Brother Ralph Clifford, O.S.F., was born in the Bronx as Rodger Clifford in 1930 and was educated at St. Anthony of Padua in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. After graduating from St. Francis Prep in 1948, he entered the Franciscan Brothers, taking the name Brother Ralph on August 18, 1948. He was professed on August 19, 1949. Brother Ralph received a B.S. degree from Fordham University and an M.S. from St. John’s University. In 1997, he was awarded an honorary Ph.D. from St. Francis College. He taught at St. Francis Xavier and Our Lady of Good Counsel schools in Brooklyn and St. Joseph’s in Babylon, Long Island. He was principal of St. Brigid’s Elementary School from 1961 to 1967, and was appointed assistant principal of St. Francis Prep in 1967. He also served as a member of St. Francis College's Board of Trustees for more than 30 years.

Br. Ralph was said to have changed students’ lives by just standing outside and talking to them. He was beloved by many students for taking the time to listen to them not just about school but about their lives or any problems they were having. Brother Ralph Clifford died on November 30, 2002, from post-operative complications.