Hernández, Francis G. (Father)

Jesuit Father Francis “Frank” Goodman Hernández, longtime teacher of physics and computer science at Jesuit High School, Carmichael, Calif., entered into God’s peace April 11, 2018, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos. He was 89, a Jesuit for 67 years, and an ordained priest for 54 years.

Born in San Diego, September 9, 1928, Fr. Hernández was the son of horserace announcer and sports writer Joe “The Voice of Santa Anita” Hernández and Maria Murillo Hernández. He graduated from Loyola High School and attended Loyola University, Los Angeles, before entering the Jesuit Novitiate at Los Gatos in 1950.

His studies took him to Gonzaga University (BA, philosophy) and Santa Clara University (BA, sacred theology, MA in electrical engineering). He was ordained a priest in Blessed Sacrament Church, Hollywood, on June 15, 1963.

Before ordination, Fr. Hernández taught physics at Loyola High School, and mathematics and languages at Ryan Preparatory College, Fresno. His lifetime work, however, was at Jesuit High School, where he joined the faculty in 1965 as a teacher of mathematics and physics. Beginning in the days when computers were the size of refrigerators, Fr. Hernández supervised Jesuit High’s entry into the digital age. He oversaw the installation of the computers, became network administrator, and added computer science to his teaching load. During summers, he attended programs in physics and electronics sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Harvard University, and under other auspices. He retired in 2011 and took up residence at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos, for a ministry of prayer.

In announcing Fr. Hernández’s death, the Jesuit High School administration noted his imprint on the school and community. Alumni recalled him as a brilliant teacher, who shared his excitement and who challenged students with grace and humor: an educator in the finest Jesuit tradition. Fr. Hernández is survived by his sister, Anna Jean Hugues

A Funeral Mass will be held April 24, 4:30 p.m., at the Jesuit High School chapel, 1200 Jacob Lane, Carmichael, Calif. Burial will be at the Jesuit plot in Santa Clara Mission Cemetery, 490 Lincoln Street, Santa Clara.