Former Teacher Reunites with Students Decades After Saying They Should Watch Solar Eclipse Together

Patrick Moriarty first told his students about the eclipse in 1978, and suggested they gather for a watch party on April 8, 2024

Patrick Moriarty
 

In 1978, science teacher Patrick Moriarty told his students to circle April 8, 2024 on the calendar, even suggesting that they should all meet up on that day to watch the total solar eclipse together.

“They looked at me like I was crazy,” the 68-year-old retired educator recalled to NBC News.

So never in his wildest dreams did Moriarty think about 100 of his former students would show up at his home in suburban Rochester, New York, to do just that.

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“I thought it would be a nice little core of people who were totally into eclipses, and maybe they’d share the experience with me,” Moriarty told the Democrat & Chronicle.

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Instead, a large group of former Spry Junior High School students showed up at Moriarty’s house wearing name tags from their class year, the newspaper reported. They came armed with lawn chairs, champagne and eclipse-themed cookies.

The sun disappears behind the moon on April 08, 2024 in Mazatlán, Mexico.HECTOR VIVAS/GETTY

For many students, it was clear that the 6-foot 7-inch former teacher had made a big impact on their lives.

“To see all the different classes join together — this was, to me, a true class reunion,” Kendra Denson, class of 1984, told the newspaper.

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Moriarty’s love for teaching and imparting his own knowledge motivated him to set a date for 46 years in the future.

“I said to the kids, ‘Hey, why don’t you go ahead and circle that eclipse and we will get together,’ ” Moriarty told ABC affiliate WHAM-TV. “And after I did that, I did it for the next 16 years with all of my classes that I taught earth science.”

But when it came time to take in the majesty of the few minutes of totality, he said the moment was about way more than a rare phenomenon in the sky.

“It’s about the sharing,” Moriarty told the Democrat & Chronicle. It’s about the impact of teachers.”