The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Giving of himself

Students usually aim for four years at Marquette and people usually retire when they are in their 60s. The Rev. John Naus, on the other hand, has spent more than 40 years at Marquette and he's still working at age 82.

"I love what I'm doing and if you really love what you're doing, you won't have to work another day of your life and that's the way I feel," Naus said. "I work at it, but to me it's just a joy."

Naus takes on several roles on campus, but one of the most surprising has to do with a class he teaches: Philosophy of Humor. It's a class apt for Naus because he used to perform as a clown. He frequented the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in Venice, Fla., but the story of becoming a clown also relates to Marquette.

Students only spend two years in the residence halls, but Naus spent 28 years in Schroeder Hall as the pastoral minister.

"Every Saturday night we had midnight mass in the Schroeder Hall basement, which was one large room," he said. "One Saturday night the students took up a collection for a clown suit for me and they gave me a choice of three. I picked Tumbleweed the Clown, the scarecrow clown. That's how it all got started."

But he doesn't think that humor has to do with making someone laugh or only joking around.

"Every day we have things that disappoint us and discourage us," Naus said. "I don't believe in laughing something off, but looking at the positive things in life is so valuable."

His perspective on humor he attributes to his parents, who went through difficult times. "I learned from them to be able to smile when things are going tough," he said.

He's also received some attention for being Tumbleweed the Clown, including a stint on the Dan Rather CBS Sunday night newscast in the 1960s. But he doesn't perform anymore because of health issues.

"I had polio when I was 19 years old and then I had a stroke in 2004 and as a result there's my guitar," he said pointing to his guitar. "I have difficulty playing the guitar and making animals out of balloons. But I do teach my class to make a dog with a hamburger in its stomach and a swan lay an egg and an octopus out of long clown balloons because then they can't say they didn't learn anything in class. They learned how to make balloon animals."

There had been a rumor that Naus had actually taught famous Marquette alum Chris Farley and failed him, but Naus said otherwise. He did teach Farley, but he didn't fail him. He did say he had problems with him though.

Although humor and his classes are a big part of his life, Naus considers counseling one of his true loves. Naus said that his time in Schroeder gave him an opportunity to advise young people and for the last 11 years he's been the faculty adviser for the Evans Scholars.

Jeffrey Grom, president of the Marquette Evans Scholars and a junior in the College of Health Sciences, said Naus has been an inspiration to all the Evans Scholars.

"Fr. Naus is the most genuine man I have ever met," Grom said.A "He puts his heart into everything he does, and he is more than willing to go out of his way to help people and make sure that they succeed. Not to mention, he is funny."

Every Tuesday night, Naus presides over the Mass held at the St. Joan of Arc Chapel.

"He's so genuine and so giving of himself, said Meghan Swiderski, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, who helps run the music for the Mass. "He radiates this light at the mass. I think everyone comes to the mass because of him."

It's obvious that the students love Naus when there's a Facebook group, "I heart Naus." Naus shows how much he cares for those around him as well. He has a record number of Christmas cards to send out each year, more than 3,000 to be exact.

"The thing that has come more to me now since I've had the stroke than ever before is friends," he said. "Not just a question of dependency but a question of hope and question of people going out of their way to help you — alumni, students and so forth."

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