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Fr. Edmund Jurica,
O.S.B.
Museum Founder
 Father
Edmund Jurica, O.S.B. was born in Cloverdale, IL on July 16, 1900.
His family moved to St. Procopius parish in Chicago where he attended
the parish school. Father Edmund then came to Lisle to attend
St. Procopius Academy (now Benet Academy) and St. Procopius College,
which is now Benedictine University. Father Edmund professed his
monastic vows on July 17, 1917 and was ordained to the priesthood
on May 26, 1923. He received his doctoral degree from the University
of Chicago in 1926.
In many ways, it is hard to talk about Fr. Edmund or Fr. Hilary
separately as they worked together for so many years, sharing
common goals of excellence for the school and their students.
For over forty years Fr. Hilary and Fr. Edmund worked to develop
the biology department at St. Procopius College. Fr. Edmund taught
pre-med courses and for seven years he taught summer school classes
in zoology at DePaul University. Frequent trips and exchanges
with other institutions enabled the two brothers to accumulate
a vast collection of plant and animal specimens which the brothers
considered to be a teaching collection and not a museum. The Jurica
brothers believed very strongly in the "hands-on" method
of instruction and were dedicated to their students. Together
they produced a series of biology charts and accompanying worksheets
which are still in use in biology classrooms across the country.
In a presentation to colleagues in 1938, Father Edmund expressed
his feelings about the use of the animal collection. "Some
call this collection a museum--that it absolutely is not.....The
mounts are withdrawn from the cabinets and placed upon a table
when the animals are studied...How inferior is the course in zoology
if the students have no contact with at least a few real animals
live or dead!"
Father Edmund was known as a dedicated and painstaking instructor
by his students. In 1962 he received the St. Procopius College
Distinguished Educator Award and the 1963 college yearbook was
dedicated to him. The editors noted that Fr. Edmund was a most
inspiring man who never turned away a student in need.
In addition to his classroom work and professional development,
Fr. Edmund, along with Fr. Victor Laketek, O.S.B., conducted one
of the largest bird-banding and classification stations in the
United States during the 1930's. In 1952, the observatory which
was designed by Fr. Edmund and built by Brother Andrew Havlik,
O.S.B. was opened on the campus. Fr. Edmund spent the last years
of his life presiding over the development of the Jurica Museum
as the Scholl Science Center was built.
Much saddened by the death of his brother in 1970, Father Edmund
proudly presided over the dedication of the museum named after
Father Hilary (and later himself as well) in the Scholl Science
Center. Father Edmund died on October 26, 1972.
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