great-grandfather, George Henry Wessel, was involved with the original acquisition of the Dominican property in 1860, where the Motherhouse is located. His great-aunt Henrietta Wessel (1888) and grandmother Margaret Mary “Mamie” Wessel Eidell (1890) were early St. Cecilia girls. “The school sometimes shares a picture of a student from the 1800s playing the harp,” explains Mr. Wall. “That is my great aunt.”

His mother, Anne Eidell Wall attended St. Cecilia in 1936 and inspired the Anne Louise Eidell Wall scholarship that benefits incoming students with financial need.  Mr. Wall’s three sisters Margaret “Peggy” Wall ’64, Anne Wall Christeson ’67, and Brigid Wall Yeager ’75, and his daughter, Kathleen Wall Marks ’97, graduated from St. Cecilia. Mr. Wall proudly adds, “All of my sisters and my daughter were valedictorians of their class, and two of my sisters were St. Cecilia Girls.”

Having been associated with the campus most of his life, he likes the wonderful environment and the great mission of the school. He believes nothing is missing for a girl, whether it be academics, athletics, fine arts, clubs, friendships, and more. “There are a lot of opportunities for girls here,” he says. “A St. Cecilia girl is an all-around, class act who is good with studies, sports participation, and kind to people and creatures.”

His favorite memories at St. Cecilia are the ones he is building now with his granddaughter, Caitlin Wall ’28. “I am so glad she gets to experience such a great place as St. Cecilia Academy, and I look forward to seeing her continue to grow into the person God made her to be.”

When he is not managing things on campus, Mr. Wall spends his time with his grandchildren, playing with his dogs, making house repairs, and working on cars.

Thank you, Mr. Wall, for your 20 years of service to St. Cecilia Academy!