HL Ratliff ’78

To many students from the 1990s and 2000s, especially students of color, HL Ratliff ’78 is almost a godfather, having helped them through their journey at the Prep and onto college and careers. From 1990, when he helped establish the A-4 Mentorship Program with some fellow African American alumni, Ratliff influenced the lives of hundreds of students at the Prep.

These opportunities were nearly all missed, as Ratliff discovered the Prep accidentally. In seventh grade, Ratliff became friends with a young man who was taking the test for the Prep. “He told me about it and because I didn’t want to go to West Catholic, I went home and told my mom,” Ratliff remembers with a laugh. “I remember my mom being surprised. I don’t know if it was ‘Wow, St. Joe’s Prep’ or  ‘Wow, out of our league’, but I had no prior knowledge of St. Joe’s Prep before I walked in there.”

Of the four from his school who took the test, Ratliff was the only one who stayed and graduated. “Early on, I felt well connected,” he says. “I liked my teachers. I remember having Jim O’Brien as my freshman English teacher. He was a big influence on me because he was an expert on Shakespeare and I had just been introduced to Shakespeare by my 8th grade teacher. For me, that was a continuation.”

Ratliff notes that the connections he made with friends and teachers were a part of his Prep experience. He remembers meeting Chris Bogart ’78 on the second day of school as they waited for the shuttle to Center City, and he remembers many teachers fondly, including Jim O’Brien (English), Earl Hart (math), Joe Dugan (math), Joe Griffin (English), Ken Kania (Religion), and Robert Fitzpatrick (music). 

Another thing that helped Ratliff feel comfortable and make connections at the Prep was the high number of African American students at the Prep at the time. “In the late 60s and 70s, there was a growing representation of students of color,” he says. “There were five or six in my freshman homeroom and probably 40 students of color in my class.”

After the Prep, Ratliff went to Saint Joseph’s University to study psychology, but something didn’t seem right. “It was the first time I had taken myself out of music and I missed it,” he says. 

He auditioned and was accepted at Catholic University of America where he majored in music education. “In DC, I started working in music, mostly with young people, right away,” Ratliff says. “The moment I moved there, I was working with children through arts programs and everything led to something else. This led to a good practical base and I got a lot of experience firsthand.” 

These experiences led to a graduate program at Columbia University, which was eventually dissolved; however, it gave Ratliff a great experience, including an internship at the New York Philharmonic. 

It was his time in New York that created the opportunity for Ratliff at the Prep. “In my Arts program, we were asked to design a not-for-profit organization as a homework assignment, and what I designed was what became the Mentorship Program at the Prep,” he says. “I had gone to my 10-year reunion and I asked Ed Scanlan ’62 about the African American students; he told me there was poor retention. That put a seed in my brain.”

As he worked on this project, Ratliff realized the program was possible. Scanlan put him in touch with then Admissions Director Al Zimmerman ’73, who helped him connect with other alumni.

“Some alums were a little skeptical of me because I hadn’t been involved in the BCC (Black Culture Club) at all when I was a student,” he says. “I finally connected with Tony Twyman ’79, who knew all of the other guys. He got Wadell Ridley ’77 and Bob Jones ’72 involved, and that was the start of the program.” Soon, he was also aided by Ray Gillam ’78, Howard Tucker ’82, Jerome Napson ’86, Brandon Brown ’87, and Rich Bioteau ’87. 

From the beginning, the Mentorship Program was a hit. “I think we came along at the right time,” Ratliff says. “I remember the first time we met the boys. A group of us came after school and we attended a Black/Latino Culture Club Meeting. That started it. At first, some students were reluctant but they eventually latched on once they saw what we were doing. The bonding that was going on among the students was important for them and the program. Keith McClain ’93 and Sean Franklin ’92 were most instrumental with helping us alums connect with the students.”

Eventually the group grew and established annual traditions and activities, including retreats, a summer picnic, college tours, the Bakari Awards, mixers with other BLCC groups, guest speakers, and study sessions with graduate students from local colleges.

Today, graduates of these initial years are now working with Anthony Bush, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, and Howie Brown ’99, Director of Admission, on recreating these programs at the Prep. For Ratliff, this is a source of great pride. “To see guys like Sherman Washington ’05, Alonzo Jones ’03, Darryl Lloyd ’03, Julian Rodriguez ’04, Sam Reveron ’03 and Luis Morales ’08 and all of these guys come back and give new life to all of this is truly remarkable,” Ratliff says. “I can’t tell you the amount of pride I have watching them and seeing what they are doing. To sit back and see these guys step up and lead this thing has been so impressive.”

For his work, Ratliff was presented with the Trailblazer Award at the annual Bakari Awards in May. While he appreciates the honor, it doesn’t come close to the feeling he has in knowing how successful many of his students have been. “The award was great, but the best thing for me is when I bump into a former student and they recount something that had happened that meant so much to them,” he says. “That’s what really makes me feel good and feel a sense of accomplishment. To see how these men have had their lives unfold.”

Ratliff continues his work in his passion of teaching music at the Gesu School, the Prep’s neighbor and fellow Jesuit school in North Philadelphia. The commute is short as he and his partner Dwayne Stewart live in the Yorktown section near Temple University. “Working at the Gesu School has really been wonderful,” he says. “It’s a great administration, a great staff, and wonderful children. It’s been a very good fit for me. I’ve been very blessed to be able to be here doing what I love.”