Brother Robert Werle, FSC (’70)

“The reason I joined the Brothers (to see if it was a fit for me) and the reason I have stayed (because I found the lifestyle is who I am) are two different reasons. Following in the footsteps of the Founder of the Brothers, Saint John Baptist de La Salle, has turned out to be an awesome lifetime adventure and one I would not change for anything.”

Brother Robert Werle was born in Washington, DC and grew up shortly after WWII. After high school, he went to work for the federal government (FBI), but after three years realized he wanted and needed a college education. He found CBC in Memphis, never having heard about the Christian Brothers. As a lay student, he lived in Maurelian Hall and loved the campus. “It was small and everyone knew your name, especially the teachers. In my junior year, Brother James Albert suggested I should think about being a Brother.” He resisted the idea but eventually, through the encouragement of others, said “I will give it a year.” He’s been doing that, one year at a time, now for 52 years.

Brother Robert graduated from CBC in 1970 with a BA in English. His love of education and teaching has taken him from Memphis to Ohio to Nebraska to Missouri and back home to Memphis to teach in a number of varied settings. He completed a master’s degree at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, Canada, and over the years, taught Religion, English, and Mechanical and Architectural Drawing as well as having administrative duties in student scheduling, discipline, and campus activities planning.

Brother Theodore Drahmann, a past president, recruited Brother Robert to return to his alma mater in 1985 to work in the Admissions Office. He moved to Campus Ministry and then became the first Director of Campus Activities. He later took over the Archives and founded the Beverly & Sam Ross Gallery in the Plough Library and was its Director for 21 years before retiring in 2016.

I believe what makes CBU a special place is that when you are here, you are part of the family. People care about you, you can practice your faith, and you are a valued member of the Lasallian Family — and family cares about family, and family takes care of each other even when you become an alum.