Students and staff of Aquinas College stood with friends and family of the school's founding principal Brendan Schollum to celebrate his life today.

The college's gymnasium was packed to capacity for the mass memorial, attended by a mix of those who knew the 67-year-old personally and those who knew him by his legacy alone.

Hundreds of people gathered for a mass memorial at Aquinas College for founding principal Brendan Schollum (insert) today. Photos: Tracy Hardy.

Brendan died last Friday after being admitted to Auckland Hospital four days earlier with viral encephalitis, an infection causing swelling on the brain.

His funeral was held at St Patrick's Cathedral in Auckland yesterday, attended by Aquinas senior students and staff.

In his eulogy board trustee Michael Cooney says Brendan and his wife Jane, who died 16 months earlier of brain cancer, worked tirelessly at the beginning to convert an orchard into Aquinas College.

Brendan was founding principal of the college from the moment it opened its doors in 2003 until his retirement in 2010.

But while the physical presence of the college is a great legacy, of even more importance is the ethos that Brendan established within the school, says Michael.

'The touchstones that emulate and evocate so much of life at this college – prayer, truth, scholarship, joy, service and family.

'I'm not sure if Brendan would be happy to see today that the touchstone of joy is missing. I think he would demand that we put it back in place.”

In Michael's view both Brendan and Jane lived those touchstones 'with gusto and enthusiasm” and this signified his greatest legacy.

'That's the challenge that our founding principal Mr Brendan Schollum gave to Aquinas and I'm sure you can hear him say ‘Are you up for that challenge?' Yes, you are.”

Michael also shared a memory of Brendan's interview for the principal position with the Aquinas establishment board.

Michael says at the final selection meeting the board asked him to make a presentation, and wanting to wow the members, Brendan decided to do a PowerPoint presentation.

'He fiddled with his computer and we waited…and he fiddled more with his computer and we still waited. Nothing happened.

'Then after some time the red-faced Brendan reached into his briefcase and pulled out several copies of a superb presentation.

'That was the tipping point. That was the reason why we gave Brendan the job as first principal of this school.”

Michael thanked Brendan's three children Matthew, Celia and Jono, who attended the mass memorial today for sharing their loving father with the college.

He also empathised with them, saying the loss of two 'such loving parents in such a short space” must be hurting them deeply.

'But if you look around this hall at the bright faces that are arrayed and you see the conduct of these students, you see the legacy of Brendan and Jane.

'In Brendan's words ‘It's great, it's great'.”

Brendan spent more than 40 years working in education and was principal not only of Aquinas but Sacred Heart College in Auckland for eight years.

During this time he published a raft of academic papers on science, regularly commented on best practice in the field of education, and also penned a number of books.