Boston College Magazine, Fall 2020

BOSTON COLLEGE FALL 2020

MAGAZI NE

A Time For Change Law School Dean Vincent Rougeau, director of BC’s new Forum on Racial Justice in America, on reforming systemic racism, acknowledging our past, and building a more equitable future.

What happens when child soldiers return home?

Lisa Piccirillo ’13 solved the math problem that had confounded experts for 50 years.

Contents

// Fall 2020

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Volume 80

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Number 3

features

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bc and racial justice

Toward a More Just America Law School Dean Vincent Rougeau, the inaugural director of the Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America, on how institutions of higher learning can help to build a more equitable future. by john wolfson

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What Systemic Racism Looks Like Four distinguished BC faculty members explore how race and racism affect everything in our country. by janet e. helms, hosffman ospino, laura j. steinberg, and martin summers

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A Tough Knot to Crack The Conway knot problem confounded mathematicians for more than fifty years.

Then Lisa Piccirillo ’13 solved it in less than a week. by john wolfson photographs by kelly davidson

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What Happens When Child Soldiers Return Home?

BC School of Social Work Professor Theresa Betancourt has spent nearly two decades following the life trajectories of children who were forced to fight in wars.

What she and her collaborators are learning could help change the way we treat trauma in underresourced regions of the world. by shannon fischer

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linden lane 4 Learning from Man’s Best Friend The new Canine Cognition Center at BC studies how dogs think—and what that can tell us about humans.

6 Campus Digest 7 BC in the News 8 Formative Education in Action Faculty research projects demonstrate and explore what it means to educate the whole person.

11 Opening Doors Vice President for Student Affairs Joy Moore is named the inaugural executive director of the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success.

12 Sports

class notes 13 Training Grounds With gyms closed due to the pandemic, these BC athletes found creative ways to keep fit at home over the summer.

48 Alumni News and Notes 72 Obituaries 74 Advancing Boston College

15 Finding Fault BC History Professor Conevery Bolton Valencius exposes the hidden history of human-induced earthquakes.

76 What I’ve Learned Seth Jacobs

77 Parting Shot

16 Research 17 The Highest Honor Seventy-four years after his return from WWII, professor emeritus John Donovan received France’s most prestigious order of merit.

18 He’s with the Band Clarinetist Sam Fardy ’62 has been performing with the BC Bands for more than sixty years.

20 Books Photo by Webb Chappell

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BOSTON COLLEGE

Conversation

MAGAZI NE

VOLUME 80 // NUMBER 3 // FALL 2020

EDITOR

John Wolfson ART DIRECTOR

Keith Ake DEPUTY EDITOR

Courtney Hollands STAFF WRITER

Jacqueline Tempera DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Lee Pellegrini UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHER

Peter M. Julian ’16

Please send address changes to: Development Information Services Cadigan Alumni Center, 140 Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (617) 552–3440, Fax: (617) 552–0077 bc.edu/bcm/address Please send editorial correspondence to: Boston College Magazine 140 Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (617) 552–4820, Fax: (617) 552–2441 bcm@bc.edu Boston College Magazine is published three times a year by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of University Communications.

ISSN 0885–2049 Standard postage paid at Boston, MA, and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: Send address corrections to: Boston College Magazine Development Information Services Cadigan Alumni Center, 140 Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 Please direct Class Notes queries to: Class Notes editor Cadigan Alumni Center 140 Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 email: classnotes@bc.edu phone: (617) 552–4700 Copyright © 2020 Trustees of Boston College. All publications rights reserved.

Printed in U.S.A by Lane Press.

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More Than Ever to Excel Words cannot express how much I loved reading this issue. The interviews with students and faculty in response to that devastating email of March 11 [announcing that the Boston College campus would close due to the coronavirus pandemic] brought me to tears, but reading about how BC people responded and made it all work within a few days renewed my faith in the human spirit. Enjoyed every article in this issue, including the piece by Heather Cox Richardson, whose newsletter I subscribe and look forward to. I had heard of K-pop but didn’t know Eric Nam; now I do and am so impressed with all he’s accomplished already. Best wishes to Shakalah Thompson ’21. I could go on and on. Just a superlative issue. Thanks to all involved.

Patricia McGrath CSON’64 Sarasota, Florida

Welcome to Post-Truth America Tony Rehegan’s story in the Summer 2020 issue explored whether, at a time when everyone now has their own opinions and their own facts, we can break free from our own echo chambers. We received multiple passionate responses.

Tony Ash ’79, MA’82, from Westborough, Massachusetts, wrote: “Congrats on this article. A good first step to help us understand where we are in this mess. No one can cover this story because the people covering it are the subject! This should appear as an op-ed in the New York Times.”

For his part, Christopher J. Beaudet MA’13, of Lake Elmo, Minnesota, felt that the article didn’t go deep enough.

“I’ve been thinking about truth my entire life and wondering about why there is rampant skepticism that it exists,” he wrote. “That is the deeper issue your article didn’t necessarily address. While I completely agree that there is blatant disregard for what is true in politics, news, and among politicians, it seems to me that that is a symptom of a deeper issue, not the issue itself. I think our problem lies in contemporary anthropology that fails to understand the human person as a being with both intellect and will. The article [also] failed to mention that one of the most aggressive and emphatic proponents of deposing truth and erecting monuments to relativism in its place are institutes of higher learning.”

Still other readers wrote to take issue with the article. “If your goal really is to determine truth from fake news and biased reporting, you should start by looking in the mirror,” said Jim Prescott ’78 of Tyler, Texas. “The unbiased reporter presents both the positives and negatives as they relate to all involved parties. President Trump has said a lot of stupid and false things, but so have Democratic presidents, members of Congress, and Joe Biden. I think we can agree that we need to heal as a nation. We do not get there by giving any one group or even the owners of a few high-powered social media companies the right to determine what is true and worthy of publication.”

David M. White ’68 of Berkeley, California, said that “Facts bend to logic and truth can change with time. The author resists both threats. He conflates agreement about facts from the past, such as the Holocaust, with a consensus about prophe-

Boston College Magazine welcomes letters from readers.

Connect with @BostonCollege

Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Please include your full name and address.

EMAIL: bcm@bc.edu MAIL: BCM, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

cies of the future, such as climate change.

He does both when he addresses vaccines, [writing that] “The science on vaccines, for example, is clear and unambiguous,” [and that] “Medical experts overwhelmingly support vaccination.” All without sniffing for dubious claims. The real danger lies in the nirvana that [Carroll School Professor Gerald Kane] envisions: “Artificial intelligence is going to be a major player in the next ten years.”

Funny Business My Mother’s Fleabag [the BC improv troupe profiled in the Summer 2020 issue of Boston College Magazine] gets a lot of attention and rightfully so given some of the alumni involved in that group.

However, another improv group at BC, the Committee for Creative Enactments (CCE), seems to have made great strides over the last four or five years. I’m familiar with the CCE because my daughter, class of 2020, was a member. The CCE is an open club that welcomes diversity (anyone can participate) and this year it won ImprovBoston’s College Comedy Festival.

The club had scheduled a women in comedy show for the spring 2020 semester that had to be canceled because of the pandemic. Hopefully the structure is in place for a show next year. Keep your eyes on that club. They are not great at self-promotion, but the next Amy Poehler or Nancy WallsCarell could come from CCE. Edie Lawlor Kramer ’80; P’20 Reading, Massachusetts

Blood Brother I was encouraged to read about the bone marrow donation by Eric Williamson, LGSOE’24. As both a Boston College alumna and Loyola University Chicago alumna, I know well the service imperative held dear by both of these flagship Jesuit institutions. I am sure Mr. Williamson’s example of giving stands among many from alumni of shared Eagle and Rambler lineage.

Amy Paul CSON’87 Sharon, Massachusetts

What We’ve Learned: Jeff and Margaret Flagg I was delighted to see the profile of Jeffrey Flagg and his wife, Margaret, in the Summer 2020 issue. I attended his French class for a semester, building on the foundation that I had received in that language from the formidable Madame Mansell at The Rye Country Day School. While Madame constructed the foundation, Mr. Flagg started to build the edifice but, alas, I was not talented enough to continue beyond the first floor.

Having said this, Mr. Flagg’s redoubtable efforts gave me enough to converse in the language later in life to the point where my interlocutors (mostly) did not resort to English in reply.

To the Flaggs: à votre santé et bonne chance, et merci!

Gaffney J. Feskoe ’71 Woodbury, Connecticut

stairs out the sliding glass door and dragged them to the reservoir and tossed them in. Our neighbors returned from holiday break to find the gaping, rectangular opening in the ceiling but no way to get to their bedrooms. For the next few weeks they used the stepladder provided by the housing department. Not claiming credit for or knowledge of such a prank was difficult, but none of us six ever did more than make vague statements with knowing winks. The University investigated and interviewed all of us, but my roommate was never caught. Our aggrieved neighbors knew, however, and over the next four months played a series of expensive jokes on us in retaliation.

Bob Keefe ’75 St. Louis, Missouri

New Ways to Connect

I am so happy to see that Jeff and Margaret Flagg are well and are poised to enjoy their well-deserved retirement after their long service to BC. In the late seventies, Jeff organized the orientation program for the department’s new and returning graduate teaching fellows. I distinctly remember his tireless attention to each and every one of us as we navigated our way through teaching responsibilities (new for some) and our own graduate courses. He was equally attentive to the needs of the undergraduates whose programs he oversaw. Exemplars of cura personalis, Jeff and Margaret made BC seem like a small place with a big heart. Bonne continuation, Jeff and Margaret.

Leonard Marsh, FSC, Ph.D.’82 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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read our bimonthly newsletter Boston College Magazine Now for all of the important stories affecting the Heights and to learn how faculty, students, and alumni are making the world a better place.

We lived in 5A from fall 1973 to spring 1975. In late 1974, one of our six roommates came back early from Christmas break. He broke into 5B and sawed through the four connection points of the staircase, freeing it from the structure. He somehow wrestled the heavy, unwieldy

stop by our new website for videos, additional photos, and other online extras.

bc.edu/bcmag

tune into our podcast for conversations with University thought leaders such as BC Law School Dean Vincent Rougeau on racial justice and criminal justice reform, and professor and author Thomas Groome on maintaining hope and faith in troubled times.

bcm.buzzsprout.com

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Edited by Courtney Hollands // 8 Formative Education in Action // 15 Finding Fault // 20 Small, Profound Moments

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Learning from Man’s Best Friend The new Canine Cognition Center at BC studies how dogs think— and what that can tell us about humans.

By Courtney Hollands

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or thirty seconds, I cooed at Emerson, my eighty-pound labradoodle, and scratched behind his ears (his favorite). “Stop,” called Molly Byrne, a Ph.D. student in Boston College’s Canine Cognition Center, who was observing us via Zoom. I placed my hands in my lap and sat silently and stone-faced, staring straight ahead, for the next half minute.

Emerson tried to make eye contact with me before flopping on his back and nudging my legs and feet with his snout.

Emerson and I were participating in what’s known as the “still-face” experiment. Previously conducted with young children, it calls for a caretaker to interact with an infant and then suddenly become unresponsive. Anticipating back-and-forth conversation, the baby will babble and attempt to re-engage with the adult. The Canine Cognition Center is looking at whether dogs have similar social expectations of their owners.

“We’re interested in everything that dogs can tell us about psychology,” said Angie Johnston, the center’s primary investigator and an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at BC. “Sometimes that means we compare dogs to human children so we can figure out what’s similar and what’s different in the way they think and how they learn.” The researchers are curious about which aspects of dog psychology have been shaped by domestication and close contact with humans, and which are inherent. (To help shed light on these questions, Johnston’s lab also works with dingoes at an Australian sanctuary—the animals are related to dogs but aren’t domesticated.) The center’s research into

photo: Lee Pellegrini

how dogs see the world could inform training for service pups and bolster human-dog bonds. “We don’t know as much about dogs as you might think,” Johnston said, “given how involved they are in our lives.”

When I asked Johnston why she studies dogs to learn about humans rather than studying primates—our closest relations among animals—she explained that while humans are sensitive to and learn from other humans, other primates aren’t really interested in learning from each other or from us. Dogs, however, are very

“We’re interested in everything that dogs can tell us about psychology,” said Angie Johnston.

“Sometimes that means we compare dogs to human children so we can figure out what’s similar and what’s different in the way they think and how they learn.”

tuned in to human social information. “It seems like what’s happened over domestication is that dogs have sort of outpaced our closest primate relatives in how well they are attuned to cues that signal I’m trying to get your attention, I’m trying to teach you something, I’m trying to connect

with you,” Johnston said. “And they learn from these cues much more quickly than, say, a chimpanzee.”

As an undergraduate at the University of Texas at Dallas, Johnston studied how children learn and evaluate information.

She shifted her focus to dogs while earning a doctorate in psychology at Yale, where she helped launch the university’s Canine Cognition Center in 2013. After landing at Boston College in July 2019, Johnston designed BC’s Canine Cognition Center, which began enrolling area pooches in experiments last spring.

The center was open for only about a month, however, before the pandemic closed BC’s campus. But Johnston and her team are keeping busy: They’ve started virtual studies (like the one Emerson and I participated in) and also published a paper in the Proceedings of the Cognitive Science Society showing that dogs and puppies use a “win-stay, lose-shift” strategy to solve problems. Basically, if a dog finds a treat in a location one time, it will keep going back to that location. If the treat is then moved elsewhere, the dog will shift and try a different location. “This is really exciting because this is not something that we see all animals doing,” Johnston said. “With dogs, it always comes back to the social piece, how they cooperate with us and learn from us.”

The report is illustrative of what sets BC’s Canine Cognition Center apart from other similar initiatives around the country. “Some people are mostly interested in dogs because of what they tell us about humans, and other people are mostly interested in dogs just for the sake of dogs—our lab is really interested in both,” Johnston said. “And so if you think about the Venn diagram of what people are testing with dogs, we really do occupy a unique space.”

It’s too early to draw firm conclusions from the testing that Emerson and I did— the Canine Cognition Center’s still-face experiment is ongoing—but I now know that when he nudges my hand to resume a belly rub, he’s exhibiting a learned behavior and looking for me to fulfill my end of our social contract. And I’m more than happy to oblige. n

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Campus Digest BC is recruiting the first-ever class for its Human-Centered Engineering program, which is set to launch in fall 2021. “Drawing upon our liberal arts offerings and our professional schools will allow us to offer a broad-based, interdisciplinary program of human-centered engineering, which many traditional engineering programs have struggled to develop,” said Thomas Chiles, vice provost for research.

Stefano Anzellotti, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience, won the National Science Foundation CAREER award. The fiveyear, $600,000 prize will fund Anzellotti’s research on the brain functions that allow people to recognize and understand others. “If we have models that approximate social perception and social behavior,” Anzellotti said, “then we can address the question of how we need to change the models to capture the differences between different individuals.”

The Lowell Humanities Series, a long-

standing lecture series showcasing artists, writers, and scholars, is going virtual this fall. Speakers include Dr. M Jackson, a geographer, glaciologist, and TED Fellow (October 7); Bridgett M. Davis, author of The World According To Fannie Davis: My Mother’s Life in the Detroit Numbers (October 21); and Stephan Wolfert, a military officer who left the service for a life in theater (November 4). All events are free and open to the public. Register at bc.edu/lowell.

in memoriam Patrick F. Cadigan ’57, the namesake and

Allison and Amy Ferreira ’20, Carroll

Several BC undergraduate majors were found to be in the top five nationally by the college-ranking service GradReports: accounting (no. 4), com-

munication (3), marketing (3), philosophy (4), and sociology (4). GradReports uses outcome-based data from the Department of Education, such as graduates’ median salaries and debt levels, to rank the top twenty-five colleges in the country.

Boston College has gone completely tobacco- and smoke-free. On August 1, a

new ban on smoking, vaping, and the use of tobacco products went into effect.

To document life during the coronavirus pandemic, the John J. Burns Library

invites Boston College community members to share their stories and photographs—important primary sources that could enlighten future researchers.

Contribute by filling out the online form at bc.edu/burns, email burns@bc.libanswers. com, or call 617-552-3282.

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School of Management graduates and identical twins, were both named to Poets & Quants’ list of Best and Brightest Business Majors of 2020. The Marshfield, Massachusetts, natives—who were among 100 seniors selected from the top fifty undergraduate business schools in the country—credit their father for their work ethic and interest in the stock market.

“Each day I continue to be inspired by my dad’s persistence, hard work, and humility,” Amy Ferreira told the publication.

The Boston Red Sox held a moment of silence for Pete Frates ’07 on open-

ing day in July. The former BC baseball captain’s fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis inspired the Ice Bucket Challenge, which raised $220 million for ALS research. Frates died in December at 34.

benefactor of the Cadigan Alumni Center, died in April. He was 85. “I was fortunate enough to benefit from Pat’s friendship and wisdom over his many years of thoughtful engagement with the University,” Senior Vice President for University Advancement Jim Husson said of the real estate investor and former tech CEO. “And like anyone who knew him, I was both inspired and impressed by his love for his family and friends, his deep affection for BC High and Boston College, and his genuine character.”

Mary A. Armstrong, a painter who taught

at BC for almost thirty years before retiring in 2019, died in May. She was 71. “Every day I stare wide-eyed at the changing light, and perceive, more and more deeply, the symbiotic connection of earth and sky,” Armstrong wrote on her website. “I see how the forces shape each other and I strive to create a painted space that will express the ineffable beauty of this dynamic ‘sandwich’ of atmosphere and earth.”

—Jacqueline Tempera

photos: Lee Pellegrini (Anzellotti, Cadigan, Armstrong); Billie Wiess/Boston Red Sox (Frates); Kynny/iStock (Engineering)

character sketch

BC IN THE NEWS

Sarah Khan ’03

On a report showing how masks may have curbed the spread of COVID19 at a salon: “This really shows the power of face coverings, especially in indoor settings...[But] this is about short-term exposure, indoors. We cannot generalize these results to a situation where people are spending prolonged periods of time indoors together.” —Nadia N. Abuelezam, assistant professor of nursing, July 17

Sarah Khan ’03 framed by a rickshaw in Hyderabad, India

New York–based travel writer Sarah Khan ’03 has filed dispatches from six continents for the New York Times alone. Indeed, she likens herself to the globetrotting video-game heroine Carmen Sandiego, hence her social media hashtag #whereintheworldissarahkhan.

Grounded by the pandemic, however, Khan has been poring over old notebooks from her seven years as a freelance journalist (previously, she was an editor at Travel + Leisure and Gotham magazines). They are a means of exploration in a stagnant time, of course, but she’s also using them to pitch stories with fresh takes on previous trips. “By cataloging my past experiences, I’m looking at them in different ways,” Khan said. “That’s what I can offer.” —Jacqueline Tempera

childhood dream

leap of faith

sense of place

I’ve been telling people I wanted to be a journalist since I was eight years old.

It was nonnegotiable. My father worked for an airline when I was younger and traveling was always a part of my life and my upbringing. Blending the two made a lot of sense.

I moved to South Africa and gave myself a year to make freelance writing work financially. I leveraged the fact that I was living in Capetown to break onto editors’ radars. I know not everyone can move overseas, but if you ever have the opportunity—do it.

You can’t try to tell the entire story of a place as an outsider helicoptering in. What good travel writing is meant to do, and what I aspire to do, is use my perspective and my life experiences to tell a side of a story of that place.

“

“I would want to tell my former self to lean into what makes you feel different, and your own unique viewpoint. And I’d tell her, ‘Just you wait, because a whole lot of change is going to come.’”

— L’Oréal USA chief marketing officer Gretchen Saegh-Fleming MA’05, who earned a spot on Fast Company’s new Queer 50 list, spotlighting LGBTQ women and nonbinary innovators in business and tech

photo: Nishat Fatima

On whether President Trump has the authority to deploy federal agents to police cities: “The president is not the king. The president does not have the ability to require states to enforce their laws in a certain way, or to elbow aside their law enforcement abilities.”—Kent Greenfield, professor of law, July 21

On humor during a pandemic: “This virus is a terrible scary thing, and, therefore, we should expect joking...news narrows down, and has this element of fear; jokes are a way of temporarily triumphing over and repressing it.” —Paul Lewis, professor of English, March 5

On how the world views the protests over racial injustice in the United States: “The key to this whole thing is it’s a real test of our political freedoms and liberties, and I think for smart people around the world, that test matters a lot to them. They are looking at it and saying, ‘Is America going to hold it together? Because God help us if it doesn’t.’” —Martha Bayles, associate professor of humanities, June 12

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Formative Education in Action Faculty research projects demonstrate and explore what it means to educate the whole person.

By Courtney Hollands

B

oston College’s deep commitment to formative education stems from the University’s Jesuit Catholic tradition. The academic model—inspired by the process of formation, the spiritual and academic training that candidates undertake to join the Jesuit order—sets Boston College apart from peer institutions, said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. “A formative education is one that seeks to educate the full human person, developing and integrating the intellectual, social, and moral dimensions of our students so as to support their flourishing,” he said.

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Mulling important life questions is central to maximizing one’s purpose, explained Stanton Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, SJ, Dean of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development.

“At BC, there are a lot of opportunities for undergraduates and others to spend some time reflecting on the larger goals they’re trying to accomplish with their life,” he said. “It’s our job to try to get them to examine what they believe in, and then figure out what they are called to do to contribute to that ecological, social, interpersonal, or theological vision.”

To that end, for the first time, the

University recently awarded grants to seven faculty research projects centered on formative education. “The idea was to get faculty thinking about their understanding of formative education and how it should be used in a curriculum,” said Haub Vice President of Mission and Ministry Fr. Jack Butler.

The studies have focused on everything from formation in Boston College’s 50-year-old PULSE service-learning program to community building among first-year students at the Connell School of Nursing. Here’s a look at four of the funded projects.

illustration: Stephanie Wunderlich

Formative Education: Cultivating Purpose in the College Years Principal investigator: Lynch School professor Belle Liang Project overview: Liang interviewed students to evaluate how their sense of purpose develops throughout the college years, as well as how critical consciousness—the awareness of injustice in the world and an understanding of how one’s identity and positionality may be related to addressing injustices—can contribute to this development.

Findings so far: “We have seen that as critical consciousness increases, students are more likely to be actively searching for their purpose,” Liang said. These findings suggest that many students are being reflective and thoughtful about what needs they see in the world, she said, and about how they may uniquely contribute to addressing those needs.

Re-Imagining the Common Good? First Year Students’ Formation & Engagement with Difference through Immigrant Knowledges at Boston College Principal investigators: Lynch School assistant professors Andrés Castro Samayoa and Gabrielle Oliveira Project overview: To address the central question of their research—How does academic engagement in dialogues, reflexive writing, and lectures influence students’ understanding of both their own formation and the broader social good?—Castro Samayoa and Oliveira reviewed the work of more than fifty students enrolled in their fall 2020 course Citizenship, Immigration & Belonging in the United States: Can Education Save Us?

Up next: Liang and her team used the study results to create an app—True North 2.0—and an accompanying curriculum to engage students in formative education and the development of purpose at BC and beyond. Liang also plans to interview BC students about how COVID-19 may affect their development of purpose.

Findings so far: By analyzing students’ documents, Oliveira and Castro Samayoa saw how course work aimed at encouraging students to reflect on and prioritize their own well-being led to a heightened concern for the well-being of others. The results, the researchers said, also suggest that when students factor structural forms of oppression into their understanding of self, it informs their perspective on and dialogue about the common good.

Seacole Scholars: A Living and Learning Community for First-Year Nursing Students

Up next: Oliveira and Castro Samayoa are now working with a new group of students enrolled in their fall 2021 course. They will also share their insights through the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities’ Faculty Migration Research Directory.

Principal investigators: Jeffrey Bloechl, associate professor of philosophy; Julianna GonzálezMcLean, assistant dean of students services, diversity and inclusion at the Connell School of Nursing; and Colleen Simonelli, associate dean of the undergraduate program at the Connell School of Nursing Project overview: This collaboration between the nursing school and the philosophy department involved launching a living and learning community (LLC) called Seacole Scholars for first-year nursing students of color, and also tailoring a section of the Perspectives I: Perspectives on Western Culture course to nursing students.

Findings so far: The researchers learned that the inaugural Seacole Scholars perceived a sense of belonging at BC. The students lived on Newton Campus and met regularly prior to the pandemic. Despite the abrupt end to the spring semester, these students reported a positive overall experience and a close connection to one another.

Up next: “We have identified an important cohort of students who do well when presented with the course material that draws out questions of particular importance for their training,” Bloechl said of the philosophy department’s findings. González-McLean and Simonelli, meanwhile, plan to collect longitudinal data on the inaugural Seacole Scholars and to continue the LLC. “We’ve found great support from Residential Life and the broader university to improve the diversity and inclusivity of the nursing school and, quite hopefully, the profession,” Simonelli said.

photos: Caitlin Cunningham; Gary Wayne Gilbert; Peter Julien; Lee Pellegrini; Tony Rinaldo

Formation in the PULSE Program for Service Learning Principal investigators: Eileen Sweeney, philosophy professor; Meghan T. Sweeney, PULSE director Project overview: The two professors gathered and edited essays from PULSE faculty to create a volume titled Service, Social Justice, and Student Formation: 50 Years in the PULSE Program for Service Learning at Boston College. The collection, which features essays from fourteen faculty members, traces the history and evolution of one of the oldest service-learning programs in the country, while also exploring how PULSE forms students as citizens and human beings, and shapes their spirituality. It also includes the results of two studies on the PULSE program’s impact on participating students.

Findings so far: “What has excited us is the depth of faculty work on and reflection about engaging students in all aspects of PULSE—academic, service, and reflection—and to see the studies confirm that these connections correlate with the degree of student growth and transformation as a result of the program,” the researchers said.

Up next: The published report will be presented as part of the PULSE 50th-anniversary celebration. Sweeney and Sweeney are also considering a future volume compiling student reflections on the program.

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She’s the Boss How BC alum Helen Wu turned her podcast into a career.

Helen Wu ’10 started the Asian Boss Girl podcast in 2017 as a way to keep in touch with her friends Janet Wang and Melody Cheng, often over a bottle of wine. But the honest conversations among the cohosts struck a chord with listeners who were struggling with the same anxieties. Today, six seasons later, an average of 50,000 people tune into each hourlong ABG episode. In March, Wu quit her job as a finance manager at Ernst & Young to focus on the show full time. We asked her how to parlay a passion project into a career. —Jacqueline Tempera » challenge conventions

» face your fears

ABG normalizes discussions around sex, imposter syndrome, health, and ambition.

“In Asian culture there’s such a stigma to talking about these topics,” Wu said.

“You’re expected to go through life and pretend that everything is fine. But the more we talk, the more I realize we’re all going through the same thing.”

When Wu first sat in front of her microphone, she was terrified. But she put her anxieties aside to have honest conversations and address Asian-American stereotypes head-on. “I had to push myself to be more vulnerable, but it was worth it,” she said.

Connell School of Nursing Dean and Professor Susan Gennaro, an internationally respected nurse researcher who has led the Connell School since 2008, will leave her post at the end of the 2020–21 academic year. She will remain on the CSON faculty. “I am proud of what the faculty and I have been able to do at the Connell School of Nursing,” Gennaro said. “We have made substantive progress in meeting all of our strategic aims. It has been an honor to serve, and I look forward to continuing to serve as a very productive faculty member.”

Gennaro’s tenure as dean has been marked by curricular change at all levels of the school, most notably the Doctor of Nursing Practice program that was launched in 2019. Gennaro has also overseen the introduction of several international programs, and helped to build a diverse and inclusive CSON community through initiatives that nurture and promote future leaders who are first-generation students or come from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in professional nursing.

“I’ve learned a great deal from her and have always admired her passion for nursing education and research, and for the Connell School community,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. “Dean Gennaro will leave behind quite a legacy, and all of us at Boston College are better for her leadership.”

—Kathleen Sullivan

» use your voice » know thyself “For a long period of my life, I just did what I needed to do and missed out on things that bring me pure joy,” Wu said. “Focus on these things consistently and who knows: they could become a full-blown business.”

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The podcast’s success speaks to the lack of authentic Asian perspectives in the media— and in books, television shows, and movies.

“People are relying on us to become a voice for this group that has not really had a voice before,” Wu said.

photos: Courtesy of Helen Wu; Lee Pellegrini (Moore); Tony Rinaldo (Gennaro)

“That’s something we’re proud of here at BC: Your success may be your own, but you have to try to bring other people along, and help them create their own success.”

Opening Doors BC Vice President for Student Affairs Joy Moore is named the inaugural executive director of the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success.

T

his summer, Boston College announced the launch of a groundbreaking new initiative that will oversee outreach to, and support for, low-income, first-generation college students from traditionally underrepresented groups. The Pine Manor Institute for Student Success will work with students from both Boston College and Pine Manor College, part of BC’s

recent integration of its neighboring institution.

Vice President for Student Affairs Joy Moore has been named the inaugural executive director of the institute.

“This is work that’s close to my heart,” Moore said. “I myself was a first-generation student—the first one in my family to go to college. I come from a family background that is modest and I had a wonder-

ful opportunity here at Boston College, including a great financial aid package for the four years that I was here. And my sister, who came after me, had the same. There’s a lot of gratitude for that.”

The institute will oversee the efforts of a number of BC offices that are already engaged in supporting underserved students, among them Learning to Learn, Options through Education, and the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center.

Additionally, the institute will make BC’s support programs available to all of Pine Manor’s approximately 150 students. And with a $50 million endowment established by Boston College, the institute will also link Pine Manor College students to such BC campus programs as the Montserrat Coalition, the Volunteer and Service Learning Center, Appalachia Volunteers, and 4Boston.

Moore, who will continue her duties in Student Affairs while leading the institute, said the new initiative is in keeping with BC’s history and mission: “This is how Boston College started. The children of immigrants were given an opportunity to get a Jesuit

education and to see where that would take them. That’s something we’re very proud of here at BC. Your success may be your own, but you have to try to bring other people along, and help them create their own success.”

The institute is similarly rooted in the traditions of Pine Manor College, a 111-year-old private liberal arts college with a population that is 85 percent students of color, 84 percent first generation, and 80 percent low income. Recent financial struggles had threatened Pine Manor’s reaccreditation, however, leading to the July agreement between the college and BC. Under the agreement, Pine Manor College students will remain at their school in a “teach out” arrangement for a period of up to two years.

Students currently enrolled at Pine Manor will be able to continue their associate of arts or bachelor of arts degree programs in classes taught by Pine Manor faculty on the Pine Manor College campus. And those Pine Manor students who gain admission to the Woods College of Advancing Studies can finish their BA degree at Boston College.

“I see the institute as a benefit to the students at Pine Manor and also our students at BC,” Moore said. “It’s an opportunity for BC to really change its landscape and the makeup of its student population. Although we like to think of ourselves sometimes as being in the BC bubble, eventually you have to get out of the bubble and get out there into the world, and the sooner you start to have experiences with a variety of different people, the sooner your worldview starts to broaden.” n

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Sports Patrick Kraft Named BC’s New Director of Athletics The winning Temple University AD takes over at the Heights.

Starting a new job always comes with a learning curve. But during a global pandemic? “It’s crazy. A good kind of crazy,” said Patrick Kraft, who in July was named the William V. Campbell Director of Athletics at Boston College.

“Every day brings another challenge in this COVID-19 world.”

Kraft’s hiring follows the departure of Martin Jarmond, who left BC in May to become the director of athletics at UCLA. Kraft, 43, comes to Chestnut Hill at a time when college coaches, trainers, and athletes across the country are navigating a new normal—one that includes masks and regular COVID-19 screenings, but no fans. Here at BC, student-athletes will dine, work out, and live together under the University’s coronavirus-response plan.

“What we’re doing is creating a bubble within the greater Boston College bubble,” Kraft said.

This may be an unusual season, but Kraft—who works with athletes to prioritize the alignment of mind, body, and spirit—remains optimistic and excited about working at a school that so aligns with his

ethos. “This was the job for me,” he said. “I believe deeply in the Jesuit principles, and it is rare when the professional and personal come together in such a perfect way.”

Kraft comes to BC after leading the athletics program at Temple University for seven years. There, he focused on hiring new coaches and making investments in the university’s athletic facilities. During his tenure, Temple won the 2016 AAC football championship, appeared in five straight bowl games for the first time in school history, won the 2015–2016 men’s basketball AAC regular season championship, and made the NCAA women’s basketball tournament for the first time in five years. Previously, Kraft was the executive senior associate athletic director at Loyola University Chicago, a Jesuit institution.

A native of Libertyville, Illinois, Kraft played football at Indiana University. He went on to earn three degrees from the

school: a Ph.D. in sports management, a master’s degree in sports marketing administration, and a bachelor’s degree in sports marketing management.

While Kraft may be taking over at a time of great uncertainty, he said that whatever comes to pass, BC athletics will be prepared. “We don’t know what this season is going to look like,” he said. “But we will all go at it together as a family and do the best we possibly can.”

—Jacqueline Tempera

The Son Also Rises Freshman football player Ozzy Trapilo is the first to admit he was biased toward the Eagles during his college search.

After all, his late father, Steve Trapilo ’86 (at right), starred for BC before embarking on a decade-long NFL career. But it’s not just legacy that drew the Boston College High School graduate to Chestnut Hill. “When I really started visiting other schools I noticed that nothing fit quite like BC did, in terms of the ideals of its community,” Trapilo ’24 said. “This school lined up with my values.” Though Trapilo’s dad died when he was only two, tales of his father’s larger-than-life presence—both on and off the field—spurred Ozzy to succeed at left tackle at BC High. And now, he’ll follow in his father’s footsteps at BC, and possibly beyond. “It’s incredible to be here and go through the same process my dad did when he was my age,” he said. —JT

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photos: Anthony Garro/BC Athletics (Kraft); Ben Solomon/BC Athletics (Trapilo)

 Basketball forward

 Softball player

Taylor Soule ’22 uses

Kennedy Labshere ’22

a cement block for

amps up her lunges

weighted squats in her

with dumbbells and a

yard in West Lebanon,

bench on her San

New Hampshire.

Diego patio. “For-

“I had to be creative—

tunately, I have a

milk cartons, door

household full of new

frames, and suitcases

workout partners

make great weights,”

who make quarantine

she said.

fitness as fun as possible,” she said, adding, “I miss my beloved Conte Forum.”

Training Grounds With gyms closed due to the pandemic, these BC athletes found creative ways to keep fit at home over the summer.

By Jacqueline Tempera

 Basketball guard

 Softball player

Sydney Lowery ’21

Jenna Ergle ’21 uses

works out in her bed-

a resistance band for

room in Shelton, Con-

exercises at home in Sumiton, Alabama. “A positive of the quarantine was that I was able to be more creative in my workouts and find ways to stay active in the house and in my area,” said Ergle, who frequented her high school’s football field for batting practice.

necticut. “This virus  Hockey forward

has made me realize

Logan Hutsko ’21

how fortunate we all

performs flexibility-

are to have the equip-

boosting moves

ment that we take for

on a quiet street in

granted,” she said.

Longboat Key, Florida.

Lowery balanced her

“Coronavirus has

fitness regimen with

forced me to find new

caring for her parents,

ways to train and

who both contracted

improve myself with-

COVID-19.

out using weights,” he said.

photos: Courtesy of the athletes and Boston College Athletics

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Behind the Screens Former Twitter VP Colin Crowell ’86 on social media’s role in combatting disinformation.

By Jacqueline Tempera

W

hile President Trump’s social media musings are often in the news, Twitter was the one making headlines over the summer when, for the first time, the platform flagged one of Trump’s tweets for glorifying violence, and fact-checked two others.

The actions were a major turning point, said Colin Crowell ’86, who left Twitter last December after eight years as vice president of global public policy and corporate philanthropy. “Navigating the emerging and evolving online terrain of disinformation to protect the integrity of vital civic conversations, without succumbing to excessive censorship, is critical to safeguarding the internet as a vibrant platform for human expression,” Crowell said. We recently asked him about the social media giant’s new approach.

Is Twitter doing enough to prevent the spread of disinformation?

Commercial entities shouldn’t have the role of determining truth or falsehood in the online public square. Ideally, that is the job of journalists—to hold those in power accountable and provide context to readers, viewers, and voters. But, when you have a platform as large as Twitter, it is important to recognize when there is a need to help users understand what they are viewing with additional context.

Twitter can and should take action when online speech risks offline harm, like disenfranchising a voter or spreading disinformation about COVID-19. Social media companies must remove coordinated accounts disseminating disinformation.

What was the significance of the flag— called a public interest notice—on Trump’s tweet?

It was the first time, and it was a new tool.

It provided a screen that said, basically, this tweet is in violation of Twitter rules but it is remaining on the service in the public interest, because the public has a right to see it. Before, Twitter only had a binary choice: It could delete a tweet or leave it up. In addition to noting the fact that the tweet violated the rules, Twitter also took action to limit the ability of that content to go viral itself. It allowed journalists to comment on it. It allowed the public to comment on it. But the ability of any of the core content to go viral was hobbled.

For Boston College While weathering the pandemic at home in Vermont, Nova Wang ’21 (above) filmed himself playing each of the eight parts of an original violin arrangement he’d written of “For Boston.” After editing them together, he released the final fight-song video on social media in mid-April. It went viral, striking a chord with

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In response, Trump floated revising Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which you worked on as a congressional staffer. What impact would this have?

Section 230 says a few things, but mainly it states online companies aren’t liable for the speech of others on their platform.

If you get rid of that section, it creates a dilemma for the companies because they would have to over-censor and start taking down anything that might remotely run a liability risk, affecting the timeliness of the internet. Before content could be posted, you’d have to run it by lawyers. It would have the unwitting effect of making the largest companies more powerful because they could afford the legal teams and the legal bills. And any objections would then have to be fought out in the court system. It would really create a mess.

What was the most satisfying part of your time at Twitter?

The fact that any individual anywhere in the world with a smartphone could bear witness to history and share it with the rest of the world instantaneously is, in itself, revolutionary. The thing that carried me through my Twitter experience was to see, on a fairly routine basis, how those historically less powerful or marginalized voices could be heard. Because out of these conversations come movements. And then out of the movements come the chance that societies advance and move forward. n

Eagles scattered around the globe. “Just reading so many people’s comments, seeing people share it, it really meant a lot to me,” said Wang, who is studying finance, music, and sociology. “The video did what I wanted it to: It reminded people of BC.” To hear his stirring composition and learn more about music’s role in challenging times, tune into the new Boston College Magazine podcast at on.bc.edu/BCMPodcast.

—Courtney Hollands

photos: Nova Wang video stills

Finding Fault BC Professor Conevery Bolton Valencius exposes the hidden history of humaninduced earthquakes.

By Molly McDonough

P

eople have always been at the whim of powerful geologic forces: from the shifting of tectonic plates that restructure the landscape, to the ebbs and flows of glacial periods. Only recently, though, have we begun to understand our own role as a geologic force.

Scientists now know that human activity has the power to warm the climate, shift seasonal weather patterns, and melt glaciers. We can even create earthquakes.

The budding study of human-induced earthquakes—otherwise known as induced seismicity—has major implications for the future of energy production and the fight against climate change. And Conevery Bolton Valencius, a Boston College history professor, is on the frontlines, seeking to illuminate the havoc that fracking can wreak on the environment.

While the idea that human activity might shake the earth isn’t new, there is now a consensus that “human beings have been causing significant earthquakes across a lot of the U.S. Mid-Continent because of our energy production,” Valencius said. Indeed, scientists today attribute many of the earthquakes that have roiled Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Ohio, and California over the past century to activities related to oil and gas extraction. And things are only getting worse. The rise of fracking, which injects liquid into the ground at high pressure, not only causes small tremors, it creates huge volumes of wastewater that then need to

illustration: Sébastien Thibault

be dumped into deep holes, causing moresubstantial quakes. Many of these tremors occur in regions that don’t typically experience natural earthquakes, and thus aren’t built to withstand them. A 2016 earth quake in Pawnee, Oklahoma, for example, reached a magnitude of 5.8 and damaged buildings more than 300 miles away in Kansas City, Missouri.

Valencius likens the process of pumping materials, usually water, deep underground to a Newton’s cradle—those sets of hanging silver balls that you might see on an office desk. “You whack one of them, and the one on the opposite side flies up,” Valencius said. Similarly, “putting wastewater underground creates pressure that can shift systems and produce earthquakes.”

Valencius, who specializes in the history of science, medicine, and the environment, developed an interest in induced seismicity in 2013 when she was finishing her book The Lost History of the New Madrid Earthquakes, which chronicles a series of forgotten quakes

that struck the Mississippi Valley in 1811 and 1812. Through Twitter, she became aware of speculation that fracking could cause the next New Madrid Earthquake.

More research revealed that there had been a recent spate of earthquakes in Arkansas—but the rumbling had come to a halt as soon as the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission shuttered its wastewater injection sites in 2011.

“I thought that was quite remarkable,” Valencius said. Determined to further explore the relationship between earthquakes and energy extraction, she used a 2016–2017 Radcliffe Fellowship to collaborate with the journalist Anna Kuchment and cowrite a book Valencius describes as a “scientific detective story” about energy-related earthquakes in the 21st century.

An awareness of human-induced quakes could encourage policymakers to develop a coordinated national approach to tackle the problem, Valencius said, and to update building codes where energy production threatens to prompt seismic events—from the Mississippi River Valley to cities such as Dallas and Memphis. And a more developed understanding of induced seismicity will be essential as we create technologies to mitigate climate change.

For instance, she said, sequestering carbon underground might seem like a promising idea—but only if you can ensure that it won’t cause earthquakes.

In this way, Valencius’s examination of past energy-extraction practices could lead us to envision a different future— one powered by clean energy that doesn’t prod fault lines underground. “We look at the absolute centrality of fossil fuels, and it’s hard to imagine it being anything different,” said Valencius, who credits her Boston College students for sending her down new research avenues. “But the history of energy use in the United States has shown enormous change. That gives me a sense that we could, in fact, be different, ten or twenty years from now, than we are today.” n

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Research Up in the Air

BRIEFS

Bvoston College’s Global Observatory on Pollution and Health will research air-pollution-related deaths and disease in Massachusetts.

» Biases against people seen as physically dirty emerge in children

Against a backdrop of weakened federal regulations, Boston College’s Global Observatory on Pollution and Health will conduct a study of how air pollution contributes to death and illness, and to cognitive loss among children in Massachusetts.

The study, supported by an $80,000 grant from the Barr Foundation, will be the first to compile such data on a municipality-bymunicipality basis, said Observatory Director and Professor of Biology Philip Landrigan, MD, who is the principal investigator on the project. (This observatory is the debut initiative of BC’s Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, the centerpiece of a 155,000-square-foot research center currently under construction and slated to open next year.)

In 2017, despite strong state-based pollution controls, air pollution caused an estimated 1,546 deaths in Massachusetts. And across the world, air pollution accounts for 5 million premature deaths a year, according to findings from a landmark 2017 report of the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, which Landrigan cochaired.

“That’s a lot of preventable deaths,” Landrigan said. “If we can detail the magnitude of the problem for a particular city or town—identifying deaths, or lost IQ points in children—we think that is going to stimulate action. We want people to

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understand the risks and bring it home so it is not something that is abstract.”

Since the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970, air pollution has decreased across the United States. But according to the grant proposal, the control of air pollution in the country has stalled in the three-plus years since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, due to a series of regulatory rollbacks that have weakened environmental standards and shredded health protections. As a result, deaths related to air pollution have begun to tick up across the U.S., Landrigan said, with the largest increases in Midwestern and Southern states that lead in coal mining, oil drilling, and naturalgas extraction.

Working in partnership with Boston Children’s Hospital and the Harvard Medical School neuropsychologist David Bellinger, Landrigan and his team will conduct a geographically based epidemiologic analysis of disease, disability, premature death, and decreased longevity due to air pollution across Massachusetts. Landrigan hopes the report can influence policymakers by identifying connections between stationary and mobile sources of pollution and proven scientific solutions to reduce pollution—a “winnable battle,” as the 2017 Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health concluded.

—Ed Hayward

as young as five years old and persist into adulthood, according to a new study coauthored by BC Assistant Professor of Psychology Angie Johnston and researchers from Franklin & Marshall College. The researchers also found similar prejudices against the sick, which could have implications for people diagnosed with COVID-19.

» The National Science Foundation has awarded a six-year, $1,781,000 grant to the Lynch School of Education and Human Development for its project “Developing Exemplary Mathematics Teacher Leaders for HighNeed Schools: Content, Equity and Leadership.” The initiative was launched in 2013 to prepare qualified and effective math teachers.

» Drawing on research that shows low-income consumers tend to be more communally oriented than their wealthier counterparts, Carroll School marketing professors Linda Salisbury and Gergana Nenkov coauthored a paper in the Journal of Consumer Psychology arguing that banks can win business in poorer neighborhoods by emphasizing that their products and services benefit the whole community.

The percentage of older employees who cannot work remotely, according to a report from the BC Center for Retirement Research. As the economy opens up after the COVID-19 pandemic, these workers, who tend to be lower paid, are more likely to face either health risks (returning to work before the virus is under control) or financial risks (delaying work until it’s safe, which may exhaust their resources).

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illustration: Brian Stauffer; photos: Lee Pellegrini

above: BC professor emeritus John Donovan at a July ceremony celebrating his appointment as a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur. below: A photo of Donovan in France during his World War II service.

The Highest Honor Seventy-four years after his return from WWII, professor emeritus John Donovan received France’s most prestigious order of merit.

By Alix Hackett

O

n June 18, 1944, less than two weeks after D-day, John Donovan and a fellow member of the Army’s 83rd Infantry Division hunkered down in a foxhole near Normandy’s Omaha Beach. Thanks to a bottle of local brandy, the pair slept soundly despite the steady roar of German planes flying overhead. When the men awoke, they discovered a huge crater where a bomb had fallen less than fifty yards away. “Neither of us knew anything,” Donovan ’39, MS’41, would humorously write years later. “We had enjoyed a Calvados sleep.” this is nothing, he would tell Donovan, who passed away her.) But his bravery did not on August 14 at age 102, selgo unnoticed. In addition to dom spoke about the darker receiving the Bronze Star moments of World War II—as Medal for heroism, Donovan a child, his daughter Christine was named a Chevalier (Knight) Moynihan ’73 remembers of the Légion d’Honneur, hearing about his work as a France’s highest honor of merit medic only when he removed for military and civil accomsplinters from her finger. (Oh,

photos: Lee Pellegrini; Courtesy of Christine Moynihan (inset)

plishments, in June. In a letter announcing the award, Arnaud Mentré, the consul general of France in Boston, thanked Donovan for his “personal and precious” contributions, noting, “The people of France will never forget your courage and your devotion to the great cause of freedom.”

As the war was escalating in Europe, Donovan was pursuing a doctorate in sociology at Harvard University. He could have remained safe in Cambridge—a heart murmur had excused him from military service—but, spurred by guilt and patriotism, Donovan persuaded his doctor to issue him a clean bill of health. In the winter of 1943, he put his studies on hold to join the United States Army.

For the next three years, he marched through France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and on into Germany, treating soldiers suffering from combat injuries as well as illness and infection from time spent in the trenches. After an honorable discharge in 1946, Donovan returned home to Peabody, Massachusetts, determined to move on from the war. He wanted to “unwind, relearn how to spell sociology, find a worthwhile thesis problem, and check out the [teaching] offer I had received from

Fordham,” he wrote in an unpublished memoir.

He joined the Boston College faculty in 1952 as an associate professor, and was named chairman of the sociology department (which he cofounded) in 1958. He spent the next five decades teaching and conducting research, gaining a reputation for his sarcastic wit along the way. Fellow sociology professor emeritus David Karp remembers a lunch where Donovan announced that young assistant professors would no longer be awarded tenure. “After receiving the expected looks of amazement, he revealed, to our great relief, that he was just kidding,” Karp said. Jokes aside, Karp added, “he was a superlative and caring teacher with an unusual ability to engage students.”

Allen Fairfax, MA’91, Ph.D.’06, a doctoral student at BC whose father was also in the 83rd Infantry, marveled at Donovan’s smooth transition from battlefield to lecture hall.

“You would think with what he went through he would be traumatized, but he was somehow able to not let it rule his life,” Fairfax said.

Donovan officially retired in 2002, but kept mementos of his BC days on display in his apartment (an embroidered eagle and framed print of Gasson Hall hung in the hallway) and stayed in touch with former colleagues. He spent less time recalling his years spent at war, nor did he consider his contributions worthy of recognition. When his daughter informed him of the Légion d’Honneur, he was nonplussed. “I was just a combat medic doing my job,” he said, “helping take care of the wounded guys.” n

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He’s with the Band Clarinetist Sam Fardy ’62 has been performing with the BC Bands for more than sixty years.

By Alix Hackett

S

am Fardy ’62 has spent more than three quarters of his life involved, in one way or another, with the Boston College Bands. Aside from a two-year deployment overseas, the clarinet player has shown up for rehearsals for the past sixty-one years, and at the age of 80, he’s eager to continue.

“My wife thinks I should ‘graduate,’” he said, “but I’ve seen friends in their later years go stir-crazy because they don’t have enough things to keep them busy.” (Not that Fardy, who lives on Cape Cod, is slowing down—he still works in the insurance business.)

As BC Bands celebrated 100 years of music-making on the Heights last fall, many current members learned about its history for the first time. Fardy, however, has lived much of it firsthand, watching as a fledgling group of student musicians grew into one of the largest organizations on campus. “The evolution has been interesting,” he said. “The bands are so much more professional now and the quality of the music is so improved. It was very different back when I got involved.”

Fardy’s entry into the BC Band came the day of his freshman orientation in 1958 when he introduced himself to the part-time director. The director asked what size uniform Fardy wore, and sent a manager to check the closet. “The manager came back and said, ‘Yeah we’ve got one of those,’” Fardy recalled. “And the director said to me, ‘Do you have a clarinet?’ and I said yes, and he said, ‘Well, bring it and a change of underwear tomorrow because we’re leaving for West Point and we have a game on Saturday.’”

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Sam Fardy ’62 in his element.

At the time, band membership hovered around thirty-five people. Occasionally, alternates from the City of Boston band were called in to bolster the numbers during parades and other high-profile performances. “We called them ringers,” Fardy said. “There was a sousaphone player who didn’t know how to play right away, but he made the marching band look full in the first row.”

The band performed at University sporting events and Commencement, as well as in local and regional parades. It received most of its funding from the U.S. military, and about half of its members,

including Fardy, were enrolled in BC’s ROTC program. When Fardy became band president in the early ’60s, one of his biggest challenges was bridging the divide between the military and nonmilitary members. “We had to convince the non-military people that it was in their best interests to participate in the parades,” he said. “But I think even they realized that we wouldn’t even have a band if it weren’t for ROTC.” Still, Fardy occasionally ran afoul of military protocol. During a trip to perform in the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, band members were put up

photo: Peter Julian

in the army base on Governors Island.

Shortly after they arrived, an officer ordered Fardy to create a duty roster to guard the instruments. But instead of appointing someone outright, Fardy asked everyone to either volunteer or chip in $5, which he used to pay the student guards.

“I got myself in a little trouble for that,” he said with a laugh.

When the band wasn’t staying on a military base, finding accommodations during trips could be a challenge. During one poorly planned weekend, members of the Pep Band performed at a hockey game near the Canadian border with no plans for where they would spend the night. “It was wintertime and it was about 20 or 30 below zero and we had no place to stay,” Fardy recalled. “We were contemplating asking the police to let us spend the night in jail.” Instead, the musicians befriended some local college students who offered them space in the dorms.

By Fardy’s senior year, the band was gaining members steadily, adding cheerleaders and a color guard. Band members accompanied the football team to bowl games, and started bringing home prizes from marching competitions. “All of a sudden, being in the band was a desirable thing to do,” Fardy recalled. “We were traveling, doing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and it made it easier to recruit people.”

After he graduated, Fardy couldn’t imagine his life without the band. He continued to attend weekly rehearsals, eventually joining Boston College’s Symphonic Band, now affectionately known as SymBa. Open to students, alumni, and members of the community, SymBa performs several concerts annually, including a holiday show and a summer performance at the Hatch Memorial Shell on Boston’s Esplanade.

All the pomp surrounding the BC Bands Centennial Celebration has Fardy nostalgic for the 1970s, when the band performed concerts in the recently opened McElroy Commons. “We would fill the place, absolutely fill the place,” he said.

“We played marches and show tunes, which were quite popular, and people just loved it.” n

photos: John J. Burns Library

in memoriam

Man of His Words James McGahay ’63 extolled BC honorary degree recipients with elegant prose.

James McGahay ’63, who died at age 78 in April, worked at Boston College for more than three decades in several positions, including associate director of the Alumni Association, acting director of public relations, and senior writer in the Development Office. But his signature contribution to BC went uncredited: Every year for a quartercentury, he composed the honorary degree citations that are read at the University’s Commencement Exercises and printed in the accompanying program. These lyrical and richly detailed passages praised the lives and achievements of luminaries such as George H. W. Bush, Maya Angelou, and Seamus Heaney. “You have to find a peg,” McGahay said in a 2000 Boston College Chronicle interview. “There’s something interesting about every person you encounter. I look for things that catch my eye, that capture the personality and individuality of the person. I like to look for a smile.”

Following are excerpts from a few of McGahay’s meticulously crafted citations.

Lionel B. Richie Jr., 1986 “Superstar in the dazzling Motown constellation; creator of ballads as courtly and romantic as roses on the first date; writer of nine number one songs in nine consecutive years…Boston College honors a star of the first magnitude for a glowing humanity undimmed by fame.”

Corinne “Cokie” Boggs Roberts, 1994 “BC welcomes an informed and witty commentator as apt to deflate liberal dogma as conservative cant, a worthy descendant of a distinguished American lineage who maintains an unfashionable respect for the work of politicians, and a woman of faith unafraid to speak from religious conviction.”

Rita Dove, 1995 “To signify admiration for your devotion to spreading the earthly joy of the language of the soul and your determination ‘to walk with grace along beauty’s seam,’ Boston College respectfully proclaims you Doctor of Humane Letters.”

William M. Bulger, 1996 “Your origins may be found in a Boston neighborhood where politics was as lively a cottage industry as Aran Island knitting, and in the boy whom lifelong friend Congressman Joseph Moakley remembers as the ‘kid who went to the library when it wasn’t even raining out.’”

William F. Russell, 1999 “Joining the Boston Celtics, fresh from a gold medal victory at the 1956 Olympics, he began a career highlighted by 11 championships in 13 years and five Most Valuable Player awards, in a steady rise to Hall of Fame stature, legend status, and a widely held reputation as the best player the game has ever seen.”

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Books

Small, Profound Moments How BC English Professor Allison Adair spun years of late-night writing into an award-winning book of poetry.

By Jacqueline Tempera

W

hen she started teaching at Boston College in 2012, English Professor Allison Adair wasn’t writing at all. “I’d just had my daughter, so I thought, Oh I couldn’t possibly, I don’t have any time—the typical excuses,” Adair recalled. Luckily, BC Associate Professor Susan Roberts insisted that Adair join her poetry-writing workshop in 2014.

Adair credits the group for setting her on a path to publishing her debut poetry collection, The Clearing. The work, which came out in June and was awarded the prestigious Max Ritvo Poetry Prize, features lyrical verses capturing everything from the agony of losing a child to miscarriage to the humor of raising a daughter in a bustling city. “I had all these little images I collected over the years,” she said, “and all of those small, profound moments turned into this book.” We asked Adair about The Clearing and her writing process.

What is The Clearing about?

One of my favorite writers, Nick Ripatrazone, did a quick review, and he talked about how my book is about risk.

That really resonated with me, this idea of women carrying things to safety for themselves and for other people in the face of risk. I only realized it in retrospect.

In your writing, you often draw parallels between nature and the human body. Why?

I grew up primarily in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which was very, very rural.

I was around a lot of farms and I would play outside, and there were deer in the backyard and animals everywhere. A symbiosis and connection between the human body and the Earth— that’s just a foundational truth for me. I don’t think of natural imagery in my poems as something I turn to as much as something that’s an original language I speak. It’s my home language.

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You also write a lot about your daughter.

How does that relationship lend itself to poetry?

A few years ago, a writer named Laura Kasischke came to read at BC. She was one of the first writers I’ve heard read in a very casual and offbeat—yet serious and profound—way about her relationship with her son. My daughter was a baby at the time and I asked Laura, “How do you talk about your child and still write serious poems? I don’t understand.” She rejected the question and told me that kids are serious and beautiful and all the things moms are. Before that, I thought all of these stories about my life with my daughter don’t count as poems, but of course, they do. A lot of the poems about my daughter tend to be much more narrative and much simpler because she’s young and there’s often a little thing that happens.

But I love them and I find them to be really true to my day-to-day experience.

A lot of times, they have a metaphorical intensity to them.

What was your favorite part of putting this collection together?

The excitement of discovery. Unlike a novel, where you’re beholden to one primary story, I didn’t think of this as a book when I was writing it. It was just individual poems. Each poem was a shot at the basket. Like, Let me see what I can capture here. And most of the time, I was writing very, very late at night when everyone was asleep. I never knew where the poem would land.

photo: Courtesy of Milkweed Editions

What was the most difficult part?

Just finding time. I like to write when I feel like everything is settled, and I rarely get that chance until late at night. For years I would start writing at 12:30 a.m., write until 3:30 a.m., and then wake up with my daughter at 7:30. It was exhausting, but something about being busy made me write more, not less.

How does teaching influence your writing?

All day long I’m talking about various poems and works of literature and the creative process with my students. It’s on my mind when I’m up at night questioning and pushing myself on how to write. That’s a really joyful part of the process.

What is the key to unlocking writing potential?

Write what is true and what is embarrassing and what is weird. It’s important to keep a spirit of discovery, rather than focusing on publication or an imagined audience. And practice! Some of the most naturally talented writers I know have not developed because they haven’t been practicing. Ira Glass said that a lot of young writers stop writing because their taste level is very high and their starting ability is relatively low, and they get frustrated by that discrepancy. But we would never think of basketball or some other skill like that. Keep using great writing as motivation rather than an intimidation factor. It really does matter if you practice. n

Mapping Humanity: How Modern Genetics Is Changing Criminal Justice, Personalized Medicine, and Our Identities // Joshua Z. Rappaport In a new book that’s equal parts fascinating and frightening, Rappaport, BC’s executive director of research infrastructure, untangles the social, ethical, and economic impacts of modern genetics in a world where tech companies have unprecedented access to personal data.

Kooks and Degenerates on Ice: Bobby Orr, the Big Bad Bruins, and the Stanley Cup Championship That Transformed Hockey // Thomas Whalen MA’91, Ph.D.’98 In a worthy companion to books he’s written about the Red Sox and Celtics, the Massachusetts native Whalen here brings to life the Boston Bruins’ raucous, triumphant 1970 season.

Hunting Whitey: The Inside Story of the Capture & Killing of America’s Most Wanted Crime Boss // Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge ’93 While the misdeeds of the notorious FBI informant and mob boss Whitey Bulger are well known, this freshly reported exposé focuses on his sixteen years on the lam, eventual capture, and murder less than twenty-four hours after he landed in federal prison in 2018.

A Week at the Shore // Barbara Delinsky MA’69 A meditation on memory, love, and relationships, this New York Times best-selling summer read from the prolific Delinsky finds three estranged sisters reunited at their family’s Rhode Island beach house, twenty years after a scandal upended their lives.

—Courtney Hollands

what i’m reading Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials // Malcolm Harris “Generational identities are, fundamentally, fictions: the stitching together of Zeitgeist and collective memory by way of pop culture and flimsy trend reporting.

In his smart, original book, Harris goes beyond the superficial clichés (Instagram influencers! avocado toast!) to get at big, structural factors of political economy that might explain why millennials turned out the way we did.”

—Michael Serazio, associate professor in the Department of Communication

illustration: Joel Kimmel

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bc and racial justice

toward a more just america Law School Dean Vincent Rougeau has been named the inaugural director of the Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America. We spoke to him about the new initiative, and how institutions of higher learning can help to build a more equitable future.

by john wolfson

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photo: Webb Chappell

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t was difficult, over the summer, not to conclude that the nation had reached a new moment of reckoning with the role that systemic racism has played in this country since its founding.

Outrage over the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis set off a wave of protests that began as a call for reform of the criminal justice system and has steadily evolved into a sweeping critique of the racist underpinnings of our country’s structures and institutions.

Against this backdrop, BC recently announced the launch of the Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America. In an extraordinary letter this summer, BC President William P. Leahy, SJ, announced the new initiative, writing that “The current anger, division, and alienation result from long-term, systemic causes, and they call for resolution of underlying issues through immediate and sustained action. To move forward, it is essential for everyone to acknowledge and affirm that Black Lives Matter.”

The new project represents the University’s belief that it must be part of the solution to the “generational harm that racism has imposed on Black people in this country,” Law School Dean Vincent Rougeau, who will serve as the Forum’s inaugural director, told me during a recent discussion. We spoke at length about the initiative, how BC can contribute to the effort to eradicate racism, and Rougeau’s own experiences as a Black American. The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

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John Wolfson: You’ve described this new project as a place where BC will demonstrate its commitment to racial justice. How will it do that?

Vincent Rougeau: To start, we have set up a steering committee of people from across the University—students, faculty, staff—and we have agreed that we must start by looking at ourselves. I want the Forum to be a place of dialogue, nationally and beyond, and I want to see BC become an academic leader in this endeavor. But before we get there, we’ve got some housekeeping to do.

The question we have to answer is, How do we become a community that is truly committed to the work of being anti-racist, of ridding ourselves of racism? At our launch event in early October, we’ll begin with a liturgy of lamentation and hope. Fr. Leahy will open the liturgy in some way, and we’re working on it with the School of Theology and Ministry because we think it’s important for BC, as a Jesuit Catholic university, to recognize this as a moral issue. That’s going to be followed by an academic panel that I’ll moderate in which we’ll have Black scholars from BC talking about how their experiences here have shaped their perspectives on race and racial justice. We have some other events planned for the month of October, including some “Courageous Conversations” on racial justice and democratic citizenship, and a student-led event.

JW: What kind of work can we expect to see coming out of the Forum in the years ahead?

VR: We’re looking at a number of ideas, and we already have a few programs planned. The Schiller Institute wants to do a program on environmental racism. The School of Education wants to think more deeply about how you direct students of color into Ph.D. programs and support them so that they can come out and be faculty members.

All across the University, we want to explore whether we’re missing opportunities to push for racial justice in the work that we do as scholars and teachers. How do we reach out to first-generation students, many of whom are students of color, and not only admit them, but make them feel welcomed and engaged as meaningful participants in this community? Those are the kinds of things that I hope the Forum will support across the entire institution. I also believe it can become a model for how universities collaborate with their local communities in racial justice work, and that could become a way that we start to engage on

the national stage. I think we’ll have significant scholarly research to contribute.

JW: You’ve said that BC is uniquely suited to this kind of project.

VR: We are a Catholic university. We have access to a moral tradition and our own church’s teachings that racism is a sin—it is fundamentally counter to everything that Christianity purports to value. For BC to not give full-throated support to the notion that racism is wrong would basically counter our own values and mission. And so we are giving it that support. Fr. Leahy and the Board of Trustees are to be commended for their leadership and for recognizing the moment and how critical it is for Boston College to be moving in the right direction.

JW: Why is something like the Forum needed in the first place?

VR: I used to talk to my students about how their grandfathers came back from World War II, walked into a bank, got a VA loan, and bought a house. Then that house went up in value and they were able to buy a nicer one in a better neighborhood. Their kids then grew up in that house, and were later able to buy a house of their own in an even better neighborhood. Meanwhile, my grandfather was forced to stay in the segregated Black neighborhood in the town where he raised my father. He couldn’t go to the bank and get a loan because they wouldn’t give him one, or if they did, he was going to have to buy in a neighborhood that was never going to increase in value. So it makes no sense to then say to me or to my father, “Why haven’t you bought a house by now? Why don’t you have money for a down payment?” In my family’s case, we were eventually able to do those things, but no one ever stops to consider that it took two, three, four times as much effort to do the very same thing that for other people it was almost handed to them. White veterans were invited to come in and get loans that Black veterans were denied. Many white people have no idea this is true, and that’s just one example of generational racism that has limited the ability of Black people to accumulate wealth in our country. Part of our role as a university is making sure that more people understand the basic historical reality.

VR: This is about more than just what we believe here at BC. It’s about where we are as a nation. No one feels comfortable acknowledging that institutions, people, or countries they love may be deeply flawed in some way. And identifying that flaw and working on it directly can be painful. But that’s the first step.

“A lot of things that we It’s like someone you love who has alcoholism. Everyone has to come thought were going to to terms with the fact that the perhappen simply by passing son is an alcoholic. Then you can start trying to work on the problem. laws haven’t happened.

It’s the same with racism and strucSo it’s not simply about tural racism. The fact that we’re all now willing to identify it and speak legislation. It’s about to it is the important first step.

JW: It really is pervasive. You, for instance, are the dean of a highly regarded law school, successful by any measure, and yet you and your family are well acquainted with not just the kind of racism that’s experienced on the personal level, but the kind that permeates the structures and institutions of our society.

unpacking our culture and reevaluating how we understand our obligations to one another in order to be the kind of nation that we say we are.”

JW: That gets back to something you were saying earlier, that we can’t actually become a more perfect union until we acknowledge uncomfortable truths about our country.

VR: The best example of that is how Germany has dealt with the Holocaust. Those of us old enough to remember know that there were decades when you just didn’t talk about it with Germans. But over time, they’ve acknowledged it and they’re now working in their country to attempt to atone for it. There are powerful monuments to victims of Nazi terror all over Germany.

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Confederate soldiers and generals in public spaces all over this country that are only now coming down.

JW: There have been times in relatively recent American history when it’s seemed as though we were about to make that pivot and begin our own process of atonement.

Yet, decades later, it continues to elude us.

VR: Laws were passed, and we had lots of concrete expressions of the fact that, “Yes, racism is wrong!” We passed the Voting Rights Act. We passed the Civil Rights Act. And I think people felt, “Okay, that work is done and now we can get on with living out these values that we claim to embrace.”

But a lot of things that we thought were going to happen simply by passing laws haven’t happened. Black families continue to have a very difficult time accumulating wealth, and we can all see what’s going on with policing and with healthcare disparities. So we see that there’s a deeper problem—a structural problem—that needs to be addressed. It’s not simply about legislation. It’s about unpacking our culture and reevaluating how we understand our obligations to one another in order to be the kind of nation that we say we are.

JW: Yet, Black Americans are often cast not as the victims of a structural racism that has constrained their ability to thrive in this country but as being responsible for their own struggles.

VR: Americans need to reckon with the truth that we have created a racial binary in this country—white good, Black bad—and it has had extraordinarily damaging effects, and it’s led to this blaming of the victim. Why don’t those people work harder? Why can’t those people be smarter? I can do it, why can’t they? It lacks any accounting whatsoever of the multigenerational attempt to keep Black people in a place of subordination and oppression.

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JW: You made the point that a more developed educational experience is one way to begin that accounting. With that in mind, do you anticipate the Forum helping to lead changes at the curriculum level here at BC? VR: I hope that the Forum can be a vehicle to support departments and schools in their efforts to enrich and expand and deepen their curriculum and to open it up to a much more realistic and unvarnished exploration of the truth—getting to the root of some of the distortions that all of us have been fed about our own history and about what this country has or has not achieved for all of its citizens. We’re certainly beginning that process in the law school, and I know many other departments and schools are doing it, too. As a place of higher learning, that should be something that excites us.

JW: You seem to have, quite literally, been born to do this kind of work.

VR: My birth at a segregated Catholic hospital in Miami Beach, Florida, had to be an act of civil rights agitation on my mother’s part. My mother, a Catholic woman, worked as a professional at a Jewish hospital in Miami Beach. She knew that having her baby at the Catholic hospital was going to stir up trouble, and she could have chosen to have me at the hospital where she worked instead. It’s hard enough to have a baby, your first baby, but she felt a duty and an obligation to push the institution to do what was right. That was the beginning of my life fifty-seven years ago. I was one Black person in society and one Black person who’s had a lot of fortunate interventions in my life to allow me to be where I am today, but just imagine if we could truly release the potential of the African-American community in this country by making a commitment as a society to rid ourselves of racism and to work constantly to open up all of our institutions and opportunities to everyone. n photo: Webb Chappell

bc and racial justice

what systemic racism looks like in america The nationwide protests this past summer began as a call for reform of the country’s criminal justice system.

In the months since, America has begun to contemplate the pervasiveness of racism throughout its structures and institutions. As this conversation continues to unfold, we commissioned essays from four distinguished Boston College faculty members. In the pages ahead, they explore how race and racism affect everything in this country from how likely someone is to suffer the effects of a polluted environment to whether they are embraced by their local church, from what their expected healthcare outcomes are to whether they think of themselves as having a race at all. Âť

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How Our Healthcare System Fails Black Americans by martin summers History Professor “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman.” Martin Luther King Jr. said these words in a 1966 speech before the Medical Committee for Human Rights. Fifty-four years later, the racial disparities in health remain, laid bare most recently by the COVID-19 pandemic. King’s speech came two years after the Supreme Court effectively rendered unconstitutional racial segregation in the healthcare system. But as King and his audience knew so well, racial injustice in health would not be eliminated so quickly.

Blacks at the time were excluded from, or segregated within, a majority of the nation’s hospitals, but that doesn’t begin to tell the whole story of inequality. Blacks suffered from lower life expectancies, higher maternal and infant mortality rates, greater likelihood of experiencing malnutrition and hunger, higher incidence of chronic illnesses, and indifferent and abusive treatment by healthcare professionals—including being subjected to medical procedures and research without their consent. Such inequality extends back to the nation’s beginning in the enslavement of Africans, and it persists 150 years after emancipation. Racial injustice in health in the 21st century has a genealogy.

This genealogy shapes, and is reflected in, the racial health disparities associated with the current pandemic.

Black and brown people have disproportionate infection and mortality rates, and that’s in part because many live in multigenerational housing and work in low-paying jobs that require them to interact with the public. But again, there is nothing new in that. Consider that the high prevalence of tuberculosis in African-American communities in the early 20th century can be traced directly to the fact that many Blacks lived in overcrowded and poorly ventilated housing, and were limited, because of employment discrimination, to jobs as cooks, laundresses, and domestic servants in 28

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white homes that increased their risk for exposure to TB. Meanwhile, underreporting of cases by middle-class and elite whites meant that Black women were typically cast as the main disease vectors.

One of the reasons that Black children are five times more likely than white children to require hospitalization due to COVID complications is obesity. In this, we are reminded of the long history of Blacks suffering health effects related to systemic racism, and then being accused of personal and cultural failings that supposedly caused those health effects. The fact that childhood obesity, for instance, is over-represented in some AfricanAmerican communities is primarily because of food insecurity, yet white observers often attribute it to behavioral choices and cultural norms. Similarly, the reasons Black children inordinately suffered from lead poisoning in the mid-20th century were that the paint industry resisted calls to move to lead-free paint, and landlords were reluctant to perform lead remediation in their properties. Yet, once again, Black families were seen not as victims but as perpetrators, accused of poor parenting and a lack of personal responsibility. And we only need to invoke the Tuskegee Syphilis Study or the “Mississippi appendectomy”—the sterilization of poor Black women without their consent—to make sense of why African Americans are the demographic group most skeptical of receiving any future coronavirus vaccine.

As Senator Kamala Harris declared in her acceptance speech for the Democratic vice-presidential nomination, we can no longer ignore the role that structural racism plays in the poor health outcomes for African Americans, especially in the current pandemic. This is a structural racism 400 years in the making that will only be rooted out by bold action in all sectors of American society.

photos: Lee Pellegrini

Hispanics are the Invisible Victims of Systemic Racism by hosffman ospino Associate Professor of Hispanic Ministry and Religious Education at the School of Theology and Ministry During a recent trip to the Southwest, I had a revealing conversation with a high-ranking Hispanic administrator in a Catholic diocese. This person told me about a discussion he’d had with a white counterpart from a neighboring diocese. Both leaders worried about some troubling trends.

The white administrator said he was concerned about a major decline in the Catholic population in his diocese, especially among young people no longer as active in the practice of their faith.

The decline was affecting finances, schools, and other dynamics.

“I thought your diocese was doing well,” the Hispanic administrator said in response. “I read that the Hispanic Catholic population practically tripled in recent years and now constitutes about half of Catholics in your diocese.”

“Well,” his white counterpart replied, “if you count Hispanics, then it’s a different story.”

A different story. Such is the crux of the matter. Our nation is reckoning—again—with the evil of systemic racism ingrained in its structures since its foundation.

We have a moral obligation to do so. Racism has been a destructive force in the lives of generations of Black and Native Americans. It has also brought remarkable pain upon Hispanics and others. We must not overlook the stories of the latter.

For centuries, Hispanics have struggled to tell our stories in a society that seems indifferent to us, and often reluctant to acknowledge our experiences as vital to understanding the larger American story. As the conversation above makes plain, for many we remain invisible. We are another story.

Rendering Hispanics invisible is one natural consequence of how we speak about race in the United States.

When we speak of racism, we often reduce the conversation to one race exerting power, sometimes violence, upon another. However, the terms Hispanic and Latino refer to

an ethnicity, not a race. Most Hispanics are racially mixed (mestizo). About 24 percent are Afro-Caribbean, many are indigenous, and, yes, millions are racially white.

Hispanic lives in the United States, therefore, unfold amid a racial conundrum—perhaps as a theologian I should use a category like “existential limbo”—that renders us invisible. There isn’t much distance, I fear, between invisible and disposable.

Not long ago in the Southwest, parks had separate water fountains for white people and Black people. Hispanics did not fit into either category. Where to go to quench our thirst? More than 550 lynchings of Hispanics have been documented. In 2019, a white man perpetrated the largest massacre of Hispanics in recent history, in El Paso, Texas. A year later, with a few exceptions, silence prevailed. Who remembers our muertos? Two-thirds of Hispanic children attend an underperforming public school and receive a subpar education. A third of Hispanic children live in deep poverty. Have our society and our church realized that we are their present and future?

A friend with whom I often differ politically once told me, “If you don’t like it here, go home.” But this is my home!

I am a U.S. citizen. I pay taxes. I work hard. I vote. My children were born in this land. With many others, I am the church. What makes some people think they belong and I don’t? The U.S. is home to more than 60 million Hispanics.

We are not invisible. Our lives and our stories matter.

Racism is a sin that affects everyone. It violates the sacredness of human dignity. We must speak against racism in a way that leaves no one behind. With our visibly embodied existence and our many powerful stories, Hispanics prophetically denounce racism by lifting our voices and proclaiming: We are/Somos. Whoever has ears ought to hear.

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The Deadly Toll of Environmental Racism by laura j. steinberg Seidner Family Executive Director of the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society In 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan, changed the source of its drinking water, switching from treated water supplied by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to water drawn from the Flint River. The results proved disastrous when the new supply, not properly treated with corrosion inhibitors, caused lead from pipes to leach into the water supply of a largely poor and largely Black city. More than 10,000 children were exposed to elevated lead levels, leading the state of Michigan to agree to a $600 million settlement with Flint residents. State and local officials have been pilloried, appropriately, for their mismanagement, but the Flint water crisis exposed something more nefarious than mere administrative ineptitude.

As our nation continues to reckon with its history of systemic racism in everything from law enforcement to education, it is important that we not overlook our legacy of environmental racism. What is it? In a 2002 paper, the academic Robert Bullard, known as the “father of environmental justice,” put it this way: “Environmental racism refers to environmental policies, practices, or directives that differentially affect or disadvantage (whether intentionally or unintentionally) individuals, groups, or communities based on race or colour.”

This conceptual notion of environmental racism has been buttressed by decades of findings. We have learned that, all across the country, communities of color are disproportionately subjected to environmental dangers. Landfills and industrial sites with hazardous chemicals are more likely to be sited near communities of color. Such communities also face disproportionate exposure to contaminants found in the environment and to policy decisions that undermine the functioning of infrastructure critical to maintaining public health. Communities of color are also less likely to receive a robust response to environmental disasters.

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Which brings us back to Flint. The city’s water crisis provides a dramatic example of environmental racism in action. Why was a city that is nearly 60 percent AfricanAmerican unable to afford a safe and reliable water supply? Why was the Flint River permitted to become so contaminated in the first place? Why were residents’ complaints about water quality ignored, and why were they not permitted a meaningful voice in confronting the crisis? Why, prior to switching to the Flint River, didn’t officials perform even the most basic engineering analysis to determine the safety of the new water source? And why was the local GM plant permitted to use water from a cleaner source, but not Flint residents?

The answers to these questions all point back to the same thing: environmental racism as an outgrowth and a manifestation of structural racism. The same dynamics are at play in the current pandemic, during which communities of color have been more likely to experience COVID-19 infections, owing in part to the fact that they are subject to poorer housing conditions on average, and have statistically less space and fresh air. And then there are the discouraging new reports that Black people have 1.5 times the exposure to hazardous air particulates as whites.

Like all outgrowths of systemic racism, the scourge of environmental racism will not be easy to eliminate. Even now, as the nation faces a rollback of environmental protections offered by such laws as the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act, disproportionate environmental threats to people of color mount. It’s time to recognize the presence of environmental racism in our communities, and take action to protect the environmental health and well-being of Black Americans.

photo: Lee Pellegrini

White People Have a Race, Too by janet e. helms Augustus Long Professor at the Lynch School; Director of BC’s Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture [editor’s note: Though Boston College Magazine, like most publications, typically does not capitalize “white” when referring to the racial group, Helms asked that we make an exception for her essay.]

We are in the middle of a national reckoning about the ways that our laws, institutions, and cultural norms benefit Whites and disadvantage people of color. This conversation is essential and long overdue, but we must not lose sight of a crucial fact: Institutional racism—or what we today call systemic racism—grows directly out of the racism that exists on personal and group levels. We rarely consider how the racist feelings and actions of individual people lead directly to the policies at the heart of institutional racism.

Why does this matter? Because when no one is responsible for the existence of institutional racism, then no one is responsible for reforming it. If we are truly going to overhaul the racist structures in our country, it will require the active participation of the people who both created and benefit from them, White people. As Whites engage with other Whites in calling out racist policies and behaviors, they must recognize how racist policies benefit them personally.

The calling-out process starts with Whites recognizing that it is not just people of color who have a race.

Whites do, too. In fact, White people created races as a strategy for supporting institutional racism. Yet the only time many Whites think about their own race is when they read about white nationalists or the KKK, role models for racism. White people do not want to be perceived as racist even when they are engaging in racism. So in my

photo: Christopher Soldt

work to help Whites recognize their own racism, I start by providing them with a different context for thinking about Whiteness. I say, “Being oblivious to your Whiteness contributes to racism, but by becoming aware of how you benefit from racism, you can advocate for change that will make you feel better and society a better place.”

Racism teaches people that Whiteness has value—it confers on Whites privileges that are not available to people of color. So the idea that privileges should be shared with people of color can create a fear of losing status, which in turn creates the perception among some Whites that the country is being taken away from them. And that feeling is being amplified as other Whites begin to question the system. This process is what I call disintegration—the sudden awareness of the moral dilemmas of being a White person in the society. It’s the anxiety, it’s the confusion, it’s the shaking up of the world as you knew it before. It’s not a comfortable feeling, and there are different ways that one resolves it. One way is to begin to take action to counter racism. Another is to become overtly racist.

Today you see White people trying to change the system for the better, but you also see the frightened people, the racist people who are trying to hold back change. It’s always a choice. As White people experience the discomfort of this era, instead of running from it, my hope is that they will choose to use it as a motivator. People of color feel this kind of discomfort on a daily basis. White people can tolerate it long enough for us to change society in a positive way.

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a tough knot to crack The Conway knot problem confounded mathematicians for more than fifty years.

Then Lisa Piccirillo ’13 solved it in less than a week. by john wolfson photographs by kelly davidson

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[editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared in the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine.]

h

alf a century ago, a brilliant young mathematician named John Horton Conway discovered, of all things, a knot. This wasn’t the sort of knot that you’d be likely to encounter in the real world.

You could certainly create it out of string if you wanted to, but generally speaking, it existed only in Conway’s calculations. There are thousands upon thousands of these kinds of conceptual tangles in a bewildering corner of mathematics known as knot theory, but even there Conway’s discovery was special—not so much for what it was, but for what it might or might not be. Yes, that is confusing, but when talking knot theory, it’s best to accept that things tend to get a little fuzzy.

In any case, Conway’s knot was hardly remarkable at first glance. With just eleven crossings, or places where it overlapped itself, it was rather nondescript by the standards of higher-dimensional knot theory. But the knot had one property that made it the subject of intense mathematical scrutiny. Conway, who died recently at age 82 of complications from COVID-19, made innumerable contributions to the field of mathematics, yet it was his knot that specialists would return to again and again. And again and again, these decorated mathematicians were unable to find a solution to what became known as the Conway knot problem.

The problem had to do with proving whether Conway’s knot was something called “slice,” an important concept in knot theory that we’ll get to a little later. Of all the many thousands of knots with twelve or fewer crossings, mathematicians had been able to determine the sliceness of all but one: the Conway knot. For more than fifty years, the knot stubbornly resisted every attempt to untangle its secret, along the way achieving a kind of mythical status. A sculpture of it even adorns a gate at Cambridge University’s Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences.

Then, two years ago, a little-known graduate student, and BC alum, named Lisa Piccirillo learned about the knot problem while attending a math conference. A speaker mentioned the Conway knot during a discussion about the challenges of studying knot theory. “For example,” the speaker said, “we still don’t know whether this elevencrossing knot is slice.”

That’s ridiculous, Piccirillo thought to herself while she listened. This is 2018. We should be able to do that. A week later, she produced a proof that stunned the math world.

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knot theory is a subspecialty of a field of mathematics known as topology, which is concerned with the study of spaces. What’s it used for? “The answer one memorizes is that topology is useful for understanding DNA and protein folding,” Piccirillo told me a few months ago as we sat—wearing masks and maintaining a good ten feet of distance—in an outdoor courtyard not far from where she lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “Apparently these things are very long and they like to stick to themselves, so they get all knotted up, and topology contains knot theory.”

When topologists think of knots, however, they don’t imagine them as you and I might: a length of rope with a gnarled twist or two in the middle. To them, a knot is more like an extension cord in which the two ends have been plugged together and the whole thing has been tossed onto the floor in a mess of crisscrosses. It’s essentially a closed loop with various places where the loop crosses over itself.

Now, let’s take one of these knots and think for a moment about the space in which it exists. To a topologist a knot is actually a kind of sphere. Topologists, in fact, see spheres everywhere. To them, a circle is a one-dimensional sphere, while the skin surrounding an orange is a twodimensional sphere. And here is where minds tend to get blown: If we were to take that whole orange and glue it to another one, topologists would see the resulting object as a three-dimensional sphere, one that could be viewed as the skin of a four-dimensional orange. Don’t worry that you are unable to conjure such a higher-dimension image for yourself. Outside of a couple hundred experts, no one really can.

Piccirillo was already well on her way to joining the ranks of those couple hundred when, in the summer of 2018, a speaker at a math conference said something that would change the trajectory of her career. The speaker showed a slide depicting the Conway knot and explained that mathematicians had long suspected that the knot was not, in fact, slice, but no one had been able to prove it. So what does it mean for a knot to be slice? Let’s return for a moment to that four-dimensional orange. Inside of it there are disks—think of them as the surface of a plate. If a threedimensional knot, like Conway’s, can bound such a disk, then the knot is slice. If it cannot, then it is not slice.

Topologists use mathematical tools called invariants to try to determine sliceness, but for half a century, these tools had been unable to help them prove the prevailing belief that the Conway knot wasn’t slice. Sitting in that lecture hall two years ago, however, Piccirillo sensed right away that the techniques she was using in a different area of topology might help the invariants solve the Conway knot problem.

“I immediately knew that some work that I was doing for totally other reasons could at least try to answer this question,” she said. She started on the problem the very next day.

piccirillo, who is 29, grew up in Greenwood, Maine, which has a population of less than 900. She was an excellent student and her mother taught middle school math (her father was a welder and worked in sales), but there was little in her interests to suggest that she would become a worldclass mathematician.

“I was an overachiever,” she told me. “I rode dressage.

I was very active in the youth group at my church. I did drama. I was in band. I did everything.” Which is another way of saying that she wasn’t one of those math prodigies who’s programming computers and building algorithms at age four.

When Piccirillo arrived on campus for her first year at BC in 2009, she was as interested in subjects like theater as she was math. During a calculus class that year, though, she made a connection with Professor J. Elisenda Grigsby.

“Lisa was in the very first class that I taught at BC,” Grigsby recalled. “It was not an advanced math course— probably more for people who are planning to major in science than ones who are planning on a career in mathematics.” Although Piccirillo lacked the polish of “golden child mathematicians” who’ve been groomed since a young age, her creativity and intelligence stood out, and Grigsby took an interest in helping to develop her talent. “The people who typically get mentorship are the ones that fit the mold,” she said. “We’re not just talking about men, we’re

talking about white men. I can’t speak to how anyone else would have reacted to Lisa. All I know is that I do think that part of what drew me to her was a recognition that she was like me.”

“She really encouraged me,” Piccirillo said of Grigsby. “Eli really pushed me into trying another math class, and then liking the next class.

I had already started on a progression.” Piccirillo then encountered another mentor at BC, Professor Joshua Greene. “That was fall 2011,” Greene recalled. “She was in the first class that I taught. I’ll never forget one of the exams. I printed it two-sided, and Lisa finished early.

When I was reviewing the exams, I found that she had overlooked the back page. She was the only person who did that. She got the highest score in the class anyway. She was very talented.”

By fall of Piccirillo’s senior year, she was taking entry-level graduate courses. The following semester, she was on to more specialized graduate classes, which are known as topics courses. “To take a topics graduate course as an undergrad,” Greene said, “that was very special, very unusual.”

Piccirillo’s development as a mathematician during her time at Boston College was proof, more than anything else, of her own talent and commitment. But it spotlighted something else, too: an entire community of mentors, resources, and support systems that had been carefully designed by the math department several years before Piccirillo matriculated to BC, all with the express purpose of identifying and nurturing promising young mathematicians. professor solomon friedberg came to Boston College in 1996, the first of a wave of impressive hires in the math department around that time. Over the next several years, Friedberg became convinced that the department needed to expand its offerings. At the time, the only math degree BC offered was a bachelor of arts. Friedberg wanted to develop a Ph.D. program, and with it a bachelor of science degree for undergraduate students interested in the mathematical sciences.

The opportunity to make the case for such a program was the main reason that Friedberg agreed to become department chair in 2007. “During my first year as chair, we conducted an internal evaluation of the department,” fa l l 20 20 v bcm

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over those first few years,” Quigley said. “They he told me. “We understood that we would above: This sequence of knot sketches is one of launched the Ph.D. program, of course, but I’d need to create a small Ph.D. program. BC the two steps Piccirillo say even more important, they hired just a terwasn’t going to use a model where grad stuused to solve a problem rific cohort of younger faculty, some of whom dents do a lot of the teaching. That’s not our that had stumped mathLisa Piccirillo worked with.” Among those plan and that’s not our mission.” With that ematicians for decades. hires, in fact, were Grigsby and Greene. in mind, the department ultimately proposed a program that was centered on two broad after graduating in 2013, Piccirillo chose to pursue areas, one being number theory and the other being the her Ph.D. at the University of Texas because of its exceltwo closely related disciplines of geometry and topology. lent topology program and its reputation as a great place The proposal, as it happened, found receptive ears among for female grad students in math. In 2014, just 29 percent University leadership. of math and science Ph.D.s were awarded to women, Around this same time, BC was conducting a series of according to the National Science Foundation, but at program reviews all across the university. “Cuberto Garza Texas, something like 40 percent of graduate math stuwas the new provost during this review process, and, middents were women. way through, I stepped into the dean’s role in what is now By and large, Piccirillo felt welcomed and encouraged as the Morrissey College,” said David Quigley, who today is a female mathematician. “But now and again, things happrovost and dean of faculties. “Those program reviews led pen,” she told me. “For example, in grad school, I would us to change directions in some areas, and scale back or receive notes in my department mailbox commenting on close certain programs. But we were also able to identify my appearance.” some really promising emerging strengths on campus, Overall, Piccirillo excelled during her six years at the including recognizing just what a jewel we had with the University of Texas, finding both strong mentorship and a math department.” supportive research community. The time coincided with When Friedberg made the department’s case for the new her deepening connection to the math itself. She loved to Ph.D. program, he emphasized his belief that it would benturn problems over in her mind, thinking about how one efit every math student at BC, undergrads and grads alike. higher-dimension shape might be manipulated to resemble “There’s a whole ecology of a math department,” he told an entirely different one. It was thrilling, creative work, me. New undergrads get to communicate and learn from as much about aesthetic as arriving at a particular result. more advanced undergraduates, who in turn get to interact “When you perform a calculation, sometimes there are with grad students while taking graduate-level courses. The really clever tricks you can use or some ways that you can graduate students, meanwhile, have access to the talent and be an actual human and not a computer in the performing experience of postdocs, who benefit from mentoring by of the calculation,” Piccirillo said. “But when you make a faculty. “A Ph.D. program not only doesn’t subtract from logical argument—that’s entirely yours.” the undergraduate experience,” Friedberg said, “it deeply Outside of her studies, Piccirillo adds to it, and builds BC’s internaliked to make beautiful things. “You tional intellectual prominence.” walked into her house,” recalled James Persuaded, the University authoFarre, a friend from the University of rized the new program, and the math Texas who is currently a postdoc at department began hiring bright young Yale, “and the feel was airy and beachy, faculty members. Today, the departrustic, but almost austere—like you ment is broadly understood to include were in a museum with things like a third area of focus, algebraic geomdried flowers that she had handpicked etry, which was broken out from the and tied in a string. All kinds of beautinumber theory group. About a third ful prints that she had made and maps of math department undergrads now that she had collected. She has a very, pursue the BS degree. very strong sense of aesthetic. I think “Sol Friedberg and his colleagues This knot, created by Piccirillo, finally that this is not completely atypical. were able to do a number of things solved the famous Conway knot problem.

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illustrations: Lisa Piccirillo

Math that people like is often thought of and talked about as beautiful or deep.” Piccirillo carved wooden spoons for a while, and made large-scale wood-cut prints of fish and vegetables. She and her roommate, Wiley Jennings, built a dining room table together. For a time, she was obsessed with buying and repairing vintage Japanese motorcycles. the day after hearing about the Conway knot problem, Piccirillo, then 27, sat down at her desk and began looking for a solution. Because much of her graduate work involved building pairs of knots that were different but shared some 4D properties, she already knew that any two knots that share the same 4D space also share sliceness— they’re either both slice or both not slice. Since her goal was to prove that the Conway knot wasn’t slice, her first step was to come up with an entirely different knot with the same four-dimensional space, she explained. “Then I’ll try to show that the other knot isn’t slice.”

Over the next several days, she hand-sketched her knot, then, in an attempt to prove that it was not slice, she would feed it into a computer, “and based on the data of the knot, maybe based on how its crossings look or other data that you can pull from the knot, the algorithm spits out an integer.” In less than a week, Piccirillo had built a knot that hit the sweet spot: It had the same 4D properties as Conway’s knot, and it was found by the algorithm to be not slice.

She had suddenly succeeded where countless mathematicians had failed for five decades. She had solved the Conway knot problem. not long after the breakthrough, Piccirillo attended a meeting with the University of Texas math Professor Cameron Gordon. When she mentioned her solution, Gordon was skeptical. He asked Piccirillo to walk him through the steps. “Then he made me write it down, like all up on the board,” she told me, “and then he got very excited and started yelling.”

Piccirillo submitted her solution to the Annals of Mathematics, and the prestigious math journal agreed to publish her paper. When I asked James Farre, the Yale postdoc, to explain the significance of having a paper published in the Annals, he laughed for several seconds. “It’s head and shoulders the most important and influential journal in mathematics,” he said. “That’s why I’m laughing. It’s amazing and it’s so cool!”

By the time Piccirillo’s paper appeared in the journal about a year later, word of her solution had already spread

throughout the math world. After graduating from UT in 2019, she started her postdoctoral work at Brandeis. “The last time I saw her was in January,” said Wiley Jennings, her roommate in Austin, who recently completed a Ph.D. at Stanford. “She was out at a faculty visit here at Stanford.

To be invited, as someone who has done one year or less [of postdoc study]—just finished their Ph.D., essentially—I mean, that’s insane. It’s unheard of.”

Postdoc positions typically run for three or four years, but Piccirillo found herself in high demand. In July, she started a new tenure-track position as an assistant professor at MIT. It’s been a whirlwind, and I wondered how her life has changed. She acknowledged that there sometimes is a feeling of pressure, based on what she’s already accomplished. In practice, math is about trying to prove simple statements and failing—basically all of the time, for everyone. “So,” she said, “I’m having to relearn how to be okay with the fact that most of the time I’m failing to prove really simple stuff when I’m feeling the weight of these expectations.”

When I asked about her goals, Piccirillo said one of her priorities is to help grow and broaden the mathematics community. “There certainly are many young women, people of color, non-heterosexual or non-gender-binary people who feel put at an arm’s length by the institution of mathematics,” she said. “It’s really important to me to help mitigate that in any small ways I can.” One important way to do that, she continues, is to help shatter the myth of the math prodigy.

When universities organize math conferences, she said, they should avoid inviting speakers who “give talks where they go really fast and they try to show you how smart they are and how hard their research is. That’s not good for anyone, but it’s especially not good for young people or people who are feeling maybe like they don’t belong here.” What those people in the audience don’t know, she said, is that nobody else really understands it either.

“You don’t have to be really ‘smart’—whatever that means—to be a successful mathematician,” Piccirillo said. “There’s this idea that mathematicians are geniuses.

A lot of them seem to be child prodigies that do these Olympiads. In fact, you don’t have to come from that background at all to be very good at math, and most mathematicians, including many of the really great ones, don’t come from that sort of background.”

Some of them even go on to produce work that alters the course of mathematics. n fa l l 20 20 v bcm

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What Happens When Child Soldiers Return Home?

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BC School of Social Work Professor Theresa Betancourt has spent nearly two decades following the life trajectories of children who were forced to fight in wars. What she and her collaborators are learning could help change the way we treat trauma in underresourced regions of the world.

by shannon fischer

photo: Lee Pellegrini

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n 1991, a small band of rebels backed by the Liberian warlord Charles Taylor and Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi crossed into the west African nation of Sierra Leone and ignited a civil war that would rage for more than a decade. The rebels called themselves the Revolutionary United Front and claimed to lead a movement for the people of Sierra Leone.

But the rebellion devolved into a campaign of terror characterized mostly by brutality against civilians. In a country of then fewer than 5 million, an estimated 70,000 people were killed, 2.6 million were displaced, and at least 4,000 suffered amputations of arms, hands, legs, ears, and even noses.

What made the war infamous, though, were the children: Over the course of eleven years, tens of thousands of them were made to participate in the war, many taken from their families and forced to become fighters, spies, porters, and sex slaves. They witnessed rapes, massacres, mutilations, arsons, and executions. Some were forced to commit these atrocities themselves, sometimes even against their loved ones. The war finally ended in 2002, but what remained was an open, urgent question: What would happen with these children? No one knew what the lives of former child soldiers might look like. Perhaps they would become “an entire lost generation,” as the prosecutor for the UN Special Court for Sierra Leone described them in 2004, “lost souls wallowing in a cesspool of physical and psychological torment.”

Instead, many of them returned to their families and went back to school. Some grew up to become doctors, teachers, or entrepreneurs. Some fell in love and started new families. Others, though, fell into lives of isolation, depression, and despair. We know all of this because for the past eighteen years, Theresa Betancourt, director of the Research Program on Children and Adversity (RPCA) at the Boston College School of Social Work, has returned to Sierra Leone again and again to follow a cohort of more than 500 war-affected youths, carefully documenting their life trajectories to determine what has accounted for the difference between those who struggle to this day and those who have thrived. It is the longest, most comprehensive examination of life after child soldiering that has ever been done, and it has revealed a complicated picture of resilience, where the fate of a child’s life may depend more on his or her postwar environment—community support, family— than on what was experienced during the war itself.

In 2017, Betancourt came to the School of Social Work as the Salem Professor in Global Practice to expand on this groundbreaking work. She and her team have taken the lessons they’ve learned in Sierra Leone and other nations 40

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and used them to build a range of programs that have been noteworthy for producing positive outcomes for children and families facing adversity in a variety of countries and cultures. “Resilience is not some inherent trait or capability that just some people have,” Betancourt told me recently.

“It’s a process whereby the social ecology interacts with the individuals, and it’s at multiple levels.”

The experiences of war and other forms of trauma cannot be undone, but what Betancourt’s research has shown is that what happens afterward, and how it affects the way a child’s life unfolds, is something that can be influenced.

Betancourt and her collaborators have dedicated their entire careers to doing just that.

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anuary marks the peak of the dry season in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital city. The harmattan winds blow south from the Sahara Desert, covering everything—the cars, the sidewalks, the metal roofs of the vendor stalls—with a layer of fine red dust. Even the long, flat leaves of the banana trees turn red.

The city juts into the Atlantic Ocean on the westernmost tip of Sierra Leone, a vibrant jumble of pedestrians, motorbikes, and three-wheeled kekehs. But as you head east, toward the Kono District on the other side of the country, the noise and commotion fall away, replaced by open fields of elephant grass, green mountains studded with palms, and mango trees that grow as tall and thick as ancient oaks. Locals call their country Salone or swit Salone—sweet Sierra Leone.

But there has been much sorrow here in Kono, too.

This, for instance, is where Ishmeal Alfred Charles was captured for the first time by rebel soldiers. He was 12 then and his mother had sent him from Freetown to live with his father in Koidu Town, the capital of the Kono District. She thought he’d be safer there. Instead, rebels attacked Kono two weeks after Charles arrived. They tried to force him to fight for them, but he pretended to be too

confused to understand the workings of a gun. So they made the boy a porter instead, piling him with heavy loads of stolen loot. He may have been spared the experience of committing atrocity, but not from witnessing it. “You’d see them take a girl and go into the room,” he told me, “and they come back out, three men, all sweating, and you heard the girl crying and shouting. Sometimes you just hear a gunshot, like bam.”

One day, Charles managed to escape, running into the bush in a moment when the fighters were distracted. He joined up with a small band of fellow refugees walking north toward the safety of the Guinea border. But as the group passed through a town along the way, a new troop of rebels appeared and recaptured them. This time, the soldiers lined Charles and the others into a single-file row. You want the long sleeve or the short sleeve? they asked. “That was when they started cutting the hands off people,” he said.

Charles was fortunate to be spared that fate, and he eventually was able to escape a second time. He was captured once more by local militias before being released.

When he returned home, his mother embraced him. She told him that none of it was his fault, and sent him back to school. “She was,” he said, “the closest friend I’ve ever had.”

It has been one of the war’s enduring tragedies that not every former child soldier was welcomed home so warmly.

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heresa betancourt came to kono for the first time in 2002, only months after the war had officially ended. Back then, the land was ravaged, most of the roads impassable. She had to fly in via a helicopter so loaded with aid supplies and workers that she’d barely been able to squeeze aboard.

She was a Harvard grad student at the time, a year away from finishing her doctorate in maternal and child health. Just a few years earlier, she’d been a school mental health specialist in Oregon, working with refugee and migrant students struggling to fit in and go to college. Then, in 1995, she signed up for a Spanish immersion program that sent her to a Costa Rica radio station. That year, as the United Nations held a landmark World Conference on Women to discuss issues especially concerning to women and girls—poverty, education, health, war—Betancourt, with her basic Spanish, helped the station’s journalists cover the meeting. “It opened my eyes to child rights globally,” she recalled, “and exposed me to this world of UN agencies, and the important work NGOs could do.”

map: Kate Evans

Within a year, she was interning for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in New York, housesitting for friends and feeding pet rabbits in exchange for a place to stay. In 1998, she started her doctoral work, then began consulting for the UN, and later the International Rescue Committee (IRC). She was sent to Ethiopia, Albania, and the Russian Federation, where she worked with displaced Chechen youth, setting up emergency education interventions and running small studies to see if they helped. It was around this time that she met Marie de la Soudière, then the director of the IRC’s Children Affected by Armed Conflict Unit. The connection would change her life.

At the time, the state of research relating to conflict zones and resilience was in disarray. There was evidence suggesting the importance of social environment to a child’s recovery after, say, enduring the London Blitz or traumatic wildfires in Australia. But experts were only just beginning to realize how mental health problems such as anxiety and depression express themselves differently in different cultures. And almost no one at the time was conducting longitudinal studies to see how war-affected children fared as they resumed their lives, tracking what helped them and what didn’t.

Psychologists and aid providers back then tended to default to PTSD-focused talk therapy. “It was totally a Western model, which was not developed for a traumatic environment,” de la Soudière told me. As the war wound down in Sierra Leone, however, she saw an opportunity.

Many child soldiers were being sent to Interim Care Centers, or ICCs, several of which used programming designed largely by de la Soudière. The children would receive physical and psychological care at these ICCs for a few weeks while staff tracked down their families and

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conducted village-wide “sensitization” campaigns so that, hopefully, when the children returned home, they would be accepted.

Because of funding challenges, there was limited money to conduct follow-up visits to see how these children were faring after returning to their communities. But de la Soudière, convinced that much more of this kind of study was necessary, managed to scrape up a few years’ worth of extra funds—just enough to kick off the first stages of a new project to follow these youths for the long haul and discover what really mattered to their future success. She chose Theresa Betancourt to lead the project.

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The Sierra Leonean civil war ended in 2002, but what remained was an urgent question: What would happen to the children forced to fight in it? No one knew how the lives of former child soldiers might unfold.

ono, which is home to many of Sierra Leone’s diamond mines, suffered mightily during the war. Upward of 90 percent of all buildings in the district are estimated to have been destroyed or damaged during the fighting. When Betancourt arrived in 2002 to begin her work for de la Soudière, the ICC had been set up in an abandoned school made of cinder blocks painted yellow, a grim building riddled with bullet holes.

The teens there slept on dirty yellow foam mattresses, but their artwork from the time depicts the facility as a cheerful, colorful place—a place of reprieve.

Betancourt’s plan was simple. She would work out of the ICC, creating a list of children who’d passed through the program before returning home after the war. She assembled a collection of culturally adapted questionnaires to tease out how the children were feeling and what their wartime experiences had been. If all went well, she would continue to check in with these same children through the years in “waves” of follow-up surveys, keeping track of how they fared over time.

Betancourt camped in the house of a former warlord. She was an outsider, and she understood that the success of her study would lie in her ability to collaborate closely with local people and organizations. It was then that she was introduced to Moses Zombo. A native of the Sierra Leonean city of Kenema, Zombo was a former linguistics student who’d helped people forced to flee their homes during the war. He had a knack for indepth interviewing, and found Betancourt’s project compelling. Over time, he would become one of her closest colleagues, an essential link to the children she hoped to learn from.

With no electricity, Zombo and Betancourt worked by flashlight late into the night.

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He gathered a team of local research assistants—former teachers and social workers—and Betancourt trained them on how to obtain informed consent and conduct interviews. Over time, they recruited a total of 529 children for the study. Most had been taken by rebels at around age 10, though some had been as young as two. They’d been held for three to four years on average. Most had been beaten, sometimes daily. Nearly half of the girls and about 5 percent of the boys reported that they’d been raped. About a quarter of the children said they’d killed or injured others.

The team completed the initial research wave in 2002, and then conducted its first follow-up in 2004. Then de la Soudière’s IRC funding dried up. But Betancourt found enough money to keep the project going. By 2006, she’d become an assistant professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and with funds gathered from sources such as USAID, she was able to conduct additional follow-up waves in both 2008 and 2016, each time adding to the research detailing how the lives of these former child soldiers were unfolding.

Nearly all of the children initially showed high rates of mental distress—anxiety, depression, hostility. But by the

photo: Courtesy of Theresa Betancourt

never managed to fully reintegrate with their peers or families. They were twice as likely as the other groups to still suffer symptoms of anxiety and trauma, more than four times as likely to have gotten into trouble with police, and three times more likely to have attempted suicide.

right: Moses Zombo, who has worked with Theresa Betancourt for nearly two decades to document the lives of former Sierra Leonean child soldiers.

OPPOSITE: Members of the Youth Forward team celebrating the launch of the new program at the Caritas office in Freetown.

The study is an important test of whether the lessons that Betancourt and her collaborators have learned so far in Sierra Leone can be extended to more youth throughout the country, and perhaps beyond.

first follow-up wave, when the children had been home for two years, it was already clear that their suffering was not purely a product of their past experiences. Children who, after returning home, were taunted and stigmatized within their community or family, or who struggled to earn enough to survive, tended to spiral. Those who found acceptance, however, reported better recovery, regardless of their wartime experiences.

Zombo was blown away by the data. He thought of one boy who struggled early on with visible scarring on his face and shame, but began thriving later, with a good job and a supportive wife and son. “And I’m talking to Theresa, and then we look at the data and this guy’s name is at the top of the positives list,” he said. “I told her, ‘You know? I think there is something to this thing we are doing.’”

By the fourth wave of assessments, in 2016, the data had revealed three clear groups. There were the “socially protected” youths, who’d endured relatively lighter wartime experiences, then gone home to families and villages that welcomed them. The other two groups both comprised children who’d endured greater horrors—higher rates of rape and violence. Both went home to stigma and alienation. But one, the “improving social integration” group, changed. Over time, the children in this group found acceptance. Many of them were girls who’d been raped. Returning home, they’d exhibited very high anxiety and hostility to others. But their communities and families eventually rallied around them and, fifteen years later, their life outcomes looked almost identical to those who’d been welcomed home immediately. In contrast was the “socially vulnerable” group. The smallest of the groups, it had the greatest number of boys who’d been forced to kill and injure. They came back hostile and angry, and they photo: Michael Duff

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heresa betancourt (née stichick) grew up in Bethel, Alaska, where her family settled following her father’s Peace Corps service in the 1960s. Bethel was a remote community with a population of around 3,000 back then. Many homes— including the log cabin she grew up in— didn’t have indoor plumbing, and most of the roads were unpaved. But Betancourt thrived in the conditions. She caught fish in a coffee can and learned to dogsled. In the summer, she would spend long afternoons on the lake behind the house, pushing herself on a raft her father had fashioned for her out of an old door. She learned early to respect and learn from the culture of Bethel’s majority native Alaskan Yup’ik population. She learned native stories and dance in school, and her babysitter taught her the Yup’ik language. “To me, it was just free and amazing and fascinating,” she told me.

Moses Zombo marveled at Betancourt’s adaptability in Sierra Leone, her effortless embrace of a life of bucket baths and meals of rice and dried fish eaten off a communal plate. “You couldn’t be coming from Boston and like this!” he recalled thinking. But to Betancourt, it was like coming home. “I was ready for that,” she said, alluding to her upbringing in Alaska. “I’d already had the cold version.”

She was ready for something else she found in Sierra Leone, too: the way that a child’s life can be shaped by his or her upbringing. When Betancourt was growing up, her mother worked in early child development. “And I remember,” she said, “seeing what happened with a child with encephalitis or fetal alcohol syndrome or Down’s syndrome that wasn’t being picked up and given the family connection and care that it needed.”

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t no longer requires a helicopter to get to Kono, a testament to Sierra Leone’s rebuilding efforts in recent years. In January, I made the six-hour drive from Freetown with Mahmoud Feika, the data manager at Caritas Freetown—an important local partner organization that works closely with Betancourt in Sierra Leone—and our driver, Peter French. As we neared Koidu, a green sign by the side of the road identified the way to the “Amputee Lodge.” fa l l 20 20 v bcm

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The war may be over, but life is still hard in Sierra Leone. It’s among the poorest countries in the world. Many households do not have access to clean water, and outside of the city, most also do not have reliable electricity. Life expectancy is just 54 years, more than 40 percent of the population lives on less than $2 a day, and 70 percent of youths are unemployed or underemployed. Sierra Leone’s economy was actually humming along, with a 20 percent growth rate in GDP by 2013, but then came the Ebola crisis, which resulted in nearly 4,000 deaths. A year after the epidemic ended, a mountain on the edge of Freetown collapsed in a rainstorm, resulting in nearly 1,200 deaths and 3,000 people left homeless.

I asked Abdul Jalloh, who directs the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital, about the toll that all of this has taken on the country. “The war, now the poverty, the unemployment, all those things,” he said. “It has created a huge impact on the mental well-being of Sierra Leone.”

Jalloh is one of just two psychiatrists in the country, to go with one psychiatric hospital and nineteen mental health nurses. The treatment gap for severe mental illness in the country is estimated to be 98 percent. Most sufferers, Jalloh said, are simply on the street undiagnosed.

Depression, anxiety, and trauma are widespread, and as Betancourt found in her research, these disorders can undermine the very thing that can keep an at-risk person afloat: community support and acceptance. Children who are unable to remain calm and be their best self when confronted with negative and stressful social situations “get into these patterns,” Betancourt said. “They have blowouts with people, and that leads to more blowouts, and then you’re blamed for everything and pretty soon you’re labeled a bad kid.”

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from left: Mahmoud Feika, data manager at Caritas Freetown; Musu Moigua, Caritas project manager; Unisa Jalloh, YRI supervisor and former lead consultant at Caritas. below: Zainba Masaray, formerly of Caritas Freetown, leads a Youth Readiness Intervention training session.

Betancourt and her team are working to help children break that destructive pattern. I learned how in the Kono village of Ngaiya, from Tamba James Mafinda, the town chief, and Tamba Ellie, the local youth chairman, which is a sort of government position that advocates for local teens and children. Last year, they told me, Sierra Leoneans trained by Freetown researchers had conducted sessions to help area youths learn the skills of emotion regulation, problem solving, and goal setting. The effects, Mafinda and Ellie said, have been nothing short of astonishing. Those who finished the program have begun to behave, listen to their elders, and communicate their troubles before resorting to violence or theft. “They just calm down and obey,” Mafinda said. “They give respect to the chief.”

The sessions they spoke of were part of the Youth Readiness Intervention, or YRI, a course that Betancourt and her collaborators have spent the past decade devising and testing. It grew out of the team’s conviction that its work should be about more than simply documenting trauma. “It’s one thing to do observational research,” Betancourt told me, “but it’s really important, ethically, to not just watch a train wreck happen, and not try to think about, are there ways you could move up the tracks and try improving them?”

So Betancourt’s team decided to take the lessons they’d learned from their research and form the YRI to help create positive outcomes for Sierra Leonean youths. The program began to take shape in 2010, when Betancourt teamed up with the crew of U.S. and Sierra Leonean researchers at Caritas Freetown, a photos: Courtesy of Theresa Betancourt (bottom left); Michael Duff (above)

orally, which is important in communities with lower rates of literacy. Heavy on parables and cultural references, the exercises focus on how to first recognize emotions, including poil at (sadness), yagba (worry), and gladi (happy), and how to focus on the positive. Other modules cover bereavement and coping with loss, goal making and strategizing, and how to recognize when you’re about to lose control.

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aritas freetown, housed in a small complex of concrete buildings painted dark green and bright turquoise, is located not far from local outpost of the Catholic Church’s development and Freetown’s famous Cotton Tree where, it’s said, the freed aid-delivery arm. The team consulted with village leaders, slaves who helped found the city in the eighteenth century imams and priests, government agencies, and experts from rested upon their arrival. The organization first partnered NGOs. They solicited input from parents and neighbors, with Betancourt’s research team on YRI a decade ago. local police and teachers, and the youths themselves. “And Helping to seal the relationship was Ishmeal Charles, the they all said almost the same thing,” recalled Musu Moigua, former child soldier who’d escaped and been recaptured the Caritas project manager who conducted many of these multiple times. Charles had gone on to graduate from uniconversations. “That the youth still do not know what versity and he began working with Caritas in 2009. The they’re doing, they still are not focused, they cannot cope, youth intervention project immediately appealed to him. they’re still having challenges.”

“When I saw what the YRI was, I said, ‘Oh thank God, this Meanwhile, Betancourt was digging into the literais exactly something that I want to work with,’” Charles told ture. She found inspiration from experts in adolescent me. “We always say they disarmed the people in this counpsychotherapy, such as John Weisz at Harvard try with the guns, but we didn’t University, and from pioneers in global mental disarm the minds of the people.” health, like Vikram Patel, also at Harvard. Also The research team at Caritas The experiences influential was Paul Bolton, an old collaborator today consists of nineteen of war cannot of Betancourt’s at Johns Hopkins University, Sierra Leonean research assisbe undone. But who has shown that culturally sensitive, comtants—eleven of whom work on munity-led interventions can be effective in lowYRI—plus several expats who Betancourt’s resource settings. The idea is to rely on trained are part of Betancourt’s RPCA research has shown lay workers instead of impossibly scarce mental program. Among this latter that what happens health professionals. group when I visited was Ryan afterward, and The result of all these efforts was the YRI’s Borg, one of Betancourt’s Sierra twelve-module group intervention, which comLeone Program Managers, who how it affects the bines simple cognitive-behavioral and interperis from Connecticut and had way a child’s life sonal therapy techniques. “It was designed with been living in Freetown for the develops, can be the ‘Do No Harm’ principle,” Betancourt said. past two years.

“Rather than focusing on heavy trauma processinfluenced. She and Borg led me to a workroom ing, [it] focuses on skills and stabilization in a where her team sat at long her collaborators way that can raise up all boats, and help benefit tables, transcribing and translathave dedicated their kids from a range of different challenges.” The ing YRI field interviews. When careers to doing group sessions are led by trained Sierra Leonean I asked what it was like to work lay workers and are designed to be delivered on the intervention, the stories just that. photos: Michael Duff

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of transformation tumbled out. There were the youths who learned to stay cool in the face of taunting, and also the young women who de-escalated arguments with their husbands with a “Please, don’t make my pot boil!”

Unisa Jalloh, a YRI supervisor and former lead consultant at Caritas, explained that it can come as a revelation to the young people he’s worked with that they can have control over their feelings. “They’ve not thought about that,” he said. “They say, ‘Wow, so human beings, we have the power to change.’” The intervention courses are so effective that those who’ve taken them often pass along the lessons to friends and family—so much so that when the team goes back, they often find that the youths’ caregivers display a statistically measurable improvement in their own emotional well-being.

In 2014, Betancourt and her team published a paper that documented the effects of the youth intervention.

The researchers looked at two groups of students enrolled in an NGO-led education program. One of the groups, made up of 222 struggling Freetown youths, received the YRI before enrolling. The other group, consisting of 214 similarly challenged students, did not. The students who took the program demonstrated better behavior and had better school attendance than their peers who did not, and, eight months later, they were six times as likely to still be in school.

B

ased on these results, Betancourt and her YRI collaborator Nathan Hansen, at the University of Georgia, secured a grant in 2016 of almost $3 million from the National Institute of Mental Health to launch a YRI scale-up study. The idea is to determine whether the intervention and the skills it imparts can be made sustainable. “Millions of dollars have gone into putting programs in place in the developing world,” Hansen told me, “and once the program ends, you go back a few years later, and there’s no evidence to find it was ever there to begin with.”

The researchers are now in the middle of a new study called Youth Forward that tests expanded reach of the YRI research among 1,200 participants in an entrepreneurship program—some of these youths will receive the intervention and some will not. The study will assess not just whether the intervention benefits the young Sierra Leoneans who receive it, but also whether any of these benefits remain a year later. Betancourt and her colleagues will also test the strategy they use to deliver the intervention—relying on local facilitators trained and supervised by 46

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from left: After members of the original Caritas escaping from war lords YRI team. In essence, Betancourt as a child, Ishmeal and her colleagues are trying to Alfred Charles attended franchise the model in new locauniversity and now tions and cultures, and studying works with Caritas how to support quality improveFreetown; Father Peter Konteh, execument even as they spread the contive director of Caritas cept of the YRI and the resilience Freetown. it may foster.

The quest for these kinds of susbelow: Musu Moigua, tainable solutions is a growing focus Mahmoud Feika, and Jordan Freeman work at the Boston College School of to strategize dataSocial Work, where Dean Gautam collection logistics and N. Yadama made Betancourt one of establish eligibility his first hires after arriving at BC in screenings at the start 2016. “It is very much in line with of the Youth Forward what a Jesuit university is talking project. about—this calling to have an impact on the world,” Yadama told me.

You can hear echoes of that sentiment in something Betancourt often repeats: “If you can do things here, you can do them anywhere.” That is, if you can develop solutions in a place with the challenges of Sierra Leone, you can adapt them to anywhere in the world. It’s a powerful saying—because the need is enormous. According to the global humanitarian organization Save the Children, 415 million children currently live in conflict zones, an increase of 34 percent in the past decade. At the same time, the UN reports that record numbers of refugees are fleeing violence, poverty, natural disasters, and the effects of climate change. The international community

photo: Courtesy of Theresa Betancourt

has not kept up: As a 2018 Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health observed, the burden of mental health disorders has risen all across the world over the past decade.

Betancourt’s hope is that programs modeled on YRI strategies can help. But, she cautioned, that will take commitment and resources. “These are simple intervention packages that could be slotted into systems,” she said. “But if you don’t have a workforce, the policy, the financing, the leadership from government, a one-off intervention won’t save the world.”

Also crucial, Betancourt explained, is structuring efforts so that they are collaborations with the communities where the work happens, and that they have the goal of promoting a country’s own research capacity. The Caritas partnership is one example of that, but there are others. The research team partnered with the University of Sierra Leone and the University of Liberia on the Youth Forward project, providing seminars on data management and workshops on writing CVs and grant applications. Betancourt has also developed close ties with government officials in Sierra Leone, and for the past few years has hosted a conference in Freetown that brings together the country’s mental health care community.

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or a long time, there were no recorded COVID-19 infections in Sierra Leone. But the country, scarred by the recent memory of Ebola, declared a yearlong state of emergency on March 24 anyway, shutting down its airport, then its borders with Guinea and Liberia. The first case appeared a few days after that, on March 31. Not long after, the Sierra Leonean government declared a three-day national shutdown and banned inter-district travel.

Like universities across the United States, Boston photos: Michael Duff

College closed its campuses in March and recalled its international staff. Betancourt and much of her RPCA have remained in the States ever since. But the Youth Forward project was, by luck, in a relatively good position when the pandemic hit. The team had already gathered most of its initial data. But the fate of a crucial follow-up study, slated to begin this fall, is uncertain. Still, Betancourt is already thinking about how the effects of the pandemic should be incorporated into future work her team does with YRI participants. “Because Youth Forward is looking at this nexus between mental health, functioning, and employment,” she said, the recent “massive job loss and caving of economies is a potential confounder in the study.”

And speaking of mental health, change is happening in Sierra Leone. In 2012, the government released the country’s first-ever mental health policy and strategic plan, and later established a new Directorate for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. When the government official Aiah Gbakima spoke at Betancourt’s Youth Forward Conference in January, he summed up the country’s emerging consensus this way: “We emphasize today that investment in evidence-based programs to confront trauma, depression, and other mental health issues are likewise an investment in human capital and prosperity for all Sierra Leoneans.”

For his part, Ishmeal Charles believes that the nation is better prepared to respond to the mental health challenges of a pandemic than it was during Ebola. “Before, a lot of people would say, We are a very strong people, so we are not worried about psychosocial support. We don’t care, we don’t worry. But now, a lot of people are seeing that, yes, psychosocial help is obviously needed, and it is crucial that we take it seriously.”

As the pandemic grinds on, meanwhile, there has been plenty of work for everyone. Betancourt and Moses Zombo are working together on a book about the longitudinal study, and, of course, there are data to analyze, papers to organize and digitize, and plans to make. And despite the distance, the RPCA remains in close contact with colleagues in Sierra Leone. “I think our team really didn’t miss a beat,” Betancourt said. n Shannon Fischer is a science writer who lives in Boston.

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NEWS & NOTES Introducing new leadership and general members of the

BC Alumni Association Board of Directors The BC Alumni Association (BCAA) Board of Directors serves as the guiding body of volunteer leaders for the Alumni Association, strengthening relationships among alumni, representing their interests, and generating meaningful engagement opportunities for more than 185,000 Eagles worldwide. View a full list of our board members at bc.edu/alumniboard.

NEW ALUMNI BOARD LEADERSHIP

DANIELLE AURIEMMA ’10, MA ’13

ERIC J. SILVA ’00 ○ President, Alumni Board

○ Vice President ○ Newton, Massachusetts

of Directors ○ Washington, D.C.

‘‘

I am honored to serve as president of the BCAA Board of Directors. I look forward to working with this dynamic, committed group as we continue to find better ways of building lifelong bridges between the University and its distinguished alumni around the world. It is a privilege to represent you.

Ever to Excel!”

‘‘

Volunteering for BC is a huge part of my life. I enjoy connecting with and rallying fellow alumni in support of BC and its mission.

BC’s strength is derived from its alumni community, and I aim to enhance ways for alumni to engage with BC, each other, and current students.”

NED C. ROSEBERRY ’93

ARNOLD “ARNIE” C. SOOKRAM ’91

○ Vice President ○ Larchmont, New York

‘‘

○ Vice President ○ Seattle, Washington

Over the past 27 years, Boston College has influenced my life and the lives of so many alumni in very profound ways. Alumni engagement—offering alumni avenues to sustain and enrich their connection to the University—unites us all. I look forward to continuing to help alumni discover unique ways to best sustain their relationship with BC.”

‘‘

As a group, the BCAA Board of Directors aspires to strengthen University outreach and engagement with alumni and build on the University’s commitment to faith, service, and social justice. It’s been a rewarding journey to be part of the alumni association family and be inspired by their commitment to these ideals.”

NEW ALUMNI BOARD MEMBERS

48

J.J. CONNERS ’92, MA’94

KELLY MULCAHY DOLAN ’94

Jacksonville, Florida

Bronxville, New York

MARIO POWELL, S.J., ’03, MDIV’14, STL’15 Brooklyn, New York

MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ, MS’15 Boston, Massachusetts

ARIVEE VARGAS ROZIER-BYRD ’05, JD’88 Newton, Massachusetts

MICHAEL SHERRY ’05 Buffalo, New York

Inside

CLASS NOTES Profile 63 René Jones ’86

Honored, Recognized Remembered 74 Boston College Veterans Alumni Network (BCVAN)

NC 1950–1953

1954

70TH and 71ST REUNION

I missed writing a column for the last issue of this magazine—but now I’m back and about to give it one more effort. • There are two classmates I hear from regularly, Lenny Matthews and Tom Murphy. Lenny knows that I don’t get the Boston Globe, so he lets me know when one of our classmates has passed on and sends me the obit. Tom has been tracking the COVID-19 impact throughout the state. We both recollect stories told by family members who experienced the Spanish flu of circa 1917. Thanks, Tom. Thanks, Lenny. • I talked with Sal DeLuca recently. Sal continues to retain his affiliation at Mass. General as a radiologist. Gardening, as well as assisting the priest who provides religious services at the Chelsea Soldiers Home, helps to keep him busy. • I spoke with Dick Charlton. He lost his wife a few months ago. Dick, like many of us, is managing to keep going, but life is not the same without his partner of many years. • I called Mario DiBiase. He is still active and keeping busy. Mario and I rode to BC from Somerville with Jim Ghirardi, who was one of the few us to have a car. • I talked to Frank Sheehan, MEd’58, who lives on White Horse Beach. Frank has lost his wife and is mourning her loss. When we were undergrads, several of us would spend time just before returning to school at Frank’s parental summer home on White Horse Beach. • Jack Collins wrote: “I am still alive (sort of) and have enjoyed my life very much, surrounded by a great family, especially my wife, Joanne, by my partners and staff at a fine law firm, and my golden friends.”

Correspondent: John Ford jrfeagle1@gmail.com; 508-755-3615

As I write these notes in late June 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, I have to assume that some of you have been affected more than those of us who bemoan the need of a haircut or the denial of hugging grandchildren. Let us pray for one another.

• Sadly, I report the deaths of Hilda Carey, RSCJ, NC’50; Constance Ryan Eagan NC’50; and Alice Whalen Hanlon NC’51, sister of Mary Ford Whalen Kingsley NC’56. These women were present at the creation of Newton College in fall 1946 by the Religious of the Sacred Heart. I shall always be grateful for the welcoming sprit and profound influence of these upper-class women. • In closing, I say my au revoir as a scribe. My eyesight precludes any future efforts. I hope you will continue to keep in touch with one another and with Boston College; going forward, please direct news for class notes to Corinne Wyson ’16 in the Alumni Association at classnotes@bc.edu.

Correspondent: Ann Fulton Coté NC’53 171 Swanton Street, No. 79 Winchester, MA 01890; 781-729-8512

1951 70TH REUNION

Upcoming

VIRTUAL EVENTS Stay connected with your BC community online at bc.edu/alumni Check often for upcoming chapter, class, and affinity-group activities

Sunday, November 1 Virtual Alumni Memorial Mass Visit bc.edu/memorialmass

October–December Always an Eagle Online Events

December Winter Wonderland Virtual Experience Check your email for details on all upcoming virtual events. To update your contact information, visit bc.edu/update

Bob Sacco Jr. ’85 wrote in that his father, Bob Sacco, recently celebrated his 90th birthday! Bob and his wife, Joan, live in Hudson, and they celebrated 66 years of marriage in January. When they’re not socially isolated due to COVID-19, they enjoy the company of their 6 children— Bob Jr. and daughter Joanne ’88 are BC Eagles—and 11 grandchildren.

Boston College Alumni Association classnotes@bc.edu

1952 Frank McGee, JD’55, longtime attorney for the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association (BPPA) and correspondent for the Class of 1952 for more than a decade, passed away peacefully on April 19 in Norfolk, Virginia. The Alumni Association sends its condolences to the McGee family and his classmates. • Please submit any future class notes via email to classnotes@bc.edu.

Boston College Alumni Association classnotes@bc.edu

1953 Ralph McKenna writes: “I am an essentially retired attorney/CPA and spend about half of the year at my summer house in New Hampshire and the rest at my Billerica home, as well as a couple of months in Florida. At this time, my children are doing their best to keep me home and away from COVID-19. Thankfully, so far, I am in excellent health.”

Boston College Alumni Association classnotes@bc.edu

NC 1954 Correspondent: Mary Helen FitzGerald Daly fitznjim@msn.com

1955 66TH REUNION Correspondent: Marie Kelleher mrejo2001@yahoo.com

NC 1955 66TH REUNION Jane Quigley Hone has stepped down from the role of class correspondent as of this issue, and the Alumni Association thanks her for volunteering on behalf of the Newton College Class of 1955. • Please email any future class notes to classnotes@bc.edu Boston College Alumni Association classnotes@bc.edu

1956 65TH REUNION Tom Sheehan writes: “Rope and Wire western magazine in Oregon has published 780-plus stories on its site; Literally Stories in the UK has published 123 stories; The Linnets Wings in Eire has published 49

100-plus stories, and hundreds of sites have published separate stories right to today.

Being in my 93rd year, this activity expands my day and my desire for publication of those articles I work on, keeping me young at heart and hope. At times, when staring out at First Iron Works in Saugus, where I labored for parts of eight years alongside the site archeologist Roland Wells Robbins, family members have carried the story of my father, a U.S. Marine serving as charge of quarters (COQ) on the USS Constitution in the Charlestown Navy Yard. [They] babysat me when my mother pushed me there in my baby carriage and went shopping. My first introduction into history, a sure thirstembracer, has been sparking me all these years, through the Korean campaign, then BC, and thus to this day.”

Correspondent: Joseph DiSalvo disalvoja4747@gmail.com

NC 1956 65TH REUNION I received reports from Gearoid and Shirley (Starrs) McKenna in Dublin, Ireland, and Sheila Murphy Madden in California. The rest of us, mainly on the East Coast, showed all of us “elderly” were happily coming out of lockdown by the 29th of June. Sheila is working on a book of Buddhist meditations based on lectures she has been giving in her senior complex over the last year. • Instead of reporting on her many travels this issue, we share the joy of celebrating the 60th(!) jubilee of Gail O’Donnell, RSCJ, MDiv’80, from the time she made her first vows as an RSCJ. • Cathy Brennan Hickey, having come through three melanoma surgeries since January, spent most of the summer on the beach with grandkids and great-grands under an umbrella. • Let us know your news great and small—mostly small since we’re in our 86th year!

Correspondent: Cathy Brennan Hickey cbhickey7@gmail.com

1957 I hope our Class of ’57 is recovering from the recent pandemic quarantine. • I heard from Ed Brickley that Bill Cunningham hosted a luncheon in Naples, Florida, this past March just prior to the news of the virus.

Those attending, in addition to Bill and Ed, were John Harrington MBA’66, H’10; Paul McAdams; Santo Listro; and Jim Connolly. • Jim Devlin and Paul Daly are still planning on our annual golf get-together whenever the quarantine restraints are eased. More information will follow as available. • I am sad to report the passing of classmate Patrick Cadigan. Pat was a loyal alumnus of both BC High and our alma mater and a tremendous benefactor of both. • Tom Johnson writes: “From my Cape Cod location, I recently published my second book about poetry, Writing Poetry About Writing Poetry. It is a handbook of poetic direction, all written in rhyme to encourage the creation of rhymes by other poets.” With focus on politics in recent years, Tom has written over 600 limericks, 50

quatrains, and an occasional rhyming ditty, sometimes a few a week, sometimes two a day. He is now beginning a third book, The Leukemia Chronicles. It reflects Kubla Ross’s five stages of grief in five poems Tom has written since receiving that diagnosis himself in December at Dana-Farber in Boston. He was hoping for publication this summer. • Fran Forde-Plude sent this tribute about her dear friend Mary Hogan, MEd’61: “Due to the pandemic, classmates may have missed the news of the death of Mary Hogan, a very active alum. Because there were two Mary Hogans in our class, she was always listed as Mary Lou Hogan of Arlington. Mary was an extraordinary high school math teacher, sending many students on to MIT and other institutions. She served as a BC chaplain briefly. In retirement, she taught in BC’s adult ed program. She was very, very special.”

Correspondent: M. Frank Higgins f higgs92@gmail.com

NC 1957 Spring 2020 was certainly a difficult time to both collect and to relay news of our classmates. I only hope that by the time this column appears, our world of virus and chaos will have resolved itself. There were not many submissions this time, but a few of you did let us know how you were handling the disruption in our lives.

• Carol McCurdy Regenauer spent her usual two months with a friend in Florida in the winter, only to be trapped for an additional two months. Over protests of family, she finally flew home two months later for a total of an unexpected stay of four. Following two weeks of quarantine, she settled back at home and is doing well.

• Kate McCann Benson has moved to the health center of her senior community, the Kendall, in Hanover, New Hampshire.

After isolation of several weeks, her nearby daughter was able to visit in person. As always, Kate’s spirits were up, and no doubt she is bringing her love of music to her new surroundings. • Frank and Lucille (Saccone) Giovino are in their home surviving the restrictions of our long siege. She reports that Cathy Connolly Beatty has moved temporarily to Chatham to share her house there with family during this difficult time.

I (Connie LeMaitre), too, was fortunate to stay with my son and new daughterin-law in Lexington and then move on to share my daughter’s family house in Kennebunkport, Maine. (All distancing rules strictly enforced—have any of you noticed how our children now make the rules!) How lucky I was, though, as my senior community had tight restrictions and I would have been very lonely. I hope you will join me in prayers for better times and the strength and fortitude our Sacred Heart training instilled in us to handle the unexpected challenges in life. A true test of our education.

Correspondent: Connie Weldon LeMaitre lemaitre.cornelia@gmail.com

1958 Joseph Messina, MBA’65, MA’93, is proud to say he’s happily enjoying retirement from business and diaconal ministry with his wife, 5 children, 13 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren. • William Doherty shared that he finished an item on his bucket list, reading War and Peace; added a great-grandson; and restarted his cable TV program on Bourne TV with an interview of a Black, 30-year-retired sheriff deputy from Fairfax, Virginia, who offered some positive suggestions on what was needed to help police deal with stress. • Joan Downing Lachance has stepped down from the role of class correspondent as of the Summer issue. The Alumni Association thanks her for volunteering on behalf of the Class of 1958. Please send future class notes to Marian Bernardini DeLollis at the email address below.

Correspondent: Marian Bernardini DeLollis mdelollis@comcast.net

NC 1958 News from Marge George Vis begins: “Things didn’t go exactly as I planned last fall.” That seems to be our general theme now that we are in our eighth decade. On Christmas Day, Marge fell and broke her leg. This was followed by quadruple bypass surgery the day before Michigan went into COVID-19 lockdown. Thanks to the care of her daughter, Marge was able to spend the summer with her sister and brother in their 91-year-old Wisconsin cottage. Marge sends prayers for our health. • Julie Saver Reusch moved to senior housing in March.

She has not yet met many new people, but the house is nice and is just around the corner from where she was living, so she is still near friends. • Maureen O’Donnell Kent is looking forward to traveling to Maine and Cape Cod. She and Bill planned to meet Bob and Sue (Kennedy) Baxter and Dave and Gail (McDonough) Sullivan over the summer. • Jo Kirk Cleary wished all a peaceful, relaxing summer. The Clearys are well and are carefully practicing social distancing. When Jo went to the bank and realized she had to wear a mask, she knew we were in a different world. Husband Billy is recovering well from bypass surgery in April. • Mary Keating McKell reports that she had a bad fall and is slowly recovering from broken vertebrae. Therapists come regularly and she needs to use a walker, but her children come daily and take good care of her. She reminisces about the joy our 60th reunion brought her. She talks with Mary Azzara Archdeacon, who just returned from two weeks in Arizona visiting her grandsons and learned that she will be a great-grandmother in August. • Kate Glutting Arcand remains in Portland, Maine. She maneuvers carefully with a cane as the result of a broken foot but was able to travel to a family celebration for the graduation of her granddaughter Katie.

Katie will attend North Carolina State in the fall. • Sue Fay Ryan enjoys writing in her North Palm Beach, Florida, condo.

Her new book, Thaddeus Keep Your Eye on the Ball, a bilingual book written in English and Spanish, is scheduled for publication in August by Author House. Sue hopes to make it into a children’s book series as long as her good health prevails. Sue’s eight grandchildren range in age from 7 to 21. The three oldest are in college, and the youngest is in second grade. • The Schorr family planned to travel to Lake George for a family reunion in July. Patty is recuperating from major surgery in June and appreciates the get-well messages from Judith Young Runnette and Rosemary Stuart Dwyer. Rosemary reminds us that even though we are not able to be together physically at this time, the motto of Newton College, Ubi caritas et amor Deus ibi est, inspires us in a special way. She prays that we remain united and resilient and that our families and friends stay safe during these challenging times.

Correspondent: Patty Peck Schorr dschorr57@verizon.net

colonel and later served as an executive in the Department of State, Boston Passport Agency, and 20 years as a deacon at his parish in Dedham. Lou leaves his wife, Dianne, 7 children, and 16 grandchildren.

• Also, Joe Corcoran, H’09, a history major from Dorchester who went on to lead the rehab of the Columbia Point housing project into the mixed-income Harbor Point success story, passed away. Joe’s companies built and managed over 20,000 units of housing around the country. Joe was predeceased by his wife, Rosemarie, and left 6 children and 16 grandchildren.

These two good men received lengthy and well-deserved tributes: Lou in the Boston Globe (May 24–27), and Joe in the Globe (June 6–7) and the Wall Street Journal (June 20). • Send your notes, contact a classmate, brighten your day. If you need contact info, I’ve got it.

Correspondent: William Appleyard bill.appleyard@verizon.net

1959

NC 1959

Well, at our age, you’d think we’ve seen it all, but the coronavirus is unique. We wonder, what next? As I write this in late June, the news seems to be going from very bad to worse. • Some news from classmates: Jim Magennis of New Seabury, Mashpee, on Cape Cod, reports on a retirement gig—15 years of volunteer work in Honduras, including the construction and repair of schools, installation of water filtration systems, medical and dental support to villages and communities, and management of Rotary International funding for high school and college students. • John W. Fitzgerald, now of the San Francisco area, still recalls the demanding regimen of the physics major at BC, but it set him on a successful career in information technology with Texas Instruments and McKessen, where he retired as SVP, information technology. Fifty-six years ago, he married a local, Concetta Tenaglia (Regis ’63). He celebrates six grandchildren, the oldest a recent graduate of Cal Poly and two others at UCLA. • George Giersch writes from Virginia Beach, summarizing his career after captaining BC basketball as a senior: one year playing in the NIBL, 21 years in the Navy (Vietnam vet), and 19 years teaching at Norfolk (Virginia) High School as an NJROTC instructor. George has three children and four grandchildren. • Peter McLaughlin, currently serving as a fellow in the Office of the President at BC, reports that he has two grandchildren who are seniors at BC; one a sophomore at Bucknell; and another, a freshman lacrosse player at the varsity level at Penn. Peter’s latest project, on hold due to the coronavirus, is raising funds for an indoor tennis facility at BC. So if you are interested, Peter would love to hear from you! • The recent deaths of two classmates caught my attention.

Lou Sheedy, MBA’70, leading member of the Army ROTC program in our time at the Heights, retired as an army lieutenant

Happy autumn, everyone! • In a recent chat, Dolores Seeman Royston mentioned that she recently moved to an assisted living facility in Maryland and says this change has been a good situation for her.

Dolores still sees Helen Craig Lynch, Lois O’Donoghue McKenna, and Marie Doelger O’Brien. May you enjoy many happy years in your new home, Dolores! • Helen Craig Lynch is also in transition. She and her husband, Jack, are moving from their Washington, D.C., home and converting their summer home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, to a permanent home. Hopefully, all is going smoothly in this major undertaking, Helen. • I (Maryjane) recently participated in Needham’s Art in Bloom.

This award-winning annual spring event highlights Needham High School student art and interprets the students’ creations with floral arrangements by the Needham Garden Club and two other local clubs. This show brings together family and friends from surrounding towns. Working with flowers is always such a joyful experience!

• It is with great sadness that we report the loss of Donna Cosgrove Morrissey’s daughter, Donna Morrissey ’90. She was a strong, compassionate individual who served as director of the Red Cross National Crisis Unit and responded to disasters throughout the United States. We send heartfelt sympathy to Donna (Cosgrove) and her family. • Many thanks for contributing your updates. Stay well!

Correspondent: Maryjane Mulvanity Casey 100 Rosemary Way, Apt. 330, Needham, MA 02494 781-444-1583

1960 61ST REUNION Correspondent: John R. McNealy jmcnealy@juno.com

NC 1960 61ST REUNION Sorry my column didn’t make it into the last issue. One thing missing from the last column was that Brenda Koehler Laundry was survived by five loving children, their spouses, and four grandsons, who were her heart’s delight. Most of the copy was about our coming reunion, on which Pat Winkler Browne worked so diligently with some help from Pat McCarthy Dorsey, Carole Ward McNamara, Berenice Hackett Davis, and me. Pat Browne is still working closely with BC, and they will try to have a celebration for us next spring, but everything is up in the air during these difficult times. Pat thanks everyone and sent individual notes to all those who contributed to our class gift. Thirty-five percent of our members gave. • We have been mostly, but not all, insulated from the pandemic, whether from the disease, the job disruption, or the economic consequences, and in that we have been blessed. I have heard from several classmates about their grandchildren and their virtual graduations from high school and college, so different from the ones we experienced 60-plus years ago. Pat McCarthy Dorsey’s granddaughter Erin graduated from Needham High and is going on to William and Mary. Pat was out for the parade of the graduates through town, holding up a sign and trying to take pictures simultaneously. Mickey Mahon MacMillan attended a granddaughter’s graduation party, just the family at home, socially distanced, and wonderfully proud and happy. Kathy McDermott Kelsh’s granddaughter Katie graduated from Holy Cross virtually. Blanche Hunnewell had both high school and college granddaughters graduating. I am sure there are many more classmates who shared the same wonderful, if bittersweet, experience.

• I have recently spoken to Pat McCarthy Dorsey, Berenice Hackett Davis, Eleanor Coppola Brown, Mary-Anne Hehir Helms, and Ann Blunt Condon. They are all doing well, although Ann is facing serious health challenges and credits her plant-based diet for keeping her as well as possible. • And so, my friends, this my final column for Boston College Magazine. I have been your correspondent for the past 10 years, and it is time for me to retire. Pat McCarthy Dorsey did it for the 20 years before me, and Mary-Anne Hehir Helms for the time before that. How about several of you being guest correspondents? You can do one issue. There are three per year. You can also do it as a team. Wishing you all the best and hoping we will meet again at some sort of reunion. As a friend wrote to me: “In these times with sadness all around us, we must press on in faith and love, and perhaps, most importantly, in hope.” After all, caritas Christi urget nos.

Correspondent: Sally O’Connell Healy kmhealy@cox.net 51

1961 60TH REUNION Congratulations to John McLaughlin, MA’66, whose grandson, John McLaughlin, who will start at BC this fall—and whose dad, Mike ’89; aunts Amy Lemerande ’97 and Martha Ann Thompson ’90; and uncles Sean ’88, MSF’97, and Matt ’94, are all BC graduates. Also, his cousins Olivia Thompson ’22 and Michaela Thompson ’19, MS’22, are currently attending BC. John Sr. writes: “Martha and I have many fond memories of tailgates with family.

Unfortunately, Martha passed in 2018 and will have to join ‘virtually’ this year.” • Bob Adams writes that his granddaughter Caitlin Lawrence, Class of ’24, is now attending BC. She is a fourth-generation Eagle, preceded by Bob as well as his dad ’29, and his children Colleen Lawrence ’95, Kelley Sponheimer ’96, and Bobby ’01.

“And with another 10 grandkids, perhaps there will be some more Eagles. A proud Boston College family,” Bob writes.

Correspondent: John Ahearn jjaeagle@hotmail.com

NC 1961 60TH REUNION In April, Ellen Mahony King wrote: “‘I am still able to play golf here in Naples…so, I’m delaying going back to Boston until this situation improves. Hope all are well and stay safe.” • In May, Beth Good Wadden wrote: “I just decided two weeks ago that I am finally going to retire after 48 years of teaching reading! Hey! I’m 80! It’s time!

I had the best year ever—until March 13!

I’m very excited! My Surprise Retirement Parade by the reading department teachers was awesome! So far, so good, with the coronavirus! If we come through with our health, it will all be worth it!” • Julie Fazakerly Gilheany wrote: “We’re staying healthy with long walks, exercise, and good food. I taught my spring class remotely from March on. I am going to teach one summer class. I don’t know what we’re going be doing in the fall. I am just sad that I cannot see our granddaughters, as they’re in Delaware and we’re in Queens.” • Paula Keane Teeling writes: “We’ve been doing a lot of gardening here, not only flowers, but planting veggies…am dipping my toe into planting potatoes! Must be the Irish DNA showing itself. We are all good.” • From Rosie Hanley Cloran: “Keep safe.”

• Joan Merrick Egan writes: “We are all healthy and getting a little stir crazy…107 [degrees] today, and that cuts down on walking for exercise. Dick bought me a rowing machine for Mother’s Day, and all I wanted was something with lots of diamonds in it to keep me cool. Dick and I are getting Netflix “fanny fatigue,” helps to blur out the news. The kids are all healthy, and their jobs remain great. Thank you, God.” • Ann Thomason Oatway reports that her husband, Francis “Bud” Oatway ’60, died last August. They had also traveled to Denver for a grandson’s wedding. • Ellen MacDonald Carbone writes: “All well and 52

good here. Duane and I are okay so far, as is our large household. Son Peter’s meat market store is flourishing, as many people do not want to go to the big grocery stores.

We are just doing curbside pickup at the small (expensive) grocery here in Beverly, and of course, all our meat comes from Haverhill Beef.” • Thank you for your notes.

Correspondent: Missy Clancy Rudman newtonmiz@aol.com

1962 We’ve added new words to our vocabulary: COVID-19, social distancing, PPE, selfquarantine, Zoom, and more. • James O’Connor died on June 9. Jim had been very active at BC and the BC Club, where he was a member from day one. Cardinal Seán O’Malley wrote (on Cardinal Seán’s Blog for the week of June 19): “On Monday, I attended the wake of Jim O’Connor, who was very much involved in the Order of Malta, his parish and the life of the archdiocese.

He lived out the spirituality of the Order of Malta, particularly with the care of the sick and the poor. He would go every year on the pilgrimage to Lourdes and was always very much involved in different works of mercy. We will always be grateful for the luncheons that he and Jack Joyce organized each year for our senior priests at the Boston College Club.” • John Murray, MBA’70, writes that it has been a difficult 2020 for him and his wife, Barbara, who has had two serious hospitalizations. Barb is stable now, and they plan to go to their beach house in Marshfield for the summer. • Cynthia Monaghan-Rabanera and her husband enjoy retirement performing Rotary projects, traveling, and visiting three grandkids who live in Pasadena and South Pasadena. She writes: “The lockdown has been enjoyable as we reside in paradise in a cottage on the beach in Southern California.” They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on April 3. • William Lundregan, JD’67, hosted the First Friday Luncheon at the Corinthian Yacht Club on June 19. As Bill described it, a great time was had by John Shea, Bonnie David, Joyce Francis McDevitt, Maureen and Paul Deeley, Ronald Reilly, Michael Farrington, Ronald Dyer, Patricia and Kevin Doyle, Peggy and Christopher Lee, Sandra and Samuel Fardy, Eileen and William Novelline, and Rosemary (Thomas) ’65 and John MacKinnon, who surprised the group with a beautifully decorated cake in honor of all celebrating their 80th birthdays this year. Although masks were necessary while socializing on the open deck, everyone present enjoyed being together, a rare treat during this COVID-19 time. • Gerald Greely wishes to extend his thanks to the many who sent him get-well wishes after his complex surgery in April. • Caroleann Bready-Lyons retired from the community college system of Massachusetts and is living in Rhode Island with her husband, Edward Lyons. She sends best wishes to all. • We hope you and all you hold dear may continue to do well.

Correspondents: Frank and Eileen Corazzini Faggiano efaggiano5@gmail.com

NC 1962 The coronavirus, and the isolation that it has brought for many of us, has had good and bad effects. Most have found that their kids have become the parents as they think their “old mothers” should be on lockdown!

Some of the good is connecting with friends and family more on Zoom, distance visiting with kids and grandkids, and actually hearing about their lives instead of standing on the side of a soccer field or basketball court cheering them on. I have found it hard some days to do the things I “should do”—like the class notes, because we’ve lost several classmates. • Mimi Kelly passed away last December. Nancy Crowell Haefeli and Marie Aubois Colburn-Gill visited with her several months before her death in Washington, D.C. Mimi came to Newton as a sophomore and, at our 25th reunion, interviewed several of us for a documentary, which in her many moves evidently got lost. • Pat McArdle Shaw passed away suddenly on February 12, two days after her brother. Pat was an incredible artist, and the Bush family has several of her paintings, one of which hung in the White House. She planned the liturgy for our 50th, even collecting stones from her beach on which she painted the names of each classmate who had passed away.

When she carried the basket loaded with rocks to the altar for the offertory, poor Fr. Neenan didn’t quite know what to make of it! • At the end of February, I received a newsy letter from Helen Bill Casey. I left a message when I called to thank her, and the next day, her daughter-in-law called to say that Helen had passed away suddenly two days earlier. Sally McManamy Baker attended Helen’s funeral; she writes: “I have known Helen since the age of 18, and our friendship grew and deepened over the years. She had many gifts: [She was] so very intelligent and articulate, had a great sense of humor, was a deeply devoted activist to the ‘causes’ in which she believed and a frequent and generous ‘giver’ to her friends and others with nothing asked in return. [She had] a wide range of interests, which included antiques, opera, gardening, birding, and hiking, having walked most of the trails in Nassau and Queens.” She was a past president of the Locust Valley Historical Society and, most importantly, a loving mother and grandmother. • A very involved member of our class, especially during our reunions, was Edwina Lynch McCarthy, who also passed away suddenly in April. She was a devoted mother who volunteered for 40 years at the Museum of Science, Boston, and served on the Historic District Commission of Wellesley.

Edwina was always a go-to classmate when it came time to plan reunions and loved organizing minireunions for the ladies in the Boston area. • Anne Morgan O’Connor’s husband, Jim ’62, died very suddenly in June. • It seems that humor and reading are what have kept many of us going during this pandemic. Mary Ellen McShane Troy told me she’s gone back to reading Herodotus and Thucydides,

saying: “I remember dashing through the required assignment sophomore year and thinking of it as a chore that Mother Quinlan was forcing upon us. Now, in light of our current history, I’m hoping for some understanding.” • Mary Jane Moran MacLean writes: “I want to move to Ireland. I almost have citizenship. Biff is still working at 85. I love yoga, golf, walking, and my dear two Sheilas…we go to Florida in winter because we’re old.” • Connecting with Betsey Baldwin Skudder, Peggy Brennan Hassett, Kitsy Cavanaugh Fogarty, Nancy Crowell Haefeli, Alice Hurley Dickinson, Tony Reuter Brennan, Mary Hallisey McNamara, Maura O’Neill Overlan, and Carol Carson Musso was great. They are all healthy, thank God. • Pat Sporl Schonberg is surviving the quarantine with her husband, her son Chris, and lots of reading. She regaled me with fun stories and ended with: “I don’t drink anymore because I was having too much fun.” • Sheila Leahy Valicenti came over for a masked, socially distanced visit on my porch the other day and filled me in on news from Sheila Tiernan Balboni, who has just retired after years as the CEO of a nonprofit agency that manages charter schools and early childhood centers. Sheila also serves on Governor Charlie Baker’s Board of Early Education and Care. • I’m ending with some very happy news. Susan Wall Harris writes: “Bob Wagner and I were married April 25 by our parish priest with just our children and two grandchildren present. Each of us had a child and several grandchildren who lived an airplane trip away and couldn’t come.” This pandemic has dampened some celebrations, but life goes on, and there is always good news and happy times to report! Happy birthday to those reaching the big “80” this year. To put it in perspective, we’ve known each other for 62 of those years!

Correspondent: Mary Ann Brennan Keyes keyesma1@gmail.com

1963 At age 80, Frank Connolly is still teaching Alpine skiing part-time in Telluride, Colorado. He predicts he will “continue to teach until the area says I’m too old or it ceases to be fun.” He enjoys visiting national parks, mostly in the West, but gets back East once a year to visit his daughter and her husband in Jackson, New Hampshire— where many ’63ers vacationed, skiing Black Mountain, back in our undergrad days. • Tim Sullivan ’63, JD’65, practiced law in Pittsfield from 1966 until his retirement in 2017. He and wife Penny have four children—including BC Eagle Amy Sullivan Thomson ’89—and three grandchildren, and they enjoy visiting and skiing with all of them. While at BC, Tim sang with the Glee Club/University Chorale for six years and savors special memories of the Heightsmen’s tour of Germany in summer 1961. He later joined a local barbershop chorus, enjoying four years as assistant director, and also began a 25-year term as choir director at St. Francis Church in Pittsfield while also

singing with a local community chorus.

Together with Mike Neri, Tim organized the Chorale reunions in 2011 and 2014, also serving as accompanist. Tim writes: “Contrary to unsupported rumors, you can go back, and we rang the music studio once more with music we last sang five decades ago. After seven wonderful years at the Heights, the melody lingers on.” • Art Ross adds clarification to his note in our last issue: His son Chris and daughter-in-law Jodi graduated together from Notre Dame and now live in Falls Church, Virginia. Jodi has a PhD in forensic science and is chief forensic scientist for the FBI. Art retired from Exxon in 1998 and now lives in Houston. • Roger Breen, who received his MA in mathematics from Columbia University (Teachers College), has retired to Atlantic Beach, Florida. He recently celebrated completing 50 years as a mathematics professor at Florida State College at Jacksonville—having taught under aegis of every FSCJ president.

Hail, Roger! • Vincent Michael Albano, SOLT, is still doing missionary work in Spain; works in the migrant farmworker ministry in Ohio during summertime, and assists in the University of Dallas Rome Campus chaplaincy from October to June.

• Retired U.S. Navy captain Frank Patch recently downsized from a big house in York, Maine, to a condo on Cape Cod, to be closer to family. He spent 30 years in the submarine force and retired from Dell in 2010. He’s been traveling: a choral tour of France and pilgrimages to the Holy Land and, more recently, to Italy with the Theology of the Body Institute. He and his five kids and four grandkids and their families take a family vacation every summer, alternating between Southwest Harbor, Maine; the Outer Banks of North Carolina; and Capon Springs, West Virginia. Frank is a longtime football season ticket holder and Grid Iron Club member and counts himself “among the loudest of fans.” He has played the guitar in church for about 40 years and stays active in other ministries. He also enjoys tennis and pickleball and can be found on the slopes at Sugarloaf USA for at least one week in each of the winter months.

Correspondent: Ed Rae EdRae@massref.net

NC 1963 Anne Gallagher Southwood recently retired from a long involvement with Voice of the Faithful, following two terms as treasurer.

She now has more time for gardening and enjoying her three beautiful grandbabies: Shea (9), who loves math; Riley (2), who loves to chat; and brand-new Devyn, who was born this spring. Enjoy it all, Anne! • Once again, those lucky classmates who winter in southwest Florida gathered for a Newton lunch. It was organized

by Mary Ann Cole McLean and held at Mercato in Naples. It was great time, lots of chat and fun. Much of the talk was of canceled upcoming trips: this was the very beginning of awareness of COVID-19 and its cost. Attending were Patty Lyster Vitty, Fran Hesterberg McDonald, Jo Egan Maguire MA’72, Anne Witteborg Egan,

and Carol Donovan Levis. • Sadly, Suzy Bell Trowbridge passed away on July 4. Suzy had had a difficult spring with complications following heart surgery. • For the rest of us, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world. Mitigation techniques become a way of life: masks, frequent hand-washing, social distance. Families and connections become more important and dear. Phone calls, FaceTime—“Zoom” was just a verb, now it’s a way of life. Well, one Newton group has taken up the challenge: Maureen Meehan O’Leary, Penny Brennan Conaway, Carol Donovan Levis, Sheila Mahony, Colette Koechley McCarty, Barbara Jones NC’62, and Julie Fazakerly Gilheany NC’61 meet for a weekly Zoom gathering.

We live strung along the East Coast from Massachusetts through New York, Washington, Chapel Hill, and Hilton Head.

What can be a greater comfort during times like this than being with lifelong friends?

Have a great autumn, and be safe!

Correspondent: Colette Koechley McCarty colette.mccarty@gmail.com

1964 Bob Filiault writes: “My wife, Judy, is Nisei (second-generation Japanese), and I spent four-and-a-half years living in Japan in the early 1980s. The country of Japan, and Tokyo in particular, has been our favorite vacation destination for many years. So I planned a surprise trip for Judy and me so she could enjoy the wonders of Tokyo and see her first live sumo tournament. I booked our flights 11 months prior to our scheduled May 2020 departure. And then COVID-19 made its appearance. But fear not, I have just finished re-booking the trip for May 2021.”

• Dan Benson had successful double bypass surgery in 2019. • Arthur Doyle, MAT’66, was elected to the Select Board in Milton. • Rosemarie and Jim Sartori recently moved to Marvin, North Carolina. • Bob Callen was elected to the board of directors of his condo association in Park Ridge, New Jersey.

• Joe De Natale has a YouTube slideshow of his experience as a combat surgeon. The title is “Quang Tri 1970–1971.” • Deanne Griffin-Cochin writes: “I’m living between Boston and Florida…lost three best friends in the last few years: Carol Guiney Sapienza, Kathy Kennedy O’Sullivan, and Sue Lowndes Goldsmith. I keep busy volunteering at a local dog shelter, 50 hours per month. I plan to attend the next class reunion with Gerry Cremin McGrann.” • My daughter, Lauren, was cited in a Chicago Tribune article about Nice Chicks with Sewing Machines, an online group she helped organize which has made tens of thousands of face masks for Chicago-area first responders.

My son, Brian, was recently named one of the top “100 Influencers in Educational Technology” by EdTech Digest. Brian leads the virtual reality classroom initiative for Lenovo, maker of personal computers. • A few obituaries: Barry Daley of Lawrence, was employed as a medical scientist and manager at Instrumentation Laboratory.

After retirement, he was a founding science teacher at the Lowell Latin Lyceum. • Richard Shea spent his career in the Chicago area, 53

working in the insurance industry. • Thomas Towle, of Weymouth, obtained his master’s degree from Babson College. He took on many different roles in the working world: a financial administrator, survey statistician, and independent consultant. He also taught computer skills at Quincy College for over 10 years. • Michael Mone, JD’67, husband of Margie Supple Mone, was an expert on medical malpractice law, and his name was regularly listed as one of the top lawyers in the U.S. “To me, he was one of the great, great legal counselors in the very best sense of the word,” said Margaret H. Marshall, a retired chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (Boston Globe, March 31, 2020).

Correspondent: John Moynihan moynihan_john@hotmail.com

NC 1964 I am happy to share a heartwarming story from Carol Sorace Whalen about our classmate, Marty Cloney Hamilton.

Marty died suddenly in 1977 and left three young children. Carol, Ann Marie DeNisco Labbate, and Marty had traveled together for two months in Europe after graduation, and Carol had been one of Marty’s bridesmaids at Marty’s wedding in 1965. Carol had lost touch with Marty’s family and had been unsuccessful in trying to reconnect—until recently, when Carol, through Google, found Marty’s sisters and her daughter, Kate. Carol sent Kate photos of Marty’s Newton days, the European trip, and a bud vase that had been a bridesmaid gift.

Carol reports: “There had to be a reason I held onto these things all these decades!

Marty’s children now have a few more ways to remember their young and loving mother.” • News from Mary Shay McGuire: “Hope you’re surviving isolation. It is a surreal time all around. I have done seven paintings since ‘stay at home’ restrictions began!” Also, her book of poetry, Always the Blue Tide Turning, was published by Kelsay Books this summer. Best of luck with the book, Mary. • I do have some sad news. Sue Roy Patten wrote to tell me that Don and Nancy (Baby) Kempf lost their son Charlie after his three-year battle with glioblastoma.

Nancy said that she wanted to share this information with our classmates because it sometimes helps others, who have also endured the loss of a child, feel less alone.

I know that our class joins me in sending love and condolences to you, Don, and your family. • I live in New Rochelle. Yes, in the hotspot last March of the coronavirus containment zone. I had reached a point where I just had to get away from the news reports, so I decided to listen to my classical music station. First thing I heard was, “And now, some music to wash your hands by for 20 seconds.” Figures. I do know that this is a very serious situation we are all in, and I hope that all of you, and those close to you, are safe and healthy. But, for me at least, a little humor is a welcome respite.

Correspondent: Priscilla Weinlandt Lamb priscillawlamb@gmail.com 54

1965 56TH REUNION Joe Cutcliffe, a 40-year resident of LA and a true blue Dodger fan, is happy he will no longer have to wait to hear the words he has longed to hear in the four months since the team acquired one of the most dynamic players in baseball from the Red Sox: “Leading off for the Dodgers, right fielder, number 50, Mookie Betts.” • Right after graduation, Tim Holland reports, he joined the Air Force as an airman and spent time in Florida, Colorado, and Nebraska before returning to Massachusetts, where he worked for Travelers and Commercial Union in Boston. In 1982, he purchased his own insurance agency in Ayer and sold it to his son-in-law in 2010. Tim and his wife, Maria, have two children: Amy, a third-grade teacher in Lunenburg, and Eric, a radio personality for WFUV, an NPR station, in New York City. Tim and Maria now live in a condo in Fitchburg, and Maria is employed by the Town of Harvard as an outreach worker for the Council of Aging. • Bob Cole retired after a long career at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School and Bridgewater State University. He recently completed a threevolume work, Europa’s Backpack: Curios, Chronicles & Anecdotes from European History, geared to the instructional and content-mastery needs of teachers of European history, from ancient times to the turn of this century.

Correspondent: Patricia McNulty Harte patriciaharte@me.com

NC 1965 56TH REUNION

Correspondent: Linda Mason Crimmins mason65@bc.edu

1966 55TH REUNION Arnold Garber wrote from New Jersey.

Upon graduation, he got married and served as a lieutenant (he’d been in ROTC at BC) from 1967 to 1972—two years’ active duty and one year in Vietnam. After completing active duty, he worked with a major ad agency, BBDO, initially in New York City and, after a year, in their Boston office. He also worked at Hill Holliday under Jack Connors ’63, before beginning his 26-year career with Dunkin’ Donuts as a marketing director. During that period, he relocated to New Jersey, and his two daughters are both Rutgers alumnae. He retired from his corporate role in 2004 but worked as a general manager for a multi-unit Dunkin’ franchisee until he “totally retired” in 2016. Arnold has five grandchildren, all of whom live within an hour of his home, which is located in an active adult residence. “BC will always be a special place for me,” he writes. • Diane Connor has stepped down from the role of class correspondent as of the Summer issue, and the Alumni Association thanks

her for volunteering on behalf of the Class of 1966. Please email future class notes to classnotes@bc.edu.

Boston College Alumni Association classnotes@bc.edu

NC 1966 55TH REUNION Several classmates had comments on life during COVID-19. Mary Lou Wachsmith has missed hugging and hanging with her grand-girls. “They haven’t been to my place since February; I see them in their backyard. And no trips to California to see my San Diego gang. Colorado has done a great job, especially Governor Polis. Staying in the now, one day at a time, has really helped.” • For Mary Kay Brincko Peterson, the worst has been missing Loyola Welsh and Kathy Hyland Krein, and the best was having them visit in her backyard— “masks and all!” Kathy has been “trying to concentrate on what I have to be thankful for instead of what I have been missing.

I truly have nothing worth complaining about, except for isolation and boredom.

Connecticut has been safe, reasonable, open in communication, and a good place to be in a crisis.” • Jane Cass O’Leary writes from Boston: “What I miss is what we all miss— not being able to see, touch, hug, kiss all family members, some of whom are so close that they were in my life constantly! What I have enjoyed is getting outside daily and walking with my best friend (masked and at least 10 feet apart) and exploring all the different neighborhoods. I now know my city so much better!” • Susan Korzeneski Burgess is “Grateful: for 2019, downsizing to new condo (Marblehead to Swampscott); for Zoom/FaceTime; for loving family/ friends. Miss: Tomie dePaola for all time, family/friends in person, hugging/hugs from my granddaughter, salt air from the harbor, and helping my dear sister in person while she undergoes cancer therapy.

Doing: lots of painting and praying.”

(Sadly, Tomie dePaola, author/illustrator of children’s books, died on March 30.) • Meg Frisbee reports that she and her husband have a very busy BnB, and everything ground to a halt in March. “But folks started to come back in May. I greet them with my mask—have to be careful as my husband has many health issues, but we are happy that folks are back to enjoy our pool, perfect San Diego weather, and a respite from the challenges. We’re adapting, trying to stay close to our family that we can’t be with.

California has been great, but COVID-19 cases are spiking as young folks have gotten back out, beaches are now open, and masks and social distancing neglected.” • And on a very happy note, Julie Derry O’Shea became a first-time grandmother on June 18. “Daughter Molly gave birth to Grace O’Shea Genatossio…. Parents are ecstatic!”

Correspondent: Catherine Beyer Hurst catherine.b.hurst@gmail.com

1967 Classmates Jim McLaughlin, Roger Croke, and Jim “Fuzzy” Selvitella met for an afternoon lunch at John Keenan’s home in Medford. They sat outside around the pool but ate lunch inside due to the 90-degree heat. “Although we kept the proper social distance, it was enjoyable to get together for the first time in many months, due to the pandemic,” writes John. • David Pesapane updates us on his family and writes that his daughter, Amy Pesapane Lally ’95, along with a fellow partner at the law firm Sidley, was recently named the top female lawyer in Los Angeles by the 2020 Los Angeles Business Journal. Amy is married to Joe Lally ’95. They and their three daughters live in Pacific Palisades. • It’s with sadness that we note the very sudden passing of Edward “Teddie” Griffin ’05 in May. Teddie is the son of Dennis Griffin and Maura Curtis Griffin NC’68. The class extends its sincerest condolences to the entire Griffin family. • There is a great story in the June/ July issue of VFW magazine about John Lambert, a Navy veteran and commander of VFW Post 1970 in West Nashville, Tennessee. On March 3, an EF-3-rated tornado devastated the Nashville area. John led the disaster relief effort to great success.

John is the son of our own Jack Lambert, who was active in Army ROTC and also as a photographer for The Heights while at BC. • Congratulations to Joe Burns on his inauguration as president of the Exchange Club of Needham, a branch of the National Exchange Club organization. • Paul Francis, JD’74—who received his BA from the School of Theology and Ministry, went on to get his law degree, and then served as deputy assistant chief counsel for the IRS—passed away in Springfield, Virginia, in December. • Stan Mroczkowski, a classics major originally from Rosedale, New York, passed away in Midlothian, Virginia. He had retired as the tax counsel for Westvaco.

• We heard from Dennis O’Neil. A finance major at BC, Denny is a former treasurer of the Town of Framingham and is now living in Farmington, Maine. Denny and Janet (her friends call her “St. Janet”) have been married for 53 years and have raised six children. They are now the proud grandparents of 17, the most recent addition being Violet. Denny says it is somewhat scary to see our column for the Class of ’67 move closer to the front on the class notes pages in this magazine each year.

• When you read this, it will be autumn.

Hopefully the COVID-19 virus will be less intrusive and we will be in the “new normal.” Looking forward to Halloween and Thanksgiving. Stay well!

Correspondents: Charles and Mary-Anne Benedict chasbenedict@aol.com

NC 1967 2020…How will we remember it? Several of you missed some well-planned trips: Nancy Bussey was headed for Maine to meet some

“relations” discovered via DNA testing.

She spends time with her book group via Zoom instead. • Maureen Dailey Young and Jane DeNicola Tetzlaff both returned from Europe just before the travel ban.

Jane also missed an earthquake in Croatia while visiting with friends. Now, she’s gardening and “Zooming with family.” • Paula Lyons planned a jaunt to California to see Christina Crowley and Mary Feldbauer Jansen—sadly, no respite on that Pacific Coast beach. She did enjoy a video chat with Christina and Maureen. Christina’s trip to Andalusia was canceled. Instead, she ventured out for a local (Bay Area, California) Black Lives Matter protest. “Very diverse and peaceful crowd with everyone masked while passionately chanting and waving their signs.” • Joan Cooper Curran spent spring in Colorado rather than Atlanta. She continued to hike, golf, and play pickleball while enjoying extended cross-country skiing and snowshoeing opportunities in Steamboat Springs. The Curran family celebrated the wedding of son Kevin to his bride, Jessica, in November 2019 at Joshua Tree National Park.

“Beautiful ceremony under the moonlight,” Joan writes. She was also anticipating a visit with daughter Katie and family in Oregon in late summer. • Donna Shelton missed her annual jaunt to Eastern Europe.

She spent spring helping with school and activity needs of her grandchildren.

Summer brought time for kayaking though: “Blissful on the water.” • Suzette Ellsworth Baird shared quarantine time at home with extended family, including a 10-year-old. Reportedly, “great fun” but hard to accomplish her to-do list. She is leaving her current job after nine years to begin a similar fundraising job at Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School, serving 500 motivated but underserved students.

Started by the Jesuits in Chicago, Cristo Rey schools are nationwide now. Every student works once a week in a local business or nonprofit to broaden their life experiences.

• We all send our sympathy to Connie Adams, who lost her sister to coronavirus back in the spring. • No other reports of illness, so I trust everyone is staying safe even into the fall, when you will finally read this report, and while we wait for that vaccine. Maybe those postponed trips will be back on your calendars soon. Keep in touch when you can.

Correspondent: M. Adrienne Tarr Free 3627 Great Laurel Lane, Fairfax, VA 22033-1212 703-709-0896; thefrees@cox.net

1968 Greetings from the underground, safely distancing here in LA. • After teaching at Rider and Rutgers for 11 years, and then Villanova for 35 years, Greg Bonner has retired from Villanova. There, he served as chair of the marketing department for over 20 years. In addition, Greg was part of the leadership team when their undergraduate business school was ranked number one by Businessweek. He and his wife, Annette, plan for more time to travel,

visit with children and grandchildren, and continue to enjoy using their BC season football tickets. An interesting side note: Greg was happy to introduce the successful nomination of Owen Murphy ’26 to the BC Varsity Club Hall of Fame. Several years ago, Owen’s granddaughter noticed Greg wearing a BC shirt. She told him about her grandfather, who graduated from BC in 1926 and received more than 10 varsity letters in four different sports. Greg researched Owen’s accomplishments and pursued the nomination. Last fall, Owen’s granddaughter and 20 extended family members attended his induction ceremony.

• Paul Schmid, MBA’82, of Overland Park, Kansas, has retired from the University of Missouri. In April, he and his service dog traveled to Tampa. He reports that although they walked through Tom Brady’s new neighborhood, they did not run into the GOAT himself. • Maureen (McGuiggin) ’71 and John Leahy celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on July 17. They split their time between Bristol, Rhode Island, and Naples, Florida. Their daughters, Lauren Leahy ’00 and Colleen Barraclough, MEd’04, both went to BC. The Leahys have three grandsons and a granddaughter. • In March, Carmine Sarno was featured on PBS’s Stories from the Stage to tell the heart-touching and poignant story of his daughter, Lauren, and the Sarno family’s medical struggle with her heart disease.

His segment was titled “Unexpected Gift.”

Carmine’s fatherly love and pride shines throughout this remarkable and beautiful story. • Stay safe and stay well, my friends.

Go Eagles!

Correspondent: Judith Anderson Day jnjday@aol.com

NC 1968 In January, before Broadway shut down, Kathy Hastings Miller, Jeanne Daley, Marcy McPhee Kenah, and Kathy Hogan Mullaney enjoyed a musical during a minireunion.

May reunion involving Ann O’Hara, Connie Gaussa Clarke, Katie O’Connor Gawlick, Mary Sforza Fitzpatrick, Kathleen Wright Semar, Barbara Gretsch Schmidt, Maureen Murphy Sund, and Mary Catherine Costello Chute was postponed. Instead, these eight Newton classmates stayed connected through weekly Wednesday Zoom calls, which often lasted 90 minutes and included a variety of family appearances. These ladies have a total of 39 grandchildren, including Mary Sforza’s 12. Connie continues to work as a psychiatric nurse practitioner in private practice as well as at a Massachusetts nonprofit mental health center. In Chicago, Katie works with a nonprofit housing corporation that assists people with disabilities. Kathleen is a Florida-based cruise ship travel advisor. Mary Catherine lives in downtown Providence, where she is an exhibiting artist at the Providence Art Club and at the Rhode Island Watercolor Society. • Jean Williamson Cole reports that after leaving Newton, she moved nine times in eight years, including three cross-country treks.

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In 1976, Jean landed in Northern California with her spouse, a son, and a daughter.

Traveling throughout California, Jean worked for the state as a financial analyst for 27 years, specializing in various social welfare programs. Remarried for five years, Jean has enjoyed “bucket list” trips to Australia and New Zealand. Jean ended her email: “To all my classmates, where and how are you?” • On a very sad note, please remember Maura Jane Curtis Griffin and her family in your thoughts and prayers. On May 11, her son, Ted ’05, passed away in his sleep at the age of 37. A BC graduate, Ted was a fun and loving young man and a successful businessman whose wedding was planned for this August.

• Lastly, during these challenging and unpredictable times, we hope you and all your loved ones are healthy and safe.

Stay well, all of you.

Correspondent: Jane Sullivan Burke janeburke17@gmail.com

1969 Terry Harrington continues to live in Natick, where, pre-COVID-19, he was volunteering at Newton-Wellesley Hospital twice a week and also driving the community bus once a week. Terry was also enjoying being a grandparent to Miles. • Jim O’Reilly’s 55th textbook, Pandemics & Covid-19: Medical & Workplace Challenges, was launched in July 2020. Jim celebrated 40 years in teaching medical, law, and graduate students in his classes at the University of Cincinnati. • Joe McDonough, while avoiding COVID-19, continues to work part-time at Johns Hopkins University’s applied physics laboratory, doing operations analysis for the Navy. Joe also gets to train younger colleagues and finds this training very satisfying. • Paul Lacy, JD’74, retired president of Kronos Inc., is currently serving on boards of public and private technology companies.

He just celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, Marie. They have two children—a daughter who is a CPA and a son who is a managing director of an international investment bank—and four grandchildren. They split their time between Boston, Cape Cod, and Naples, where they enjoy golf and sunsets on the beach. • I hope you all are keeping safe from COVID-19. Please take the time to write to me and let me know how you are doing.

Correspondent: James R. Littleton jim.littleton@gmail.com

NC 1969 Greetings! Zoom, Netflix, disinfecting, cooking/eating, gray roots, reading, puzzling, golfing, gardening, sorting, and throwing out—do these words sound familiar to you right about now? Well, that’s what our classmates have been doing during the pandemic. • Recently, I sent out an email to those who attended the 50th reunion. I shared the wonderful poem “Reassurance” that Winnie Loving sent me. She wrote to inquire how I was doing.

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The poem was a gift! I wanted to share it and inquire how each of you was doing. I heard back from several of you. First of all, Winnie checked off No. 1 on her bucket list. Three generations of her family saw Andrea Bocelli in concert in Charlotte, North Carolina. She coined a new word, “fabulocity,” to describe the performance.

She has a new grandson, Lucas, born in March to her son, Jonathan, and his wife, Marilou, who live in Charlotte. • My son Dan and his wife are the parents of my newest grandson, Nash Robert, born in March in San Francisco. They have since moved to Marin County. • Susan Power Gallagher has a new granddaughter, Kelly Marie, born in February to her son Eddie and his wife in Sandwich. • Deborah Donovan responded that her garden of herbs and greens is wonderfully growing on her tiny over-the-front-door porch.

From that porch, she’s able to watch neighborhood activity on her street in historical New London, Connecticut. She’s been helping the economy by having her historical house painted and by purchasing all new appliances for her home and her tenant’s home. • Alicia Silva Ritchie and her husband, Daniel, live in the D.C. area.

They are coping well, healthy, and ready for more activity and an early vaccine. • Pam DeLeo Delaney is president of the Bristol Garden Club in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Their activities have been put on hold. • Kathie McCarthy reports that she’s been hunkering down in New Hampshire. • Ana Silva Bauerlein and her husband, Larry ’68, are doing well in Connecticut outside of New York City. She had the funniest story, and I identified with it. Her husband asked her to get money from the ATM. Wondering who had touched the money, she took it home and washed it in her net lingerie bag in the washer and then dried it. Needless to say, it was wrinkly and curly! Her husband said, “That won’t fit in my wallet!” Guess he needed to do the next step—iron it!

• Pattie Pratt Moriarty reports that her husband, George ’69, has recovered from the virus. They were quarantined for four weeks. Their neighbors and friends helped out with food, groceries, and books! She’s thankful for elastic waists, because she’s been cooking up a storm, and for letting her hair go natural a while back. • Kathy Hartnagle Halayko and her husband, Bob, also contracted the virus, but they are much better now and are spending quite a bit of time at their place on Hilton Head Island.

• Mary Miller James continues to enjoy the connections she made at Reunion. She and Paula Schlick correspond by Zoom or phone quite often. • Pat Connolly Henry, from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, has made 350 masks during the pandemic.

She also continues to design clothing for the changing abilities of our aging and disabled members of society. The simplest of changes aids in independence.

• Congratulations to Ann Lessing Bresnan, who married Nick Young on March 9, 2020, in Florida. • As we continue to “row north” now in our 70s, try this quote from Winnie during the pandemic: “Throw all sadness out the window! Fling your fingers

into God’s air and dance until your dark is stomped into dust and light becomes your walk.”

Correspondent: Mary Gabel Costello mgc1029@aol.com

1970 51ST REUNION Well, gang, that was quite a Reunion Weekend (oops, sorry ’bout that)…at least that’s how had I planned to start this column. Alas, that opening will have to wait. It seems our timing has always been a little off. After all, we were the first class in many years that didn’t have a Holy Cross football game or a real academic last quarter, so why should we have our 50th reunion on time? Being a little unusual is part of our heritage and part of what makes us a great group! • I heard recently from an old friend, Mike Enright, who grew up in Natick, the next town to me. Drafted into the army two weeks after graduation, he spent a number of years in the automotive industry, retired once, went back to work for a hydraulics company, and finally retired a couple of years ago. He’s enjoying life with his wife of 29 years; five children; and six grandchildren, whom he sees when not on the golf course or biking. Life is good. • Congratulations to another old Natick friend, John Hughes, MEd’75, on his and Valerie’s 40th anniversary. By the way, has anyone had season football tickets longer than John? • At a point in our careers where most of the many lawyers in our class, including your favorite correspondent, have tried their last case and are out smelling the roses, Bob Bouley, JD’73, is still going strong. Bob has long been considered one of the best medical malpractice defense lawyers in Massachusetts and beyond. He’s a shareholder in the firm of McCarthy Bouley Barry and Morgan with an office in Waltham. In 2018, the firm was named among the country’s “Best Law Firms” by U.S. News & World Report.

Congratulations, Bob! • Jim Murgia just retired last year as the finance director for the town of Canton. Jim and his wife, Sue, have relocated from their long-time home in Sharon to Yarmouth Port on Cape Cod. The couple have one daughter, Jacqueline Rutkowski-Murgia ’04, a nursing supervisor at Tufts Medical Center. • Several Connell School of Nursing alumnae, led by Linda TurcotteShamski, mobilized and successfully hosted a virtual reunion in June. Thirty alumnae from the Class of 1970 Zoomed in for the event, the theme for which was “Having an Impact—Then, Throughout, Now, and Onward.” Pam Porter Kulbok, MS’75, collated pictures of classmates and BC memorabilia to create enjoyable video presentations. Nurse and chaplain Virginia Day, ThM’11, offered the convocation, followed by a moment of silence and a visual montage of our deceased classmates. Their guest of honor, Professor Beth Grady ’59, MS’64, was unable to attend, but she sent her best wishes via an email that Barbara Wallace,

MS’73, read aloud. • That’s it for this time. When you read this, I hope we’re at Alumni Stadium cheering on the Eagles and Coach Hafley.

Correspondent: Dennis Razz Berry dennisj.berry@gmail.com

NC 1970 51ST REUNION Nearly 50 classmates gathered via Zoom for a joyous 50th reunion celebration in June. Fran de la Chapelle, RSCJ, offered eloquent reminders of our shared Sacred Heart values and read the names of the 26 classmates who are no longer with us. We heard from Cricket Costigan Genco and me before gathering—first in randomly selected small group chats, then in a roundtable to hear from everyone.

Harriet Mullaney sent excerpts from the conversation to all classmates for whom we have email addresses. Important: If you change your email address, please notify Harriet or me so you can receive occasional special mailings like this. • I’ve since heard from Lynne McCarthy, who used the quarantine to declutter, downsize, and relocate! She is still in Champions Gate, Florida, but now a short distance from her old home and is occupying half the space. She is sewing prodigiously, quilting, and making child-friendly pillowcases for hospitalized child cancer patients.

• Patti Bruni Keefe writes: “Retiring after 20 years at Montrose School, I am packing boxes, giving away furniture, and discovering photos that trigger floods of happy memories. John, JD’74, and I will attempt our latest venture: intergenerational living with our daughter, her husband, and their children, ages 8, 4, 2, and 1 month. Mortgage-free, we hope to travel and reconnect with family and friends in the seven Massachusetts communities where we’ve lived. In April, my beloved 99-year-old mother passed away in her sleep. I believe she died of loneliness at the height of the pandemic, when family and friends couldn’t visit. I am heartbroken.

Prayers for you and yours as we continue to navigate these uncharted waters. Say one for me!” • Pat Sudnik died peacefully in Portland, Maine, in January. Miraculously, her third grandchild was born just two hours before she passed. I will always cherish the memory of Pat’s ready smile and infectious laugh—traits she attributed to being the child of a Coast Guard officer whose changing duty stations taught her to “go with the flow.” With a master’s in history from the University of Detroit, Pat was completing her doctoral dissertation at the University of Chicago when she chose to become a full-time parent to son Matthew and (later) daughter Kathryn.

Her dissertation research became part of a book she coauthored with Graham Taylor, DuPont and the International Chemical Industry, described by a reviewer as “a fresh and important new perspective” on DuPont and American industry. Later, Pat earned a master’s in education at the University of Pittsburgh and taught third grade until

forced to retire in 2012 for treatment of multiple myeloma. She and husband Bill Luneberg moved to Maine shortly thereafter. The memory of her exuberant spirit lingers, inspiring and uplifting me in this challenging time. Please remember her and our other deceased classmates in your prayers.

Correspondent: Fran Dubrowski fdubrowski@gmail.com

1971 50TH REUNION Tom Caruso writes: “One of our classmates was a walk-on to the football team. He stayed with it for years and got to dress for several home games senior year. He usually played kick offs and punt returns.

Well, we were beating Buffalo that year (fall 1970) by a large margin, and he was sent in as a linebacker. He intercepts a pass and gets tackled from behind deep in Buffalo territory. I was a member of the Gold Key Society and one of the people responsible for the ushers at the game. As such, I was on the roof of the press box.

After the game, I go into the press box and a reporter is asking who intercepted that pass, I said it was Blank, he says I know it’s blank, I said no, his name is Charlie Blank.

Charlie was interviewed by the Boston Globe, which did a nice article about him. Spring 1971, Coach Bill Campbell came to our Mod and showed the highlight reel that included Charlie’s interception, and we celebrated again. Congratulations on the 50th anniversary of your interception, Charlie!”

Correspondent: James R. Macho jmacho71@bc.edu

NC 1971 50TH REUNION Dear classmates, the COVID-19 situation has changed how we all interact and what recreational activities we can still enjoy. That being said, I do have some information from a few members of our class. • The most exciting news came from Eileen McIntyre, whose son, Jesse Laymon, was a contestant on the television show Jeopardy! Many of our Newton College classmates tuned in to watch Jesse do well.

Sadly, Eileen also sent news of the passing of her sister, KJ McIntyre NC’69. Our prayers go out to Eileen and her family.

• Marie Robey Wood happily reported news of her youngest son John’s Brazilian wedding in January. Congratulations to all!

• Many of us are staying close to home and spending a considerable amount of time gardening. My husband, Mike Lombardo, and I spread 2,800 pounds of topsoil, sowed grass seed, watered faithfully, and now, very ecstatically, enjoy watching the grass grow. • In addition, Georgina Pardo and Jean McVoy Pratt have sent beautiful photos of amazing plants growing on their properties. When she isn’t gardening, Jean and her husband, Don Pratt, are still riding their bicycles all over Southern Shores, North Carolina. • So, you can see that in

spite of reaching our 70s, we are still pretty active. I hope everyone stays safe and well during these challenging times!

Correspondent: Melissa Robbins melrob49@sbcglobal.net

1972 I’ll start with an observation and a correction: 1) All of us got a preview of 2020 when we were sophomores in spring 1970, and 2) I meant to say that Paul Disch’s restaurant is on the South Shore. It’s Disch’s Route 53 Tavern in Pembroke. • I’ve heard some impressive numbers from classmates: Bill Giacomo reports that he’s been reappointed to another 14-year term on the New York State Supreme Court, at the end of which he’ll be 84! He mentioned that Gene McLaughlin has retired after 41 years as the assistant town attorney of Greenwich, Connecticut. • John Coll, MBA’74, who’s an asset manager in Laguna Beach, California, celebrated his 70th birthday by shooting a 77 at his home course, the Santa Ana Country Club. He stays in touch with Jon Sidoli, who is a retired drama professor in Independence, Kansas. • Tom Borgia has retired from his role as dean of West Virginia University School of Dentistry.

He’s returned to Plymouth, where previously he was a practicing endodontist.

• Tom Herlehy wrote from Arlington, Virginia, about the changed butter logo of Land O’Lakes, his last full-time employer before he became a consultant. • Pat McGovern reports that he continues to practice part-time as a vascular surgeon, and that he and wife Patty live year-round in the shore community of Avon, New Jersey.

Their son Michael ’09 recently made them first-time grandparents. • Mike Cornely writes that he’s still practicing criminaldefense law in Miami. He described the fun that he and his roommates had in the Mods.

Two of them, Pittsburgh attorney John Lee and retired Canton actuary Tony Balchunas, are pictured on page 297 of Sub Turri along with Scranton, Pennsylvania, attorney Larry Ludwig. • Pete Maher, JD’76, reports that he has retired from a 39-year-long legal career in St. Louis, and that he and his wife alternate between their homes there and in Traverse City, Michigan. They have four children and three grandchildren. • Pete and Pat (Sherbondy) Accinno write that they went to Martha’s Vineyard from their home in New Canaan, Connecticut, to spend the lockdown. Pete continues to do some consulting, while Pat is a retired nurse. • Phil Bayer reports from Carmel, New York, that he and his wife have visited both Cuba and the BC campus so far this year. • Judy Chamberlain Brault passed along a sad note: her husband of 40 years, Thomas, passed away in January. She’s retired in Glen Rock, New Jersey, from careers as a nurse and a diabetes educator. She has four children and 11 grandchildren. • Alan Kreczko wrote from suburban Hartford, Connecticut, that he’s board chairman of the Boys & Girls Clubs of that city. He oversaw a campaign to raise funds for a club, now under construction, in Hartford’s south 57

end. • Bob Carlson reports that he’s retired from a career with the Social Security Administration and that he and his wife, Linda, often travel to the coast of Maine from their home in Bloomingburg, New York. • Condolences to the family of Edward McNulty of Milton. Edward passed away in February. He was the longtime owner of Callahan’s Tap in Quincy. • Condolences to the family of Daniel Sarmir of Lakeville. A teacher and a financial planner, he passed away in April.

Correspondent: Lawrence Edgar ledgar72@gmail.com

NC 1972 On February 1, 2020, Shelly Noone Connolly and Michael boarded a cruise ship in Buenos Aires. Simultaneously, breaking news reported the spread of COVID-19. As they cruised to Cape Horn and through the Strait of Magellan to Santiago, Chile, the news of the presidential primaries was still the main story. Shelly noted that the MS Zaandam followed her ship into every port. Later, the Zaandam made worldwide news for being denied entry into ports in various countries due to the spread of COVID-19 on the ship. As a trustee of the Antrim Town Library, Shelly has been instrumental in keeping the library running virtually and arranging for curbside pickup of books. When the library reopens, people will be able to safely socially distance in the building. Like most of us, Shelly has become a Zoom user to keep in touch with family, friends, and her book club. • Similar to many others in self-quarantine, the pandemic has touched our class in other ways. After a brief hospital stay, a classmate is recovering from COVID-19. Another classmate’s daughter postponed her wedding and reception.

Others could not attend graduation ceremonies or celebrate our 70th birthdays with friends and family. Please take care, stay healthy, and send me news.

Correspondent: Nancy Brouillard McKenzie newton885@bc.edu

1973 Awilda and Jim Duffy are enjoying retirement in Jacksonville, Florida. They returned—just before the coronavirus hit—from a tour of South America, visiting Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls, cruising to the Falkland Islands, and ending in Valparaiso, Chile. Flight disruptions resulted in a circuitous route from Santiago to Lima, Peru; Bogota, Colombia; and, finally, Miami. • Rick Palermo retired in 2008 after 34 years in public education, the last 16 as superintendent of schools in Millbury. He now teaches graduate students at Cambridge College and enjoys spending time with his three grandchildren and in Reading and Delray Beach, Florida. • Joseph Capalbo retired after 32 years as CFO of Direct Federal Credit Union in Needham but remains active on their board. His wife, Susan, a former elementary school teacher, also retired, and the couple made their second home in Dennis their permanent 58

home. Joe still sees some of his classmates there on the Cape and reports that Frank Crocetti has a place in Dennis, and Bob Connor lives in Harwich. Joe also gets together frequently with Paul Ryan for dinner and golf and last summer, ran into Paul Haggerty, whom he hadn’t seen since graduation. He also keeps in touch with Paul Curley. Since retiring to the Cape, the Capalbos moved into a new home last summer; traveled to Cyprus for their son’s wedding; and visited Hawaii and Savannah, Georgia. Joe writes: “Next stop, hopefully— Italy in 2021!” • Cynthia Caroselli is the associate health-care-system director for patient services and chief nurse executive of VA NY Harbor Healthcare System, which serves some 50,000 veterans in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, and on Staten Island. During the pandemic, she helped her VA be the first to implement an initiative called the Fourth Mission, which includes serving as backup to the Department of Defense, admitting over 100 non-veteran patients to assist the overwhelmed New York City region.

Correspondent: Patricia DiPillo perseus813@aol.com

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NC 1973

NC 1974

Dear classmates, I hope this column finds you well. • Over the last few months, my (Kathy Dennen Morris’s) family has remained safe, and we’ve all been involved in various projects. My husband, Ken ’71, and I expanded and renovated our kitchen, as well as adding a deck. The final product is fabulous! • Bill and Priscilla (Duff) Perkins are retired and living in Harwich Port on the Cape. Their three children are grown; two live in the Boston area and one lives in London. They have seven grandchildren, whom they enjoy spending time with, and are involved in gardening, cooking, reading, volunteering, and taking walks all over Cape Cod. When life becomes safer, they look forward to traveling again.

Priscilla has fond memories of Newton College and has remained in touch with many fine women she met there. • Kate Novak Vick shared that she and Barbara Gangemi Burns traveled to Naples, Florida, the week before the pandemic lockdown began. They visited Kate’s sister, Marie Novak Cumming ’76 (who attended Newton for three years), and her husband, Bruce.

Kate, Barbara, and Marie were also able to meet Peggy Publicover Kring in Sarasota for a lovely waterside lunch. • Mimi Reiley Vilord and her husband just welcomed their 14th grandchild, Christopher Michael.

“We can now field a baseball team with five cheerleaders!” she writes. You can contact Mimi or me anytime to send your news.

Please remember to update your personal information, especially your email if you’ve recently retired. It’s so good to hear from you, and we look forward to sharing more of your news in the future.

Correspondent: Kathy Dennen Morris kathymorris513@gmail.com Correspondent: Mimi Reiley Vilord mimivi@optonline.net

I am writing this column in June. I hope you have been safe and well throughout this very difficult and trying time. At times, the staggering loss of lives and economic challenges have been overwhelming. We are very grateful to our classmates who are serving others in so many ways, especially the nurses, doctors, first responders, medical researchers, teachers, and everyone who has devoted themselves to helping others. It was nice to hear some positive news. • I received a note from Kerry Donovan. He retired from Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in 2018 as VP of global marketing. He and Juan Carlos moved from their home of 22 years in Pasadena to Phoenix. Bored with retirement, Kerry is now selling real estate with Berkshire Hathaway Arizona Properties. Thanks, Kerry. • Jim and I are doing well and are spending a good part of each day FaceTiming with our grandchildren. We miss everyone and look forward to when we can all be together!

Take care, and please drop me a note.

Correspondent: Patricia McNabb Evans patricia.mcnabb.evans@gmail.com

Correspondent: Beth Docktor Nolan nolanschool@verizon.net

1975 46TH REUNION Greetings! Please mark your calendars for our spring 2021 Reunion with details forthcoming via BC correspondence.

• Kevin and Anne (O’Connor) Kane, MS’77, PhD’99, of Hudson, chose to live their lives in service to others in nearby Worcester and beyond. Kevin works in banking and has served on many nonprofit boards, including the Ignatian Volunteer Corps board. Anne is in community health nursing and has worked with lowincome childbearing families through direct care and program administration.

She currently teaches at UMass Medical School. • Our class has a strong connection to the IVC. Julie McGovern, Pat Casey MEd’81, and Anne O’Connor Kane have served on the regional council, and Liz Fay McMahon retired several years ago as the regional director of the New York City IVC. • Shawn Sheehy lives in Cohasset with his family and practices probate and real estate law in Cohasset and the Greater Boston area. His wife, Caroline Rocha Sheehy, started attending BC in January and has three semesters remaining for her bachelor’s degree. Their oldest son, Conor ’19, graduated from BC’s Carroll School of Management with finance and economics concentrations and works in Boston as an associate economist. Son Seamus attends UMass Amherst, and their youngest, Sinead, graduated from Cohasset High School in June and will also attend UMass Amherst. While attending BC, Shawn coached the BC women’s ice hockey team

in its first full season, 1974–1975. He helped organize a reunion of the players and coaches from 1973 to 1989 in December 2019. Katie Crowley, MS’16, the present BC women’s hockey head coach, organized the reunion events to the tremendous satisfaction of all. Shawn was featured in an article in the Fall 2019 issue of Boston College Magazine. The article, “Power Play,” discussed the beginnings of the team spearheaded by Maureen “Reenie” Baker Sandsted ’78, who started the team in fall 1973. Additionally, BC had a sevenday alumni sports team fundraiser prior to COVID-19; women’s hockey alumni won the event and provided next year’s team with an extra $25,000, plus the money that they had raised. • Thank you, Jeanne Lescroart Naylon, for informing us of the wonderful honor received by Lou Ann Privitera Gloekler. Lou Ann was recognized as the 2020 Nurse of Distinction in Education by D’Youville Hospital in Buffalo. She inspires students in the Patricia H. Garman School of Nursing at D’Youville to live and practice in service to others. • Tom Kniffen moved to Summit, New Jersey, in 2018 to live closer to his sons and their families. Tom practices law as a sole practitioner in New York City and commutes to Midtown via train. He enjoys volunteering as a member of the Class of ’75 Reunion Committee and connecting with many friends from BC. • Kevin Short writes: “Ardie Klement, John McKenna, Tom Masterson, Tom Kennedy, Ed Allard, Chuck Sims, and I got together in Minnesota for four days in September 2019.

The seven of us, plus Tim Kelly, have gotten together at the Jersey Shore in the fall for many years. My classmates from the eastern seaboard told me that Minnesota measured up favorably to those trips. Unfortunately, Tim Kelly was too ill to attend our fall 2019 get-together. He had attended all our prior gatherings, including the last couple while he was battling cancer. We FaceTimed Tim from Minnesota so he could talk to each of us and share a few stories. Tragically, Tim passed away early this year. We all loved Tim and have kept his memory alive in our recent Zoom cocktail hours.” Sincere class condolences, support, and prayers to Tim’s family. Take care, and please keep your updates coming!

Correspondent: Hellas M. Assad hellasdamas@hotmail.com

NC 1975 46TH REUNION Thanks for sharing news to tide us over until we are able to celebrate our 46th reunion together! • It was wonderful to hear from Mary Ann Young Horne, who admitted to having a bit of “quarantine fatigue” but was very grateful that there were few COVID-19 cases where she and Fred live at The Landings Club on Skidaway Island in Savannah. They’ve kept busy walking, doing projects, and playing lots of golf together! Their boys are in New York and Tampa and are both working at home; their grandchildren are enjoying the

time now that they can finally go out! She, along with Eileen Sutherland Brupbacher, Debbie Melino-Wender, Kathy HughesMorris, Mary Ellen Hackman Olson, Barbara Callahan Saldarriaga, Debbie Kirby Shepherd, and Lisa Antonelli DellaPorta, keep in touch via group text. “We have filled in each other on keeping sane and learned family news of births of grandchildren, loss of parents, joys of retirement, and new situations of children home with them to work and allowing Grandma to take charge of teaching.” As Mary Ann said so well: “I was so looking forward to returning to our reunion and being with our Newton friends. I treasure those times and the friends I shared it with.” • Mary Ellen Quirk and Donn Smith celebrated their daughter Sarah’s graduation from the University of Michigan Law School in May. “We are so proud of her and thrilled that she will be back east to start her law career.” Congratulations to all! • Helen Fox-O’Brien writes: “New York offices being closed during this difficult period has brought the silver lining of having our daughter Amy and her significant other joining Dana and me at home in Connecticut. We have all navigated WFH, Slack, and Zoom reasonably well, although my “share the screen” skills need to be perfected. I’m not sure I’ll ever readjust to business clothes after months of comfy casleisure!” • Lee Costello and I check in on each other regularly, and Lee’s dry wit never fails to cheer me. • It seems like years ago, but Barb Trayers Athy delighted me with a surprise call before the reunion plans had to be deferred. Never short on humor either, Barb and family were doing well.

“Healthy wishes to all as I anxiously await our reunion gathering at one of our favorite Newton venues,” says Barb. • More to come in the next issue. Until then, keep in touch and stay well.

Correspondent: Karen Foley Freeman karenfoleyfreeman@gmail.com

1976 45TH REUNION After serving in the New England Province (and finding time to baptize this writer’s twin daughters), Thomas Regan, S.J., went to Chicago and served as dean of the Graduate School and the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University.

Fr. Tom just finished his ninth year as dean, and was recently appointed to be the next rector of the Fordham University Jesuit Community. So, now, Fr. Tom will have a Bronx tale! Congratulations! • Jackie Jackson retired four years ago after working for 32 years as a school social worker in Beloit, Wisconsin. Jackie has two grown daughters, one an attorney and one pursuing a PhD at UC Berkeley.

Jackie sends shout-outs to friends from Kostka Hall and Mod 23B. • Kathleen Manusco Regan resides in Port St. Lucie, Florida. This year, she was awarded the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for her book Unintended Consequences: A Mother’s Memoir and special recognition

by the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs. Congratulations! • Always one to stay afloat, Mary Kay Finnerty Samko resides in Arlington. For the last 24 years, she has coached the women’s and men’s swim teams at Bentley University.

The women’s team recently completed their second consecutive undefeated season, and the men won the conference championship for the third time in four years. Congratulations! • Mary Blaszko Helming resides in Cheshire, Connecticut, with her husband, Carl. They have two adult children. After RN work at Yale-New Haven Hospital, she earned her MS in nursing from Yale University in 1980 as a family nurse practitioner (FNP). She then worked for 20 years as an FNP in family medicine, urgent care, and occupational/ student health. Since 2000, she has taught graduate nursing at Quinnipiac University, and as professor of nursing emerita, Mary continues to teach part-time. An advanced holistic nurse, she is coeditor for Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice and a contributing editor for the Journal of Christian Nursing. Congratulations!

• Maria Celeste Provenzano, MBA’78, retired from Morgan Stanley as first VP of wealth management in 2009 and is now the founder/president of Gems

by Celestial Dancer. She welcomes her classmates to reach out to her at maria@ center4creativehealing.com. • Here’s praying for a return to normalcy! Take care, stay safe, and drop me a line! God bless!

Correspondent: Gerald B. Shea gerbs54@hotmail.com

1977 Dave Wilson wished me a happy birthday on April 3 via LinkedIn, and it turns out his birthday is April 11. Shortly after, he and I connected via cell phone to catch up. Dave retired from GECAS as an SVP in May 2014, and two weeks later, he and his family sold their house in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and now live full-time in Edwards, near Vail, Colorado. • Since May, Jeffry Bauer has been the disaster services technology manager for the American Red Cross disaster relief operation in Midland, Michigan, in the aftermath of multiple dam failures destroying thousands of homes.

For the past 34 years, Jeffry served as an arbitrator and mediator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the National Futures Association. • After working on a novel for a few years, F. David Ford finally finished and published his book during the COVID-19 lockdown. It is a money-laundering exposé wrapped into an international thriller and revolves around USDOJ attorney James Krieg, who is confronted by his military past and thrown into the secret world of offshore private banking. Two of the characters are BC graduates. • After spending almost 20 years raising funds for world and local hunger (trained on the BC world hunger committee), Patrick Cleary-Burns, MA’08, has been a full-time spiritual director for the past 15 years. This year, Patrick has been 59

directing a 30-day silent retreat experience of the Spiritual Exercises. Patrick and his wife, Jeannie, have been married for 15 years; they had both been widowed and, by the grace of God, they found each other.

Jeannie has five children who are all young adults. They are the proud grandparents of seven grandchildren! Patrick is looking forward to his 50th reunion at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland next year; he is on the planning committee. • Karen Grace-Baker is entering over 15 years in her educational consulting business, Right College Choice, where she assists students with the college admissions process.

This includes guidance in researching and selecting colleges, preparing their applications, and finding the college(s) to meet their financial and educational goals.

Karen also teaches in UCLA’s postgraduate College Counseling certificate program and volunteers through Scholar Match, a college-access organization that helps first-generation, low-income students navigate through the college application process. Karen recently received the Virtual Volunteer of the Year award from Scholar Match for her work in assisting students and also in recruiting other volunteers for the program. As she was a first-generation BC student herself, this is a cause that is near and dear to her heart. Karen and her physician husband recently relocated to the Midwest and in their spare time have been traveling extensively; over the past two years they have visited China, Japan, Panama, Dubai, Singapore, and Bali. • John Peterson writes to us of his good friend and roommate, Arthur “Ace” Hardy, who died in a car accident in 1983. In his memory, John recently established the Arthur “Ace” Hardy Scholarship at Simmons College of Kentucky, an HBCU (historically black college and university) in Louisville. • May all good things find the path to your door!

Correspondent: Nicholas Kydes nicholaskydes@yahoo.com

1978 What a strange year this has been thus far.

My hope is that you and your families have somehow managed to stay coronavirus-free.

Now, on to better news! • Denise Sutherland Richardson, of Yarmouth, received a Fellow of ASPEN (American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition) designation this year. This award showcases the many contributions of valuable ASPEN members and recognizes their commitments to ASPEN and the field of clinical nutrition.

Denise writes that BC prepared her to be a leader in nursing. While working as a novice at Boston Children’s Hospital, she started caring for young surgical short-bowel patients and knew that was the career path she wanted to follow.

After working for five years in a general surgery/step-down unit, Denise became the nutrition support nurse coordinator for the hospital, which has the largest pediatric home parenteral nutrition program on the East Coast. She is now the national pediatric nurse specialist for a 60

specialty pharmacy, providing expert care around the country. • Also sharing great professional news is Atim Eneida George, who is affiliated with the Graduate School of Leadership and Change at Antioch University. In February, Atim published her dissertation, Generative Leadership and the Life of Aurelia Erskine Brazeal, a Trailblazing African American Female Foreign Service Officer. The dissertation is the culmination of a dream she has nurtured for decades.

• Bill McKiernan sent in the news that Kevin McLaughlin is wrapping up his three-year term as president of the BC Alumni Association. He was a fantastic leader of the AA, and the Class of 1978 is proud of his leadership. • In June, Janice Maggiotta Fairchild retired after 36 years as a social studies teacher and team leader from Hanscom Middle School, located on Hanscom AFB. During her time at Hanscom, Janice received several honors and recognitions, including finalist for Massachusetts Teacher of the Year in 2007, and, most recently, Social Studies Teacher of the Year from the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies in 2019. She looks forward to weekends without grading but said she will miss her students and team immensely. Janice and her husband, Steve ’90, were happy to see their son Mark graduate virtually from Providence College School of Business in May. Their older son, Alex ’17, graduated from BC’s Carroll School of Management. Janice would love to hear from old friends from the School of Education.

Correspondent: Julie Butler julesbutler33@gmail.com

1979 Jim Sano published a novel, The Father’s Son (Full Quiver Publishing, 2019). It is a highly engaging and entertaining story that evokes thoughts of faith, family, friendship, forgiveness, redemption, love, and truth.

• Michael Fee writes: “God works in mysterious ways. How does a BC graduate from New York serve on the board of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Clemson University and as finance chairman. Crazy!

Very good friends with football head coach Dabo Swinney and many of the coaches on various staffs. Of course, I root for Clemson only 364 days of the year. We will beat them this fall by 17!” • Cheryl Power Porcaro, MEd’87, is part of a family of Eagles that includes her son Matthew ’09, her daughter Chelsee ’18 (who is currently enrolled in the Lynch Graduate School), and her father, John Power ’51. Cheryl writes: “Probably not the kind of news you are expecting, but I retired this month from education after 33 years!

Woohoo!” • Bill Sota recently began working at CareSource, a Dayton, Ohio–based not-forprofit health-care plan, as product lead for its Medicare product line. Also, his fellow Eagle daughter, Emily ’18, recently began working at Cerulli Associates, a financial services research firm, as a marketing analyst.

Correspondent: Peter J. Bagley peter@peterbagley.com

1980 41ST REUNION Grace Ann Pisano Baresich published a book, Recovery: Diaries of Inspirational Moms, Written by a Refrigerator Mom— emotional stories of mothers with children on the autistic spectrum; completed her first screenplay; and is in discussions for a feature film. She also works for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New York Properties in residential real estate and recently completed her broker’s license.

Grace Ann lives in Manhattan. • Karen Pappas Scrymgeour, managing partner of Pappas & Pappas and a career strategist, has embarked on a new venture, CareerMode, offering professional career management and transition support services directly to individuals. • On June 20, 2020, Georgina Laidlaw’s family gathered to celebrate the wedding of her second-born. Her daughter’s husband is from Venezuela, so the event, on a beach in Greenwich, was quite the international union! Georgina is now involved with animal rescue and rehabilitation and is also trying to start a business based on Pope Francis’ Laudate Si, a plea to rescue the planet from environmental destruction. • Jane Seidl is enjoying her retirement from the practice of corporate law, most recently with the energy system Eversource. She and her husband, John Sutherland, a Delta captain, live in Naples, Florida, and spend summers in Newport, Rhode Island. • Stephen Smith writes: “My wife, Leslie, and I recently relocated from Philadelphia to Savannah— that after 25 years in San Francisco. We are very much enjoying exploring this part of the U.S. and are looking forward to being able to travel when the coast is clear. The spirit of our 35-year reunion has been kept aflame with the dedicated effort of fellow classmate John Carabatsos, who posted a song of the day (SOTD) to our Class of ’80 Facebook group. Each song posting is complemented by a photo related to our time at BC. Had a virtual reunion with my senior year roommates recently. Hadn’t talked to most of them since graduation. It was a fun Zoom call with Jack Driscoll, Chuck Mitchell, Andy Piness, Matt Emery, and Orlando Corsi.”

Correspondent: Michele Nadeem-Baker michele.nadeem@gmail.com

1981 40TH REUNION Congratulations to Lou Papadellis, who was inducted into the BC Varsity Club Hall of Fame for his soccer career! Lou broke eight records and still holds two. Teammates Steve LeBlanc, Rich Whalen, and Paul Zientek and classmates Chris Foy MBA’86, Mike Giunta, George McGoldrick, Mike Cornacchia, Steve Dyer, Kevin Thomas, Mark Murphy JD’84, Greg Foy, Peter McCourt, Frank O’Connor, Tim Chapman, Vin Caraher, Jack McCullough, and John Battaglia MBA’92 were on hand for the celebration. • John Battaglia was named

president and CEO of the Cooperative Bank in April after serving as the bank’s SVP of residential lending since 2016. • Last November, Danny Seymour, JD’84, was elected to a four-year term as town justice in North Salem, New York, a parttime position that allows him to continue practicing law. • Mary Butler rounded up the Hardey girls for a “Virtual Thursday Night Cooking Class” during the stay-athome mandate. In typical Butler fashion, she blasted “We Are Family” as the groupies—Kathy McNamara, Ellen Whelan Shaughnessy, Kim Schlotman Bantle, Michele Arrix Whelan, Rhea Flannery Fleckenstein, Beth Canavan McCasky, Liz Botti Manocha, Jane Alberding McCarthy, Margaret Murphy Burton, and Pam Perkins Kipp—danced and prepped meals. Margaret reports: “It was a great way to reconnect and realize that we are all still the same…cooking, dancing, laughter, and friendship heal the soul, and there’s nothing like our BC crew!” Mods 36B, 39B, and 17A friends Gay Chadbourne Canepa, Peggy Quinn Hebert, Sheila O’Keeffe Tritto, Stephanie Blumenthal Whelan MEd’01, Diana Carney Caty JD’85, Lori Van Houten Howard, Nancy Taverna McCartin, Barbara Best, and Maureen O’Hara held a birthday reunion this past year in New York City, enjoying the theater; museums; a Central Park stroll with now-retired, bi-coastal Louise Walker Moriarty; great food; and too many laughs to count. Lori and Peggy are enjoying spoiling grandchildren; Sheila, Stephanie, and Barb are enjoying being college parents; Dave ’82 and Gay (Chadbourne) Canepa are marrying off children; realtor Maureen orchestrated Nancy’s move back to Boston so they can enjoy hanging in the neighborhood while children are in graduate school; and Diana and Mike Caty are thrilled to be in Connecticut near friends and family. • The UConn Foundation Alumni Relations Office honored Kevin McEvoy with its Faculty Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award. After 20 years in consumer sales and marketing, Kevin entered academia teaching part-time at UConn and Fairfield University, earned a PhD in business education from NYU, and eventually joined UConn’s faculty full-time in 2004. • Our sincere condolences to Dan Richards, whose wife, Nan Guastamachio Richards, passed away on June 7 of a sudden heart attack.

Dan and Nan married in 1986 and lived in Westport, Connecticut, for the past 25 years.

Nan is survived by Dan, daughter Casey (28), and son Peter (23).

Correspondent: Alison Mitchell McKee amckee81@aol.com

1982 Maureen Simmons’s youngest daughter, Kristine Grace, entered BC this fall.

Daughters Jennifer ’09, MS’11; Julianne ’11, MEd’12; and Kimberly ’16 preceded Kristine. The family diploma count is at 17, which includes sons-in-law and their parents. Maureen may run into Kristine on campus as she begins her fifth year as

assistant director for pre-health advising in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences.

Maureen and husband Charlie ’81 are proud grandparents to three grandsons, Brayden, Charlie, and Tyler. • Frank Smyth wrote The NRA: The Unauthorized History (Flatiron Books, 2020). It covers the NRA leadership, including longtime CEO Wayne LaPierre, MA’75. • After 30 years of living in LA and working in the music industry, Nanci Walker moved to Nantucket to retire. It turns out that living on an island 30 miles out to sea wasn’t quite as romantic as Nanci envisioned, especially in the winter. Nanci is back in LA, doing what she loves, signing and developing songwriters and recording artists for worldwide music publishing company Peermusic. • Mary Delaney served as a Maryknoll lay missioner in the late 1980s and early 1990s in Nicaragua and reports that her experience working with the Nicaraguan people during those years was life-changing. She returned to the U.S. and pursued her MSW at the University of Pennsylvania. For the past 11 years, Mary has been the director of family support and the Family Resource Center at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center in New York, providing supportive services to families of hospitalized children. For the past several years, the Maryknoll Lay Mission Program has asked her to act as guide for their Friends Across Borders (FAB) program in El Salvador, an immersion experience in which participants learn of El Salvador’s current reality as well as its tumultuous past, particularly during the years of their civil war in the 1980s and 1990s. The trip includes visiting the current works of the Maryknoll lay missioners in El Salvador. • Cindi Bigelow skied at Okemo with Mike Blanchard, Chris Vossler, and their wives, Alison and Beth. After a day of skiing, they met up with Jon Rather, Jamie O’Rourke, Peter Lipsky, John O’Meara, and Jim Herschlein. • Carole McNulty Pendleton, Tessie Cabrera Flanagan, Reina Benitez Flower, and Stephanie Walser gathered in Houston last June. Tessie lives in Houston with her husband, Dave, and their two dogs. Stephanie lives in Austin and is still glowing from her daughter Audrey’s wedding. Reina also lives in Austin, where she remains involved in soccer. Carole lives in Sudbury with her husband, Dave, and their son Joey, who is looking forward to college in the fall.

Correspondent: Mary O’Brien maryobrien14@comcast.net

1983 After 21 years at Fidelity Investments and a few years of retirement, Brian Johnson and his wife, Laurie, moved to Kiawah Island, South Carolina. They travel to New York City for his role with the International Rescue Committee, the world’s largest humanitarian organization dedicated to the rescue, relief, and resettlement of victims of war and conflict. Their daughter, Meghan, attends Fordham University. • In May, Victor Crawford was elected to

the board of the Hershey Company. Victor is the CEO, pharmaceutical segment, of Cardinal Health, Inc., a global healthcare services and products company. He has held senior management positions at several leading companies across the food and beverage, hospitality, and health-care services industries. He also has a broad range of experience in digital transformation, managing fast-moving consumer goods, and logistics and supply chain management.

Correspondent: Cynthia J. Bocko cindybocko@hotmail.com

1984 Greetings, classmates! • Stephanie Anne Chisholm recently won the New England Press Association’s first prize for excellence in journalism in the environmental investigative reporting category! Stephanie recently celebrated 33 years in business at SAC Productions, a Boston nonprofit corporation. She is currently working on a series of articles on child labor laws, or lack thereof, in Cairo, Egypt, and pursuing her master’s degree in special education and child psychology at Fairfield University.

That degree has been on her bucket list forever! Her daughter Julianne Rose is a student at Georgetown University; she is a journalist, writing podcasts for The Hoya, and spent her winter semester in Copenhagen. • Donna Principato Sawyer, MS’84, continues to enjoy the rewards and challenges of psychiatric nursing in her private practice. Donna has been part of a CHART grant at BID-Plymouth Medical Center, which examines strategies to improve health-care access to the population served at community hospitals.

She writes that treating our most vulnerable patients who struggle with disorders of opioid use and substance use has been a reminder of the unique contribution and positive impact psychiatric nursing can provide on addressing this frightening epidemic. • Kim Nagy’s fourth book is out. Titled Big Caesar’s New Home: The True Story of a Coyote Season at Mount Auburn Cemetery, this is the third book in the children’s series True Wildlife Adventures. • Peg Leyden Holda writes that her BC roommate Kathleen Johnson Vranos earned her doctorate in education, concentrating in higher education, from Northeastern University. She was just named VP of academic affairs for Dean College in Franklin. Kathleen and her husband, William Vranos, an orthopedic surgeon, live on Cape Cod. Their daughter, Marina Vranos ’16, is performance marketing manager for 4Ocean, LLC, which works to clean our oceans and coastlines. • Lila McCain loves her job as global director of HR for Root Capital, where she uses her Spanish and international experience daily.

She and husband Peter are taking up sailing and getting certified in the BVI. • Tom and Carol (Engelhardt) Herringer moved to Savannah, Georgia, from Dayton, Ohio, in June and unfortunately missed our last reunion. Carol is chair of the department 61

of history at Georgia Southern University, and Tom works from home. Their son, Mauricio, is a freshman at Georgia Southern, and their daughter, Diana, is a Peace Corps volunteer in Mozambique, having graduated from Xavier University in May. Correspondent: Carol A. McConnell bc1984notes@optimum.net

1985 36TH REUNION Kathleen Cronin writes that she’s been living in Chicago for the past 30 or so years and for the past 20 has been the senior managing director of the legal, regulatory, and compliance division and general counsel at CME Group. She writes: “My oldest, Julianne, will be a senior at Northwestern University in the fall, and my younger daughter, Lucy, has decided to spend her last two years of high school away at boarding school, so I guess, for the first time in a long time, I’ll be on my own! Looking forward to retiring soon and moving on to a new career, although I’m not yet sure what that will be.”

Correspondent: Barbara Ward Wilson bww415@gmail.com

1986 35TH REUNION Hi, 1986 Eagles, how is everyone doing?

Who would ever have believed that the world shut down due to COVID-19? But thanks to everyone for sharing their awesome news with us—you guys rock!

• Betsy Kline and her husband, Walt Keiper (Lehigh ’85), celebrated their eldest daughter’s high school graduation in June, albeit not so traditionally. A parade through the high school with the teachers lining the path, then a night at the local drivein movie theater, with commencement speeches on-screen and all graduates and families in their cars. College still appears to be in her future, with an August move-in at Villanova University. Their other daughter, a high school junior, is considering BC! Betsy has been in the food service/hospitality industry for over 30 years and just celebrated 22 years with Aramark, currently as VP of sales, U.S., business dining. She was recognized by her industry peers with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management last fall. She and Walt will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on September 9. • COVID-19 has brought the Cheverus second-floor girls back together for regular Zoom calls: Rosemary Hill Connors, Meg Walsh-Furey MS’97, Sue McAllister Drew, Karen Bogan, Dawn Tully Giglio, Stacey Kaplan MEd’87, and Amanda Hunt Thibert MS’92. • Kristi Lagerstrom Flaherty (Portland, Maine) also started a bimonthly Zoom call with her roommates Kelli Murphy Manning (Oakland, California), Maggie Mullarkey Downey (Gainesville, Florida), Julie Appleby Mersch (Las Vegas), and Kathy McCabe 62

(Salem). These calls helped them stay positive and get excited for Reunion 2021.

Mark your calendars and get excited for our epic 35th reunion—June 2021! • Tom Hone writes that he is doing fine, still living in Westchester and working as a lawyer in New York City—and very happy to discover that he kept his BC cap, gown, and sash from 34 years ago. He surprised his daughter Dee Dee ’20 with them, and she wore them in a “mock graduation” organized by Tom and his wife, Dawn; videoed by son Aidan; and celebrated with champagne. Congratulations, Dee Dee! • Maria Rita Petrillo-Bolaños is staying safe working the front lines battling this virus and hopes everyone is doing the same during the pandemic. She is grateful for many things—she and husband Byron celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary; their son Michael is a BC freshman; and they were planning to visit the Heights this fall. Congratulations, Michael! • Ann Stephanos Liberge has been working as a NCSN school nurse for the City of Lynn for 15 years. She sees multiple challenges facing our children and their families every day, and she often wears many “caps”—a homeless point-person for her school, social outreach connector and supporter, and just that person who provides a kind and caring ear and smile. She says she is no hero, but just wanted to share one of her many experiences in her 34 years of nursing that makes her especially proud to be a nurse and of her BC education. • Dave Macaione earned his JD/MBA from Vanderbilt and is now chief legal officer with Cloudburst Entertainment, producers and distributors of film and television, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. • Diane Casey Boulanger shared that she works with Kristen Burrell Morin in the BC advancement office, and Kristen’s daughter, Kelley ’21, is going to live in the same Mod she lived in 34 years ago. • Paul Scobie wrote that he saw Ray and Gretchen (Papagoda) Parisi in Fort Lauderdale.

Gretchen is a freelance writer and lives in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Paul also wrote that Karen Broughton Boyarsky (legendary BC’86 class notes correspondent for 20 years) and her husband, Bruce, are playing lots of golf. Karen recently won “closest to the hole” in her Friday-night golf league. Thanks, everyone, for the awesome updates! Stay safe, happy, and healthy, and keep the news coming.

Correspondent: Leenie Kelley leeniekelley@hotmail.com

1987 Robert van Volkenburgh is working as an emergency physician in New Jersey. He’s married and has three teenagers. His latest passion is developing an off-the-grid cabin in New York. • Andrew Smith relocated to London with his fiancée for work in September 2019. He lives in Hampstead and works in the City as an employment lawyer for Standard Chartered Bank. He stays in touch with a number of classmates and is looking forward to watching BC

football in the fall at all hours of the night.

Correction: In the Summer 2020 issue, it was incorrectly stated that Tom Buckley is a realtor with Coldwell Banker. His wife, Jennifer Benson Buckley, is actually the realtor, while Tom is a partner with the law firm Goldberg Segalla in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Alumni Association apologizes for this error.

Boston College Alumni Association classnotes@bc.edu

1988 It’s early July, and the Class of ’88 is doing their best to deal with the new world in which we live. • Carol Palmer Winig found a silver lining in Zoom calls with Kim Lennon Burke, Sheila Campbell Corkhill MSW’89, Joan Cloherty Hillmer, Sue Moynihan Keating, Kathy O’Connor Morrisroe, and Erin Fleming Puleo. The roommates find it hard to believe they’ve been friends for over 35 years, yet whenever they get together, it feels like they’re back at the Heights! • Stephanie Callas Skedros continues to work in the alumni affairs and development office at Harvard University as the director of GSAS giving. Working from home since March, she also welcomed three children back home! Oldest daughter Anna is a graduate student at Simmons University; middle daughter Francesca graduated from George Washington University from their home in Sudbury; and youngest daughter Rebecca came home from Loyola Chicago. Stephanie said that it was an interesting time going from empty nest to full house. To top it off, a goldendoodle puppy, Marley, has also been added to the family. The Skedroses are doing their part to flatten the curve by wearing masks and cleaning their hands probably more than they should! • In career news, Donna Graham-Stewartson is the director of operations at the Gwen Ifill College of Media, Arts, and Humanities.

As a Simmons alumna, she feels honored to work at a college named after a fellow alumna and a Black female journalist who asked the hard questions. Donna manages the academic processes and procedures and the college budget. • After 15 years, Don Preskenis continues to work at First Citizens Bank in Raleigh, North Carolina, as the EVP, chief internal audit executive.

He and wife Tina celebrated both of their sons’ graduating in 2020. Ryan graduated from North Carolina State University with a master’s in accounting. He will join the public accounting firm Elliot Davis, LLC, in Raleigh in their audit practice.

Devin graduated in May from Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh. He will be attending the business school at High Point University in North Carolina this fall. The couple are looking forward to being empty nesters and figuring out what to do with all the free time! • As for myself, I returned to BC in January for an exhibition featuring artists from around the Indian Ocean. It was a rare occasion for me to see students

on campus, and it was hard to think of those smiling faces when weeks later they had a few hours’ notice to pack up and leave mid semester. The Class of 2020 should get priority housing at all their reunions going forward, and I sincerely hope the Class of ’21 has the senior year of their dreams!

Correspondent: Rob Murray murrman@aol.com

1989 Boston College Magazine now comes out three times year, so please be patient if it takes a few months to have your update included. Please do keep submitting online or via email to me! • Barry Waite and Christy Maxwell are so excited and proud that their twins, Jared and Logan, have joined the BC Class of 2024! • Brian Murphy has been working at the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, in Seattle since March 2011. He enjoys traveling around the great Pacific Northwest and building a personal library. Brian and his wife, Levie Aclao Murphy, have a son, Edward Aclao Murphy (3). • Bob Franks, PhD’00, launched his new book (and labor of love), Be a Better Parent (Difference Press, 2020), in June. It is available as an e-book on Amazon. • Michael Kern writes in that daughter Grace is entering the BC Class of 2024, majoring in neuroscience—a major that didn’t exist in our time. • Beth Dedrick Lawlor was named president, private wealth management, at U.S. Bank. Beth and her husband, Kevin, are spending the summer on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, with their children, Brendan ’20 and Gillian ’21. Gillian was named captain of the BC fencing team for the 2020–2021 season.

• Laura Kenda checks in with her firstever update. After years in the mortgage business, Laura traveled, hiking Mount Kilimanjaro and other mountains on all continents except Antarctica. She went back to teaching in 2001 in D.C.; volunteered in the Peace Corps from 2003 to 2005, teaching ESL in Bulgaria; went back to school to become a nurse at Johns Hopkins University; and has been an oncology nurse since—first at Hopkins and then in New England, after the birth of her daughter (now 11). Coping with COVID-19, Laura is grateful to have a job to go to every day to help others. Her faith and conversations with God help her to stay strong. She thanks BC for requiring philosophy and theology, helping to guide her in a positive direction, and for the BC exchange programs, as her international teaching internship helped to broaden her horizons.

She notes that we are blessed to have had the opportunity to receive such a fine education and advises us to stay strong, and stay positive, as we will get through this!

Correspondent: Andrea McGrath andrea.e.mcgrath@gmail.com

“There has never been a greater moment in time to make a difference. Our world is more open to change and more in need of change than ever before.”

RENÉ JONES ’86

DETAILS: CEO, M&T Bank

Building relationships, strengthening community

“G

rowing up, I didn’t know anybody who was a doctor. There was nobody in my family who ran their own business,” says René Jones ’86. “Boston College opened up a new set of possibilities for me.”

Today, Jones is one of four African American CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. He envisions his company, M&T Bank, as part of the glue binding his community in Buffalo, New York, together. Currently, M&T and local partners are developing the Tech Academy, a technology learning space to “give new career paths to people who have the aptitude to learn but haven’t been afforded the opportunities.”

As the youngest of six children in a bi-racial household in Ayer, Massachusetts, Jones was inspired to attend BC by his eldest sister, a BC Law graduate. He attributes his formation to the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center.

“When you find the people who lift you up, it almost becomes an inherent part of your being—you’ve got to do the same for others,” he says.

Jones’s leadership is influenced by his time at the Heights. He urges fellow business leaders toward empathy, especially as they confront issues of racial inequality. “The course for rebuilding the social contract is building relationships, asking questions, listening, exploring, and challenging the status quo,” Jones says. “It’s what we learned to do at Boston College: to challenge our intellect in service of others. To the extent that we can continue to do that, we can build our relationships and make them much stronger.”

René and his wife, Brigid Doherty ’96, BC valedictorian, have passed on the Jesuit values of service and education to their two teenagers. “We are a BC couple, after all,” René laughs. “From our vantage point, there has never been a greater moment in time to make a difference. Our world is more open to change and more in need of change than ever before.”

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1990 31ST REUNION Hello, classmates! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. While the pandemic may have delayed our 30th reunion, there was a lot of Facebook fun on the Class of 1990 page, where many shared amazing pictures from our time at BC. There was no shortage of big hair, sunglasses indoors, and images from the Mods, Gatsby, and tailgates. • In other news, Troy Clarkson continues his public sector executive work, having recently been named CFO for the City of Brockton. He was also recently named a labor arbitrator by the American Arbitration Association. His work as a columnist for the Enterprise in Falmouth continues to highlight all that is good about the community he calls home. He serves on the board of the Sober Living Foundation with BC classmate Jim Tierney and also donates his time as president of the Carousel of Light, a nonprofit that owns and operates an antique carousel in Falmouth, delighting kids of all ages each summer. • Nelson Lee writes that Governor Jay Inslee of Washington appointed him to the King County (Seattle) Superior Court in February to fill a judicial vacancy. Since no challengers filed against him before the filing deadline for this year’s primary, he retains his seat for four years. • Keep the news coming! Be well.

Correspondent: Missy Campbell Reid missybc90@comcast.net

1991 30TH REUNION I hope this finds everyone healthy and safe during this difficult time. • Hello from Chris Ruyak! Chris’s son, Calvin, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in June. He was off to Fort Benning, Georgia, in August for Ranger School. Chris’s daughter, Josie, is attending BC this fall as part of the Class of 2024.

Chris plans on visiting the Heights frequently and catching up with everyone!

• James ’88 and Joanna (Kaselis) Tzouvelis celebrated the graduations of two of their children this year: Arthur graduated from Bryant University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and Annette graduated from Belmont High School and will be attending the Massachusetts College of Art and Design this fall. Their youngest daughter, Angelica, is a sophomore and varsity cheerleader at Belmont High. They are hoping she will apply to BC when she is a senior. Joanna and James celebrated their 25th anniversary this year. • Jennifer Pomerantz Minson has started her fourth year at Arizona Autism Charter School, the first and only tuition-free public charter school in Arizona to serve students with autism in grades K–12. She is a special education program manager and supervises middle school teachers and students. • Kathleen Barry became an assistant chief of a criminal section of the Department of Justice’s tax division. She is a supervisor 64

in the northern region and is based in Washington, D.C. Kathy lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her spouse, Hank Cormier, a Delta pilot, and their daughter Abbie, who is a freshman at NYU. Daughter Ellie is a pastry chef in D.C. • Belated congratulations to Kim Lawless Romano, who was named the dean of the College of Education at Penn State in fall 2019. She joined PSU after a 20-year career at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she was the associate dean for research in the College of Education. • Stacy Slattery Richards and her husband have headed to warmer weather in Fort Myers, Florida.

They would love to connect with fellow Eagles in the area! Their son is off to Purdue, and their daughter, Katie, will be graduating from BC in 2021. Stacy will be growing her business, OysterReef Coaching, focused on real skills practice for 18–24-year-olds and seeking to launch careers that align with their values and become linchpins.

Correspondent: Peggy Morin Bruno pegmb@comcast.net

1992 Hi, everyone! Please send along your updates—we would love to hear from you. Thanks so much! • Laura Toner is a pediatrician at Urban Health Plan in the Bronx. She has been seeing patients through the pandemic, ensuring that all babies receive their vaccinations. She reports that Gina La Rocca is working on the front line as a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Laura sends a big thank-you to all the nurses from the Class of 1992. • Caitlin McLaughlin-Raiger and husband Michael, MA’89, have 11 children and live in Ave Maria, Florida.

Michael teaches at Ave Maria University, and Caitlin has a boutique dental practice in Naples. They are friends with classmate Vladimir Mathieu (a physician in Naples) and his wife, who have six children. In fact, their sons played high school football together. • Paul O’Hara lives in Mansfield and has worked at Fidelity Investments for the past 25 years. Paul is the proud father of five children, including son Ryan, who is a junior at BC. Paul loves visiting Ryan, especially for football games! • Ingrid Chiemi Schroffner’s oldest son, Jake Goodman, recently had his bar mitzvah, which was attended by classmate J. Barry McDonald and his family. Barry is doing well and still working at State Street. Last October, Ingrid, JD’95, became a member of the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education board of trustees. • Catherine Del Buono has lived in New York City for the past 25 years. She creates videos and installations that focus on social issues, including the project “Voices,” which focuses on domestic violence survivors. She writes: “I will have a Brooklyn version of the project in October thanks to a grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council. Because of the pandemic, it will only be one venue with an online exhibit and panel discussion.”

More information can be found at

voicesproject.info. • Marie Kendra Manning recently earned her APR (accreditation in public relations) credential. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia, and works for the American Red Cross doing marketing communications for its training division.

Marie keeps in touch with classmates Karen Smith, Tracy Farr Munoz Maines, Ed Smith Valentine, and Dan Cavarello, JD’95. Marie recently trained two of her dogs, a Boston terrier and a pug, to get their Novice Trick Dog titles from the AKC. Her eight-year-old pug took first place in the veteran’s class at the Pug Dog Club of Greater New York’s specialty show in February.

Correspondent: Katie Boulos Gildea kbgildea@yahoo.com

1993 Hi! Holy cow, how much has changed since mid-February when I submitted the last column. Those were the innocent pre-corona days when I was plotting and planning ways for us to all get together and celebrate our 50th birthdays sometime in 2021. Perhaps someday—but right now, we are still knee-deep in the pandemic, and my heart goes out to those of you who have felt it personally, including several BC’93 classmates who have lost parents to COVID-19. • I also realized a huge mistake you all saw in the Spring issue. When I write these up, sometimes I have some notes that I could pull from if we are ever short on words. That is how the incomplete, inaccurate list of BC’93 marriages appeared.

It was my personal jottings after Reunion, when I noticed how many of you all found each other during our four years at BC, an amazing feat I certainly didn’t come close to! I apologize. • And finally, I cannot let this column go without pausing to remember two lovely BC’93 women we have recently lost to cancer, Jennifer Levy Healy and Suzanne McClarney Teeven. How special that both were incredibly smart people known even more for their kindness and warm smiles. Love to the family and friends of both. • Sarah Irizarry Reichard shared that she recently moved to Fort Collins. Her twins, Marco and Valerie, are 14, and all are enjoying Colorado’s beautiful weather, hiking, and skiing. • Heather Bradford lives in Seattle and is a full-time faculty member at Georgetown University in their nurse-midwifery/women’s health nurse practitioner distance learning program. She is also in year one of her PhD in nursing science at Vanderbilt University and busy with three kids, ages 13, 11, and 11. • Kristen Ball lives in rural Kenya and wrote a middle-grade book based on that experience. The book, A Calf Named Brian Higgins (One Elm Books, 2018), won several awards for middle-grade fiction. Kristen has been doing author visits and book talks at schools, and she encourages people to consider looking for it at their local book store. • Congrats to BC’93ers who have kiddos heading to the Heights (or online Heights) next fall: Kristen Youngblood Walker, Michelle Vigneault Morash, Mark and Joan (Monahan) Streeter, Derek and Liz (Krackeler) Hammel, and Jayme Casey.

• Remember, I am writing this in June, so whenever you read it, that is how long the turnaround time is for news. This is hardly a place for breaking class news, but that can be found on our Facebook page: facebook. com/groups/BostonCollege93/ Correspondent: Laura Beck laurabeckcahoon@gmail.com

1994 It is my hope that this note finds my fellow classmates safe and well. These are certainly difficult times for everyone.

While I’ve grown a bit tired of the constant Zoom meetings, one silver lining is that the growing comfort level with platforms like Zoom have opened the door for more virtual connections with family and friends.

At the beginning of the pandemic, eight of my BC friends gathered for regular Zooms to catch up on how everyone was doing, life events (some happy—high school graduations—and some sad—deaths of family members) and how things were evolving in different parts of the country.

I encourage all of you to keep these important personal connections going. It is so critical at a time of persistent, and seemingly limitless, social isolation. • The good news—a double Eagle marriage!

Suzanne Powell West and her husband, Bruno ’95, celebrated 20 wonderful years of marriage in August 2020. • And finally, a little fun. Did you know that BC has posted some iconic dining hall recipes? Try the blondies: http://bit.ly/bcrecipesblondies.

Correspondent: Nancy E. Drane nancydrane@aol.com

1995 26TH REUNION Sandeep Bhammer, MS’15, is a partner and co-portfolio manager, emerging markets, at DA Capital, a hedge fund based in New York City. Previously Sandeep spearheaded Balyasny Asset Management’s investment efforts in South Asia as the managing director of its India office, and prior to that, he was an Asia-focused portfolio manager in its New York City office and at Amaranth Advisors in Greenwich (USA)/Singapore.

Sandeep also serves on the advisory board at Cornell University’s Emerging Markets Institute at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, from which he received his MBA in 2004.

• Nancy Dennery Goslee lives in New York City with her daughter and works at JPMorgan in their Corporate Investment Bank. She has been busy helping create the Boston College Alumni Arts Circle of New York, which she now co-chairs.

She has been spending the pandemic working from home and relaxing on the Jersey Shore. • In March, Michael Taylor received the endorsement of the Republican Committee of Chester County to run for the Pennsylvania General Assembly, D155, in the November 2020 election.

Correspondent: Kevin McKeon kmckeon@gmail.com

1996 25TH REUNION On May 23, Mae and Robby Reyes welcomed another boy, Alexander Evan, to their family. Big brothers Ethan (9) and Zachary (7) were excited to find out where babies come from even though some details are still a bit fuzzy to them. • Sean Desmond served as the president of the Tallahassee Bar Association alongside Erin Tilton ’10, who served as president of the Young Lawyers Section of the Tallahassee Bar Association—two Eagles serving as presidents of the Bar Association at the same time in Tallahassee, Florida! • This marks my last issue of Boston College Magazine as correspondent for the Class of 1996. I’ve been grateful to collect your stores over the past years and to stay in touch with so many of you, through marriages, moves, job changes, and the births of many children. Wishing you all the best, and please keep in touch!

Correspondent: Mike Hofman mhofman12@gmail.com

1997 After graduating from the Carroll School of Management, Mark Guilfoile landed a sales job in Boston. Since then, his career with the same company transferred him to New York, Tokyo, Quito, Toronto, Bogota, Dubai, and Lausanne. In January of this year, he moved to Manila as marketing director, Philippines. As of mid-June, he has spent more days as a functional leader under quarantine at home than at the office. Like so many others, he is learning new ways to cope with the pandemic, yet, in his case, in a foreign land far, far from home! • Christopher Duncan is a candidate for San Clemente, California, City Council. • Peter Weissberg and his wife, Lauren, daughter, Olivia (12), and son, Ben (8), recently relocated to Cooper City, Florida. Peter continues in his role as VP of market access at Intouch Solutions, while Lauren will teach third grade in Cooper City. The Weissbergs look forward to catching up with all classmates who may find themselves in Greater Fort Lauderdale/ Miami once the world reopens!

Correspondent: Margo Rivera Gillespie margogillespie@gmail.com

1998 Happy fall, Class of 1998! Hope you are all doing well after the crazy, challenging start of 2020. • After 20 years of career at financial institutions PaineWebber, Merrill Lynch, UBS, and Pictet, Vasileios Karatzenis established VDK Capital early this year to try to make a difference and focus on people and things that really matter. VDK Capital is an ecosystem that creates synergies between entrepreneurs and inspiring minds around the globe who want to connect and exchange ideas about today’s world and create a better future. It also provides unique access to niche funds that invest in innovative and disruptive

opportunities and sectors which will shape tomorrow’s lifestyle affected by different challenges. • Erika and Chris Mancini celebrated 17 years of marriage in August.

They live in Larchmont, New York, and have four children: Thomas (15), Clare (13), John (9), and Paul (3). Chris works as an analyst as Gabelli Funds. • OiYan Poon is excited to move back to Chicago in summer 2020 to start a new job and career adventure in research philanthropy. As a program officer at the Spencer Foundation, she will have the opportunity to influence and support the development of innovative research for education equity and still continue to work on her own research projects.

Correspondent: Mistie P. Lucht hohudson@yahoo.com

1999 Christian Baird married Camilla Ann Currin in St. Augustine Beach, Florida, on May 28. Two months into the COVID-19 era, it was a wedding party of four—the bride and groom plus Christian’s parents, Joella and Dane Baird ’66—but all were happy that something good could come out of this pandemic! • In March, Danielle Schonback Garbien, a leading lawyer in the renewable energy finance and transactional space, joined the power practice at Bracewell LLP as a partner in the New York office. • Jodi Cilley was recently asked to participate as a contributor to the Community Voices Project, an initiative by the San Diego UnionTribune to share monthly commentaries written by prominent San Diegans. Also, another BC graduate who moved to San Diego, Alfred Howard, is now also a contributor to the project, so BC is well represented in their local paper! • Patrick Kennedy has been writing lately for The American Bystander, a print humor magazine whose other contributors include writers for the New Yorker, The Simpsons, and SNL. The New York Times has called the Bystander “an essential read for comedy nerds.” Patrick and wife Andrea have two children: son Declan is in second grade, and daughter Oona is starting kindergarten. They live in Brighton.

• Erin Manahan Murphy, Mina Penna, Danielle Shea Tan, Neetika Mittal Gandhi, Jennifer Hassenberg Parikh, Deepa Kairen, Stacey Salko Cirillo, and Sue Manchester Quigley still see each other regularly whether it’s with their kids, dogs, and/or spouses. In light of recent (and not-so-recent) events involving racial injustice, Erin invited us to join her in reading Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad. We are working through the book together, meeting via Zoom every two weeks to discuss. • Jessica Edreich Lang, MEd’05, started a new job at Swarovski North American headquarters in December 2019 in the consumer goods business division and in May, she also became a 200-hour registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance.

Correspondent: Matt Colleran colleran.matt@gmail.com Correspondent: Emily Wildfire ewildfire@hotmail.com 65

2000 21ST REUNION As I sit down to write this column in early summer, I know that many of us were saddened to miss out on the chance to attend our 20th reunion. Thankfully, we will have many more reunions to come.

However, I would be remiss if I did not personally acknowledge and thank all of the frontline workers from the entire BC community, but especially our Class of 2000 members, for all of their dedication to the COVID-19 crisis. We have so many talented classmates who have had their part in helping with the crisis, from doctors and nurses to first responders and researchers.

Thank you also to all our classmates who are using their voices for racial equality.

With so much going on in our country, it is wonderful to see many of the ideals taught at Boston College are creating a positive impact on our communities. • Liam Timmons, MBA’10, recently hired a fellow Eagle, BC senior Joseph Landry, for the inaugural internship program at Timmons Wealth Management. The firm, based in southern Massachusetts, recently celebrated its eighth anniversary. • This fall, Sara Helfrich, MEd’01, will begin her 11th year at Ohio University, where she was recently promoted to professor of teacher education.

As of July, Sara is senior associate dean of research and graduate studies in the Patton College of Education. • Mary Taylor started a wine company, Mary Taylor Wine. The wines are sold throughout New England and are all affordable, typical European appellation wines. You can connect with Mary at www.mt.wine. • Gregory Angelo has been appointed press secretary for the Office of National Drug Control Policy at the White House, part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States.

He was previously communications director for Congressman Pete Olson of Texas following a six-year tenure as president of the Log Cabin Republicans. • Jessica Pulzetti Nguy was a co-presenter at the 2020 MATSOL Virtual Conference on the topic of ESL curriculum development and unit sharing. This was her third consecutive year presenting at the conference. Jess and her colleagues are building a shared bank of high-quality curriculum units for ESL teachers statewide. Jessica currently teaches ELL for Arlington Public Schools. • Damon and Jillaire (Wangsgard) McMillan were married just two weeks after our commencement and celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary this June! In early 2019, they started Blue Trail Engineering, which sells waterproof robotics components. Jillaire also works part-time as chief of staff for the nonprofit Mormon Women for Ethical Government. After time in rural Washington and Silicon Valley, they are now raising their four children in northern Colorado. • Juan and Katie (Medinger) Benitez welcomed a baby boy, Crosby Thomas, on December 8, 2019, at Mount Sinai in New York City. The family live in Hoboken and enjoy spending time with little Crosby. • Thank you to everyone 66

who submitted news for this edition.

Receiving your notes always make me so proud to be part of the Class of 2000.

Correspondent: Kate Pescatore katepescatore@hotmail.com

2001 20TH REUNION Happy fall, Class of 2001! • Meghan Blueberry McCarthy finished 25th grade!

Congratulations to Meghan for earning a doctorate of science in health-care administration! • John and Christine (Judware) Cope are pleased to announce the birth of their son, Gabriel Thomas, on March 5. His grandparents and big sister Elizabeth (3) are over the moon with joy. • Nicholas Priselac and his wife, Jill, welcomed a baby girl, Kelsey Brooke, on May 22. • Patrick Morrissey was selected by the Bedford High School Class of 2020 to be the faculty graduation speaker. Patrick has worked at Bedford High School as a math teacher and the department head for middle and high school since 2009.

• Congratulations to Beth Ann Reilly on being appointed planning commissioner for the Town of Brookhaven, on Long Island.

In her role as one of the town attorney’s top deputies, Beth has specialized in planning issues, rewritten much of the town zoning code, and advised the town planning board.

Beth was confirmed unanimously by the town board in March. • Keep those updates coming! Stay safe, classmates!

Correspondent: Sandi Birkeland Kanne bc01classnotes@gmail.com

2002 Congratulations to Jason Sinnarajah, who is moving from San Francisco to Buffalo to take a role running the business operations of the Buffalo Bills. He is excited to be back in sports and hopes that the Bills will continue to keep drafting great players from BC such as Matt Milano. • Brooke Chase Cochran started a new job as a sales strategy and operations leader for Google based in Boston. Brooke lives in Beacon Hill with her husband, Craig, and their two daughters, Lola (6) and Coco (3).

Correspondent: Suzanne Harte suzanneharte@yahoo.com

2003 Derrick Knight was elected the 56th president of the Boston College Varsity Club at the club’s 83rd annual meeting. A Second Team All Big East Selection, Derrick set the all-time BC career rushing record with 3,725 yards (currently fourth all-time) in 2003. Derrick was also the recipient of the George H. “Bulger” Lowe Award, presented by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston, as the outstanding football player in New England. Derrick, a Rockland native, and his wife, Jessica, have a daughter, Payton, and a son, Myles. • Andrea Bernardino Bevis, MA/MBA’10, has been named to the Forbes/SHOOK list of America’s Top Women Wealth Advisors 2020 and Forbes’

Best-In-State Wealth Advisors 2020. • Melissa Ouellette Croteau; her husband, Jeff; and big sister Lilah welcomed a second daughter, Kate Elizabeth, in April 2019. • In January, James Obletz was named president of the travel division of Delaware North, one of the largest privately held hospitality and entertainment companies in the world. • Ryan Broz married Talia Wheeler on June 12 at St. Mary’s of Newport. BC alumni and students who were present included James ’01, MA’01, and Meghan (Broz) Schubert ’01; Timothy and Amy (Gallo) Ryan; and Connor Kennedy ’21. Ryan and Talia live in Newport, Rhode Island. • Ben and Sarah (Stroker) Durie welcomed their second daughter, Genevieve Willow Rosie, to the world on March 24. Baby Evie joins big sister Eloise. The family resides in Healdsburg, California. • Darrell Goodwin has been appointed bishop-elect of the Midwest region of the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries. He will be installed in 2021 after a year of preparation and will also continue to serve as an associate conference minister in the United Church of Christ. • Toni Ann Kruse, JD’08, and Jonathan Richard welcomed baby boy Langston Kruse Richard on January 2, 2019. Big sister Annabelle is taking her job of teaching her brother very seriously, and Langston is a quick study, running around the house and starting to say a number of words. Also, this January, Toni Ann was promoted to equity partner at McDermott Will & Emery LLP, where she has been practicing in the private client group in the firm’s New York office since graduating from BC Law in 2008. The happy (and busy) family is making the best of extra time at home in Maplewood, New Jersey. • Patrick Murphy is happy to announce a recent move from the Boston area to Ridgefield, Connecticut. If there are ’03 Eagles in the area who would like to reconnect, let him know!

Boston College Alumni Association classnotes@bc.edu

2004 Matt and Courtney (Shea) Winters welcomed a baby boy, Ryan Matthew, on May 8. He joins big sister Charlotte (2). The family recently moved to Medfield. • Kristyl Berckes Asakiewicz has been selected to the 2020 New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars list, an honor reserved for those lawyers who exhibit excellence in practice— only 2.5 percent of attorneys in New Jersey receive this distinction. Kristyl represents clients in all aspects of matrimonial and family law at Lawrence Law. • Nathan Jones and wife Lauren Ferrara ’06 welcomed baby Brian, born in October 2019, to their family.

Big brother William loves him so much and can’t wait to show him around the Heights.

• David Storey returned to BC as a professor in the philosophy department, where he teaches Perspectives on Western Culture and courses on the ethics of climate change and the philosophy of technology. Through a sabbatical from BC and a grant from the American Philosophical Association, David

recently started a podcast called Wisdom at Work: Philosophy Beyond the Ivory Tower, where he interviews people who studied philosophy—BAs, MAs, or PhDs—and transitioned into careers outside academia.

He hopes it will be a useful resource to students looking for creative ways to parlay their humanities degrees into successful and fulfilling careers. • After living and working in the insurance industry in Asia for 10 years, Joel Lieginger, with wife Emily Terry Lieginger, MS’05, and their three children, repatriated to California. In 2020, Joel launched the Paceline app (paceline.fit) with the mission to connect the worlds of health and wellness and financial services to change the nature of preventative health in society.

Correspondent: Alexandra “Allie” Weiskopf allieweiskopf@gmail.com

2005 16TH REUNION Despite a delayed class reunion due to the pandemic, life has not stopped for the renowned Class of 2005. • Meredith DeMaina Kells, MS’07, PhD’19, has been accepted to a postdoctoral program at the University of Chicago. • Julienne PenzaBoone was named executive director of the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center in Westhampton Beach, New York, where she has been focused on delivering upon WHBPAC’s mission to provide high-quality performing arts to its community and fundraising to sustain the theater throughout the COVID-19 crisis. • Christine Mitchell Keenan is living in Washington, D.C., with her family. • In an effort to maintain their personal, parental, and professional sanity, Brianne Burke Harrison, Paige Stapp, Brigid Hinterberger, Nora Donaldson Rosenthal, Meg McManama, and Beth Cummings Carney have gathered virtually each week since March. • Despite having to cancel their original wedding reception due to the pandemic, Jen Conley married Alonso Escalante on June 26 in Quincy. The celebration with 15 members of their immediate families at St. Ann’s Church was followed by a party in the bride’s parents’ backyard. The newlyweds met in 2016 while working for the New York Giants, where Jen is the director of corporate and football communications and Alonso was part of the coaching staff. The couple hope to celebrate with their larger group of friends and family in the future. • TJ ’03 and Mary Christine (Kwiatek) Paxton, MEd’06, are thrilled to announce the arrival of their baby boy, John Matthias, who was born on March 29 at the height of the pandemic. • James McLaughlin and his wife, Laura, also brought joy to the world this past March with the birth of their son, Ryan James. • Bethany and Gregory Walsh, MBA’11, MS’12, celebrated the birth of their son, Hunter Lawrence, in December 2019.

They hope he will attend BC as a freshman in the Class of 2041. • Katherine ’04 and José López, MEd’06, welcomed a beautiful baby boy into their lives in June 2020. •

Chris Di Napoli and his wife, Laura, are proud to announce the birth of their son, John Thomas, this past June. • Gina Damico and William Sullivan ’02 are thrilled to announce the birth of their first child, Ryan, in October 2019. • John Curley and his wife, Karey, are proud to introduce their new daughter, Margaret Rey, who was born in February. John’s three-year BC roommate and best mate, Andrew Grillo, was unable to be present for the birth but celebrated the momentous occasion with a glass of bubbly, cracking open a bottle of Dom Perignon. Known for their epic road trips, John and Andrew are already planning their next adventure.

Correspondent: Joe Bowden joe.bowden@gmail.com Correspondent: Justin Barrasso jbarrasso@gmail.com

2006 15TH REUNION Matthew Porcelli has joined Massachusetts Financial Services Investment Management as a counsel working with the fixed-income investment team, relocating from New York City to the Boston area with his wife and son. • Mike and Beth (Brady) Zanazzi welcomed their first baby, Connor Michael, on March 29. • Garrett and Marianne (Tierney) FitzGerald, PhD’16, are excited to share the news that Christopher Patrick was born on June 24. Christopher joins his big brother William in cheering on the Eagles and hopes to attend his first college football game at Alumni Stadium someday like William did. • Jayshree Mahtani married Sandeep Chouksey on March 8 in Jaipur, India! Eagles in attendance included Elizabeth Weyman, Rebecca Madson MA’08; Natalie Caruso MBA’11; Kate Basile MSW’14; Alana Mahoney; Amanda Kearns; Matthew Putorti; Luis Berdeja ’05, MA’07, MBA’12; and MichaelAaron Flicker ’05.

Also, in July 2020, Jayshree joined the General Assembly as their general counsel.

• Doug and Jean (Blosser) Brown welcomed baby girl Charlotte in June. Charlotte joins big brother Luke (2). • Craig and Kaitlin (O’Malley) Duffy welcomed their second son, Colin Patrick, on February 29—a leap year baby! Ryan (2) is taking his big-brother duties very seriously! • Proud parents Andrew, JD’16, and Alyson (Boulanger) Smith welcomed baby girl Delaney Martin on September 12, 2019.

She is also welcomed into the family by BC Classes of 2037 and 2039 big siblings Andrew and Meredith. • On April 10, Brian Roundy and Bridget Fitzgerald welcomed their first child, James. Everyone is happy and healthy, and the new arrival is already an expert in social distancing and looks forward to meeting other Children of the Quarn when it’s safe to do so. • Matthew Putorti was promoted to counsel at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman in New York.

Correspondent: Cristina Conciatori conciato@bc.edu

2007 In March, Daniel Park was promoted to principal at Berman Fink Van Horn, in Atlanta, where he is a member of the business and real estate litigation, noncompete/trade secrets, and labor and employment practice areas. He joined the firm in 2006. • On May 19, Andrew and Christina (Bechhold) Russ welcomed a daughter, Celeste Marie, in London, UK. • Since April, Dong Joo Lee has been a special assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. He began working in the office’s fraud and public corruption unit after completing a judicial clerkship with Chief Judge Roslynn Mauskopf of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. • Stephen and Meaghan Whalen-Kielback welcomed their first child, Oliver Kielback, in July 2019. Since 2013, Meaghan has worked at Sarepta Therapeutics, managing clinical trials in treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. • Michael and Elizabeth (Fabiani) Rooney welcomed their daughter, Collins Caroline “Cece” Rooney, into the world on July 25, 2019. Despite the circumstances, they’ve really enjoyed spending so much time with her and watching her grow. The family lives in New York City. • Tyler ’06 and Megan (Connelly) Gaffney welcomed a healthy baby girl, Olivia Mary, to the world on May 13. Her initials happen to be OMG— fitting when born during a pandemic! The Gaffneys live in San Francisco.

Correspondent: Lauren Faherty Bagnell lauren.faherty@gmail.com

2008 On March 13, Will ’05 and Lauren (Carfora) Wright welcomed their second son, Henry Nicholas, into the world. Henry joins big brother William (3). They can’t wait to bring Henry to his first BC football game, as they have loved returning to campus with William. For now, they’ll stay put at home in Connecticut and play catch in the backyard! • Thayer Surette married Steve Roberts on July 25 in a tiny COVID-era ceremony including only immediate family. Steve’s 5-year-old daughter, Samantha, was the flower girl.

Thayer and Steve plan to celebrate with friends and family in 2021. • Ryan Karlsgodt returned home to San Diego in 2017 after spending the first part of his career in national politics and the federal government.

Now he is starting an exciting new chapter with Strategies 360, a full-service research, public affairs, and communications firm based throughout the western United States.

He is happy to be back home, making new friends, reconnecting with old friends, and growing new roots in a region that he loves. • Annie Messmer-Kurdziel and her wife, Sarah, recently became foster parents, welcoming four children (8, 7, 5, and 8 months) into their home this past year with much support from fellow BC alumni.

They reside in Chicago, where Annie is an engagement manager with McKinsey and Company, and Sarah is a physician.

• Anthony and MJ (Brennan) Redfield 67

welcomed their first child, Tobias Michael, on May 2! • Just before Christmas, Sara Bailey and her husband, Jack, welcomed a second son to their family. Tucker Bradley was born on December 23, and his big brother, Sullivan, couldn’t be happier to have a playmate.

Correspondent: Maura Tierney Murphy mauraktierney@gmail.com

2009 Daniel Gostin ’09, MS’18, is proud to announce that in March he returned to the Heights to start a new position as manager of financial applications and reporting in the controller’s office. • Kristina Aste-Mayer, MEd’10, a national board certified teacher, recently graduated from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English with an MA in literature.

She served as the senior class treasurer for its University of Oxford campus, helping achieve 100-percent class gift participation. Kristina recently presented on pedagogical strategies for secondary English instruction at the 2019 annual convention for the National Council for Teachers of English held in Baltimore.

She also facilitated a similar session at the 2019 regional convention for the New England Association of Teachers of English.

• Jackie Ouellet Clarkson, MBA’16, and her husband, Brian, welcomed their first daughter, Olivia, on February 29. • Dylan Conley is running for U.S. Congress in Rhode Island. He writes: “Right now is a once-in-a-century moment of change in American politics and culture. I am running because Boston College demanded that I excel and commit myself to community and service. Right now, together, we have the chance to stand up and take the future we deserve.” • David Bernadino is currently a mailman with the Bristol, Connecticut, post office. • Penelope Smith founded the travel website Is This Seat Taken? which is meant for inspiration and entertainment. The website has sample guides for type-A travelers and easy on-demand itineraries for those who aren’t. • James Ohliger is cofounder of a multi-million-dollar advertising agency in New York City, Jerry Media, and produced an Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary, Fyre, in 2019. • Ryan McAuliffe and his wife, Birgitte Oerlemans, were delighted to welcome their first child, Ms. Josephine Ella McAuliffe, who made her debut on May 31 in London, UK. She is eager to meet many BC alumni once travel restrictions relax and is already looking forward to future tailgating at the Heights with mom, dad, and godmother KC McAuliffe ’17, in the years to come!

Correspondent: Timothy Bates tbates86@gmail.com

2010 11TH REUNION Kathryn Casey, MSW’11, married Christopher Harlow in summer 2018.

Many BC alumni were in attendance, 68

including family members of the bride and groom Paul Casey ’70, MBA’76; Tess Casey ’05; Sean Flanagan ’05; Joan PilkingtonSmyth ’76; Jerry Pilkington ’73; and Sue Tierney Mullaney ’88. Mother of the bride, Mary Pilkington-Casey, MSW’75, JD’86, was present in spirit. Bridesmaids included Maeve Kennedy-Gormly ’12, MSW’14; Megan Grandmont-Melendy; Amy Senese Eifler; Kara Huselton; and Vittoria Macadino-Francios MEd’11. Guests included Claire Duggan; Kathleen Sellers ’09, MTS’11; Olivia Amadon MSW’16; Kim Martin Winer; Kaz Filus; Luci Passanisi ’11; Elizabeth Drake JD’13; Joseph Lee; Skye Shirley; and Samuel Lawrence ’11, JD’14. • After seven years on active duty as a nurse in the U.S. Army, serving all over the U.S. and in South Korea, Chelsea Perrin recently graduated from the University of Michigan with a master’s in nurse-midwifery and relocated back to Massachusetts with her husband. She now works at the secondoldest free-standing birth center in the country, the North Shore Birth Center at Beverly Hospital. • Christine Andrews is celebrating her fifth anniversary of employment at the Boston VA Medical Center. • Ben and Jen (Thomasch) Applegate welcomed a daughter, Caroline Rose, on March 30—future Eagle, Class of 2042! • Always an Eagle, Matt Gelman is also adding Falcon to his bill, as he began an MBA program at Bentley University this summer and is expecting to graduate in 2023. He also was promoted to a new role as deputy director of a local theater company in Boston. • Diandra Sciarappa Murphy and her husband welcomed their first child, Liam Michael, on May 24. • Piergiorgio and Katherine-Anne (Schwartz) Maselli welcomed their daughter, Clara, on February 3, 2020. Another future Eagle! • On February 20, 2020, Lauren Lynch and Scott Mathison welcomed their first child, Oliver Ian Mathison (future Eagle, 2042).

• Erin Coburn Tilton recently completed a year of service as president of the Tallahassee Bar Association Young Lawyers Section.

Correspondent: Bridget K. Sweeney bridget.k.sweeney@gmail.com

2011 10TH REUNION Allison Koons married Laura Ingram on November 9, 2019. Steph Fernandes; Suzannah Lutz; and Liz Creamer ’14, MEd’15, attended the wedding. • Fr. Wade Bass was recently assigned to serve as the directorchaplain of SMU Catholic Campus Ministry in Dallas. • Taylor Canfield competed in his first race with the U.S. SailGP team in Sydney in February, earning a fifth-place finish. • On May 22, 2020, Chad and Megan (Shane) Munchbach, MEd’12, welcomed their son, Jackson Shane Munchbach, into the world. Megan is hopeful that Jackson will be in the BC Class of 2042!

Correspondent: Brittany Lynch Pruitt brittanymichele8@gmail.com

2012 Maggie Connolly began a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Rochester this summer. • Kevin Hall took up Norwegian on Duolingo during the pandemic, which, he says, will be useful—at some point. He now proofreads for a design firm whose main clients are pharmaceutical companies.

He has a newfound respect for those who braved the premed track. • MK McAdams teaches middle school social studies in San Francisco’s Mission District. Founded by a Twitter chief scientist, Alta Vista School prioritizes experiential, hands-on learning.

MK will be the founding teacher of a new program designed to acclimate students to the middle school. She lives in San Mateo with her fiancée, who is also a teacher. The two met at Yale, where they both earned master of divinity degrees. • Aydan Sarikaya and Jonathan McKenna ’06 hosted the virtual CB Insights Technology Conference together June 16–18. Speakers ranged from Mark Cuban and Chamath Palihapitiya (founder and CEO of Social Capital) to Cal Henderson (cofounder and CTO of Slack) and Julie Bornstein (of The Yes). Both Aydan and Jonathan are members of the customer success team at CB Insights, helping their clients stay ahead of innovation and emerging technology trends. • Congratulations to Shea and Felisha (Patel) Clark, who welcomed their beautiful baby boy, Gavin Patrick, on May 17. • After completing an MTS in systematic theology at the University of Notre Dame, Shaun Slusarski is enthusiastically returning to the Heights this fall to begin his PhD in theological ethics. • Michael Goodman Jr., MS’20, writes: “It feels great to be back at the Heights at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development as a web, social media, and events support specialist!” Michael is also now completing his master’s degree at the Woods College of Advancing Studies.

Correspondent: Riley Sullivan sullivan.riley.o@gmail.com

2013 Meghan Smith won a New England Emmy award in June for a short documentary she coproduced in her role as a digital producer at WGBH in Boston: Redemption: MIT’s Prison Education Program focuses on an MIT program that teaches “inside-out classes” and brings undergraduate students inside local prisons to take classes side by side with incarcerated men and women. • Congratulations to Margeau (Frigon) ’14, MEd’15, and Ryan Jong, who welcomed their first child, Adelaide Rose, in February.

• Congratulations to Kimberly Sykes and her husband, Robin Clark, who welcomed their first baby, daughter Genevieve, in May. • Angelica Ferrazzi has been working as an RN at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (MGUH) for the past seven years.

Her diligent work with both patient care and nurse leadership was recognized by the hospital, as she was named the 2020 MGUH Magnet Nurse of the Year. Due to

COVID-19 Nurses’ Week modifications, MGUH surprised Angelica with a Zoom call from the Washington Capitals, where star players presented her the award!

Angelica was also named a finalist in the Star Nurses of the DMV program through the Washington Post and American Nurses Association. Angelica recently graduated with her doctorate of nursing practice in adult/gerontological primary care from UMass Amherst. She hopes to use this degree in both clinical practice and academia. Her doctoral research in “Deprescribing Inappropriate Medications in Older Adults” has been selected for presentation at the national conference for Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders. Angelica and her cat, Winston, are thriving in their northern Virginia apartment, but she misses her fellow BC alumni and friends all over the country!

Correspondent: Bryanna Mahony Robertson bryanna.mahony@gmail.com

2014 After opening a social enterprise restaurant in partnership with the Jesuits in Sydney, Thomas Harpole is back in the USA and enjoying the Rocky Mountain life in Denver as a musician and real estate entrepreneur!

He closed his 60th residential deal in two years as an investor and realtor and says that he has learned so much about serving clients and working hard. He also just released his new acoustic single, “Fifteen Steps,” on Spotify and iTunes. He plays music venues along the Front Range with his band! Check out his website, harpsmusic.com. • The gentlemen of Mod 24A, a historically gregarious group, continued their annual tradition of reunion and reminiscence, albeit virtually this year. A group steeped in the pursuit of academia, there was much to celebrate this year—Taylor Stockton celebrated his graduation from Harvard Business School Online (HBS-O), Eddie Parisi entered his second year of HBS-O, and Alex “Elax” Trombetta left his job at COPE Health Solutions to attend Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and Public Health (also online, probably, HSoBaPH-O). Pursuing a more rewarding path, Nate “the studious one” Schlein has taken on a second job as cameraman for Alyssa Cubello’s charitable weekly yoga classes, while Coleman “the homeowner” Younger absconded to Maine for the foreseeable future in hopes of disrupting the lobster commodity futures market. Finally, Sam “Legoheaded” Shriver has slowly removed different elements of food out of his diet, and now subsists purely on kale. Amidst much merriment, the celebrations were aplenty! • Lauren Ruvo and Matthew Carroll were married on August 8 in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Correspondent: Jenn Howard howardjlk@gmail.com

2015

2017

6TH REUNION

On May 22, Arthur Bailin graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law with his JD degree. He was planning to take the Georgia Bar in September and will start work at the Conasauga Circuit Public Defender’s office in Dalton, Georgia.

Correspondent: Joshua Beauregard joshf94@charter.net

Sarah Moy graduated from Emory University School of Law in May 2020. • Also in May, Dylan Salomone graduated with a master’s in social work from Columbia University. • Jonathan Pierre, who works for the Bulfinch Group, was recently named a Leaders Club qualifier by the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. Leaders Club is one of the highest honors annually awarded

by Guardian to financial professionals who demonstrate outstanding service and dedication to their clients. • After graduating from BC, Jourdan Jackson completed two AmeriCorps service terms at an educational equity nonprofit in Seattle. For the past three years, he served middle/high schoolers in TRIO pre-college programs of Upward Bound/Talent Search in the Seattle area.

This fall, he is attending the University of San Francisco to pursue a master’s in higher education and student affairs. He is excited to be attending another Jesuit institution!

Correspondent: Victoria Mariconti victoria.mariconti@gmail.com

2016 5TH REUNION Congratulations to Julia Biango, who received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to South Africa in sub-Saharan development policy research. Julia supported the teaching of English at the University of Pretoria as part of a project to investigate educational and community development efforts in the country. • Vivian Grimes recently moved from LA back to Naples, Florida, to start her own venture, Henri Noël Fine Jewelry.

When she moved back to her hometown in January to grow and scale her business, she had no idea she was going to have to fight with a worldwide pandemic. She writes: “The support from my Boston College peers has been really phenomenal in helping spread the word of this venture.” • In May, Bob Martignetti, along with his siblings, officially opened Faces Brewing Co., a brewery and restaurant in Malden—near the Malden Center stop on the Orange Line. “It may not be an ideal time to enter into the restaurant business, but we’re excited to keep growing,” Bob writes. • Kyra Constam Fung and Adam Fung eloped on March 23 after postponing their March 21 wedding just six days prior.

They will continue to celebrate 3.21.2020, as it was already engraved on their rings. • James Reed writes: “My great friend and roommate here in Savannah, Georgia, George Stevenson, has served for the past 18 months in the U.S. Army Special Operations community as an Army Ranger. George is currently deployed with the 75th Ranger Regiment, completing his second combat deployment.

My great friend Peter Connell, my senior year roommate in Ruby, is also currently serving overseas on a combat deployment. Thank you both for your service, and I can’t wait to split a Natural Light with you soon.”

Correspondent: Abby Regan reganab@bc.edu

2018 Nik Diamondidis is a full-time musician in New York City; his first major solo project was called More Than Matter. In March, he put together a fundraiser livestream concert on Instagram with some BC friends for Meals on Wheels, a charity that brings food to the elderly. He thought it was particularly important in light of the coronavirus, which is affecting so many older people. Together, they raised almost $2,000 from the event. • Briana Maund graduated with a master’s of theological studies from the University of Notre Dame, and Kayla Fernando will attend Duke University to pursue a PhD in neurobiology this fall. Congrats, Briana and Kayla!

Correspondent: Lizzie Lolis elizabethslolis@gmail.com

2019 Talia Shapiro, MEd’20, is excited to announce that, after completing her master’s and becoming a Double Eagle, she has accepted a job in the Waltham Public Schools as a fourth grade special education teacher in a co-taught inclusion classroom. • Matt Kenny graduated from U.S. Army Ranger School in June. • Christopher Russo continues to grow the BC Media Alumni Network, the independent affinity group he recently founded. In the past year, Chris expanded the group to more than 700 members and hosted networking events across the country. Over the summer, he planned and executed a lineup of virtual events to keep the group engaged, which featured appearances from prominent BC alumni such as TV personality Clinton Kelly ’91 and VP of global marketing at Google Marvin Chow ’95. You can follow the BC Media Alumni Network on social media @ bcmediaalumni.

Boston College Alumni Association classnotes@bc.edu

2020 Benjamin Posorske authored a paper during quarantine titled “High Content, LabelFree Analysis of Proplatelet Production from Megakaryocytes.” It was a four-year project that presents an open-source, highcontent, label-free analysis, unsupervised machine learning pipeline for quantifying and profiling human cells from microscope images. He has enjoyed his time as a hematology researcher at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital so far, and he is excited for what the future 69

holds. • This fall, Richard Lee headed to Marines Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia, with two other 2020 graduates. He is excited to start his career with America’s armed forces! • In May, the Air Force commissioned Matthew Preston to second lieutenant; he will serve in cyber defense. He was the only BC student commissioned by the Air Force this year.

Congratulations to all of the Class of 2020’s ROTC students! • Luke Tannenbaum was awarded a Fulbright grant as a teaching assistant and will be teaching English in the Canary Islands next year. He is looking forward to immersing himself in the culture of the islands and leaning into everything that the experience offers.

Boston College Alumni Association classnotes@bc.edu

BC SOCIAL WORK After spending many years as a communityoriented psychotherapist, Paul “Chuck” Brewer, MA’13, MSW’13, is now the director of psychological health for the Vermont Army National Guard. • John Carswell, MSW’57, is proud of having 28 grandchildren and stepgrandchildren from two wonderful wives— Elaine (who died 25 years ago) and Helen. He had a very successful career as CEO at a child and family care center in the Capital Region of New York, developing many creative and progressive programs, and writes that none of his achievements could have been possible without the education he received from BC. • Alice McCarter, MSW’97, recently passed the social work supervision examination, her application for a Clinical Social Work license by comity having been approved in January. She plans to begin supervising new social workers now that she has relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina. • For the past five years, James Donegan, OFM Cap, MTS’06, MSW’08, has been secretary of economic solidarity for the Capuchin Franciscans General Curia in Rome. In March, while on a weeklong mission trip to Zambia, he found himself not “under lockdown,” but “locked out” of Italy for over three months until regular flights had resumed and he could return home. But he appreciated the chance to get to know a bit more of the southern African context and the work of the friars there during the pandemic, and to be able to enter more into the culture and reality of the place than he otherwise could have. • Jennifer Blewett, MSW’10, has split her time during the pandemic between Massachusetts, working remotely, and the Finger Lakes region of New York. In May, she participated in a virtual commencement at the University of Southern California, where she received a doctorate in social work. She works at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she has been a clinician in addiction psychiatry for the past seven years. • Stephanie Butler Moore, MSW’11, has been working in the urban education field since she graduated from the School of Social Work. She is the director of student support at a charter school network in southeast Washington, D.C., where she oversees all related services providers and manages compliance for special 70

education school-wide. She married last year, and she and her husband reside in D.C. • In May, Ashley Hammonds McMillan, MSW’11, earned her PhD in educational leadership, policy, and human development from North Carolina State University. She also started a new position as the American Indian liaison to the chancellor at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. • Halley Choy, MSW’19, recently began working at Vassar College as an academic advisor in their office of accessibility and educational opportunity.

Correspondent: Elizabeth Abbott Wenger ’04, MSW’06 lizabbott@gmail.com

CARROLL SCHOOL Franz García de Paredes, MBA’83, moved from Panama to El Salvador in 2017 and married his wife, Karla, on March 30, 2019.

Franz is the CEO of his own boutique corporate finance consulting firm, Latin America Synergies, serving small and medium-sized companies in Central America. His son, Gabriel, graduated from Dartmouth in 2016 and now works at Copa Airlines. • Beau Begin, MSF’08, is proud to announce that during the pandemic shutdown, he orchestrated the giveaway of 18,000 oysters to the Martha’s Vineyard community. This was funded by an anonymous donor in an effort to spread awareness of a locally grown, highly nutritious, and environmentally sustainable food source. The farmers had been shut out from the economy due to restaurant and market closures. Their spirits were down, as were their finances. This provided a massive morale boost to the farmers and to the community at large, and the structure of the giveaway is being replicated up and down the eastern seaboard. • Ed Goldman, MBA’68, retired as SVP from Foster-Miller (QinetiQ) in 2009 after 37 enjoyable years and has since been working for his son Allen’s company, Skindinavia, Inc. Ed and his wife, Benita, enjoy traveling, including spending January and February in Arizona, where Ed enjoys the multiple collector car auctions in Scottsdale, and summer weekends on the Cape in Brewster. • After having to leave his previous job owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, Michael Zhang, MBA’18, is proud to announce that, through hard work and relentless pursuit, he landed the role of his dreams by never losing faith in himself and his qualifications.

• Galehead Development, founded by Matt Marino ’01, MBA’10; Patrick Martin, MBA’10, and John Clifford, MBA’10, recently announced the completion of their scope for a 100-MW solar development project in Mississippi under a joint venture with Clearway Energy. Clearway is one of the largest renewable energy companies in North America. Galehead was founded in 2016 and has also hired fellow Eagles Mike Cavanaugh ’18; Jacob Derewenda, JD’18; Anna Gerrits, MS’18, MBA’19; and Devin Hanel ’19.

Correspondent: John Clifford, MBA’10 clifford.jr@gmail.com

CONNELL SCHOOL Jennifer Knapp Koskinen, MS’94, recently relocated to southern Arizona from New England. She left practicing as a nurse practitioner and midwife and is currently self-employed as a doTERRA wellness advocate. She loves southern Arizona! She writes: “The dryness and slower pace are wonderful. We moved to a place of incredible natural beauty, and being outside is so easy. We are at 3,500 feet, so it gets hot but cools at night. I am enjoying the incredible trails available here for either hiking or cycling. My husband and I are loving mountain biking on our new e-bikes.” • Susan Wilkinson, MS’14, completed a year of postgraduate training at the VA and went on to work in the VA Boston Healthcare System before moving to Boston Medical Center. In May 2018, she started the adventure of a nurseentrepreneur (aka nurse-preneur), opening a private practice that has since grown to four providers, including a physician assistant. She is also in the prelaunch phase of a nonprofit for which she registered in December 2019. Having made a few trips to Uganda and Zambia, she discovered a need to partner with her colleagues in lowand middle-income countries. She spent two months volunteering for the Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital’s alcohol and drug use unit. On a personal level, Susan’s family continues to grow. Her boys are now 12 and 10 years old. Their travels include trips to Africa and all over the United States. They enjoy exploring America’s national parks so the boys can learn about the beautiful parts of America.

Correspondent: Katy Phillips, MS’10, PhD’13 katyelphillips@gmail.com

LYNCH SCHOOL Well, here’s to Lynch School classmates! I think we set the record for submissions this issue! It’s exciting to see so many updates and celebrations—way to go, Lynch School!

• Laurence Aucella, MEd’84, writes: “In 2018, I completed a PhD in theological studies, and in 2020, I published a book titled Predicting Success in Completing the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.” • Meredith LaPierre, MA’16, and husband Sean recently welcomed their daughter, Eliza Spencer LaPierre, into their family.

• Lydia Young, MEd’04, PhD’11, serves as director of NExT and full-time faculty in the Graduate School of Education at Northeastern University. NExT, Northeastern’s Network for Experiential Teaching and Learning, is a platform connecting K–12, higher education, industry, and community partners around the shared goal of making experiential education accessible to learners at every level. • Doris Pholeric Gruel ’76, MEd’77, retired on July 1, 2020, after 44 years of teaching special education. She is planning to spend lots of time with her four grandchildren in Florida, where two of her three children live. She celebrated 40 years of marriage to Laurence Gruel on

June 28, 2020. • Maria Cleary, MEd’99, writes: “Happy to announce the launch of Tiplitt, the first illustrated, animated, interactive e-book product for challenged teen and young adult readers. The first book, Perfect Pitch, will be available at tiplitt.com in the fall. This is a labor of love; I was inspired by my disabled daughter and her friends who have a tough time finding anything to read that’s age- and reading level-appropriate (and that has pictures!). Fingers crossed that this will be of service to this much-neglected community.” • Susan Kelley, PhD’88, is a professor in the School of Nursing at Georgia State University in Atlanta. She is the 2019 recipient of the Mark Chaffin Outstanding Research Career Achievement Award from the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. • Coral Grout, MEd’76, writes: “Since leaving BC in 1976, I have earned my EdD from UMass Amherst in educational planning, research, and administration. I retired from my position as superintendent of schools in Acushnet in 2006. Since then, I have built a second home on Narragansett Bay. I continue to work part-time as a consultant for Class Measures and for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. I have traveled to 46 countries, including a sabbatical in Australia. I’ve visited all 50 states, as well.

My mother passed away a year ago, and my dad has been gone for 17 years, so I spend my time with my two kitties, who travel with me wherever I go in the USA.” • Pamela Pellegrino, MEd’95, reports that, while she would love to share that her daughter was accepted off the BC waitlist, they are still waiting! Fingers crossed! • Amir Reza, PhD’15 was recently honored with the inaugural Sue Estler distinguished alumnus award at the University of Maine. • Guy Pasquino, MEd’96, has been named executive director at Reading Partners Colorado, a nonprofit devoted to helping children become lifelong readers by empowering communities to provide individualized reading instruction with measurable results. A first-generation college graduate, Guy holds a bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University and a master’s in curriculum and instruction from BC. Correspondent: Marianne Lucas Lescher ’83, PhD’98 malescher@aol.com

MORRISSEY COLLEGE Dancing at Lake Montebello, a collection of poems by Lynne Spigelmire Viti, PhD’78, JD’84, is slated for publication (Apprentice House Press, October 2020). Lynne was awarded an honorable mention in the 2020 Joe Gouveia Outermost Poetry Contest for her poem “Meditations at Newcomb Hollow,” and was also long-listed for the Fish Poetry Prize. She teaches memoir writing and literature courses at a lifelong learning program in Dover. • Clayton Trutor, PhD’18, signed a book deal in early 2020 with the University of Nebraska Press for Loserville: How Professional Sports Remade Atlanta

and Atlanta Remade Professional Sports.

Clayton teaches at Norwich University in Vermont. • Lynne McNamee, MA’95, was invited to moderate the first breakout session for the Rotary International 2020 Virtual Convention: Using Virtual Tools to Engage Members was attended by over 3,500 from around the globe. Lynne is president of Lone Armadillo marketing agency and a member of the Plano East Rotary Club in North Texas. • A professor of management and sociology at Bentley University, Anthony Buono, MA’77, PhD’82, was the recipient of the 2020 Mee Family Prize for Lifetime Research Excellence. In 2017, at the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Global Compact’s Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) held at UN headquarters in New York City, he was also honored as a “PRME Pioneer” for his work on educating responsible managers and advancing the ideals of the PRME initiative.

• Eduardo Victor Valdez, MA’96, completed his PhD in philosophy from the Ateneo de Manila University this year. He is chairman of the marketing and law department of the John Gokongwei School of Management at Ateneo de Manila University. • Anna Jackson, MA’20, accepted a job as a Spanish teacher for grades 6–8 at Saint Columbkille Partnership School. She looks forward to connecting with her students outside the classroom through the school’s robust service program as well as on the water with the crew team.

Correspondent: Leslie Poole Petit, MA’91 lpoolepetit@gmail.com

STM Rita Anne Wigginton, OSU, CAES’81, was named the Fr. David Walsh Pastoral Worker of 2020 at the annual meeting of the National Catholic Office for the Deaf. • A new book by Michael Hickey, MDiv’87, Catholic Social Teaching and Distributism: Toward a New Economy, has been published

by Hamilton Books/Rowman & Littlefield.

• In response to nutritional needs during COVID-19 shutdowns, Carolyn Capuano, HM, MTS’88, worked in collaboration with others (Canton City Schools, Mercy Medical Center nutrition services, and Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority) to provide family meals for weekends. Funded by a grant from the Sisters of the Humility of Mary, meals were distributed in one of the poorest and most segregated areas of Canton, Ohio, providing care to over 300 people each week. Sr. Carolyn is VP of mission for Mercy Medical Center. • Kyle Turner, MA’02, lives in Golden, Colorado, with his wife, Kristin, and their daughters, Abigail Hope and Siena Grace. He is the director of university ministry at Regis University in Denver. • Alene Campbell-Langdell, MA’06, graduated in May with an MSW from Simmons University. • Marcus Mescher, MTS’09, PhD’13, is associate professor of Christian ethics at Xavier University in Cincinnati.

He and his wife, Anne, are the proud parents of Noah (11), Benjamin (7), and Grace (2). • As director for short-term missions at International Ministries, Sandra Dorsainvil, MA’09, has been

organizing virtual visits to partners and global servants her organization supports in foreign nations, helping to keep people aware of what is happening in other countries since the COVID-19 pandemic began and allowing for connections to happen. • After postponing their wedding due to the coronavirus, Nicolás “Nick” Munsen, MTS’19, and Morgan Widhalm were wed on August 9. The motto of their marriage is inspired by Tertullian, “father of Latin Christian theology,” who imagined the world saying of Christians: “See how they love one another.” • John Monaco, MDiv’18, ThM’19, was accepted to the PhD program in systematic theology at Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit in Pittsburgh.

He married now-Mrs. Marilynn Monaco in the Melkite Greek Catholic Church on May 8 in Poughkeepsie, New York.

School of Theology & Ministry stmalum@bc.edu

WCAS John Donahue ’65 wrote that his wife, Sylvia “Jane” (Buxton), died December 30, 2019.

Jane attended BC evenings and completed requirements for a degree from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana. She had been totally disabled for 15 years. May she rest in peace. • Jessica Barnes, MS’19, recently started a website, zmillie.com. Her idea for the website occurred after the loss of her adopted cat, to which she had become attached in fall 2017—the year she began her graduate studies in leadership and administration at the Woods College. Several months later, she decided to offer unisex gifts to those suffering from the loss of a pet.

The signature ZMillie Zen box has a gift for all senses—a plant budding kit, a candle, and Trader Joe’s chocolate with a mission to inspire people to encourage others. Jessica completed her degree and launched her website simultaneously on May 22, 2020.

• Richard Moffitt ’02 and his wife, Debbie, of Lexington, welcomed their second child, Felicity, this past February. Rich had been working as a computer security consultant with various cybersecurity startups, and two years ago started working at MITRE. Debbie has been reinventing her behavior analysis profession, adapting services for people with special needs who are heavily affected by isolating at home. This spring, Rich was unexpectedly but pleasantly reunited with BC Chorale alumni while helping to produce a virtual choir rendition of Tollite Hostias.

• Barbara Brilliant ’74 spends six months in Boca Raton, Florida, and six months across the road from BC in Chestnut Hill. In Florida, she is the artistic director at Florida Atlantic University’s OLLI Boca program, which is, she says, “basically Broadway Glee Club.” In the fall, she works with a glee club at Lifelong Learning at Regis College in Weston. Along with teaching aerobics twice a week, the chorus, and speaking engagements, she is as busy as ever. Boston College is not far away from her—happy thoughts at all times.

Correspondent: Jane T. Crimlisk ’74 crimliskp@gmail.com 71

OBITUARIES boston college alumni deaths

1940s

Ronald P. Corbett, Esq., ’42, JD’51, on 7/27/18.

John M. Shea ’42 on 4/19/20.

James E. Harvey ’43 on 11/17/19.

Dominic M. Riccio ’46 on 2/16/18.

Thomas E. Ralph ’48 on 5/29/20.

Roger C. Roy ’48, MSW’50, on 7/26/20.

Paul J. Supple ’49 on 4/19/20.

1950s

James F. Campbell ’50 on 7/27/20.

Lawrence J. Delaney ’50 on 4/19/19.

Thomas A. Ferraro Jr. ’50 on 6/13/20.

Lydia Casavant Heck ’50 on 4/6/20.

Charles F. Mahoney ’50 on 5/15/20.

Alphonse J. Palaima ’50, MA’54, on 5/6/20.

Richard A. Rancatore ’50, MEd’56, on 4/29/20.

Francis E. Smith ’50, on 7/21/20.

James J. Zanor ’50, MA’57, on 4/14/20.

Robert H. Blute ’51 on 3/18/20.

James J. Dunn Jr. ’51 on 5/19/20.

William M. Finn ’51 on 8/26/19.

Philip F. Flaherty ’51, MEd’54, on 6/21/20.

Thomas E. Joyce Jr. ’51 on 5/6/20.

Eugene E. Lanzilla ’51, MA’65, on 5/12/20.

Walter M. Lyon ’51 on 2/14/20.

Charles L. Maher ’51, on 6/26/20.

Louis J. Nocera ’51 on 7/1/20.

Joseph C. Prisco, MA’51, on 5/6/20.

Francis J. Weisslinger ’51 on 7/20/18.

Robert J. Allen ’52 on 7/22/20.

Francis X. Devin ’52 on 4/30/20.

William F. Doherty ’52 on 7/11/20.

Joseph R. Doyle ’52 on 5/9/20.

Mary H. Efthimion, MS’52, on 4/14/20.

Thomas E. Fogarty ’52 on 12/5/19.

Mary Sullivan Hartigan ’52 on 6/8/20.

John F. Healy, Esq., ’52, JD’57, on 4/28/20.

Barbara McSorley Keeffe, MA’52, on 6/14/20.

Anthony P. Loscocco ’52 on 5/15/20.

John A. McDonald ’52 on 5/23/20.

Frank J. McGee, Esq., ’52, JD’55, on 4/19/20.

Richard P. McLarney ’52 on 5/17/20.

Donald R. Sartor ’52 on 4/16/20.

Sylvan L. Campbell ’53 on 6/3/20.

Leo P. Casey ’53, MEd’57, on 6/24/20.

Eugene E. Fitzpatrick ’53 on 6/5/20.

72

Louisa Cushwa McDonald, MSW’53, on 7/12/20.

Francis J. Mulligan ’53 on 5/23/20.

Samuel J. O’Neill ’53 on 5/2/20.

Richard K. Scalise, Esq., ’53, JD’57, on 4/22/20.

Paul L. Singer ’53 on 10/16/19.

William F. Brady ’54 on 5/22/20.

Thomas B. Cosgrove ’54 on 5/13/20.

Philip H. Doherty ’54 on 4/19/20.

Richard F. Hughes, Esq., ’54, JD’60, on 4/23/20.

Daniel E. Jennings, MSW’54, on 6/26/20.

Joan T. Kennedy ’54 on 4/28/20.

John J. McCarthy, Esq., ’54, JD’57, on 1/7/20.

Lawrence B. Mullaney ’54 on 5/12/20.

Eugene R. Nigro, MSW’54, on 6/18/20.

Vincent G. O’Brien ’54 on 7/7/20.

William A. O’Neil ’54, MS’60, on 6/14/20.

Joseph H. Skerry ’54 on 5/8/20.

Matthew E. Smith, MA’54, on 5/29/20.

Lorraine Graham Ward ’54 on 5/30/20.

James V. Atkinson ’55 on 7/20/20.

Robert A. Connelly ’55 on 5/20/20.

George D. Dixey ’55 on 1/28/20.

Carol Densberger Fanning, MSW’55, on 4/14/20.

Ruth Herlihy Ford ’55 on 1/3/19.

William R. Hanrahan ’55 on 7/26/20.

Francis O. Lalumiere ’55 on 5/17/19.

Henry T. Lane Jr. ’55, MEd’59, on 4/23/20.

Alfred J. McManama ’55 on 4/18/20.

Rosemary Black Riordan ’55 on 7/2/20.

Ronald J. Siletto ’55 on 7/11/20.

Robert W. Simmler, Esq., ’55 on 2/3/20.

John L. Woods Jr. ’55 on 11/11/19.

John J. Brady ’56 on 6/23/20.

Elaine Evans Bresnahan ’56 on 6/6/20.

David W. Delaney ’56 on 7/2/20.

Andrew A. Dietlin Jr., MEd’56, on 5/26/20.

Arthur J. Driscoll, MS’56, on 4/1/20.

Paul G. Gibbons ’56 on 5/16/20.

Robert B. Halloran ’56 on 5/9/20.

Thomas E. Littlehale ’56 on 6/13/20.

Richard A. Lucas ’56 on 4/29/20.

Margaret Mullen Reilly ’56 on 5/30/20.

Paul F. Sheehan ’56 on 6/1/20.

Susan White Sullivan ’56 on 4/1/20.

Maureen F. Burgess ’57 on 7/9/20.

Nancy Bradley Chandler ’57 on 5/5/20.

James P. Curran ’57 on 5/5/20.

Thomas DiCandia, MA’57, on 4/23/20.

John R. Herlihy ’57 on 12/31/18.

James G. Maguire ’57, on 7/13/20.

Miriam of Jesus Oberti, OCD, ’57 on 5/17/20.

Joan Donahue Palermo ’57 on 4/14/20.

Vincent H. Poirier ’57 on 5/30/20.

Gerard P. Williams, PhL’57, on 6/22/20.

Howard R. Williamson ’57 on 7/6/20.

Charles A. Zielinski ’57 on 3/15/20.

Edward J. Connolly ’58 on 5/5/20.

John A. Crisafulli ’58 on 7/16/20.

James B. Franciose ’58 on 7/17/20.

Thomas E. Hassey ’58 on 5/28/20.

Lucien Raymond Laferriere ’58 on 9/20/19.

James M. McCarthy ’58 on 7/16/20.

Pauline E. Metras ’58 on 4/27/20.

Joseph E. Corcoran ’59, H’09, on 6/3/20.

Thomas J. Doerr ’59 on 6/4/20.

Patricia Welsh Grip NC’59 on 4/20/20.

Thomas W. Guilderson Jr. ’59 on 7/12/20.

Robert S. Lappin, Esq., JD’59, on 5/1/20.

William L. MacKinnon Sr. ’59 on 5/6/20.

Alice T. Morrison ’59 on 7/12/20.

Robert A. Pelosi ’59 on 6/19/20.

Francis X. Quinlan, Esq., JD’59, on 6/12/20.

Louis W. Sheedy ’59, MBA’70, on 5/22/20.

1960s

Catherine J. Buce, MA’60, on 4/26/20.

Thomas E. Devine, MEd’60, on 7/17/20.

Joseph E. Everett ’60, MSW’63, on 4/15/20.

Roderick C. Heath ’60 on 6/30/20.

Frederick J. Mason Jr. ’60 on 5/20/20.

Richard J. Nee ’60 on 7/23/20.

Thomas J. Ryan Jr. ’60 on 4/26/20.

Vernon Michael Balser ’61 on 3/29/20.

Richard R. Boucher, MA’61, on 5/1/20.

Emily Bentley Campbell, MS’61, on 5/24/20.

Michael G. Gunning ’61 on 4/21/20.

Leo V. Hand Jr. ’61 on 5/30/20.

Theresa A. Riordan ’61 on 6/4/20.

Jean Marie Hanagan Allin ’62 on 7/18/20.

Anthony F. Capodilupo ’62 on 3/25/20.

Francis X. Coyle ’62 on 7/15/20.

John S. Kazmierczak ’62 on 5/15/20.

Mary Lynch McCarthy NC’62 on 4/30/20.

James F. O’Connor ’62 on 6/9/20.

Richard C. Roth, MSW’62, on 4/21/20.

Ernest T. Smith, Esq., JD’62, on 5/27/20.

Walter Whalen ’62 on 5/28/20.

Claire M. Callahan, SNDdeN, MA’63, on 4/19/20.

James F. Corby ’63 on 6/13/20.

Elsa Dorfman, MEd’63, on 5/30/20.

Laurence Noel Grimard ’63 on 7/5/20.

Harry E. Hasselmann Jr. ’63 on 7/3/20.

Robert J. Larkin Jr. ’63 on 5/7/20.

James G. McGahay ’63 on 4/21/20.

Stuart B. Meisenzahl, Esq., ’63, JD’66, on 5/9/20.

Linda Plummer Newell NC’63 on 5/1/20.

Roger N. Petruccelli ’63 on 4/13/19.

William T. Redgate II ’63 on 6/14/20.

Antonio de Campo Rendeiro ’63 on 5/8/20.

David S. Tobin ’63 on 6/28/20.

Mary Leahy Toma ’63 on 6/16/20.

Susan Bell Trowbridge NC’63 on 7/4/20.

Robert D. Willix Jr. ’63 on 2/27/20.

Edward F. Barry, JD’64, on 6/17/20.

Dorothy A. Cooper, SGM, ’64 on 4/1/20.

Mary Elizabeth Denneny, MA’64, on 6/11/20.

Arthur J. Giroux, MA’64, on 5/7/20.

Gerald A. Robert, MBA’64, on 7/1/20.

Joseph C. Bevivino ’65 on 5/4/20.

Beverly Germano Bush ’65 on 7/17/20.

Eileen Crawley, PBVM, MA’65, on 5/12/20.

Timothy F. Holland ’65 on 6/21/20.

Michael A. Laurano, Esq., ’65 on 5/28/20.

Catherine Lugar NC’65 on 4/21/20.

Alfred Joseph Anderson ’66 on 7/22/20.

E. Scott Burke ’66 on 7/29/20.

Barbara Kane Canal ’66 on 7/20/20.

Janice E. Murphy Carty, MS’66, on 7/18/20.

Morgan J. Costello ’66 on 5/8/20.

John M. Dean ’66 on 5/4/20.

Edward L. Duffy ’66 on 7/22/20.

Paul E. McPartlin, Esq., ’66 on 5/22/20.

Patricia A. Brennan, RGS, MEd’67, on 5/25/20.

John P. Coughlin ’67 on 4/21/20.

Joan M. Crimmins, MA’67, on 3/22/19.

Albert J. Desrochers, MA’67, on 5/8/20.

Richard J. Doyle ’67 on 7/31/20.

Agnes P. Hatchette, SCH, MEd’67, on 4/14/19.

Michael A. Hricko, SJ, ’67 on 4/24/20.

John H. Kelley ’67, MBA’69, on 4/17/20.

Roger J. Lennon ’67 on 6/24/20.

Roger M. Normand, MA’67, on 4/30/20.

James R. Ronan, MA’67, on 7/21/20.

Jane McCann Suprin ’67 on 5/22/20.

Carol Colamaria Whitty ’67 on 6/10/20.

Francis J. Dever ’68 on 7/22/20.

Umberto R. Farinato ’68, MAT’70, on 5/31/20.

Evelyn L. Greenwald, Esq., JD’68, on 6/2/20.

Mercedes Kirst, SMSM, ’68 on 7/30/20.

Gregory McClure Sr., Esq., ’68 on 6/27/20.

David R. McKenna ’68, MBA’70, on 5/24/20.

David W. Molloy, MSW’68, on 5/8/20.

Suzanne Rakoczy Petrizzi, MEd’68, on 5/24/20.

William H. Carlson Jr. ’69 on 6/7/20.

Winston R. Chiong, MA’69, PhD’74, on 6/18/20.

Eileen Blaisdell Harrington ’69 on 6/5/20.

Kenneth R. Neal, JD’69, on 7/4/20.

Kenneth A. Rago, MBA’69, on 5/3/20.

Kevin M. Reddy ’69 on 7/6/20.

Edward S. Roman, Esq., JD’69, on 4/18/20.

Anthony J. Scardino ’69 on 5/7/20.

Thomas M. Uzdavinis ’69 on 5/12/20.

Diane E. Willard, MA’69, PhD’81, on 5/5/20.

1970s

Kathleen Murphy Hess ’70 on 7/3/20.

Anthony P. Kiernan ’70 on 7/8/20.

Joseph J. Lencki Jr. ’70 on 4/21/20.

Maureen Beirne Streff, MS’70, on 2/24/20.

Gerald J. Sullivan ’70 on 4/21/20.

Jean Barrett Van Neste ’70 on 4/26/20.

John A. Brent ’71 on 4/29/20.

Charles G. Butters ’71 on 7/17/20.

Judith Davenport D’Arcangelo ’71 on 4/30/20.

Charles Kevin Donohue ’71 on 5/16/20.

Rosemary Hornick Ingraham, MEd’71, on 5/13/20.

Ruth V. Loudermilch, MA’71, on 1/1/20.

Ursula Wall Pitman, MA’71, PhD’78, on 5/14/20.

Michael J. Regan, MEd’71, on 5/4/20.

Stephen H. Brady, MBA’72, on 5/5/20.

Charles R. Gigante ’72 on 5/10/20.

Christine Troupes Sullivan, MEd’72, on 5/10/20.

David M. Butler ’73 on 6/5/20.

Jeanmarie Massino DeLisi, MEd’73, on 7/9/20.

Stephen T. Gadomski ’73 on 7/24/20.

Susan Papaz Holland ’73 on 4/20/20.

Catherine Koerntgen Keenan, PhD’73, on 2/4/20.

Thomas J. Latourelle Sr. ’73 on 6/12/20.

Van V. Moroukian, MEd’73, on 5/10/20.

Louis R. Giusto ’74 on 7/17/20.

Didier A. White ’74 on 6/30/20.

Amy Brearton Donlon ’75 on 6/2/20.

Trinitas Greco, RSM, MEd’75, on 7/15/20.

Amanda Barbour Amis, DEd’76, on 5/12/20.

Sarah McClenachan Mortimer ’76 on 6/2/20.

Kathleen O’Brien Vinton, Esq., ’76 on 4/25/19.

Gerard P. Baroffio ’77 on 5/20/20.

Donna M. Jones ’77 on 6/1/20.

Richard H. Malavarca ’77 on 7/13/20.

Mary Carol Fraher Shottes ’78 on 7/7/20.

Maximo S. Arias Jr., MCP’79, on 6/23/19.

Thomas J. Freda ’79 on 6/30/20.

Kay L. Lussier ’79 on 6/25/20.

1980s

Virginia Sullivan Finn, MDiv’80, on 5/2/20.

James P. Hill ’80 on 4/16/20.

Robert R. Kustka Jr. ’80 on 4/23/20.

Jean B. Owen, PhD’80, on 5/12/20.

Rita Wilson Cosey ’81 on 5/13/20.

Thomas P. Griffen ’81 on 7/22/20.

Nan Guastamachio Richards ’81 on 6/7/20.

Mary Jean F. McNally ’82 on 7/28/20.

Theresa E. Rand, RSM, MEd’82, on 5/30/20.

John P. Walker, Esq., ’82, JD’85, on 6/6/20.

Norma McLeod Murphy ’83 on 5/8/20.

Mark D. Johnson ’84 on 5/22/20.

Laura Flatley Lacey ’84 on 7/26/20.

Edward J. O’Donoghue, MEd’84, on 6/21/20.

William J. Tomon ’84 on 6/1/20.

Mary-Ellen Whittle Tunney, MSW’84, on 5/4/20.

Alison J. Bane, Esq., ’85, JD’88, on 4/24/20.

Daniel A. Cabral, DEd’85, on 5/6/20.

Richard W. Doyle ’85 on 5/18/20.

Lisa Lora Ioannelli, MEd’85, on 7/19/20.

Patrick J. Manning Jr. ’85 on 7/21/20.

Mara Gurski Potter ’85 on 7/2/20.

Deborah Farmer O’Hara ’86 on 5/25/20.

Linden Aalfs-Welch, MS’87, on 4/13/20.

Dorothy F. Argetsinger, MSW’87, on 5/31/20.

Daniel A. Gritti ’88 on 4/16/20.

Doris Therese Walbridge, OSU, MA’88, on 7/24/20.

Jimmie Lee Wooten, MBA’89, MBA’92, on 7/17/20.

1990s

Donna M. Morrissey ’90 on 5/22/20.

Mark A. Egan ’91 on 5/27/20.

Deborah Monahan Kavey ’91 on 12/27/19.

Jennifer L. Kroll, MAT’91, on 5/9/20.

Michael T. Borgioli ’92 on 1/14/20.

Manuel Burgo Jr. ’92 on 7/17/20.

Geraldine Porth Gastone, MSW’92, on 6/2/20.

Rhea K. Hale ’92 on 4/27/20.

Jane B. Clayton-Matthews, CAES’93, on 5/1/20.

Suzanne McLarney Teeven ’93 on 4/21/20.

Mary V. Zlotnik ’95, MS’01, on 5/16/20.

Esther M. Duray ’96 on 5/16/20.

Julie Roberts McLean, MEd’97, on 4/21/20.

Janis M. Galligan, MA’98, on 5/29/20.

Brian W. Hicks, Esq., JD’98, on 5/6/20.

John Robert Ingoglia ’98 on 7/12/20.

Priscilla J. Galvin, MA’99, on 7/12/20.

2000s

Keith B. Love ’00 on 5/26/20.

Michael J. Gabriel ’01 on 7/31/20.

Marc Lamparello ’04 on 4/17/20.

Edward Griffin ’05 on 5/11/20.

Robert C. Straskulic, MTS’10, on 6/6/20.

BOSTON COLLEGE COMMUNITY DEATHS Mary A. Armstrong, of Newton, an active, accomplished artist, who taught painting at Boston College from 1988 to 2019, on May 14, 2020.

Esther M. Duray ’96, of Monrovia, Maryland, an interlibrary loan assistant at O’Neill Library from 1981 to 2009, on May 16, 2020.

Mary V. Zlotnik ’95, MS’01, of Gardner, formerly of Waltham, an administrative secretary in the student development department from 1990 to 2003, on May 16, 2020.

David R. McKenna ’68, MBA’70, of Peabody, a professor at the Carroll School’s operations management department from 1977 to 2014, and also director of Carroll School Honors Program, on May 24, 2020.

Norine Smith, of Brighton, a supervisor in the Carroll School of Management, on May 19, 2020.

Richard D. LeBlanc, of Somerville, an employee in the maintenance department from 1979 to 2009, on June 10, 2020.

John D. Donovan, of Walpole, first chair of the sociology department, where he served from 1952 to 2002. He also created the Student Athlete Assistance Program and Boston College’s Retired Faculty Association.

He died at age 102 on August 14, 2020.

The “Obituaries” section is compiled from national listings as well as from notifications submitted by friends and family of alumni. It consists of names of those whose deaths have been reported to us since the previous issue of Boston College Magazine. Please send information on deceased alumni to Advancement Information Systems, Cadigan Alumni Center, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 or to infoserv@bc.edu.

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advancing boston college

Veterans Reunion Event, 2019

Honored, Recognized, Remembered Boston College Veterans Alumni Network (BCVAN) Retired colonels Dan Arkins ’81 and George Harrington ’80 know firsthand that one of the biggest things veterans miss when they return to the civilian world is the camaraderie the military provides.

So as co-chairs of the Boston College Veterans Alumni Network (BCVAN), they developed mentoring and networking opportunities for BC veterans who faced challenges during their reintegration into civilian life.

But that’s not all. Arkins and Harrington also helped build veteran connections throughout the University community— and spearheaded numerous initiatives that strengthened bonds with the more than 3,000 BC veterans from coast to coast.

Hundreds gathered for events held to honor those who served and to remember those who died in service to the nation.

Additionally, working with Executive Vice President and U.S. Army veteran

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Michael Lochhead ’93, MBA’99, Arkins and Harrington helped design the charter that established a Boston College Veterans Advisory Group.

“It was an honor to work with Dan and George,” says Lochhead. “Their passion for and commitment to the BC veteran community, including our current student veterans, will have lasting impact and leave a legacy for others to follow. I am extremely grateful for their leadership and service, both to our country, and to the Boston College community, which they have strengthened and nourished through their commitment, passion, and energy.”

This past spring, after eight years of leading BCVAN, Arkins and Harrington handed over the command to Michael Dunford ’82 and Bill Kelley, MBA’18. Over the summer, they took the time to reflect on the evolution of BCVAN and why they made a great leadership team.

It was an honor to work with Dan and George. Their passion for and commitment to the BC veteran community, including our current student veterans, will have lasting impact and leave a legacy for others to follow.”

—michael lochhead,

executive vice president and u.s. army veteran

Questions George Harrington ’80

Answers

Dan Arkins ’81 and George Harrington ’80, the outgoing co-chairs of BCVAN, share their passion for service to their country and to their fellow Eagles.

What are your favorite memories of Boston College as an undergrad?

GH: I was active in a service organization called the Gold Key Society. It was through this organization that I met my wife, Cecile ’79, and made lifelong friends.

DA: Definitely the collection of knucklehead friends I managed to collect and still remain close to almost 40 years later. My best memories are hanging out with those guys.

What led you to join the armed services after college?

GH: My family has a history of service. Both my grandfathers served, my father served. It was something I had thought about for a long time, and I talked to Ceil about it. We were married in October 1980, and I raised my right hand and joined the military in September 1981.

DA: It was a pretty selfish reason initially. I enlisted in the Army National Guard to get a student loan repayment bonus and a security clearance. I wanted to join the U.S. Foreign Service and thought the military background would help.

While I never made it to the Foreign Service, my six-year enlistment turned into a 33-year military career.

Would you recommend the armed forces to BC students?

GH: I would. There is an emotional value in understanding your role in the greater society and helping the greater good.

Some get that by following BC’s motto of being men and women for others, or by joining the military or the Peace Corps. Working for something greater than yourself provides you with a great deal of perspective.

DA: Yes, but it’s not for everybody. I saw the world; I learned what selfless service really meant. I sincerely believe that some type of national service is good for the soul. The Army helped me be a better person and a better leader.

What was it like to lead the group together?

GH: Dan and I complement each other well. He played the face of BCVAN while I developed projects, events, and

Dan Arkins ’81

connections. It’s easy to work with Dan. Humor is his go-to.

It allowed our message to reach our audience.

DA: George requires an extraordinary amount of adult supervision, so I felt a duty to help out. (Laughs) George is much more detail-oriented than I am. I provided comic relief when George was being serious. I think George would readily admit he was most often my straight man. The Abbott to my Costello. Martin to my Lewis.

What are you most proud of accomplishing during your tenure as co-chair of BCVAN? GH: We took a very good organization and made it better. Paul Delaney ’66 did a tremendous job of laying the foundation, building BC’s Mass and Remembrance Ceremony. We added the BC Veterans’ Reunion and expanded the University’s participation in the Wreaths Across America events. Today, BCVAN is recognized as one of the strongest and most cohesive alumni groups at BC. I am very proud of this. The best part of BCVAN has always been about helping people— whether through mentoring, networking, or remembering.

DA: Our ability to build bridges with the founding members of the BC Student Veterans group, the BC employee resource group, Army ROTC, and the University administration was our greatest accomplishment. George and I were incredibly fortunate to have a great executive sponsor with Michael Lochhead.

Why should BC veterans join BCVAN? DA: Community, camaraderie, and fellowship. It is a great way to stay connected. Veterans love being around other veterans, and BCVAN is no exception. This group of 3,000 is multigenerational, representing veterans from World War II to the present—from New England and across the nation. That is an amazing network to leverage for the good of our members and the University.

GH: BCVAN is greater than either of us. That’s one of the reasons that Dan and I agreed that we needed to come up with a transition plan. As much as we could go on, there are folks who could come up with better ideas. I am tremendously grateful and thankful for having the opportunity. If we can sit here and say we’ve helped people, that’s what it’s all about.

For more information about the Boston College Veterans Alumni Network, visit bc.edu/bcvan 75

what i’ve learned

Seth Jacobs A few words with the BC history professor and award-winning author.

A chance purchase at a used bookstore in Chicago changed Seth Jacobs’s life. It was 1992 and the thenactor had $1.25 in his pocket, the exact price of the Documentary History of the United States. He read it on his commute to the famed Steppenwolf Theatre, where he was appearing in Twelfth Night. “I was 28 and I had never taken a college-level history class,” said Jacobs, a history professor at BC since 2001.

“I started feeling a little guilty that I didn’t know anything about the history of my country. That struck me as fairly irresponsible on my part.” So he enrolled in classes at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the rest, as they say, is history.

We spoke with the beloved teacher—known for his impressions of Henry Kissinger, Lyndon B. Johnson, and other 20th-century figures—about accepting fallibility and following his passion(s).

—Courtney Hollands I grew up in New York City. My father was an actor and I wanted to be an actor. I felt at the time I had talent. I went to Yale as an undergraduate and majored in philosophy and psychology, but that was just because my parents told me they weren’t going to pay for a Yale education if I majored in theater. So I did a lot of plays as an undergraduate. I was not an especially stellar student, and I went on to the Goodman School of Drama [now The Theatre School at DePaul University] to get my MFA. I worked as a stage actor in Chicago and other regional theaters for about five years before I started a Ph.D. program in history.

That career shift was the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me in my life—except for the births of my children. I did get a chance to

work with some incredibly talented people who went on to become very well-known actors, like John C. Reilly, Gillian Anderson, and Michael Shannon, but it gradually dawned on me that I just wasn’t as good as these people were. I signed up for some classes during the day at the University of Illinois at Chicago. One of them just happened to be on the Vietnam War. I got hooked.

I’ve spent most of my waking hours teaching about the Vietnam War, researching the Vietnam War, and publishing about the Vietnam War. It hasn’t bored me. It’s endlessly controversial.

That’s why it’s my favorite class to teach, and it keeps getting better

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bcm v fa l l 20 20

every year. I’ve been extraordinarily lucky that a number of veterans have very graciously agreed to come in and talk about their experiences in Vietnam. And the students always say that that’s the highlight of the class.

We’re at a unique moment right now where, on one hand, we’re becoming more interconnected, more interdependent than ever.

Nations have manifold connections to other nations—economically, culturally. But at the same time, the institutions that were set up mostly in the wake of World War II, like NATO, the United Nations, and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, are breaking down. So it’s an unusually unstable and unprecedented period in world history, and you really need to know something about international relations in order to understand what’s happening now and to fully discharge your duties as a responsible citizen of a democracy.

The highest compliment that I can pay to a Jesuit education is that I really, really wish I had received one. Father Michael Himes nailed it when

he said, “The purpose of an undergraduate education, particularly a Jesuit education, is a rigorous and sustained conversation about the most important questions relating to the human condition with the widest possible circle of the best possible conversation partners.” And as he points out, many of those conversation partners aren’t breathing anymore, which is why we have libraries and teachers.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the people who win the teaching awards, at least in the history department, are people who have done other things with their lives. They didn’t stampede

directly out of undergraduate into a Ph.D. program.

They did other things. They’ve been out of work, they’ve been broke, they’ve served in the Army.

They actually stood up for something or risked something or had some experience of life outside the ivory tower. At the end of the day, I’m glad I had the experience I did. I still wish in many ways I started studying history when I was younger, but I might have lost a valuable dimension of what makes me a good teacher now.

To quote Benjamin Franklin: “Doubt a little of your own infallibility.” That’s probably one of the more important lessons I’ve

learned, both in theater and as an instructor: that sometimes my judgment is just wrong. Even if I feel really passionately about it, it’s wrong and counterproductive. Coming back to the notion of Jesuit education: Make it more about we, and a little less about me, and not only will the quality of your work improve, you will be an infinitely happier human being.

photos: Peter Julien (Jacobs); Lee Pellegrini (Baxter)

parting shot

School of Rocks BC Earth and Environmental Studies Chair Ethan Baxter uses isotope geochemistry to measure geologic time. At the core of this work—and of his career—are the tales rocks tell. “That’s a theme that really transcends all of my teaching and most of my research,” he said. “You start with the rocks and the earth materials and the stories evolve from there.” He maintains a childlike wonder about the natural world, so much so that he’s sharing it with the elementary school set. Over the summer, he filmed and released a 44-episode YouTube series called “Every Rock Has a Story.” The short videos, featuring Baxter surrounded by stones, are fun, but the mission is serious: to get kids interested in geosciences.

“People think about rocks and they might think about earthquakes and mountains,” he said. “But it’s also about climate change, agriculture, water, Mars exploration, resources, energy, and technology—the most important, challenging problems that face society today.”

—Courtney Hollands

“Your support has helped me to achieve my dreams of an excellent education. Thank you!” ○ “This was a period of time when I was able to grow, learn, and realize so many things about life.” ○ “I want to work as an emergency department physician or something orthopedic-related, hopefully by age 30.” ○ “Your support makes my dream a reality, and I’m so excited for my future.” ○ “As I move forward and work to make an impact on as many young lives as possible, I will never forget how you helped to make my dreams come true.” ○ “I am hoping to become a social worker so that I can work with immigrant communities in a more hands-on way.” ○ “Your support of my education will be the foundation for my future. I am inspired to help others and to be the best that I can be for my patients.” ○ “As a first-generation student, I will now be able to pursue a career that I love, which will allow me to make a positive impact on others.” ○ “I have become more open-minded, independent, and confident in myself.” ○ “I’ve made tons of connections, taken engaging classes, and seen many incredible speakers, all because of you.” ○ “I never knew the other worlds out there could be so different, but now I do. I want to see more.” ○ “Because of you, I am fulfilling my goal to become a nurse practitioner and help increase access to health care for vulnerable populations.” ○ “Going back to school was a major decision I had to make. I am so happy I made it.” ○ “Without your support, I would never have been given the amazing opportunities to work with the children and students I care so much about.” ○ “I plan to continue this drive for personal growth by pursuing more unique perspectives for my career.” ○ “I appreciate your support so much, and hope to put it to good use.” ○ “I have aspirations to become a medical doctor and give back to my community.” ○ “As someone who did not come from much, I realize what a privilege it has been to come to BC.” ○ “Your commitment to help students like me is what makes the world a friendlier and more promising place for us. I hope to one day give back to my community just how my community gave to me.”

for the hopes and dreams of Boston College students

Discover Boston College’s new campaign for financial aid at bc.edu/beaconcampaign.