2026 BC High St. Ignatius Nominees

2026 St. Ignatius Award Nominations July 2026 Amended on August 13, 2026

Table of Contents 2026 Nominees Name

Nominator

Page

Gregory Bulger ’68----------------Grace Cotter Regan P’12-----------------------2-4 Rory Coleman ’00-----------------Brendan Coleman ’01--------------------------5 Henry McConville ’26--------------Katelyn P‘26, ’30 and Charlie ’30 McConville--6-7 Walter Robinson ’63---------------Michael Reardon ’93 P’22, ’26------------------8

2025 and Prior Nominees Ron Corbett ’69 ----------------------Dan Kenslea ’71------------------------------9-13 Thomas Findley ’80------------------John A. Findley ’80---------------------------14 Richard “Dick” Gill ’58-----------------Daniel Vannoni ’01---------------------------15-17 Denis Glinski ’13----------------------Edward Glinski ’11-----------------------------18 Charles Gobron ’62-------------------Donna McKenzie-----------------------------19 Yousif Hanna ’12----------------------Barbara O’Brien Miller P’91, ’93---------------20-31 Carleton Johnson ’62-----------------Joseph Galeota ’62---------------------------32-33 AJ Kardoos ’90-----------------------John Danilecki ’80-----------------------------34 Frank McCarthy ’48------------------Mike Fitzgerald P’15---------------------------35 Michael F. McGonagle ’70-----------Donald A. MacMillan, SJ ’60-------------------36 Gerald P. Mitchell ’54----------------Charles Hegarty ’54----------------------------37-43 Paul Murray ’79----------------------Paul Llyod ’79----------------------------------44 Jon Rizzo ’00 RIP --------------------Christopher Browne ’00-----------------------45

2026 Additional Nominees (added on August 13, 2026) Gregory Bulger ’68----------------Fritz Friedman ’68-------------------------------47-50 Charles Gobron ’62 RIP------------John Cote ’62------------------------------------51-56 Jack Griffin ’22---------------------Jennifer Griffin-----------------------------------57-58 Rev. Paul Kilroy ’62---------------Christopher Martin ’00----------------------------59-63 Chuck Stravin ’85------------------Toni Choueiri-------------------------------------64-72 Committee Ranking Sheet------------------------------------------------------------73 1

Gregory Bulger ’68 Nominated by President Grace Cotter Regan P’12

Please share your recommendation of why you think the nominee is fitting of this award.

"It is my privilege to nominate Gregory E. Bulger ‘68 for the 2026 St. Ignatius Award.

Greg Bulger's extraordinary commitment to BC High spans decades and reflects the very ideals this award was established to honor. Greg has profoundly shaped the life of our school and ensured that generations of students will flourish academically, artistically, and personally.

Greg served with distinction as a Trustee of BC High for nine years, helping to guide the school through a period of significant opportunity and challenge. As enrollment patterns shifted and independent schools faced increasing competition, Greg consistently brought thoughtful leadership, strategic insight, and unwavering confidence in BC High's mission. His ability to identify creative solutions helped position the school to remain financially sustainable, accessible to deserving families, and uniquely attractive to future students. His leadership was also instrumental in celebrating BC High's 150th Anniversary in 2013, culminating in a memorable celebration at Symphony Hall that honored our rich history while inspiring confidence in our future.

Perhaps nowhere is Greg's enduring legacy more visible than in the performing arts. A lifelong champion of the arts, Greg envisioned a home where creativity could thrive alongside the school's tradition of academic excellence. His vision and generosity made possible the construction of the Gregory E. Bulger '68 Performing Arts Center in 2007 and its subsequent renovation and rededication in 2017. Equipped with state-of-the-art lighting and sound technology, professional stage facilities, and exceptional performance space, Bulger transformed what was possible for our students.

For nearly two decades, Bulger has served as the heart of performing arts at BC High. It has been home to the Dever Players Theatre Group and the Concert and Chamber Choirs. More than 120 theatrical productions, countless concerts, guest speakers, poetry and declamation competitions, retreats, classroom instruction, and community events have taken place within its walls. Thousands of students have learned the disciplines of acting, directing, playwriting, stagecraft, music, and technical theater in a space designed to nurture both excellence and confidence.

Yet the true impact of the Bulger Center cannot be measured by performances alone. It is measured in the lives transformed within it. It is where students discover talents they never knew they possessed, find friendships rooted in shared purpose, and gain the confidence to express themselves with authenticity and courage. Whether building sets late into the evening, rehearsing scenes, programming lighting cues, or performing before a full audience,

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Gregory Bulger ’68 Nominated by President Grace Cotter Regan P’12

Continued: "students experience the joy of creating something greater than themselves. They learn collaboration, discipline, empathy, and resilience, which are Ignatian qualities that extend far beyond the stage.

Bulger stands as a living testament to Greg's belief that every student deserves to be seen, heard, and inspired. His vision established a community where creativity is celebrated and every young person is encouraged to develop the gifts God has entrusted to them.

Greg's commitment extends well beyond philanthropy. He and his husband, Richard Dix, are familiar and welcome faces at Dever Players productions, faithfully attending performances and spending time with cast and crew before each show. Their genuine interest in our students communicates a powerful message: that their work matters and that they are valued.

Many graduates trace their passion for theater, music, and the arts directly to the opportunities Greg helped to create.

Beyond BC High, Greg has long been recognized as one of Boston's strongest advocates for the arts. His influence throughout the city and so far as the Berkshires reflects the same generosity of spirit and commitment to developing others that he has demonstrated at BC High. Through his leadership and example, he has elevated not only the performing arts program at BC High but also the countless students whose lives have been enriched by it.

The St. Ignatius Award recognizes alumni whose lives exemplify leadership, generosity, and faithful service in advancing the mission of BC High. Greg Bulger embodies those qualities in every respect. His legacy is found not only in the theater that bears his name but, more importantly, in the thousands of young men whose lives have been transformed because he believed they deserved every opportunity to discover and develop their God-given talents.

In the spirit of St. Ignatius, Greg has truly helped ignite a flame within generations of students, a flame that will continue to inspire them to ""go forth and set the world on fire.""

For his visionary leadership, steadfast service, extraordinary generosity, and lasting impact on BC High, I recommend Gregory E. Bulger '68 for the 2027 St. Ignatius Award, without hesitation or reservation.

Sincerely, Grace Cotter Regan, P'12 President Boston College High School"

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Gregory Bulger ’68 Nominated by President Grace Cotter Regan P’12

Continued: What particular qualities does the nominee posses that make him worthy of consideration?

The specific qualities that Greg posses are: Servant Leadership Generosity Loving Service Humility and Presence Commitment to Community Faith in the Mission Transformational Impact What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Friend

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Rory Coleman ’01 Nominated by Brendan Coleman ’01

Please share your recommendation of why you think the nominee is fitting of this award.

I am honored to nominate my brother, a graduate of BC High, whose life and career exemplify high moral character, selfless service, and an unwavering commitment to justice. Though quiet and shy during our years at BC High, he consistently demonstrated integrity, humility, and respect for others, ”qualities that have only deepened in his career as a police officer. He serves his community with fairness, compassion, and a strong sense of duty, always striving to uphold justice and protect others without expectation of recognition or material reward. His dedication is rooted in a genuine desire to make his community safer and more just, reflecting the values instilled at BC High and making him truly deserving of this honor.

What particular qualities does the nominee posses that make him worthy of consideration?

My brother Rory, a graduate of BC High, whose character has consistently reflected integrity, humility, and selfless devotion to others. From our youth, he was quiet and reserved, yet his actions always revealed a strong moral foundation, a deep sense of fairness, and genuine compassion for those around him. He carries himself with steady judgment, respect, and an unwavering commitment to what is right, never seeking recognition or reward for his conduct.

As a brother, he has been a source of strength, dependability, and guidance, placing the needs of others before his own. He lives his values with sincerity and faithfulness, exemplifying the principles of moral character and service that BC High seeks to instill.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Brother

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Henry McConville ’26 Nominated by Katelyn McConville P’26, ‘30

Please share your recommendation of why you think the nominee is fitting of this award.

He has been dedicated to the St. Louis Project, physically and emotionally. Giving his full authentic self.

What particular qualities does the nominee posses that make him worthy of consideration?

Loyalty, humility, honesty, compassionate, selfless. ALWAYS there for others. In life and death.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Mother Henry’s 2026 Senior Address during Graduation: https://www.youtube.com/live/vhU3TWnWKPc?si=owZjjlH4XLyejWgS&t=9048

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Henry McConville ’26 Nominated by Charlie McConville ‘30

Please share your recommendation of why you think the nominee is fitting of this award.

He goes above and beyond with the St. Louis project and everything that he does for BC high What particular qualities does the nominee posses that make him worthy of consideration?

The selflessness kindness and generosity to others. .

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Brother

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Walter Robinson ’63 Nominated by Michael Reardon ’93 P’22, 26

Please share your recommendation of why you think the nominee is fitting of this award.

This is my annual effort to recognize Walter Robinson for what he did for the world. His integrity and commitment to the truth brought him from city hall to the state house and to the white house. It lead him to become one of the preeminent investigative journalists of a generation. Never did he do a hit piece. He simply followed the truth. His work on sex abuse in the Catholic Church opened this scourge on our society that was prevalent across institutions.

As a matter of fact, the Boy Scouts have more cases against them then the Catholic Church.

Sex abuse was a pervasive and hidden secret in our society that ruined lives. Robby's search for the truth literally saved lives of countless young people who never faced predators because after 2002, the cover was blown and attention paid.

I mentioned recognizing Robby to a person associated with this award and received the equivalent of scoffing at the idea. BC High should be proud of Walter Robinson and his work.

He did not harm BC High, he asked them to be honest about what happened and sought the truth and the result was justice. Having been at BC High during the early days of sex abuse, I can assure you that Robby never worked with anything but incredible integrity and society and especially BC High should recognize what he has done for some of the most vulnerable among us."

What particular qualities does the nominee posses that make him worthy of consideration?

Robby is exceedling humble and simply tries to do what is right. He served his country honorably in Vietnam, came back and raised a family and had an extraordinary career that spanned the world and always in pursuit of the truth. .

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Professional

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Ron Corbett ’69 Nominated by Dan Kenslea ’71

What particular qualities does the nominee possess that make him worthy of consideration for the St. Ignatius Award? Please share examples of how he has demonstrated these qualities in his life.

Ron is a Harvard grad, with graduate degrees from both Northeastern (MS) and UMass (Ed.D) who worked in a variety of roles in the Massachusetts Probation Service and the Trial Court for over 30 years, and from 2011 through 2013 served as Acting Commissioner of Probation after the prior Commissioner was removed as part of a patronage scandal that led to indictments. He has written several articles about the probation process and is working as both an adjunct professor at UMass Lowell and at Suffolk Law as well as Project Advisor for the Robina Institute’s Community Sanctions and Revocations project at the University of Minnesota.

Using the five pillars of the “Graduate at Graduation” – open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice – please share examples of the ways that the nominee has shown continued formation through his actions.

See supporting articles.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

I met Ron this year during some solicitation and work on the ’69 50th Reunion, and in doing some research, have discovered that he is truly a “man for others”. Ron is a very quiet and humble guy who knows nothing about my nomination of him. But I believe that his life of service to the State of Massachusetts is a great example for our students of a life well lived in service of his fellow man, and in service of many of the least fortunate of his fellow man.

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Ronald Corbett Jr. stepping down as acting probation commissioner in January SHARE

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By Globe Staff August 24, 2012

Acting Commissioner of Probation Ronald P. Corbett Jr., who took control of the state probation system in the wake of a jobrigging scandal that led to criminal charges against top probation officials, will leave office next year, the court system announced today.

He was appointed to a two-year term that expires next January and has decided not to seek a new term in office, officials said.

According to the statement issued by Trial Court Chief Justice Robert A. Mulligan and Court Administrator Harry Spence, Corbett has worked for the courts for 39 years and now wants to devote time to his family and to teaching and research.

“Ron Corbett has provided the judicial system with many years of extraordinary service in Probation and as the executive director of the Supreme Judicial Court,’’ Mulligan said in a statement.

He added, “we greatly appreciate his willingness to step in during the past two challenging years as he worked swiftly and effectively to restore integrity and service quality to the state’s Probation Service.’’

Mulligan appointed Corbett to run the department in January 2011 to replace John J. O’Brien, who resigned on Dec. 31, 2010, amid charges that O’Brien had built a fraudulent hiring and promotion system at the 2,200-employee government agency.

When Corbett was named by Mulligan, the Globe reported that he was considered a front-runner for the commissioner’s job that went to O’Brien in late 1997.

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That year, Corbett was named probation executive of the year by the National Association of Probation Executives, and he was editing the journal of the American Probation and Parole Association.

He is a Harvard graduate with a doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts. But Mulligan’s predecessor, John J. Irwin Jr., reduced the education requirements for the job, helping to clear the way for O’Brien’s selection, the Globe has reported. O’Brien and two codefendants are accused in US DistrictCourt of racketeering conspiracy and mail fraud for allegedly running a rigged hiring and promotional system in the probation department that rewarded those with political connections. They were indicted in March.

O’Brien and the others have all pleaded not guilty.

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By LISA REDMOND | PUBLISHED: May 13, 2013 at 12:00 am | UPDATED: Jully 12, 2019 at 12:00 am

MELROSE — Ronald P. Corbett Jr., the former acting Probation Department commissioner, jokes that walking into the firestorm created by the department’s patronage scandal was a “walk in the park” compared to his new job — curbing a new puppy.

“It is more arduous than anything at the Probation Department,” Corbett joked referring to his family’s 10-month-old Cockapoo puppy, Eivie.

Corbett is glad to have more time with his family, Elvie and his adjunct professor’s teaching position at UMass Lowell now that his two-year stint as acting commissioner ended in January. That’s when Corbett retired after nearly four decades as a Trial Court employee.

Corbett, 61, of Melrose, was honored as a “Community Hero” by the Community Resources for Justice at the organization’s 2013 Annual Spring Reception on May 1.

“Ron Corbett’s leadership in the professional world of probation is exceptional,” said John Larivee, of CRJ, a Boston-based organization that works to improve public safety while helping people re-enter society. “He took over a challenging situation in the state’s probation system and achieved significant progress in reforming the Probation Department.”

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Corbett said he was “humbled” by the award. In his acceptance speech, Corbett praised his 92-year-old father, who is still practicing law, and his late mother, Virginia, who would have believed all the accolades her son was receiving that night.

Taking on the challenge of revamping the scandal-plagued Probation Department was like a labor of love, he said.

“I love probation,” Corbett said in a telephone interview. “I know that sounds corny, but I love what it stands for.”

Corbett is a former probation officer who became assistant chief probation officer from 1993 to 2000. He was promoted to regional director and then director of the state Supreme Judicial Court from 2000 to 2010.

Corbett said he would have been content to finish his career at the SJC, but Chief Justice Robert Mulligan tapped him to replace John J. O’Brien on New Year’s Eve 2010. O’Brien had resigned under fire for allegedly building a fraudulent hiring and promotion system at the 2,200-employee agency. (In April, O’Brien was found not guilty in Suffolk Superior Court of multiple counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, a victory that his lawyers hope to replicate in his upcoming federal trial on racketeering charges.)

During his two-year stint, Corbett said the department began implementing many of the reforms proposed by a task force chaired by former Attorney General Scott Harshbarger.

Corbett is credited with overhauling the department’s hiring system and record keeping and building morale.

He admits that when he took over, the department was “going through a period of turmoil” that demoralized staff.

Corbett stressed that the Probation Department staff is “amazingly resilient” and applauded the staff for getting things back on track — a new probationer classification system and stronger partnerships with other state agencies have been established and implemented.

Corbett said “relentless” is his favorite word, and that despite making progress, many challenges still remain at the department.

He said it takes about five years to “change the DNA of an organization,” something his successor will have a chance to do.

On May 2, Mulligan announced that former Department of Youth Services Commissioner Edward Dolan will begin his five-year term as commissioner of probation on June 10.

Follow Lisa Redmond at www.twitter.com/lredmond13.

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Thomas Findley ’80 Nominated by John A. Findley ’80

What particular qualities does the nominee possess that make him worthy of consideration for the St. Ignatius Award? Please share examples of how he has demonstrated these qualities in his life.

Tom Findley is a True Man for Others he’s served on many Charitable committees and most Recently has been a Trustee for the South Shore Stars Program, which provides Busing, Daycare Services and Adult Education to families that are in need on the South Shore. He has also been very instrumental in helping us build the Joseph H Findley Scholarship fund that has been given to a deserved student at BC High since 1990.

Using the five pillars of the “Graduate at Graduation” – open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice – please share examples of the ways that the nominee has shown continued formation through his actions.

Tom and I own a Trucking and Logistics company together, We have hired many Student and graduates of BCH to work for us, we have also employed many vendors who also attended BC High. But most of all we have given back to the neediest of people in our community. We have sent Books to Africa, Food to The Bahamas, Building Supplies to Puerto Rico. I think the most thing we are Proud of is our diverse company hiring policy. Today we have people for 21 different nations working at Red Line Freight Systems and Corsair Logistics. Just great People and all are family to us. In 2004 Tom through his amazing leadership with the Superintendent of schools in Hingham Dorothy Gallo was able to Start a Girls Varsity Ice Hockey team. For two years Tom paid for this team himself as the budget was not approved until 2006, To date Tom is Still the varsity Girls Ice Hockey Coach in Hingham. The dedication and support he has shown all these girls from Hingham High School is amazing, I always say the Jesuit education opened his eyes to giving back to the community. It’s tough these days as I his brother John is the head women’s Coach at NDA in Hingham let’s just call it a Friendly Rivalry.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Tom is my Twin Brother We went to Grammar School, High School and College together and now we own two businesses together. He is the kindest person I know and would be an Excellent Recipient of the Saint Ignatius Award.

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Richard “Dick” Gill ’58 Nominated by Daniel Vannoni ’01

What particular qualities does the nominee possess that make him worthy of consideration for the St. Ignatius Award? Please share examples of how he has demonstrated these qualities in his life.

Dick is a humble, compassionate person who is skilled at engaging people for the greater good. See the accompanying letter.

Using the five pillars of the “Graduate at Graduation” – open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice – please share examples of the ways that the nominee has shown continued formation through his actions.

See the attached letter for specific examples.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Dick is a friend who I have known since I was young, and I continue to know mainly through activities at our local church.

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121 Loring Road Winthrop, MA 02152 November 13, 2019 St Ignatius Award Committee C/O BC High Advancement Office 150 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, MA 02125 Dear Committee Members: On a Sunday morning in February, as Mass ended, I received a tap on the shoulder and turned to see a familiar face that I knew more by reputation than anything else. “I’ve been wanting to tell you for weeks, but now I can actually say it. Congratulations. Welcome to BC High. I really hope you are going to join us in the fall.” I was overwhelmed. Someone wanted me, and was offering me an opportunity that set my life into action. BC High was the best decision I have ever made, and the one who offered me this tremendous opportunity was Richard Gill from the BC High Class of 1958.

Dick has spent a lifetime empowering young men and women through education, recognizing that presenting others with an opportunity to improve themselves and those around them is the most impactful thing someone can do. While Dick had spent a very full career as a teacher and administrator before becoming BC High’s Director of Admissions, it was during these years I had the opportunity to know him better, and understand the behind-the-scenes impact he was having on generations to come. Dick held a very powerful role at BC High, but it was power he managed with tremendous humility and responsibility, never making a decision lightly.

Almost every alum that was admitted during Dick’s tenure has a story about him, how they were admitted to BC High, or how Dick found some way to make the opportunity of a BC High education a reality for them. Guided by the compassion of Jesuit ideals and with the precision of an engineer, Dick crafted cohorts of potential for BC High, carefully offering opportunities for improvement to young men who he knew would not only benefit from a BC High education, but would embrace it. Even within the few decades that the graduates from Dick’s time have been in the real world, we have seen success among their ranks in athletics, business, politics, science, art, music and even the youngest winner of the St Ignatius Award.

Dick not only presented opportunities to those on Morrissey Blvd, but has continued his service across the greater community, both formally and informally. Dick has always been active in politics as he sees this as an opportunity to effect change, and present more people with opportunities to succeed. This passion not only drove him to serve for years within the government of the Town of Winthrop, serving both on the committee to change the Town Charter and then as one of its first Town Councilors. The impact his efforts and leadership have had on his community can still be seen today in the successful function of the town government.

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I have served on a number of committees with Dick at St. John the Evangelist in Winthrop over the years, very often for the simple reason that Dick was involved. Convincing someone to take advantage of an opportunity is never as simple as recognizing a match between a person’s ability and an opportunity to use that ability for bettering those around you. The basic first step that an enabler like Dick Gill masterfully takes is HE ASKS. He asks people to join a committee or help someone. He asked generations of Men for Others to attend BC High. Dick knows how to ask, in the perfect way that makes a person feel included and empowered, and ready to succeed.

Now is my opportunity to employ the lesson Dick has taught me. I am asking you to give Dick an opportunity, to be recognized for his contributions to society as a man who works AMDG every day. I am proud to call Dick a fellow alumnus, and a friend. There are few other men who demonstrate the same levels of compassion, preservation for human dignity and passion for social justice as Richard Gill. It is with extreme pleasure and confidence that I nominate Richard Gill. to receive the St. Ignatius Award.

Thank you for your attention and consideration, and please feel free to reach out to me if there is any way I can further help in your decision making process.

Sincerely,

Daniel A. Vannoni Boston College High School Class of 2001 e. daniel.vannoni@gmail.com c. 617-285-9473

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Denis Glinski ’13 Nominated by Edward Glinski ’11

What particular qualities does the nominee possess that make him worthy of consideration for the St. Ignatius Award? Please share examples of how he has demonstrated these qualities in his life.

Denis is a leader in the United States Army. He was given command of the 38th Ordnance Company at Ft Stewart Ga in September of 2023 with a task of preparing them to deploy in spring of 2024. His lessons learned at BC High of putting service before self and being a man for others have allowed him to put his soldiers first and excel at the challenge of leading multiple Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams through difficult certifications allowing them to integrate with special operations teams, and disarm any threats that enemy personnel may leave to harm these American troops. Denis has done this all while ensuring that his soldiers receive the praise they deserve from higher ranking officials without expecting anything for himself. Denis has done all this while also expecting his first child with his wife, Kirsten, who is his pride and joy and sometimes must be second to the soldiers Denis commands who are going into harms way. Denis, being the leader and husband he is, always makes up for it and truly puts everyone before himself.

Using the five pillars of the “Graduate at Graduation” – open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice – please share examples of the ways that the nominee has shown continued formation through his actions.

Denis is a leader. He is a visionary. He is a patriot. He does his job 110% which consists of being a soldier, leader, husband, father, son, and uncle. There isn’t enough time in the day but Denis makes time for everyone he’s ever met. I couldn’t think of anyone I would want to follow into battle or better person I could call my brother.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Brother

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Charles Gobron ’62 Nominated by Donna McKenzie

What particular qualities does the nominee possess that make him worthy of consideration for the St. Ignatius Award? Please share examples of how he has demonstrated these qualities in his life.

I can think of no one who more personifies the meaning of being a person for others than Charles Gobron. I first met him when he and his family moved to my Natick neighborhood when I was 16. Lay people had just been allowed to serve as lectors and I was organizing lectors in our parish (St. Patrick’s). I knocked on the Gobron’s door and asked Charles if he would lector even offering to train him. He was delighted to be asked and assured me that training wasn’t necessary as he said he is a formerJesuit. We still laugh about that story and Charles continues to lector in our parish more than 50 years later. When he reads, you can count on people not only being able to hear the Word, but having it thoughtfully proclaimed.

This is just a tiny glimpse of a life long educator who has devoted himself to teaching future generations of children. He has served as a teacher, a director of curriculum and instruction, a superintendent (Northboro/Southboro) and an administrative consultant to the Maynard Public Schools where he has been for the last nine years. His whole career and life has been dedicated to helping children and growing the educational institutions that help them flourish.

He has an undergraduate degree in psychology from The College of the Holy Cross, a Masters Degree in Education from Framingham State University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. In addition, he has years of community volunteer service. He was an elected Town Meeting Member for the Town of Natick and was a member of Natick’s first Charter and Bylaw Review Committee. So many people in our town and in the field of education speak so highly of him. I would be happy to provide additional references to you if that would be helpful to you in your decision making process.

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Charles Gobron ’62 Nominated by Donna McKenzie Using the five pillars of the “Graduate at Graduation” – open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice – please share examples of the ways that the nominee has shown continued formation through his actions.

Charles Gobron is kind and selfless placing the well-being of others before himself. I will give you a few examples. He faithfully served as his beloved son Christopher’s chemo partner playing cards and companioning him through long and difficult treatments. He modeled grace and deep faith for so many when he had to say goodbye to his only son who was 49 years old.

He went to visit his mother-in-law weekly to change her hearing aid batteries when she couldn’t and it was a job that staff did not do. He demonstrates deep respect for the autonomy of his kids and his five grandchildren. It is wondrous to observe. He bought his granddaughter a brand new pair of ripped jeans against what he says was his better judgement because it was what she wanted. (Be assured though that he does not buy them everything they want.) He generously gives to charities and nonprofits. He is committed to peacemaking and served as treasurer of Pax Christi for years. He and his beloved wife Laura choose to live a simple lifestyle when they could afford to live more extravagantly. Charles also enjoys cooking and is the one who bakes the birthday cakes in his family. Have I convinced you yet? Honestly I had to call BC High to make sure he had not received this honor in the past as it just seems to me that he is exactly the kind of person who is worthy of this honor. He is an incredible role model for BC High students, an example of who they would be blessed to become. Please do not hesitate to ask if you would like additional information.

(By the way, I taught religious studies at BC High when one of your faculty members was on maternity leave and I have an MDiv from what is now the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry)

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Longtime neighbor and friend

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Dr. Yousif Hanna ’12 Nominated by Barbara O’Brien Miller

What particular qualities does the nominee possess that make him worthy of consideration for the St. Ignatius Award? Please share examples of how he has demonstrated these qualities in his life.

Yousif Hanna is amazingly bright, focused, grateful, a lover of people, and passionately committed to justice.

Using the five pillars of the “Graduate at Graduation” – open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice – please share examples of the ways that the nominee has shown continued formation through his actions.

Yousif’s efforts for success were heroic. His resiliency, tireless efforts, and openness to accept help from his peers was admirable.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

I met Yousif Hanna when he and his parents asked that he be enrolled as a student at BC High after escaping from Iraq in 2010. Given my position as Director of Diversity, I was asked to get Yousif acclimated, provide him with books and materials, and be a source of support. His English skills were poor, since he was fluent only in French and Arabic.

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Supporting Background Documents for Dr. Yousif Hanna: Supporting Document A

Diverse BC High group heads to Harvard Four BC High classmates headed to Harvard share bond of diversity

SUZANNE KREITER/GLOBE STAFF Frankie Davis, Kevin Dong, Yousif Hanna, and Varnel Antoine (left to right) will all be Harvard freshmen this fall.

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’It took this group of young men and their friends to see that we’re all one.’

Barbara O’Brien Miller, Office of Diversity

By Joseph P. Kahn GLOBE STAFF APRIL 18, 2012 Yousif Hanna entered Boston College High School as a sophomore in 2009. Hanna and his parents are Iraqi and had recently fled their homeland, fearing for their lives.

Although he did not speak or read much English, Hanna quickly adapted to his new learning environment, earning honor-roll grades at the all-boys’ private high school.

Among the first classmates to befriend him was Frankie Davis, whose mother is from the Dominican Republic and whose father’s roots are Irish-Italian. Davis helped smooth Hanna’s transition to American high school life. Their friendship and study circle soon grew to include two more students whose parents had immigrated to Boston from overseas: Varnel Antoine, from Haiti, and Kevin Dong, who’s Chinese-American.

Last December, all four were accepted to Harvard - a noteworthy achievement by any measure. But what these four have achieved resonates beyond the immigrantfamilies-make-good angle. Their friendship, and the example they set, offers a glimpse of a generation that’s redefining what inclusion means.

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SUZANNE KREITER/GLOBE STAFF Yousif Hanna, Varnel Antoine, Frankie Davis, and Kevin Dong all received awards given to BC High students demonstrating exceptional character, academic achievement, and service to their school and communities.

“They’ve broken all the stereotypes of what it means to be diverse,’’ said Barbara O’Brien-Miller, director of the school’s diversity office. “It took this group of young men and their friends to see that we’re all one.’’ Even if what binds them together isn’t as obvious or visible as skin color, she added, “they are a group. And what’s connected them is the immigrant experience.’’

Founded in 1863 to serve Boston’s Irish immigrant population, BC High enrolls 1,500 students in grades 7-12. In becoming one of the city’s elite college-prep schools, it has opened its doors to students of many different races and ethnicities over the decades, not just the upwardly mobile Irish, as Boston itself has grown and changed with the times.

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Video: BC High students succeeding together

Until recently, however, according to O’Brien-Miller, minority students tended to band together - BC High fields a long list of student organizations such as the Black and Latino Student Union and Asian Culture Club - without necessarily forging connections to other student groups. Today that dynamic has changed, and Antoine, Davis, Dong, and Hanna have helped lead the way, school officials say.

One reflection is the student-run Diversity Cabinet, representing many diverse clubs and affinity groups. Davis heads the organization. Hanna and Antoine are cabinet members, too. Meanwhile, the Middle Eastern Club, over which Hanna presides, has only two members with Middle Eastern backgrounds - and another 20 students who’ve joined the group to learn more about a culture far different from their own.

The four students gathered in the BC High library recently to discuss changes in campus culture and their own plans. Davis and Hanna both brought up a Heritage Dinner event last month, to which students and parents were invited to hear speakers and share stories. To them, it exemplified the inclusiveness they’ve wanted to foster within their school community.

“We’ve tried to go beyond just our school community and demonstrate the impact we could have elsewhere,’’ said Davis, who lives in Revere. He said his mother, a state mental health worker, and his father, a truck driver for the Postal Service, are thrilled he’ll be attending Harvard, where he’ll likely concentrate on premed studies.

Davis said that watching Hanna work hard to fit in, academically and otherwise, was personally inspiring. “He’d tell me, ’Oh, Frankie, have you watched “The Colbert Report?’’ I love that show,’’’ said Davis with a laugh. “That’s Yousif. He’d been in America two months.’’

Hanna, who lives in Quincy, recalled his family’s exodus from Iraq and the challenges it posed. His father, a former military officer, had worked as an interpreter for US troops. After the Hannas became targets of anti-American sentiment, they were forced into hiding for a year before immigrating to the United States. Hanna’s mother, a bank manager in Iraq, now works in the school kitchen

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at BC High. His father works for a plumbing and heating supply company.

At BC High, Hanna had to confront some negative stereotypes about Middle Easterners, he admitted. “There’ve been jokes, yes,’’ he said. “But the BC High community is a very supportive, very open one.’’ Though he thought about quitting after his first few weeks at the school, when language difficulties made homework assignments especially hard, “I realized I had an opportunity others from [Iraq] did not have.’’

At Harvard, Hanna plans to study politics and international relations. He’s already made contact with Harvard’s large and active Arab Alumni Association, which helped support his candidacy for admission. This month, Hanna won a certificate of accomplishment from the Princeton Prize in Race Relations committee for his efforts to improve race relations within his school community.

Antoine, who lives in Randolph, grew up speaking Haitian Creole. His father, who teaches finance at Roxbury Community College, and his mother, who works at a Dorchester health clinic, may be even more excited about Harvard than he is, Antoine said. ’It took this group of young men and their friends to see that we’re all one.’

He and Dong, who lives in Brookline, met in a sophomore history class. By junior year, they’d become part of a tightly knit, if informal, study group that included Davis and Hanna. All four were busy taking Advanced Placement courses, juggling extracurricular commitments (from rugby to community service), and formulating college-application plans last fall when they decided to apply to Harvard early, knowing the odds were slim all four would be taken.

“Even though they all had the good grades, the SAT scores, the outside activities, that doesn’t mean you necessarily get in,’’ said Shawn Ahern, the school’s college guidance director. “The key is, each has a compelling story to tell.’’

Dong, who’ll likely be studying premed or biomedical engineering, said he’ll be leaving a different school from the one he entered. “The intermingling between

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[student] groups has really stood out, and my friends have spent most of their time furthering that,’’ he said. “I feel I’ve done my part too, by ignoring these racial divides and not restricting myself to a certain group of friends.’’

At ceremonies held last Friday, Davis, Hanna, Antoine, and Dong all received awards given to BC High students demonstrating exceptional character, academic achievement, and service to their school and communities. O’Brien-Miller, beaming like a proud parent, said she’s “deeply humbled’’ by what these four have done to change prevailing views about diversity.

“I’ve become extremely hopeful about the world’s future,’’ she said, “if we can keep finding young men of this character.’’

Joseph P. Kahn can be reached at jkahn@globe.com.

Supporting Document B Part I: Leaving My Country

Yousif Hanna’12 Boston College High School

"‫"ﻳﺎﻧﺎس ﻳﺎﻋﺎﻟﻢ دﺧﻴﻞ اﻟﻠﻬﺎﻟﻠﻬﺎﻟﻠﻬﺎﻟﻠﻪ اﺣﺪ ﻳﺴﺎﻋﺪﻧﺎ‬ "People! For God’s Sake! Someone Help us!"

My name is Yousif Hanna, and I am an 18 year old Christian, Iraqi refugee from Mosul, Iraq.

Until the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, I led a fairly ordinary life. Thereafter, my life changed forever. Like many Iraqis, I was personally elated that Saddam Hussein’s despotic reign over Iraq had ended. The Republic of Fear had ended and all Iraqis would finally benefit from our country’s rich culture and history. However, sectarian warfare ensued, principally between Sunni Muslims, a minority, and Shi Muslims, the majority. As Christian Iraqis, we were caught in the middle of a civil war.

Prior to the invasion, my Muslim friends and I ate, laughed, and studied together. Christian Arabs were an integral component of Iraqi society. Now, many Muslims saw us as the enemy, principally because Al Qaeda continually repeated, "The war is a Crusade." The US’s decision, post-invasion, to dissolve Iraq’s government, army, and police was catastrophic and led to great instability in Iraq. As a result, Al Qaeda visited thousands of unemployed, armed and hungry security officers and criminals with offers of money. Suddenly, most neighborhoods were controlled by radical Muslim terrorists.

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To assimilate or, rather, to hide, Christian women, including my mother and sister Rand had to often cover their heads and wear full black aabaya like Muslim women if they opted to go to the market or simply walk outside. Al Qaeda personally targeted my family because we were Christian, and my father worked as an interpreter for the US army. Our home was attacked by machine guns, and we went into hiding in various parts of Iraq to flee the persecution of our fellow Iraqis. Unfortunately, Al Qaeda was too powerful. They beheaded my cousin, also an interpreter, and kidnapped Rand from her college dormitory.

My family decided that we had to flee Iraq. So, in 2009, I found myself, penniless, at Boston’s Logan Airport. After sleeping a night at the airport, I was pleasantly surprised that a Jewish family was willing to host us and find a school for me. This was my first encounter with a Jew, and I quickly learned that gross generalizations and prejudices are fed by ignorance. The more time I spent with my hosts, the more I realized how many good values we shared.

I enrolled at B. C. High two years ago and was fortunate to have very supportive teachers and administrators. Despite speaking little English, I worked my way from not understanding my friends’ slang to vetting Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. I knew that this was my chance to make a new life for my family and me. Today, I have a 4.2 GPA, have received numerous academic awards, and am very active in my community.

While school has been a great haven for me, my life in Boston is not easy. My mother, who used to head a bank branch in Iraq, now washes dishes for a living, and my father, a respected teacher and interpreter, today moves boxes. We can barely make ends meet.

My parents are, in many ways, ’broken’, not merely financially but most profoundly by the loss of Rand, whom we have not heard from in 4 years.

I, too, miss Rand terribly. Every time I think of her, I find comfort in remembering our last Christmas together: the warmth of our home surrounds us; the smell of dolma fills the house as we anticipate a large meal. My father, at the table surrounded by my uncles, smiles at my mother; she laughs at an old joke my dad has told a thousand times. Rand and I play together as we finish decorating the tree. My father’s eyes shine with pride as he examines our masterpiece.

Our parents give us our Christmas gifts and wishes. Rand and I respond with love. Now it feels like a dream. If only 2006 had stayed, and 2007 never came. Little did I know it would be our last Christmas together as a family.

When our house was being shelled, my mom would pray and scream: "‫"ﻳﺎﻧﺎس ﻳﺎﻋﺎﻟﻢ دﺧﻴﻞ اﻟﻠﻬﺎﻟﻠﻬﺎﻟﻠﻬﺎﻟﻠﻪ اﺣﺪ ﻳﺴﺎﻋﺪﻧﺎ‬ "People! For God’s sake! Someone help us!"

Her prayers and wishes have been partly answered. We are in America. So many good people have offered to help us. Now we have a chance to rebuild our lives. We miss our country and friends terribly and our longing for Rand is indescribable. We used to be four. Now we are three, but we are still together. Together, we hope to chart a new life.

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Part II: The Experience of Trying to Communicate in a New Language Lost in Translation To dry a tongue* is To open a wound To misunderstand To shackle a mind To seize a conscience To express with silence To dream with boundaries To laugh with sadness To look and not find To be misunderstood To fear a question To mortify culture To erase identity To isolate a self To diminish a soul To trust the unknown To state the unutterable To struggle with Hobson’s choice To believe it is better, while you know it is worse To hope without hope When the sounds, smells, and looks become ineffable When the words melt and refuse to be pieced in a sentence When words become an elegy to your ideas *To dry a tongue is to fill a heart with huzin, shouq, and hanin.

It has been a month and a half since I left Iraq, and I was accepted to one of the most challenging college preparatory high schools. The English I learned in Iraq was not sufficient for daily life, and most certainly not adequate enough to build an academic career. However, I did well in school; chemistry was easy, and algebra was easier. Yet, I was shackled in a prison, behind a bulwark of my thoughts. The more I attempted to break my chains, the tighter they held me down.

Part of me was missing. I searched for it; I found it, but my tongue betrayed me.

I was a matrix of motion, a formula of chemistry, a rule of physics, but I was not me.

I spoke little English. That was my agony. The hardest part of being an immigrant is to smell the burn of my dry tongue. I was charged with emotions that I could not express.

My Arabic tongue started to dry with lack of use, while my English tongue was still drier than a brick. Words, words, and words proved to be the problem and the solution.

I have been in the United States now for two and a half years, and I realize that my problem and the problem of humanity are words. We fight wars, because we cannot reach our goals with peaceful words. We seek religion because it offers us a new vocabulary about humanity. We are afraid, because there are no words that make us feel 29

safe. We find happiness in tranquility, because language is limited. Yet, a culture, a religion, or a science is built on a language. Language is the healing poison.

My sister was kidnapped; my cousin was beheaded, and I almost died, because my father was an interpreter with the US Army. He exchanged words with words. Yet, according to Al-Qaida, that was worth punishing.

Two years ago, I did an internship with Catholic Charities, and my job was impossible. I translated from Arabic to English and vice versa. After experiencing the difficulty of articulating my thoughts when I first arrived, and after noticing the new immigrants’ struggle with communication, I decided to volunteer to be an interpreter. I saw myself in them and part of me still does. Though I can speak English and translate it, a part of my soul is still in Arabic: my childhood memories, the first poem I memorized, and the small conversations with my friends. If I translate them, I will lose the core of my soul. I attempted to exchange words with words. It was the hardest job, because some words are not made for translation. I realized the limits of language.

Humans do not mutter letters. Each word is a soliloquy of the soul. It was words on Facebook and Twitter that commenced the Arab Spring, not armies or tanks. My mission as an Iraqi is to reform my country and help shape the future of the Middle East by implanting a language of change and transformation. My mission as an American is to build a language of tolerance that welcomes all immigrants. Yet, as an Iraqi-American, my call is to extend the hyphen between the parts of my identity to a bridge of dialogue that I will build letter by letter. * Huzin, shouq, and hanin are Arabic words which cannot give the exact meaning when translated to English.

Part III: My Project for BC High students with the sponsorship of Mrs. O’Brien Miller The Begley Scholarship, a prestigious research grant awarded by Boston College High School to one junior, allows the student to study a topic of his choice during the summer after the eleventh grade. Every junior is invited to apply. A committee reads the initial proposals. A small group is selected for revisions. From that group, some are interviewed.

I was chosen. As a Christian Iraqi immigrant, I have faced prejudice before. My passion led me to research inter-religious relations and discrimination in society. Through the summer, I interviewed members of the Arab community, Muslim leaders in the Boston area, and the president of the Harvard Arab Alumni Association. My resulting product was a program for my school community. After meeting with educators from my school, Facing History, and Seeds of Peace, I established an action plan for the BC High Community. Students from two high schools will meet biweekly for three hours in order to empower students, create awareness, and start a change movement in the society. The Begley enabled me to respond to my passion for justice, to research a positive outcome, and, most importantly, to create an association for social change within my school.

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Supporting Document C: Recommendation for Med School Office of Diversity January 12, 2014 To Whom It May Concern: Before Yousif even went to Harvard, he attended the Harvard Arab Alumni Association Conference with me, and now is active in the group himself. He also visited Maine for the Seeds of Peace Camp composed of Palestinian and Israeli students from the Middle East and the U.S.

From the beginning, Yousif Hanna has presented as an exceptional science and math scholar, but also has a global awareness, a passion for history, and very importantly is multi-lingual with fluency in Arabic, French, and English. He has broken all the stereotypes of what it means to be diverse. With Hanna’s leadership, the dynamic of diversity changed at BC High. Through the Diversity Cabinet, Hanna forged connections to the school’s diverse clubs and affinity groups. As a senior, Hanna won a certificate of accomplishment from the Princeton Prize in Race Relations committee for his efforts to improve race relations within his school community.

At Harvard, although Hanna loves politics and international relations, he is drawn toward the sciences as a way to make the world a better place. Yousif Hanna, a young man of character, gives us hope for the world’s future. I give him my highest recommendation for acceptance for medical school.

Sincerely, Barbara O’Brien Miller Director of Diversity Boston College High School (617) 474-5150

obrienmiller818@gmail.com

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Carleton Johnson ’62 Nominated by Joseph Galeota ’62

What particular qualities does the nominee possess that make him worthy of consideration for the St. Ignatius Award? Please share examples of how he has demonstrated these qualities in his life.

Carl (as he is known) was a lifelong Boston Public School teacher serving his whole career as a marine biology teacher at South Boston High School. A graduate of BC, he began teaching on Telegraph Hill in the late 60’s/early 70’s and continued there for 40 years, including the traumatic years of desegregation. His presence there provided a calming effect---if there was such a one---for faculty and students alike, as the school daily rocked from fights, stone-throwing, insult-hurling, and a heavy police presence, all of which were recently detailed on an episode of American Experience on Channel 2. It was on his shoes that blood of a stabbed Michael Faith spilt, with Carl trying to tend to him during the nadir of those tempestuous years. Aside from being a bastion of steadiness under several headmasters, he secured numerous grants that allowed his impoverished black and white students to see and experience sea life beyond the local confines of City Point and Carson Beach: he familiarized his students with hands-on activities in the marshes of Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newburyport and on the dunes of Coast Guard Beach in Eastham as well as taking his urban charges on overnight schooner trips up the eastern seaboard.

Using the five pillars of the “Graduate at Graduation” – open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice – please share examples of the ways that the nominee has shown continued formation through his actions.

Not too many, if any, BC High grads choose to spend their whole lives teaching Boston Public School students. More than half a century later, he still takes immense pride at the education that he received on Morrissey Boulevard following that tended by the Sisters of St. Joseph at Roslindale’s Sacred Heart (elementary) School. Carl’s sense of fairness and justice has always permeated his dealings with other people, especially the underdog. Moreover, his allegiance to and support of his parish church in West Roxbury, St. John Chrysostom, have never waned for this decades-long St. Vincent de Paul member.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Classmate

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Carleton “Carl” Johnson ’62 Nominated by Joseph Galeota ’62

What particular qualities does the nominee possess that make him worthy of consideration for the St. Ignatius Award? Please share examples of how he has demonstrated these qualities in his life.

As a Boston Public School science teacher who spent almost four decades teaching at South Boston High School, Carl taught marine biology there during its most turbulent times, times that warranted national recognition and scrutiny. His caring for blue-collar students born and raised in Ward 6, as well as for black students bussed in from Roxbury, made him an anchor in a time when so much rancor prevailed. His fellow teachers and administration sought out wisdom from this Roslindale-born and raised legend.

Using the five pillars of the “Graduate at Graduation” – open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice – please share examples of the ways that the nominee has shown continued formation through his actions.

Carl introduced hundreds, if not thousands, of urban youngsters to the wonders of marine biology. His ability to write numerous grants enabled his students---unlike those of any others in the Boston Public Schools---to travel to remote Massachusetts beaches to observe the wonders of maritime life in the marshes and tidal pools. During his years at Southie, he taught CCD for St. John Chrysostom Parish in West Roxbury, where he and his South Boston-born wife, Linda, raised two boys, both graduates of St. Catherine of Siena School in Norwood and Boston Latin School. Nobody met and meted out justice daily as Carl did in the halls and classrooms of South Boston High School, making him a confidant of a black, Hispanic, and white student body in the worst of times. Carl persevered there for a whole lifetime of teaching.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

As BC High ’62 graduate myself, I was a Boston Public School teacher and developed admiration for Carl over the decades for his commitment to urban students.

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AJ Kardoos ’90 Nominated by John Danilecki ’80 What particular qualities does the nominee possess that make him worthy of consideration for the St. Ignatius Award? Please share examples of how he has demonstrated these qualities in his life.

Aj Kardoos is a BC Graduate who joined the US Navy after he graduated from BC High . He then joined the US Navy and became a Navy SEAL and served his country as a SEAL proudly.

He carried out many operations and retired as a Navy SEAL. AJ then joined the Massachusetts State Police and began serving the Commonwealth as a State trooper assigned to the SWAT team.

In 2016 AJ while serving a search warrant for a suspect who murdered a police officer in Shrewsbury ma entered a home with the SWAT team and suddenly shot in the shoulder while trying to arrest the murderer. AJ survived being shot and returned to work and is currently a Lieutenant Detective serving the state.

I believe his sacrifice and service as a US Navy SEAL and Mass State trooper is a formidable example of living a life for others in the tradition of BC High. He is living his life in service for others as he raises his two daughters. I proudly submit his name and hope he is considered for this prestigious award.

Using the five pillars of the “Graduate at Graduation” – open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice – please share examples of the ways that the nominee has shown continued formation through his actions.

AJ has and continues to live a life of selfless dedication for his country and community even at great risk of his own life. He is a great example of the kind of person that learned how to commit his life to endeavor of helping others . AJ is a living American hero that has been home grown from BC High . His story is inspirational to current and former BC High graduates and community.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Friend

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Frank McCarthy ’48 Nominated by Mike Fitzgerald P’15

What particular qualities does the nominee possess that make him worthy of consideration for the St. Ignatius Award? Please share examples of how he has demonstrated these qualities in his life.

Frank has spent his entire adult life committed to diversity. He is one of the most generous people I have ever met. He has personally helped thousands of people find work and career paths, with particular focus on persons of color and former priests.

Using the five pillars of the “Graduate at Graduation” – open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice – please share examples of the ways that the nominee has shown continued formation through his actions.

Frank is virtually always asking about how others are doing and seeking ways to encourage them or help them. He does this while continuing to work in his eighties and while suffering from a very serious form of shingles. He is an Irish-Catholic from Medford who developed a strong passion for standing with and empowering the African American community and other diverse communities through his work as a priest and later as the founder of Xavier Associates.

Frank has helped thousands of people find confidence, find work and/or find a career path that was a good fit for them. He is a legend among people of color who call him their friend and with whom he has walked. He has also helped hundreds of former priests and religious, many without any idea how to survive after discerning a call to move on from ordained ministry, to find a path forward that allowed them to retain a sense of their dignity as human persons.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Frank helped me to establish myself as a search professional by introducing me to the person who hired me and for whom I worked for over 20 years.

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Michael F. McGonagle ’70 Nominated by Donald A. MacMillan, SJ ’60

What particular qualities does the nominee possess that make him worthy of consideration for the St. Ignatius Award? Please share examples of how he has demonstrated these qualities in his life.

Mike is gentle and kind. Very concerned about others and goes out of his way to assist anyone. He has been an employee of BC High for many years as a teacher and administrator.

He participated in many social justice actions, especially taking students to the annual Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice.

Using the five pillars of the “Graduate at Graduation” – open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice – please share examples of the ways that the nominee has shown continued formation through his actions.

Mike is always open to growth. He is intellectually competent as he delivered well as a student in classes that I taught and classes he taught. He is loving and kind and teaches others to be the same. He learned about the unjust actions of groups who assassinated the poor in various Central American countries, especially the Jesuit Martyrs, their housekeeper and her daughter at the Central American University in San Salvador, El Salvador. As Vice President of Mission and Ministry at BC High, he brought this call to justice home to the school both students and faculty.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

I was first his Latin teacher when he was a student at BC High. I got to know him better when we were both on the faculty and in administration at BC High. Our relationship strengthened through the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice.

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Gerald P. Mitchell ’54 Nominated by Charles Hegarty ’54

What particular qualities does the nominee possess that make him worthy of consideration for the St. Ignatius Award? Please share examples of how he has demonstrated these qualities in his life.

See my attached 6-page Nomination Profile

Using the five pillars of the “Graduate at Graduation” – open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice – please share examples of the ways that the nominee has shown continued formation through his actions.

See my attached 6-page Nomination Profile, especially pp. 4-6

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Lifelong Friend and Classmate at B.C. High and Boston College. I have been an eyewitness to Jerry’s service and virtues and a grateful beneficiary thereof.

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Saint Ignatius Award Nomination for 2020 Nominee Profile Gerald P. Mitchell Class of 1954 Seventy years ago, with a Jesuit educator’s eye for quality student potential, the classically eloquent Rev. John P. Foley, S.J., Principal of Boston College High School, took a chance and recruited a diamond in the rough. In 1950, in his infinite wisdom, he provisionally accepted and welcomed Gerald P. Mitchell from 20 Bataan Ct. Roxbury as a freshman to B.C. High. Jerry started his education at “The Annex” on Mass Ave. During the next four seemingly endless years, Father Foley personally and warmly guided Jerry through some of his early academic hurdles with Latin, Greek and the rest of the elements of the Jesuit Ratio Studiorum.

After school, to relax and keep sane, Jerry worked out in local gyms training for his future championship boxing bouts. He was known for his powerful right hand haymaker and was a feared contender even as a teen. Legend has it that Father James Lyons, S.J., then Prefect of Discipline at B.C. High, kept his good eye on Jerry’s after school training and went so far as to actually attend and cheer him on to his Golden Gloves Welter Weight Boxing Title at Madison Square Garden in 1953. His victory pose is memorialized in Jerry’s 1954 Renaissance year book (p.142).

Jerry energetically met all the daunting challenges of such educational and physical demands while moving from The Annex to Harrison Avenue and thence to Morrissey Boulevard in 1952. Two years later, all three of them, Father Foley, Father Lyons and Jerry celebrated his graduation in 1954, the year Pope Pius XII declared the Marian Year. Whenever Jerry is asked what event had and continues to have the deepest impact on his life, without hesitation he invariably replies that it was his Jesuit education at B.C. High that uniquely and profoundly influenced and motivated every aspect of his life and continues to do so to this day some 70 years later.

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From his early days at B.C. High to the present, Jerry’s lifetime has been a continual effort to put into practice the ideal of Saint Ignatius known as the magis, that all of one’s actions in life are for the greater glory of God. This cardinal principle informed and continues to inform every aspect of his life as a teacher, an advocate for persons with disabilities, a counselor, a role model for countless young men and women and a quiet benefactor for hundreds of marginalized persons in need throughout the Boston area.

Jerry has continued to carry out his vocation quietly but effectively. His B.C. High experience serves as an archetype of what St. Ignatius’s vision of Jesuit education is at its best. His boundless goodness and quiet sharing thereof touched thousands of men and women and expanded their dreams.

Jerry’s life reflects the epitome of that “competence, conscience, and compassion” to do all things ad majoram Dei gloriam cherished and celebrated in B.C High’s mission statement.

Jerry insists that, were it not for Father Foley, Father Lyons and the entire B.C. High faculty, he shudders to think what might have been. He is well aware that B.C. High provided the opportunity for potential, and he enthusiastically embraced and maximized it throughout his life’s evolution.

He answered the call to “ever to excel,” or, as Jerry, with his background in Greek, would prefer “aien aristuein.”

In 1954 Jerry moved on to become a Double Eagle by attending Boston College and graduating in 1958. Upon graduation from BC, Jerry was recruited by Rev. Ambrose J. Mahoney, S.J., then Principal of B.C. High, to come back to Morrissey Blvd. to serve as a faculty member in the Mathematics Department from 1958 through 1960. He cherished the opportunity to share with his students the fruit of his educational experience as a student of B.C. High. However, he claims to this day that Father Mahoney’s recruitment was based on Jerry’s perfect attendance record in “Jug”. His experience as teacher at B.C. High permeated his life and became the driving force of his lifetime service for others.

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During this time, Jerry married Patricia Richards of Hyannis, a 1957 BC graduate, a long time teacher in the Newton and the Westwood school systems and a lifelong advocate for equal educational opportunities for persons with disabilities. Both Jerry and Pat were among of the most vocal advocates for the state-wide Advisory Council on Special Education and the Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC) which were vitally instrumental in the 1972 enactment of Chapter 766, the Massachusetts Special Education Law. This law provided opportunity to children with physical and learning disabilities to attend public school.

Chapter 766 served as the model for the first federal special education law, namely, Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975.

Jerry and Pat, as teachers, were fully aware that, in the recent past, many children with disabilities were deemed to be “unteachable” and thus were excluded from public school based on this sad conclusion. At that time, it was also acceptable educational theory that, if a student’s physical disabilities resulted in adverse effects on teachers or other students, he or she could be legally excluded from public schools. In contrast to such exclusion, Jerry and Pat had a profound belief in the U.S. Supreme Court’s finding when it declared “separate but equal” is unconstitutional.

Through advocacy and passionate determination, Jerry and Pat ensured that the noun “exclusion” was replaced with the noun “inclusion” in any approach to the delivery of free and appropriate Special Education services to all children with disabilities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

They truly believed that all children, but especially children with physical and intellectual disabilities, were entitled by law to enjoy equal educational opportunity. They were champions of concepts like “free and appropriate education,” “least restrictive environment,” and “individual education plans.” Jerry and Pat fought passionately for them as they applied to their son Gerald P. Jr. and all other children with disabilities. As a matter of fact, Pat actively lobbied both chambers on Beacon Hill in the late 1960s and I was fortunate to have personally accompanied her to some of these meetings and saw first hand passionate advocacy in action.

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Sadly, Pat’s passion and drive was recently brought to premature conclusion with her death in 2019. However, the profound commitment to service of others which became the driving force permeating their 60 years of married life continues on in Jerry’s evolution.

As lifelong residents from the early 1960s, Pat and Jerry raised their son and two daughters in Westwood. At this time Jerry entered the business world. In addition to the challenges of raising a family, he became owner of an envelope company. Yet even with all of these personal and familial challenges, Jerry found the time to share his vision and talents. He became deeply involved in relating to, inspiring, and motivating hundreds of young men and women in the suburban communties of Westwood, Norwood, and Newton. His vocation was “for others.”

There have been countless instances of needy beneficiaries of Jerry’s private and quiet personal delivery of kindness, concern, care, physical and financial help throughout his lifetime. Families who experienced the tragic death of a son or of a mother have been comforted and consoled by his presence and financial assistance. The working staff of his envelope company have tasted his personal kindness and attention to their outside worksite needs and challenges. Warm winter coats and holiday turkey dinners were always plentiful in Jerry’s priorities for those persons in need throughout Boston. In fact, Boston’s then Mayor Thomas Menino became aware of Jerry’s quiet, no-fanfare beneficence and its widespread influence and impact on the city’s youth and families in need. In fact, he responded by cordially celebrating Jerry’s service delivery with a special award. Jerry assuredly exhibited a lifetime pursuit of “selfless service” to both his civic and religious communities all the while meticulously adhering to “the principles of honesty, justice, compassion and the protection and preservation of human dignity” as explicitly required in the St. Ignatius Awards Nomination Form. Such demanded service and virtues for a nominee for this Award are vividly dramatized throughout Jerry’s experiences as noted above and will be illustrated below.

Jerry’s leadership role in countless Jesuit-conducted weekend retreats at Gonzaga Retreat Center in Gloucester and at Packard Manse in Stoughton

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over 30 years is perhaps the hallmark of his service to and impact on the youth of his community. I can attest to this fact because I served as an active participant in many of these retreats. The impact of Jerry’s efforts is legendary and widespread. Jerry facilitated these young persons’ encounter with and enjoyment of the Principles, the Mysteries and Graces of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Today these same persons who were affected by Jerry are now adults with their own respective families and continually mention that it was Jerry’s influence and impact that played major roles in their respective development as adult men and women and, especially, as parents.

Jerry’s quiet dedicated leadership as teacher, tutor, counselor, advocate, role model and quiet benefactor coupled with his deep commitment to serving others, especially the young men and women of his community, are also vividly dramatized by Jerry’s consistent dynamic involvement with St. Margaret Mary Church, his Westwood parish. For over 35 years. Jerry led film discussions, advised, listened, sympathised, prayed, and practiced non-direct counseling. He gave the youth hope and encouraged them to dream. He provided them with the profound challenge to become what their respective God-graced potential pointed them toward. Jerry’s parish role was as effective and as quiet as was and is his lifetime of daily participation in the Mystery of the Eucharist. Whether in Westwood, Hyannis or whatever city or town he spends the night, Jerry’s day always and everywhere begins with the Eucharist.

In addition, during this time Jerry also became involved with the Norwood Hospital Youth Program for at-risk students and had equally as effective an impact on countless young men and women. His volunteer weekend work as counselor with high school juniors and seniors, who likewise volunteered to join the program, definitely made substantive impact on their lives and aspirations. These youth were introduced to the possibility of careers in the medical service delivery field. It gave them focus, purpose, ambition, and, above all, the ability to entertain and enjoy challenging dreams for fruitful personal futures. Jerry led by counsel and example.

Jerry has helped all of these young men and women to develop and practice what he knew as the simple but profound virtues of love, human dignity, civility, justice, and mutual respect. By his example, he has shown

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them how to be committed to serving God and His people through their own actions. For the past few years, inspired by his commitment, Jerry’s granddaughter has continued his tradition and legacy of other-oriented service by her active leadership role in the Children’s & Youth Faith Formation (CFF) program at St. Ignatius Church, Chestnut Hill.

Jerry’s brilliant evolution sets an extraordinary high bar for any future B.C High graduate to meet and exceed the expectations of the five pillars of the “Graduate at Graduation,” i.e., a man open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving and committed to doing justice. As a man who has attempted throughout his whole life to put into practice the Ignatian ideal of magis, of doing more for others as a means of doing more for God’s glory, Jerry’s life has truly been that of a quiet Contemplative in Action, serving God and His people through his actions. Jerry has been and continues to be truly an Ignatian “man for others." We are in debt to Father John P. Foley, S.J. for taking the chance and for recruiting this diamond in the rough 70 years ago.

As a close reading of the above Nominee Profile makes eminently evident, Gerald P. Mitchell ’54 truly merits selection as the outstandingly qualified nominee for the Saint Ignatius Award of 2020.

Respectfully Submitted by: Charles M. Hegarty, Ph.D. 2064 Appersett Loop Roseville, CA 95747 cmfoh@comcast.net 1-916-474-5017 (Home) 1-847-508-2464 (Cell) Nominee Data Gerald P. Mitchell 47 Bonney Street or 45 Channel Point Road Westwood, MA 02090 Hyannis, MA 02602 1-617-326-1551 (Home) 1-508-771-4849 (Home) 1-617-653-8218 (Cell)

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Paul Murray ’79 Nominated by Paul Lloyd ’79

Please share your recommendation of why you think the nominee is fitting of this award.

As the committee knows, the award is a lifetime award for an individual’s acts towards others w/out any regard for self-recognition. I was thinking that this definition fits Paul 100%.

What particular qualities does the nominee posses that make him worthy of consideration?

For over 40 years, Paul has been helping men and women with their sobriety thru A.A. Not only does he still attend meetings on a regular basis, he uses these times to offer encouragement, advice, and insight from personal life experiences. I don’t know much about A.A, but I do know that you need a good sponsor to give you necessary support.

He has sponsored numerous people over 40 years, to assist them in their sobriety. He has thousands of meetings under his belt, some not scheduled, to assist somebody in crisis.

Receiving 3 am phone calls to assist people from regressing, I know he deserves it. It is a constant 24/7struggle, taking one day at a time not only for himself but for helping others do the same. Fortunately for those around Paul, we will never know how many lives he has saved from ruin but without him, there would probably be several. Thank you for giving this nomination the consideration that it deserves.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Classmate

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Jon Rizzo ’00 RIP Nominated by Christopher Browne ’00

What particular qualities does the nominee possess that make him worthy of consideration for the St. Ignatius Award? Please share examples of how he has demonstrated these qualities in his life.

Consciousness of others’ needs, willingness to take time out of his life to help others.

Using the five pillars of the “Graduate at Graduation” – open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice – please share examples of the ways that the nominee has shown continued formation through his actions.

"Jon ultimately lost his life as the result of his predisposition to help others. Late at night he picked up a hitch hiker, someone in a position of need. Like the man helped by the Samaritan, many others drove past that hitch hiker, like so many people drive past hitch hikers and walk past homeless people every day. Jon’s attentiveness to those in need led him to stop and offer help that so few seem inclined to do. Unfortunately that act of generosity cost him his life.

When I heard that news, I was saddened but not surprised that Jon would do something like that. During high school I experienced an acute period of depression and personal difficulty, which was visible to many people who interacted with me. I remember Jon going out of his way to be friendly, and try to cheer me up, where so many others did not."

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

He was a classmate and friend. Sadly his final act of generosity and the consequences that followed it were publicized on the news.

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2026 St. Ignatius Award Addendum Added on August 13, 2026

Gregory Bulger ’68 Nominated by Trustee Fritz Friedman ’68

Please share your recommendation of why you think the nominee is fitting of this award.

Greg has shown tremendous generosity in money and time to BC High over the past five decades. It's time that he be recognized.

What particular qualities does the nominee posses that make him worthy of consideration?

Greg has a deep love of BC High, as demonstrated by his many effective years on the Board of Trustees and his very generous donation of the Gregory Bulger Auditorium at the school.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Classmate and Friend

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BLOG

BC High Receives $1.25m Gift From Alumnus to Establish the Gregory E. Bulger ’68 Endowment for the Arts

BC HIGH RECEIVES $1.25M GIFT FROM ALUMNUS TO ESTABLISH THE GREGORY E. BULGER ’68 ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 26, 2024

Contact: Colleen Carter Vice President for External Relations E: ccarter@bchigh.eduP: 617.474.5039

The Bulger Endowment for the Arts will be used to provide broad support to the school’s arts programs BOSTON (March 15, 2024): During the kickoff of Boston College High School’s Second Annual Arts Festival, BC High announced that the School has received a transformational gift of $1.25 million from alumnus Gregory E. Bulger ’68 to establish the Gregory E. Bulger ‘68 Endowment for the Arts.

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The Bulger Endowment for the Arts will provide a sustainable source of income in perpetuity so that future generations of Eagles can experience the life-changing Menu power of creativity and expression. In 2007, Bulger became the primary donor of the school’s state-of-the-art performing arts center, later dedicated as the Bulger Performing Arts Center.

“This gift will continue the School’s efforts to bring our arts programs to a new level for students. Establishing an endowment for the Arts may not be as flashy as this performing arts center but will be just as important in making sure that the Arts programs at the School have their rightful place as a necessary part of the education we provide.” Bulger said. “I would like to thank all of my family and friends who are in attendance this evening and in particular my husband, Richard Dix, who with me, has been so supportive of the Arts here at BC High and our efforts to enhance their place at the School.”

The Bulger Endowment for the Arts will be used to provide broad support to BC High’s arts program, including investment in arts facilities, expanding course and cocurricular offerings, and creating innovative new programs. Further, the endowment will establish a permanent legacy, securing the future of the arts and embracing the Jesuit tradition that challenges students to live, serve, and create ad majorem Dei gloriam, for the greater glory of God. “We are grateful for Greg’s unwavering support of our school, his thoughtful and careful guidance as a trusted Board member, and his belief in the importance of a Jesuit, Catholic formation,” said President Regan. “BC High is a better place because Greg cares deeply about the young men who walk these hallways. His generosity knows no bounds.”

Fueled by Bulger and Dix’s investments, BC High’s Fine and Performing Arts program is considered one of the school’s most vibrant departments. With more than 50 fine and performing arts courses – from film and photography; to painting and ceramics; to theatre and music – more than 900 students are currently enrolled in these classes. The Bulger Endowment for the Arts will continue to expand learning opportunities, including: Creating an Arts Encounter program that gives students opportunities to visit with working artists in the City of Boston and beyond, engaging directly with the city’s rich cultural community – in the studio, on the stage, and in the concert hall.

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Funding Artists-in-Residence, to bring regional, national, and international leaders in the arts to BC High’s campus to offer workshops and interactive experiences Menu to students and faculty.

Expanding on-campus exhibits and installations by guest artists and students, including the annual Arts Festival.

“While the Bulger Performing Arts Center provides the physical space for our fine and performing arts, the Endowment will ensure the arts will be at the cornerstone of a BC High education for generations to come,” said BC High Vice President of Advancement Kelly DeGregorio. “We are lucky to call Greg and Richard friends and collaborators in furthering our school’s mission.”

Bulger is the founder and former chief executive officer of HealthCare Value Management (HCVM), a managed care organization that operated the largest independent preferred provider organization in New England. In May 2002, Bulger sold HCVM to its largest national client. Outside of his career accomplishments, Bulger exemplifies being a man for others through his leadership positions with several Boston based nonprofit organizations, all of which are supported by the Bulger Foundation, as well as Bulger and Dix’s personal philanthropy. Bulger currently serves as a Trustee and Great Benefactor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he served as a member of the advisory board for 12 years. He has previously served on the board of numerous organizations including BC High, Boston Conservatory, Opera Boston, Project STEP, and Speakeasy Stage Co. With this gift, which is part of BC High’s $125 million Illuminating Excellence Campaign, the School has officially passed the $100 million mark. The Illuminating Excellence Campaign is the largest fundraising effort in the history of BC High and will provide the essential resources needed to advance the School’s mission of legacy and leadership across three main initiatives: advancing Human Excellence through investments in key aspects of the BC High formation; ensuring Access and Affordability through scholarships and financial aid; and improving the Physical Campus in ways that continue to advance care and learning.

More information about the Bulger Performing Arts Center, BC High’s fine and performing arts programs, and Illuminating Excellence: The Campaign for BC High is available at www.bchigh.edu.

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Charles Gobron ’62 RIP Nominated by John Cote ’62

Please share your recommendation of why you think the nominee is fitting of this award.

Someone may already have made this nomination but here’s my 2 cents worth.

Charles (Charlie back at BC High) turned the love of Latin and the Classics gained from BC High into a teaching career. We both graduated in ‘62 and went to Holy Cross together and stayed in touch but only occasionaly met. I met his wife Laura in Phoenix where my wife and I met for a day at the Botannical Gardens a couple of decades ago. The last time we met was when I flew in for a family funeral. I stopped by his office and we had lunch where he explained how he was totally satisfied with his role as a classics teacher but since his schedule was not demanding he was tapped for the role of acting superintendent for the Northborough/Southborough School District, while a national search was undertaken to find a permanent replacement. After this situation repeated itself several times, the district finally realized how good a job he was doing and selected him for the permanent role. Charlie was a regular at Red Sox games and when he retired was presented with the “MVE†(Most Valuable Educator) award on the field in front of a packed Fenway!

This is link to his 2025 obit: https://www.everettfuneral.com/obituary/Charles-Gobron .

What particular qualities does the nominee posses that make him worthy of consideration?

Unique combination of Competence and Humility plus a total commitment to public service.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Classmate and Friend

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Jul 5, 2025·4 min read

Absolutely!

In loving memory, admiration and gratitude for our dear friend and colleague, Charles Gobron.

Dr. Charles Gobron is a longtime friend and colleague who leaves an indelible mark on who I am as an educator and as a person. I found out that we lost him this week, and it moved me to reflect on all the ways he has influenced me. This post is the result of this period of reflection on the life of this amazing man. -Walter I learned so much from Charles Gobron over the years. A career educator-leader active in Massachusetts teacher union work, he led the committee that hired me to serve as Director of Technology for the Northborough-Southborough Regional School District, about 50 miles west of downtown Boston. And while Boston is my birthplace, Northborough is where I grew up, so I already felt very much at home in this new role. There are few people who could have made it possible, but Charles made me feel even more welcome in my boyhood home!

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He had a way about him. More than open; inviting. More than human; understanding.

Charming, Funny. Warm. Caring. Perceptive.

Witty. And Charles always kept it real. Leave the blarney at the door, because he sees right through it. An Irishman from head to toe, he was full of memorable lines, like “Looks like someone is experiencing some emotional dysregulation” and “You’re not paying for this, I have more money than God!” But my most favorite term that I internalized as my own was a short, emphatic “Absolutely!” which we worked into any conversation with the confidence of Vince Lombardi on game day.

But it was more than confidence. It was positive energy fueling possibilities. It was the inclusive intention of all of us working together to get things done. It was affirming that there was no doubt in his mind we were all moving forward together. It didn’t matter what the subject was or who was in the conversation, “Absolutely” set the standard and everyone loved him for it.

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We accomplished much together, from school board policy pushes to regional district budget battles, from internal senior staff squabbles to the death of a sitting superintendent. When the district went looking for answers, Charles’ can-do attitude was always right there ready and willing, and as a result he became superintendent himself. We had great conversations behind closed doors and in full public view. There were times we laughed so hard we couldn’t stop, and other times we picked each other up, dusted each other off, and vowed to try another day. In all things, we were friends and allies. I never worked with anyone better.

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We lost Charles this week, after a long, brave fight with cancer. He worked right up until the end; he still loved bringing along new leaders and helping everyone feel successful. For those who disagreed with his policies or vision for moving forward, he was an enigma, winning them over as friends even if they couldn’t support him on the issues. His wit and humor were the Achilles heel for anyone who took themselves too seriously. He would confound them with his resilience, achieving things that seemed unattainable and making it look easy. He was all about the work and he worked hard to win, but you’d never realize it unless you were right in there with him experiencing his grit and determination first hand. He always seemed to be having fun.

I last saw Charles this time last summer as I did my “retirement tour” among close friends back home. It meant the world to me to spend that afternoon talking and laughing and catching up.

He was fighting the good fight, and we weren’t sure if or when we would see each other again.

Ss since then, we kept in touch long distance, discussing everything from work to family to our beloved Red Sox. He was hoping to make it to the Cape once more this summer for his family’s traditional vacation together. So while I am sad to know he is gone, I am forever grateful for what he means to me and so many others whom he graced with his presence in their lives. He showed all of us how to live and leave a legacy, standing on his shoulders.

Thank you, Charles, for helping me be the man I am today. For all the ways I have emulated you over the years, there is one word that sums up your brilliance, empowering the believers and disarming the doubters, and I have been making it my own for decades. It is my testament to you every time it comes out of my smiling, Irish mouth: “Absolutely!”

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8/13/26, 6:07 PM

Absolutely!

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Jack Griffin ’22 Nominated by Jennifer Griffin

Please share your recommendation of why you think the nominee is fitting of this award.

Of course, I've always known Jack, but it was during his graduation from Boston College that I truly understood him. He was chosen by a panel of his peers to deliver the Commencement address. An honor that is perfectly Jack-sized.

The concept of his speech was measurements: not losing sight of life through all the things we'd been measured by grades, GPAs, being late to a meeting, and the impact those measurements can have on our self-esteem. He reminded his classmates to remember the unmeasurable: the relationships, the oopsies, the big ones, the small ones, the people and all of the places. The memories, the Polaroids, the signs on the doors, the trash in the grass, the river and the skyline, the holidays and the hard days. He reminded his fellow School of Business graduates to remember that they are human.

As I listened, I thought about the Boston Marathon, driving through the Swiss Alps, rock climbing, mentorship roles, working at a bar in London, commuting to his internship on Wall Street, working as a paperboy at nine, working as a valet at twenty-one, volunteering for everything, fundraising, straight A's, all-nighters, turning that Wall Street internship into a fulltime job, and never forgetting to send us all an encouraging text.

I saw my brother know himself and his purpose. I thought, How courageous to be that known, that seen. It is not ego that gives my brother that courage, but his commitment to the immeasurable to people, to service, and to the unknown. It is his character that makes him the perfect nominee for an immeasurable award, and the solid ground beneath him that makes him worthy."

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Jack Griffin ’22 Nominated by Jennifer Griffin

What particular qualities does the nominee posses that make him worthy of consideration?

Jack is an enigma. He keeps his life private while being totally known. He embodies ease. Jack is a peacemaker, a connector, ”the kind of person who stops for the conversation. He has been this way since childhood: gentle Jack. Even when he was a teenager, I never heard him curse. I didn't understand that. Usually, when a sibling has such strong morals, there's tension somewhere, but with Jack there was none.

As he got older, I watched him change lightbulbs for my grandparents and take my great-aunt out to lunch. I could barely bring myself to visit them at his age. But Jack is never too busy.

He'll pause a little longer and ask one more question. He'll remind you to call your parents on Parents' Day but won't judge you if you forget.

Jack is a leader, a mirror. Spend enough time with Jack, and you'll begin to wonder what was so impossible after all.

I've watched him move through our family as a vulnerable and passionate communicator: acting as a mediator between siblings, opening up to our father, and listening to my mother.

I've watched him effortlessly get to know people. He asks questions. He remains curious, expecting nothing in return because he understands that connection is its own form of currency.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Sister Jack’s Boston College Graduation Speech: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jack-griffin-jg_four-years-at-boston-college-taught-methat-activity-7462688507329892352-Vgir/

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Rev. Paul Kilroy ’62 Nominated by Christopher Martin ’00

Please share your recommendation of why you think the nominee is fitting of this award.

I will begin by first admitting my bias. Paul is my mother's cousin and has always played a significant part in my life. After my father passed away when I was just three years old, Paul stepped in not just to support our whole family, but to be that father figure for myself and my brother, Tim '97.

Paul is the primary reason I attended BC High and found my place there. I was hesitant to attend the school, but at his urging I followed through on my mother's wishes. When I could not find a place of comfort and belonging, Paul encouraged me to seek out the Jesuits and to engage in Campus Ministry. From that moment onward, my life was changed. My experience, following Paul's lead, through BC High Campus Ministry led to my passion for ministry and the charism of the Jesuits. Still today this runs deep as I lead two formation programs for Catholic schools heavily steeped in Jesuit formation.

It wasn't until later in life though that I realized Paul didn't treat us any differently than he did all those he encountered. While he offered ways to be the father figure we were implicitly lacking, he was always Fr. Paul to anyone he encountered. Through his time as a parish priest and pastor, to his roles in Campus Ministry at many colleges, but perhaps most notably Northeastern and Regis, Paul found ways not just to put others first, but to build them up in their faith, their strengths, and their love for life.

When I think of two key Jesuit mottos, AMDG and people for and with others - Paul has lived out that ideal in so many ways. As a diocesan priest he has always gone where needed and done all he could to be a part of the community.

As a college campus minister he put the needs of students first, meeting them where they are and inviting them into the faith in such a warm and welcoming way. Even today still he has brought more people to the faith, recently performing another baptism of a college student at Regis.

He is also not afraid of embracing challenges - to do what is right rather than what is easy.

When the abuse scandal broke in the early 2000's, as a founder of the Boston Priests' Forum, Paul was at the frontlines of demanding accountability for those the church hurt - at his own expense of his future work.

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Rev. Paul Kilroy ’62 Nominated by Christopher Martin ’00

Continued: As few years, after being delayed by the pandemic, we were able to celebrate Paul's 50 year ordination. The remarkable celebration was held with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston and included people from nearly all levels of his ministry, dating back to his time at Salem.

Bringing together decades of people, religious, laity, Catholics and non-Catholics demonstrated the reach of his service and commitment to helping all understand they are loved by God. I will forever be grateful for all Paul did - based on his time as a BCH student, forming me as a BCH student, and bringing Ignatian, Jesuit, BCH values to all well past his time on Morrissey Blvd.

What particular qualities does the nominee posses that make him worthy of consideration?

There are two sets of ideals, very complimentary, that I think of when I think of a BCH graduate. First, the Grad at Grad is such an incredible way of forming BCH students. But it's not just graduating with those qualities formed in you - it's how you continue to live them out each and every day.

Paul is the embodiment of these ideals in so many ways. And not perfectly, as none of us are, a perfect example of what it means to continually work towards them all days of your life.

Religious - this is not simply about Paul being a priest, but about how he brings the faith to the people in an unapologetic yet approachable way.

Intellectually Competent - even now Paul continues to learn and grow, seeking to better understand the world around him.

Loving - whether my family, his cousins and second cousins, his immediate siblings and their children, or the parishioners and college students he meets - he approaches them all with a loving heart.

Committed to Doing Justice - as noted above, his care for others, particularly those who may not have others who can care for them, is of the utmost importance. He has put others ahead of himself, his career, in order to seek justice.

Open to Growth - even in his career Paul has gone where he is called and needed, often going against who he has expected to be, trusting in those who ask for his support.

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Rev. Paul Kilroy ’62 Nominated by Christopher Martin ’00

Continued: In addition to the qualities of the Grad at Grad, I also cannot help but think about the Ignatian Dispositions of Transformational Leadership. These five virtues: adaptable, attentive, visionary, joyful, and humble are inspired by St. Ignatius himself. And like Ignatius, these are ideals we should all strive for - these are ideals I see Paul living out and attempting to live out through it all. And while some may be more difficult than others (ahem, humble), he is not afraid to approach them head on and not afraid to ask for support when needed.

I humbly submit this nomination for consideration and would be thrilled to talk about Fr. Paul Kilroy with the committee.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Cousin

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Catholic Parishes of Arlington ST. CAMILLUS+ST.

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AGNES

J

Meet the Staff: Fr. Kilroy Fr. Paul Kilroy is a Senior Priest in residence at St. Camillus Parish. H in Dorchester and his family worshipped at St. Mark’s Parish in the D Center area of Boston. He is the brother of Gerard and the late Judy attended St. Mark’s grammar school and graduated from Boston Col School before entering St. John’s Seminary in Brighton. He received Arts and a Master of Divinity and was ordained in 1970.

His first assignment was as a Parochial Vicar at St. Mary’s in Waltham years. He was also a member of the Priest Senate in the 1970s whic the Team Ministry program for the Archdiocese of Boston. During th filled in at St. Thomas in Peabody before joining the Team Ministry a Parish on the Fellsway in Medford. He also served for 11 years in Tea St. Pius V Parish in Lynn.

Fr. Paul began a career in Campus Ministry at Salem State University Between serving as Chaplain at Salem State and joining the Campus program at Northeastern University as Chaplain from 1993 – 2001, he at St. Bernard’s in West Newton at a time when the Archdiocese of B considering the merger of St. Bernard and Corpus Christi parishes in Collaborative. While working at Northeastern University, he resided a Boston’s Back Bay and Our Lady Help of Christians in the Nonantum Newton. He returned to St. Bernard’s in 2001 and remained there un in at St. Joseph Parish in Medford in 2005. When asked about his de become a Priest, Fr. Paul said, “The biggest turning point for me is th gives meaning to life and if I could be a resource for people to find m their lives, it was the magnet that made me decide on my vocation”.

A close friend, Sister Rosemary Mulvihill, CSJ, the Director of Campu Regis College approached Fr. Paul in 2007 to join the Center for Mini M aalsl-sw Toimmeesn to Service when Regis College was transitioning from an educational institution. This was to be a temporary position but it h 62

out to be a 17-year rewarding career working with students and facu

Catholic Parishes of Arlington ST. CAMILLUS+ST.

who is celebrating 55 years of priestly ministry this year has spent h AGNES

priestly life in parish ministry and half in campus ministrDyo.n aItne Naonw artJ “Many Hats, No Collar” by Naomi Kooker in the fall of 2016, Fr. Paul t chooses not to wear a clerical collar and often sits on a wall outside enlisting students passing by saying, “Excuse me, I think I need you” asked how he is doing, he responds “better for seeing you.” He needs do outreach, to come to retreats and to participate in the Center for Service’s outreach program to high school students. This sums up h campus ministry, which provides opportunities for people of all faith spiritually. Ms. Kooker describes Fr. Paul as “a rock, confidant, cheer spiritual leader and well, father figure to many a Regis student.” Duri COVID-19 pandemic, he conducted Sunday Reflections, virtual meeti such as the Gospels or other readings to foster greater spiritual well also continues to celebrate a Sunday evening Mass on campus.

As a Senior Priest in residence at St. Camillus Parish, Fr. Paul celebra weekday Mass and another one on the weekend in addition to his co work as Chaplain at Regis College. He travels to the Sisters of St. Jo motherhouse in Brighton twice a month to offer Mass and visit with living there. He shares the residence at St. Camillus Rectory with Fr of the Archdiocese’s Emergency Response Team and Fr. Bob O’Grady member of the Pilot staff. Father Paul was an avid skier—especially for over 40 years, enjoyed bicycling on 3 continents (his favorite was along some of Europe’s famous rivers) and regularly goes to the gym cooking all types of food and is still active in campus ministry at Reg two to three days each week. He believes Fr. Marc is a great leader, camaraderie with his fellow Priests and is grateful for the welcoming the parishioners of our Collaborative. The CPARL parishioners and s Paul many more years of Campus Ministry at Regis College and Paris St. Camillus Parish.

-Written by Chuck Bennett

CATHOLIC PARISHES OF ARLINGTON Collaborative Pastoral Center - 51 Medford Street, Arlington, MA 02474 | 781.648.0220 | info@cparl.org SaintCamillus Church - 1185 Concord Turnpike,Arlington,MA02476 (Mailing Address: 51 Medford St, Arlington, MA 02474) Saint Agnes Church - 32 Medford St, Arlington, MA 02474 St. Agnes Lower Church/ Hope Hall + Mercy Chapel Entrance on Chestnut Street

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Chuck Stravin ’85 Nominated by Toni Choueiri

Please share your recommendation of why you think the nominee is fitting of this award.

As Chuck Stravin’s oncologist for more than a decade, I have had the privilege of witnessing not only his journey with stage IV kidney cancer, but also his extraordinary transformation of personal adversity into service for others. In a career caring for thousands of patients, I have rarely encountered someone who has responded to suffering with such humility, courage, gratitude, and purpose.

When Chuck was diagnosed in 2015 at the age of forty-eight, he was a husband, the father of four young daughters, and a successful business executive. Overnight, his life became defined by surgeries, treatments, uncertainty, and the question every parent facing cancer fears most: Would he live long enough to watch his children grow up?

Most patients understandably focus on surviving. Chuck chose something more.

As research and clinical trials gave him more time, he made a decision that has defined the last decade of his life: to help ensure that the next 48-year-old father or mother diagnosed with kidney cancer would have more hope, better treatment options, and a brighter future than he did in 2015.

That commitment became his life's mission.

Over the past ten years, Chuck has devoted thousands of volunteer hours to helping people he will likely never meet. Through his work with KidneyCAN, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Department of Defense Kidney Cancer Research Program, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and other organizations, he has helped shape research, improve access to care, mentor newly diagnosed patients, and ensure that the patient voice is heard wherever important decisions are made.

But those accomplishments, impressive as they are, are not what define him.

What defines Chuck is the difference he has made in the lives of others.

Because he chose service over self, patients have found hope, researchers have gained a deeper understanding of what matters most, physicians have become better listeners, and families he will never meet will benefit from discoveries and opportunities his advocacy helped make possible. That is his legacy.

None of this has been driven by recognition or personal ambition. It has been driven by gratitude and by a profound belief that every patient deserves the same chance he was given, and if possible, an even better one.

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Chuck Stravin ’85 Nominated by Toni Choueiri

Continued: As his physician, I see Chuck as the embodiment of the Jesuit ideal of a man for others.

More than forty years after graduating from Boston College High School, he continues to live the principle of cura personalis, care for the whole person. Chuck has never seen people as diagnoses or statistics. He sees fathers, mothers, spouses, children, friends, and families whose lives have been forever changed. Whether he is comforting a frightened patient, speaking with policymakers, or encouraging physicians to better understand the patient experience, he always sees the person before the disease.

The St. Ignatius Award honors BC High graduates whose lives reflect integrity, humility, compassion, and selfless service. Chuck Stravin embodies those values as completely as anyone I have known.

As his physician, I am deeply grateful that advances in medicine have given Chuck more time.

What inspires me even more is how he has chosen to spend that time: creating hope, opportunity, and dignity for patients and families he will never meet.

What particular qualities does the nominee posses that make him worthy of consideration?

Chuck possesses many admirable qualities, but what distinguishes him most is that every one of them is directed toward serving others.

His compassion is extraordinary. Despite living with metastatic kidney cancer himself, he consistently places the needs of other patients before his own. He mentors newly diagnosed patients, supports anxious families, and shares his own experience with honesty and generosity because he understands that hope often comes from someone who has already walked the path ahead.

His humility is equally remarkable. Although he has become a nationally respected advocate, he has never sought recognition. He measures success not by titles, visibility, or personal accomplishments, but by whether another patient has a better chance to live, whether a family feels less alone, or whether a researcher gains a deeper understanding of the people behind the data.

Chuck also possesses exceptional integrity. Whether collaborating with scientists,

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Chuck Stravin ’85 Nominated by Toni Choueiri

Continued: Whether collaborating with scientists, serving on national guideline panels, reviewing research proposals, advising Dana-Farber, or meeting with legislators, every conversation begins with the same question: What is best for the patient?

That simple question has become the north star that guides every decision he makes.

He also demonstrates uncommon perseverance. Living with stage IV kidney cancer means facing uncertainty every day. Rather than allowing that uncertainty to narrow his world, Chuck has allowed it to expand his purpose. He has transformed one family’s greatest challenge into hope for countless other families.

What has impressed me most, however, is the ripple effect of his life.

Because Chuck chose service over self, patients have found hope, physicians have become better caregivers, researchers have gained a stronger appreciation for the patient experience, and families he will never meet will benefit from the work he has helped advance. His impact extends far beyond the kidney cancer community and will continue for years to come.

As physicians, we hope our treatments will change our patients’ lives. Every so often, we encounter a patient whose life changes ours.

Chuck is one of those rare people.

During the past decade, I have watched him transform a devastating diagnosis into a life of extraordinary purpose. His legacy will not be measured by the years cancer tried to take from him, but by the countless lives he has touched because of how he chose to live.

His life reflects courage, humility, compassion, faith, and selfless service. More importantly, it is a living example of what it truly means to be a man for others.

I cannot think of a finer example of a graduate who continues to live the mission of Boston College High School. It is my distinct honor to recommend Chuck Stravin, Class of 1985, for the 2026 St. Ignatius Award.

What is/was your relationship with this person? How did you come to know of his actions?

Chuck’s Primary Oncologist and Friend

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Chuck Stravin ’85 Nominated by Toni Choueiri

Continued:

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Father with Stage IV Kidney Cancer Enjoys Wedding of a Lifetime Published: April 4, 2023 Written by: SaulWisnia When Chuck Stravin was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma in 2015, one of his biggest fears was not living long enough to see his four young daughters get married. The disease later metastasized to his lungs as stage IV cancer, but thanks to groundbreaking clinical trials and a care team he considers family, Stravin is checking important items off his bucket list.

On Dec. 30, 2022, Stravin, 55, took a break from ongoing treatment to walk his daughter Kayla down the aisle at her wedding. Several members of his care team at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center including oncologist Toni Choueiri, MD, attended the ceremony, and photos that Chuck tweeted of him and Kayla from that day — accompanied by words of thanks to Choueiri and Co. for making it happen — quickly went viral.

“I think that some of my dad’s oncology team knew more about my wedding plans, and even saw my dress, before some of my own family and friends,” Kayla shares with a smile, and Chuck adds that Choueiri acted like “a second proud father” at the wedding itself.

“It was very emotional, and I couldn’t help getting closer and closer to the dance floor [during the father-daughter dance],” says Choueiri, director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana-Farber Brigham. “Chuck is like an older — slightly older — brother to me. We discuss kidney cancer advances, our lives, our families, fishing, and how he is integrating himself into the kidney cancer advocacy community.”

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Chuck Stravin (standing, upper right) and wife Liz (kneeling, in black) celebrate the big day with daughters MaryBeth, Meghan, and Colleen (in red, left to right), daughter and son-in-law Kayla and Jimmy McMahon (center), and family goldendoodle Quinn Stravin.

A treatment odyssey The Stravin family’s cancer story did not start with Chuck. His father, Kayla’s grandfather, died in 2002 — five weeks after learning he had advanced squamous cell cancer. Chuck’s own diagnosis on Oct. 25, 2015 — 13 years to the day after his father’s death — was accidental in nature. He had noticed blood in his urine, which doctors initially thought was a urinary tract infection brought on by a bad cold. Once tests revealed a tumor in his right kidney, his primary care physician transferred him to Dana-Farber Brigham.

The kidney was removed that December, and Chuck was back at work six weeks later. To make sure that his remaining kidney and other organs stayed cancer-free, his surgical team referred him to Choueiri and the Lank Center for regular check-ups. The two men quickly formed a tight bond.

“At our first meeting, I placed a picture of my wife, Liz, and our four girls on the table to show him what we’re fighting for,” says Chuck. “As a dad himself, he understood my mission and ran with it. I came in every eight weeks for lab work and scans, and within 69

eight months Toni determined that there were metastatic growths on my lungs. I had probably been dealing with a very aggressive and complicated form of renal cell carcinoma since my diagnosis, but Toni and his team put our family at ease by quickly coming up with a plan of attack.”

After surgery to remove the upper portion of his left lung in 2018, Chuck began his odyssey of moving from one clinical trial to another to stop the cancer’s advance.

“I went through four protocols in less than a year before we found a phase I trial that I jumped into in early January 2022. It has worked ever since,” says Chuck. “I’m lucky, because with Toni you have access to all the innovative breakthrough methods and therapies. If this stops working, I have an all-star team thinking about Plans E, F, and G already.”

Kayla and her family are grateful for the extra steps taken by Dana-Farber to enable Chuck’s attendance at her wedding.

“After he had good scans in December, his care team even gave him three weeks off of treatment so he could feel his best for the big day,” Kayla says. “His relationship with them has created that give and take where they listen to him and strive to find a balance between him feeling good emotionally and physically, while preventing further [cancer] growth.”

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Chuck Stravin and Toni Choueiri, MD, enjoy the reception.

On the job For Kayla, her wedding was another reminder of why she sought out a job as an account manager in the Division of Philanthropy at Dana-Farber in late 2021. She had held similar roles in the for-profit sector, but the care her family received through Chuck’s surgery, initial treatment, a relapse, and numerous clinical trials made her determined to join this particular cause.

“Anyone can say they feel passionate about their brand or product, or that their job has some sort of philanthropic good associated with it, but it’s different at Dana-Farber,” says Kayla. “Everybody here truly understands the heart of what we’re trying to do. You don’t want me in a lab, but I am so proud to know that my work will someday hopefully prevent another family like mine from hearing ‘Your dad has cancer.’”

Kayla is not the only one happy with her decision. Chuck, 55, says that when he and Liz heard Kayla was applying to the Philanthropy Communications team at Dana-Farber, they 71

were thrilled.

“Her words to us were, ‘I want to go for this because I want to lift up other patients and families the same way that we have been lifted up,’” recalls Chuck. “Kayla and her sisters MaryBeth, Colleen, and Meghan all have a sense of giving back after seeing what people have done for us at Dana-Farber, which inspires them to continue to use their talents to support others. In Kayla’s case, she’s focusing her career on supporting Dana-Farber’s mission.”

Kayla and her new husband, Jimmy, made a gesture at their wedding reception to show their passion for her workplace. In lieu of traditional favors, they made donations supporting Choueiri’s research in honor of each guest through the Jimmy Fund Favors Program. Chuck and Liz Stravin then matched these in Kayla and Jimmy’s honor.

“As a little girl I dreamed of my father walking me down the aisle on my wedding day, and October 2015 was a wake-up call when I realized that this might not be possible,” says Kayla. “Each day, month, and year that brings stable scans is a blessing and allows my dad to celebrate major life milestones like this.”

It also helps with that bucket list.

“One down,” Chuck says with a smile. “Three to go.”

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St. Ignatius Award Committee Rankings

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