Stack, Thomas Henry, 1845-1887

Thomas Stack was born on July 3, 1845 in Union, Virginia to parents John and Mary Stack. He enrolled in the Virginia Military Institute, but his studies were halted due to the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. Stack enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1863. Following the end of the war, Stack went on to resume his studies at Georgetown College. Stack completed his studies in 1868, and entered the Society of Jesus on September 1 of the same year. Stack was ordained a priest in 1881. He served as a professor of physics at Georgetown College, at the College of the Holy Cross, and at Boston College. On August 5, 1887, Stack succeeded Edward V. Boursaud as the president of Boston College. His tenure was very short-lived, as he became severely ill with a fever on August 22, and died on August 30, 1887.