Issuu

The Bridge Program FALL 2026

An innovate new initiative allows students to learn across BC’s different schools.

The Conservator

How does BC repair a 400-year-old manuscript? Very carefully.

Just the Facts

These alumni are leading a movement to replace partisanship with hard data.

Catching Up with Chris O’Donnell How the proud BC grad went from Hollywood It Boy to star of the hottest show on network television.

Contents // Fall 2026

FEATURES

Prime Time

Introducing the Bridge Program

The Conservator

He skyrocketed to fame at the movies. Today, Chris O’Donnell ’92, H’17 is the star of television’s hottest show. By Scott Kearnan Photography by Nicola Harger

The groundbreaking initiative connects students with new opportunities to study across BC’s different schools and to benefit from the University’s strengths in the humanities, business, and science. By John Wolfson Illustrations by Nadia Radic

CV2

bc m v fa l l 20 2 6



Boston College’s twelve libraries and archives house more than three million books and hundreds of rare manuscripts and artifacts. Nora Dempsey’s job is to expertly repair the torn pages, broken covers, and shattered spines. By Alix Hackett Photography by Caitlin Cunningham and Matt Healey

photo: Matt Healey

LINDEN LANE 4

No Days Off She’s one of the greatest lacrosse players ever. Now Charlotte North ’21, MS’23 is taking on her biggest challenge yet.

Campus Digest

Hugh Jackman Hits the Heights The Greatest Showman star lit up the stage at Pops on the Heights.

10 Staging a Success Schmigadoon!, with two BC alumni on its producing team, won the Tony Award as Broadway’s best musical. But can the show turn a profit?

13 When Men Take Credit for

the Work of Women

Wendy Murphy ’83 documents the little-told histories of breakthrough inventions and discoveries.

15 BC Announces New

Institute to Explore the Implications of AI The Krantz Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Humanity will position the University as a leader in stewarding the future of AI technology.

CLASS NOTES 16 Anchoring Himself Luke Russert ’08 traveled the world to think about his future. Now he’s come home to cable news.

18 The Fact Finders In a media and political environment where it can be hard to know what’s true, these two alumni are building information platforms that replace partisanship with hard data and documentation.

19 Turning Tragedy into

Advocacy

Four years after the bicycling death of the American diplomat Sarah Debbink Langenkamp ’02, her husband is fighting for safer roadways.

44 Alumni News and Notes 56 Weddings 64 Baby Eagles 71 Fond Farewells 74 Advancing Boston College

76 What I’ve Learned Robert Bloom JD ’71

77 Parting Shot

20 Eagles at the World Cup From overseeing stadium security to broadcasting matches on television, BC alumni played all kinds of roles in a tournament that broke attendance records. Here are a few of their stories.

22 When Less Is More How a BC English professor let go of material goods and found freedom in return.

photos: Evan Zimmerman (Schmigadoon!); Matt Healey (Murphy); Courtesy of Dan Langenkamp (Ride For Your Life)

Cover photograph by Nicola Harger

fa l l 20 26 v bc m

Conversation

“

Thank you, Father Leahy, for all you have done for Boston College and its amazing community. You have been an inspiration to us all. Wishing you the very best for the next chapter and looking forward to hearing about it. Everyone will miss your homegrown tomatoes!”

Reflections on Thirty Years of Leadership

Our Summer 2026 cover story looked back on three transformative decades under Boston College President William P. Leahy, SJ, who stepped down on July 31 Well done! Three decades is a short amount of time in the history of an academic institution. The leader’s challenge is to identify the areas of opportunity to strengthen the mission, vision, and purpose of the university and what to avoid. I agreed with Father Leahy’s choice: academic excellence, endowment and broad access by students from new immigrant Catholic families. Father Leahy, congratulations on making the hard choices and leading Boston College through uncertain times when our core values were challenged. More challenges of the same variety lie ahead as we continue to question the founding principles of our nation. Your leadership has left us secure in what our beliefs are, provisioned for the long journey ahead, and energized to keep the faith and run the race every day. David Harrington ’66 via LinkedIn Father President is an exceptional leader and a kind priest. He loved us all as his students at BC. He led by example. May God grant him a happy and healthy retirement. God bless you, Father President. Sr. Mary Aloysius Onwuegbuchulam CAES’13 via LinkedIn 2

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

Liliane A. Haub P’13, ’14, ’17 via LinkedIn Thank you Father President for your extraordinary leadership! It was a true pleasure to work with you! Susan Gennaro, BC professor and former dean of the Connell School of Nursing via LinkedIn Well done Father Leahy! As an alum and parent of alumni children, I want to thank you for your tireless leadership of our beloved university. Richard Mucci ’72, MA’74, P’06, ’14 via LinkedIn Amazing job well done, President Leahy! Happy retirement. Cheers to enjoying new adventures ahead. Carol Egan MEd’01 via LinkedIn Wonderful opus! So many are grateful for all his hard work and dedication to the students and all the BC community. Enjoy your retirement. Pam Roes ’82 via LinkedIn

chemists like me with a clear explanation of the opportunity and the results to date. The Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society is fortunate to have Dr. Wang on staff. May his focus and curiosity continue to generate more researchers who, in his words, also focus on: “What are the biggest problems the world faces, and what can I do to contribute?” A great question for each of us. Susan Coyle Myers MEd’77 West Hartford, Connecticut Congratulations to Dr. Wang! So well deserved. The Schiller Institute at BC is truly one of the best. Noorbakhsh Amiri via LinkedIn

Introducing Councilor Naren Briar ’20

A Summer 2026 story looked at the success of this Bellevue, Washington, city councilor, the first Kurdish American elected to political office in the US. Fantastic! Naren demonstrates how BC is being recognized as a university of academic excellence. Louis Corsini, BC associate professor via LinkedIn Very proud to be represented by a fellow BC grad. Patrick Kane ’06 via LinkedIn Correction: In the Summer 2026 article “Shark Tank Success Stories,” the husband of Chair Blanket cofounder Tiffany Anzalone McCasland ’02 was misidentified as Timothy. His name is Chris McCasland.

Boston College Magazine welcomes letters from readers. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Please include your full

It Came from the Lab of Dunwei Wang

This article from our Summer 2026 issue looked at the innovative work of the chemistry professor, who was recently named interim director of BC’s Schiller Institute

name and address. EMAIL: bcm@bc.edu MAIL: BCM, 140 Commonwealth Ave.

Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 Connect with @BostonCollege

I thoroughly enjoyed the article. Each segment was impressive and provided nonphoto: Gary Wayne Gilbert

Enigmatic Belgian artists at the McMullen Museum

VOLUME 86

NUMBER 3

FALL 2026

EDITOR

John Wolfson DESIGN DIRECTOR

Keith Ake DEPUTY EDITOR

Scott Kearnan STAFF WRITER

Elizabeth Clemente DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Caitlin Cunningham SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Matt Healey

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/address Please send editorial correspondence to: Boston College Magazine 140 Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (617) 552-3350 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

Shadows and Light: Symbolist Art in Belgium; Works from the Hearn Family Trust, on exhibit through December 6 at BC’s McMullen Museum of Art, showcases more than 150 artworks by artists from Belgium and other European countries. The exhibit includes a number of works by Léon Spilliaert, one of Belgium’s most celebrated Symbolist painters. Clockwise from top: František Kupka, Black Idol, or Defiance/Revolt/Resistance, 1902– 1903; Fernand Khnopff, sketch for Art, or The Caresses, 1896; Léon Spilliaert, Three Dolls (Shepherdess, Marquis, Countess), 1931. —Scott Kearnan

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 © 2026 Trustees of Boston College. All publications rights reserved. Printed in USA by Royle Printing.

photos: Courtesy of McMullen Museum of Art and The Hearn Family Trust

fa l l 20 26 v bc m

Linden Lane

bcm bc m v fa falll l 20 20226 6

No Days Off

She’s one of the greatest lacrosse players ever. Now Charlotte North ’21, MS’23 is taking on her biggest challenge yet. BY SHAUN TOLSON

This past summer, the Boston Guard were looking to make a statement. The previous year, the Guard had won the 2025 Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL) championship during the league’s inaugural season, and now they were on a mission to defend that title. During the second game of the season, a seesaw battle against the California Palms, the relentless play of Boston’s superstar attacker Charlotte North—four goals and two assists—was keeping her team in the game. The Guard were down by just one goal with four minutes left, exactly the kind of situation where North, who is known to be at her very best when the pressure is on, has proven her greatness. “I play with a lot of passion and a lot of energy,” North said. “My style is powerful, explosive play.” Then, suddenly and for the first time in her career, one of the world’s foremost lacrosse players was rendered powerless. As North cut toward the goal, she buckled, clutching the back of her ankle. At that moment she feared she had severely injured her Achilles tendon, and she was right. Two days later, North had surgery to repair the injury. Her season was over. In an instant, one of the sport’s signature athletes was sidelined indefinitely, and she faced an uphill journey to get back on the field. “When you love something with all your heart and soul, every once in a while it doesn’t love you back,” North wrote in an Instagram post the day after her surgery. “I will stop at nothing to get back out there with my teammates.” It wasn’t just the WLL season that was lost for North. So, too, was her chance to play for Team USA in the world championships in Tokyo later that summer. Yet, as the competition approached, Team USA did something remarkable. North couldn’t even walk without the aid of crutches, but her presence on the team would be such a morale boost that the coaches and captains unanimously voted to give her one of the squad’s twenty-two roster spots. “The team didn’t want to go without Charlotte,” said Team USA coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein, who also coached North at Boston College. photo: Women’s Lacrosse League

“She’s even more impactful in the bedrock of the culture of the team and in the locker room than she is on the field.” Team USA eventually won its tenth world championship in August. Seeing what she’s capable of on the field, it’s hard to believe that North, who is twenty-seven years old, didn’t begin playing lacrosse until the seventh grade. She played both lacrosse and basketball, her first love, through all four years of high school in Dallas, but by her senior year, North

“

When you love something with all your heart and soul, every once in a while it doesn’t love you back,” North wrote in an Instagram post the day after her surgery. “I will stop at nothing to get back out there with my teammates.” was growing obsessed with lacrosse. “It’s unique in terms of the skills that are required to play,” she said. “I loved that you could develop your own style.” North started her collegiate career at Duke University before she was recruited to BC by Walker-Weinstein, who believed North would be the linchpin to BC lacrosse finally winning a national championship.

North dominated during three seasons with the Eagles, leading BC to its first NCAA championship in 2021. Along the way, she earned a BA and also a master’s in sports administration, and left BC as a two-time winner of the Tewaaraton Award, which recognizes the top college lacrosse player, and the all-time Division 1 leader in goals scored, with 358. After BC, North played for Team USA in the 2022 World Lacrosse Championships, leading the squad with twenty-three goals. Following a short stint with a different women’s professional league, she joined the WLL’s Boston Guard in 2025, where she has remained one of the biggest stars in the sport. Guard coach Laurie DeLuca said North is attacking her rehabilitation from the Achilles injury with the same intensity that she displays on the field. In the beginning, her recovery focused on strength and mobility work with resistance bands. Then came more intensive lower-body exercises in a walking boot. By mid-September, North was out of the boot and taking steps without crutches. “In 2027,” DeLuca said, “people will be talking about Charlotte North’s resilience.” While North works her way back to peak form, she’s focusing on several off-field lacrosse activities. She continues to work as an analyst for ESPN, broadcasting the sport’s top NCAA games. She’s also created a coaching app to provide virtual one-on-one lessons and instill in more young girls a passion for the game, and she travels the country leading clinics and training sessions. “I feel a sense of responsibility to show people what it looks like to be a professional lacrosse player at this level,” she said. North is hopeful that her success, and that of other WLL athletes, will strengthen the league and bolster opportunities for future generations of professional women’s lacrosse players. “I can’t wait to see how much this league grows and how much opportunity will be there for the players that come after us,” she said. “But we’ve got a lot more playing to do, so that won’t be anytime soon.” n fa l l 20 26 v bc m

Linden Lane // Campus Digest

CAMPUS NEWS Travis Rhodes ’93 was elected chairman of the BC Board of Trustees. Rhodes, president

of Boston-based Abrams Capital, was elected in June, succeeding John Fish, who’d led the board since 2014. James Carey ’88, JD’91 was named vice chair, and Susan Martinelli Shea ’76 was reappointed secretary.

Corey Kelly has been named vice president for student affairs. Kelly, previously associate

vice president and dean of students, as well as a licensed social worker with experience in crisis intervention, is credited with enhancing student well-being and addressing behavioral and mental health challenges by fostering what she calls a “culture of care.”

Summer Sherburne Hawkins is the new head of the BC Global Public Health and the Common Good Program. Hawkins, a social

work professor, takes over from biology professor Philip Landrigan, who has directed the interdisciplinary program—which prepares students to address local and global public health challenges—since its launch in 2018.

Restoring the BC Eagle to Glory The landmark Linden Lane statue gets a refresh.

The iconic BC Eagle statue in front of Gasson Hall is looking particularly luminous lately, following a meticulous restoration project. Last spring, Massachusetts craftsman Walter Eayrs, whose family company specializes in historic preservation projects, spent more than a week employing techniques similar to those practiced in ancient Egypt to regild and refresh the eagle. The eagle statue first arrived on campus in 1954, when the estate of Larz Anderson, US ambassador to Japan, gifted it to BC. After weathering the elements for decades from its perch atop a thirty-foot-high column, the original statue was replaced in 1993 with the replica Eayrs carefully restored. Here are the steps he took to ensure it’ll gleam for years to come. 1) Prep. Eayrs used abrasive pads to remove corrosion and dirt from the statue. Years of exposure to New England weather had caused the statue’s gold-leaf coating to chip away, revealing its cast-bronze surface underneath. 2) Prime. Next, Eayrs coated the eagle in a yellow-tinted primer to smooth its surface. Then he applied a special adhesive that requires approximately six hours of drying time to become perfectly sticky. 3) Regild. Finally, he gently covered the statue in two thousand leaves of tissue-thin 23.75carat gold, using a painstaking, centuries-old hand-application method. —Elizabeth Clemente 6

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

Boston College rises on LinkedIn’s ranking of the nation’s best colleges for long-term career success. The University is twenty-first on the 2026 list, moving up one spot from last year’s inaugural LinkedIn survey of fifty colleges.

Joshua Snyder was named Cooney Family Director of the PULSE Program for Service Learning. PULSE, founded in 1970, connects

classroom instruction to community service opportunities with social change organizations. Snyder, associate professor of the practice in theology, succeeds Meghan Sweeney, who led the program for the past twelve years.

BC Law Professor Ray Madoff was named to the 2026 TIME100 Philanthropy list. The list

recognizes the “most influential people shaping the future of giving.” Madoff, cofounder of the Boston College Law School Forum on Philanthropy and the Public Good, was cited for her critique of the US tax code, which she argues favors the wealthy. photo: Andrew Craig

It Came from Mars!

What’s the Story Behind the Sundial on the Lawn at Bapst Library?

A Martian meteorite named Northwest Africa (NWA) 13441 was studied by BC researchers.

Using advanced laboratory techniques, BC scientists recently determined that a rare Martian meteorite is 1.27 billion years old, which sheds unprecedented light on the red planet. “The unique age and composition tell us this is a new part of the planet that has never been analyzed before,” said Ethan Baxter, founder of BC’s Center for Isotope Geochemistry. While there is no definitive evidence that Mars hosted life, Baxter said, such discoveries are critical to understanding “the conditions and processes that may have led to the emergence, existence, and end of life there.” —Scott Kearnan

Generations of Eagles have likely noticed the pedestal sundial that stands waist-high on the grassy lawn outside Bapst Library. What they may not know is the story behind it. Now a newly installed plaque explains how the sundial ended up at Boston College. The limestone pedestal was sculpted and presented to the University as a gift in 1933 by the Boston-area stonemason David J. Murphy, in gratitude for the education received by his son, John “Jack” Murphy ’35. Jack Murphy would go on to become an army captain during World War II, and then to own a prominent Sacramento insurance firm. “My grandfather was poor, and thankful for the education his son was receiving,” said Jack’s son, also named David Murphy, who visited the BC campus from California in late June with his wife, Susan, and two of their grandsons. On the bright, clear morning, they laid a cheerful arrangement of maroon, gold, and green flowers at the foot of the sundial, where the plaque acknowledges their family. Murphy said the sundial continues to be something of a tradition in their clan. “Whenever anyone in the family is in Boston, they —S.K. visit the sundial,” he said.

HOW NWA 13441 MADE IT TO EARTH 4.5 billion years ago Mars is formed from cosmic matter

1.27 billion years ago Rock that later becomes a meteorite known as NWA 13441 is formed on Mars

3.9 billion years ago Mars loses its magnetic field, becoming uninhabitable

#31

2019 The meteorite is discovered in Algeria

2026 A BC team publishes its breakthrough analysis of NWA 13441

BC’s place in 2027 US News rankings

BC moved up five places to land at number thirty-one in the latest US News & World Report ranking of national universities, tied with Tufts University and New York University. Meanwhile, BC placed twenty-fourth in the magazine’s Top Private Colleges list, the first time the publication has separately ranked private and public institutions.

photos: Courtesy of Ethan Baxter (meteor); Matthew Healey (sundial)

fa l l 20 26 v bc m

Linden Lane

Hugh Jackman Hits the Heights

The Greatest Showman star lit up the stage at Pops on the Heights: The Barbara and Jim Cleary Scholarship Gala on September 25. Backed by the Boston Pops Orchestra, Jackman entertained with selections from his musical theater career, led a rousing rendition of “Sweet Caroline,” and even struck a Wolverine pose in a Doug Flutie jersey. The gala raised $12.4 million for student financial aid. BY SCOTT KEARNAN | PHOTOGRAPHS BY GRETCHEN ERTL

bcm bc m v fa falll l 20 20226 6

fa fall l l 220 0 226 6 v b bc cm m

Linden Lane

In Schmigadoon!, two New Yorkers are transported to a fantastical town from a Broadway musical.

Staging a Success Schmigadoon!, with two BC alumni on its producing team, won the Tony Award this year as Broadway’s best musical. Can the show pull off the toughest act of all…turning a profit? BY SCOTT KEARNAN

At the Tony Awards in June, the effervescent Broadway comedy Schmigadoon! won in four categories, including the night’s biggest prize, Best Musical. Two Boston College alumni were at Radio City Music Hall to accept the trophy as part of the show’s producing team. “I watched the Tonys when I was a kid,” said Taylor Tranfaglia ’18, “so to be up there on stage was one of the top moments of my life.” Sam Biondolillo ’18 said the whole thing “didn’t feel real. Everyone involved in the show had worked so hard to get to that moment.” The behind-the-scenes toil of producers like Tranfaglia and Biondolillo is rarely visible to audiences, but their efforts are as instrumental to the success of a musical as the performers who sing and dance on stage each night. Producers mainly oversee the business side of a show, from licensing or commissioning scripts and scores to assembling a creative team to, crucially, raising the millions of dollars necessary for staging 10

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

a major Broadway production. It’s always been a challenge to convince financial backers to invest in an idea, and it’s not getting any easier. Broadway shows are increasingly expensive to produce and competition for audiences is thick. Only about 10 percent of musicals are estimated to turn a profit during their Broadway run—about half the historical average, according to the Broadway League, the industry’s trade association. So it’s a big deal that Schmigadoon!— which also took home Tony awards for Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Orchestrations—has received the kind of critical accolades that have the power to boost ticket sales. In the months since the Tony wins, the show, which is about a couple from current-day New York City who find themselves magically trapped inside a small town from a 1940s Broadway musical, has reportedly been selling to between 91 and 99 percent of weekly capacity at New York’s Nederlander

Theatre. In fact, the show’s run at the venue was recently extended for the second time and now stretches into April 2027. Filling thousands of seats nightly is undoubtedly impressive. But on Broadway, margins are so thin that it remains an open question whether Schmigadoon!, which according to The New York Times cost about $12.9 million to mount, can beat the odds and turn a profit before the end of its current run. “We’re feeling good,” is how Tranfaglia put the prospects. If attendance remains strong, she is hopeful the show’s run will continue to be extended. Plus, she pointed out, many shows that don’t recoup their budgets directly through Broadway ticket sales still wind up making a profit through other opportunities that producers arrange. For instance, Schmigadoon!, which is a theatrical adaptation of a former Apple TV series, is scheduled to hit the road on a national tour next fall, and there are plans to license it for high school performances, too.

photos: Matthew Murphy (production, above and opposite); Laurel Hinton (Tranfaglia and Biondolillo, opposite)

Taylor Tranfaglia and Sam Biondolillo at the 2026 Tony Awards.

How do Broadway producers convince investors to place a long-term bet on a show? “The key to working with investors is to share a mutual passion for this industry and be honest with them about the landscape,” Tranfaglia said. The landscape is rocky right now. It is true, for instance, that Broadway’s 2025–2026 season set an all-time box office record with $1.91 billion in ticket sales, and the previous season saw the second-highest attendance on record (about fifteen million theatergoers). However, that growth has been driven largely by increased attendance at plays starring major celebrities, while attendance at musicals has actually seen a slight decline. Meanwhile, overhead expenses, from theater rent to labor costs, continue to go up. And that, said Tranfaglia, is why it’s so important to find investors—whether they’re philanthropic retirees or entertainment industry up-and-comers—who believe strongly that the show you’re proposing simply deserves to exist.

Tranfaglia grew up performing in youth productions in the Massachusetts Berkshires. She majored in theater at BC and is now chief of staff at No Guarantees Productions, a leading producer of Schmigadoon!, in New York. As an associate producer assigned to the show, Tranfaglia took a leading role in managing logistics and fundraising. “A big part of my job was to chase people and explain to them why this was such an important project,” she said. “What really sold it to a lot of investors is that we needed a show that was about joy, and inclusivity, and was really funny.” Biondolillo began working on the show when Tranfaglia reached out looking for help with raising capital. His introduction to local theater came while growing up in Vermont, and today he runs the New York– based production company SAMS Entertainment, which is coproducing Schmigadoon!, as well as a theatrical lighting design company. “It’s a show about community and bringing people together, and that’s what the world is craving at this moment in time,” he said. Producers understand the financial risks of the business of Broadway, he added, but are motivated by the creative rewards. In that sense, Schmigadoon! is already a home run, regardless of whether it eventually turns a profit. “There’s a perception that producers are bad guys, trying to squeeze every penny out of something,” he said. “But there’s a certain point where people go, ‘Even if we lose money, I think it’s worth having it out there.’” n

STREAMING EAGLES

These TV projects showcase talented BC alumni. COMEDY SERIES Amy Poehler ’93

writes, executive produces, and stars as an archaeologist in Dig, about four women who discover a bombshell of an artifact while excavating an ancient site in Greece. Imagine Parks and Recreation if it traded small-town politics for an international conspiracy. Dig premieres on Peacock in November.

SKETCH SHOW Jordan Mendoza ’12

is the creator, director, and star of The Terrors of Jordan Mendoza, a live-action series that premiered in September on Adult Swim. Mendoza plumbs the depths of his subconscious in surreal, scary-funny shorts featuring guest appearances by comedy legends like Steve Buscemi and Fred Armisen.

ANIMATED ACTION Carolina Ravassa ’07

joined the cast of X-Men ’97 for the recently released second season. The voice actor, who portrays Polaris, a Marvel Comics superhero with magnetic powers, will return for the third and fourth seasons of the critically acclaimed show, which has already been renewed by Disney+.

DRAMATIC ADAPTATION Carinn Jade ’98

Sara Chase and Ann Harada in Schmigadoon!, running on Broadway into April 2027.

streaming eagles photos: Peacock (Poehler); Emanuel Hahn (Mendoza); Michael Garcia (Ravassa); Courtesy of Carinn Jade

wrote The Astrology House, a twisty mystery novel that’s being developed as a suspense series by Peacock. Christina Ricci will star in the show, about a group of Manhattanites who take a weekend retreat at a seaside hotel that turns deadly and exposes simmering secrets. fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Linden Lane

The Major Donor

One man. Fifty years. Thirty(!) gallons of blood given. BY SCOTT KEARNAN

Tom W. Burke ’71 has always been someone who lives by a routine. For much of his life, for instance, Burke would head down every fifty-six days to a YMCA near his home in North Carolina and donate a pint of blood to the American Red Cross. Why fifty-six days? Because that’s how long you have to wait before they’ll let you give blood again. “One time I showed up a day early,” Burke recalled, “and they told me I had to come back tomorrow.” Burke is a retired finance professional, so he knows that small numbers can add up to something big over time. In this way, pint after pint across half a century, he wound up donating thirty gallons of blood in his lifetime, something fewer than one percent of donors ever manage. Burke, now seventyseven years old, made his final donation last fall, and was presented by the Red Cross with a golden droplet-shaped pin recognizing his accomplishment. Burke, who grew up in Cohasset, Massachusetts, first agreed to roll up his sleeve when he was asked to by a colleague at the insurance company where he worked in the 1970s. He said he became a regular donor after he learned how few people give blood. According to the Red Cross, roughly 62 percent of the US population is eligible to donate blood, but only 3 percent does. “That really motivated me,” he said. “We know

there’s a great need. I said to myself that if I’m healthy, I ought to donate.” In fact, he added, consistently donating encouraged him to stay healthy. “If your blood pressure and hemoglobin levels aren’t where they’re supposed to be, they’ll decline you.” Burke was never turned away, but as he got older he started taking iron supplements before donation days, he said, just to be safe. After all, Burke has always been someone

who takes a lot of pride in having a perfect record. From third grade through the day he retired in 2012, he never missed a single day of school or work for illness, he said. He takes after his father. “He was a freak for winning streaks,” said Burke. “I came down with a slight case of rubella when I was a student at BC High and showed my dad the rash. I said, ‘I think I need a day off.’ He said, ‘No, Tom. You’ll break your streak!’” n

Tom Burke’s lifetime of giving blood

240 x3

TOTAL DONATIONS

LIVES THE RED CROSS SAYS CAN BE SAVED PER PINT

≈ 720

LIVES BURKE’S BLOOD HELPED TO SAVE

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

photos: Chris Edwards

Credit Is Due

Here’s a look at three breakthroughs in Murphy’s book for which women were denied the recognition they deserved.

Nuclear Fission

The nuclear physicist Lise Meitner was instrumental in designing and conducting the experiments that led to the discovery of nuclear fission, but she wasn’t even nominated for the 1944 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which was awarded to her collaborator of many years, Otto Hahn.

When Men Take Credit for the Work of Women

Wendy Murphy ’83 documents the little-told histories of breakthrough inventions and discoveries. BY JOHN WOLFSON

A few years ago, while at work on a scholarly article about the history of the struggle for women’s equality, the lawyer, writer, and television legal analyst Wendy Murphy found herself stumped. “I wanted to add a footnote to the paper referencing the problem of men taking credit for women’s work,” Murphy recalled. “I went looking for a book that described the problem, and it didn’t exist.” So she thought to herself, I’m going to write it. Murphy spent the next year doing exactly that, and in 2024 she published Oh No He Didn’t!: Brilliant Women and the Men Who Took Credit for Their Work. The book recounts the stories of some two dozen women from across history whose groundbreaking contributions to science, medicine, mathematics, technology, and the arts went unrecognized, primarily because the acclaim and awards unjustly went to men instead. Alice Ball, for example, was a chemist who created the first treatment for leprosy, but Murphy writes that after Ball unexpectedly died in 1916, her boss successfully claimed that he was the one responsible for the breakthrough. Then there was the PhD student Candace Pert, who, while working

in the lab of Solomon Snyder, created a new technique to look for brain receptors. That led Pert to the important discovery of the opioid receptor, but it was Snyder who was given the prestigious Lasker Award in 1978. (For more examples from Murphy’s book, see the sidebar at right.) Though nearly all of the stories in Oh No He Didn’t! have been individually told elsewhere, they have for the most part remained little known. Murphy, an adjunct professor at New England Law Boston, said she hopes that compiling them in a single book will help to shine light on the accomplishments of these women, and will highlight the long history of men taking credit for the successes of women. “And some of these stories are not that old,” she pointed out. “This is not a book about how it used to be in the past. This is not an old problem. It’s a continuing problem.” Murphy said that she’s heard from many female readers who tell her that, like the women in the book, they don’t receive the recognition that is due them for their work. “One of the reasons I loved writing this book,” she said, “is it’s a way of saying to women, ‘You’re not alone.’” n

photos: Matthew Healey (Murphy); King’s College London Archives (DNA); Shutterstock (nuclear fission and Monopoly)

DNA

The chemist Rosalind Franklin’s X-ray diffraction images, especially the famous Photo 51, led to the discovery of DNA. But her male colleague, without permission, shared the photo with two other researchers and it was Francis Crick, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins who won a 1962 Nobel Prize.

Monopoly

In 1904, Elizabeth Magie patented a real estate–based board game, with spaces such as Chance and Go to Jail. Yet a man named Charles Darrow was recognized as the inventor after he knocked off Magie’s idea and sold the rights to Monopoly to Parker Brothers in 1935. fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Linden Lane

More to Explore from BC Magazine Our web and social channels are full of extras you don’t want to miss. BostonCollegeMagazine

bcm.buzzsprout.com bcm@bc.edu

LISTEN

On the Boston College Magazine podcast, Ken Casey, frontman of the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys, discusses the legacy of Welles Crowther ’99, who died guiding survivors to safety during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Dropkicks song “A Hero Among Many” is a tribute to Crowther.

WATCH

For generations, BC students have walked and jogged around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. But how much do you really know about this campus-side landmark? Visit BC Magazine on Instagram to find a brief history lesson about the reservoir and its ties to lower campus.

BY JOHN WOLFSON

When John T. Hayden ’70 transferred to Boston College as a sophomore, he found a home. Even as Hayden went on to become a successful attorney and real estate investor in the San Francisco Bay Area, his family and many friends recalled, he never forgot that it was at BC that he came into his own as both a student and a passionate performer in University theatrical productions. So when Hayden’s estate—he died of leukemia in 2024—recently made a donation of more than $55 million to Boston College, the University recognized the generous gift by naming 245 Beacon Street, BC’s gleaming 150,000-square-foot integrated sciences building, John T. Hayden Hall. The gift also established the John T. Hayden Theatre Department Fund to provide continued support for the Theatre Department and the Robsham Theater Arts Center. After leaving BC, Hayden graduated from UCLA Law and then practiced labor and employment law. He later became a full-time real estate investor. Through it all, he never lost his love for the stage as he continued to perform in local musical productions. “John didn’t spend money on himself,” Joseph Gillach, Hayden’s friend and the trustee of his estate, told BC’s Beacon magazine. “He spent it on the people and places that mattered to him. This gift is a reflection of what BC gave him.”

Martignetti Hall

Attention, die-hard Eagles: do you think you’re Boston College’s all-time biggest fan? We want to hear about the unique ways you show your school spirit. Over-the-top tailgate setups, BC-themed weddings, University-inspired tattoos…Tell us how you bleed maroon and gold, and you might find yourself in a future issue of the magazine. bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

A pair of major gifts leave a lasting mark on campus.

John T. Hayden Hall

@bostoncollegemagazine

New Names for Two Campus Buildings

In recognition of a substantial unrestricted gift from longtime BC benefactors Beth and Carmine Martignetti, 90 Saint Thomas More Road, the residence hall next to Corcoran Commons that houses 380 students, will be named Martignetti Hall. The Martignettis, who both graduated in the Class of 1976, have been giving to BC for nearly half a century, with prior gifts supporting everything from financial aid and the Connell School of Nursing to athletics and Pops on the Heights. After graduating from the School of Nursing, Beth Martignetti worked as a surgical nurse. Carmine Martignetti, who joined the University’s Board of Trustees in 2015, is president and coowner of Martignetti Companies, a leading distributor of wine, spirits, and malt beverages.

photos: Jenny Krasic (Casey); Burns Library (reservoir); Lee Pellegrini (Baldwin); Michael Manning (Hayden unveiling); Gretchen Ertl (Martignettis)

BC Announces New Institute to Explore the Implications of AI

The Krantz Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Humanity will position the University as a leader in stewarding the future of AI technology. BY JACK DUNN

Boston College will leverage its formative and ethical strengths as a Jesuit, Catholic university to explore the opportunities, implications, and potential perils of artificial intelligence through a transformative gift from University Trustee Jason Krantz ’95, P’23 and his wife Keely (Fitzgerald) Krantz ’95, P’23. The gift will establish the Krantz Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Humanity, which will utilize BC faculty, visiting scholars, and industry partners to examine AI’s long-term opportunities and impact from a humanistic perspective, while photo: Caitlin Cunningham

instilling BC students with the judgement, wisdom, and critical thinking to become high-performing, ethical leaders in the development and deployment of AI. “This technology is going to touch every part of life,” said Jason Krantz, founder and executive chairman of Definitive Healthcare and managing partner and founder of Breachway Capital, “and we believe Boston College should lead the global discussion on how to ensure a positive impact on humanity and society. At the same time, the formative education that Boston College bestows upon its students is going to be more important

than ever to develop the leaders of tomorrow to best leverage AI.” The Krantz Institute will draw from the University’s academic programs in liberal arts, business, education, ethics, nursing, law, social work, and theology to achieve three primary goals. First, the Krantz Institute will convene global thought leaders at Boston College for conferences and symposia to discuss AI and its potential impact on humanity. Second, it will provide fellowships, internships, and experiential learning opportunities for BC students that will enable them to lead conversations that will shape the future of AI, wherever they take place. Third, the Krantz Institute will advance curricular innovation and integration at BC, enhance campus-wide AI-related programs and projects, and award internal seed grants to fund emerging initiatives. Keely Krantz, president and founder of the O’Dell Women’s Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, said that BC’s Jesuit identity makes the University uniquely positioned to lead conversations on ethics and AI. “The tradition of men and women for others gives us not just permission, but an obligation and responsibility to ask hard questions about the technology and be part of determining its impact on human dignity, justice, and the common good,” she said. The institute will involve all nine of BC’s schools, said Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. With the announcement of the institute, Quigley said he hopes to hire an executive director this academic year, and that he expects the University will hire faculty affiliates—who may include theologians, computer scientists, and multidisciplinary thought leaders—to provide human-centered perspectives on how AI is transforming industries and the world. “The Krantz Institute,” Quigley said, “is a vision for how, across the University, we can help our students to confront what AI means in the context of formative education, the tools that it affords, and the ways in which research and learning can be enhanced, and also to explore the potential threats that artificial intelligence presents.” Whatever the future of AI brings, the Krantzes said they believe that the institute will position Boston College as an intellectual force in steering its responsible use and leveraging the benefits for social good. “We invite people to think of ways they can get involved and help Boston College truly be the leader in determining how AI can benefit all of humanity,” Jason Krantz said. n fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Linden Lane

Anchoring Himself

Luke Russert ’08 traveled the world to think about his future. Now he’s come home to cable news. BY SCOTT KEARNAN

As the son of two journalists—the late Meet the Press host Tim Russert and the longtime Vanity Fair correspondent Maureen Orth—it might seem inevitable that Luke Russert would become one himself. But Russert, who started a broadcasting career while still a student at BC, stepped away from reporting in 2016 to travel the world, write a book, and meditate on his future. Ultimately, the experience brought him back to journalism as a new coanchor of the MS NOW show The Weeknight. This conversation has been lightly edited for space and clarity. Did growing up with journalists for parents influence your path at an early age? It certainly was the family business. I grew up as an only child, and as I sat around the family dinner table with my parents, they would grill me almost as if I was a subject of a story for Vanity Fair. What I liked about it is that I always felt like I was in the know. I was always reading magazines and consuming news, and my friends would ask me about news stories, thinking I was the proper gatekeeper. After stepping away to travel, how did it feel to come back to journalism? I hadn’t read a teleprompter in nearly ten years at that point. It was like riding a bike. It just came back, and you get better with repetition. You get into a groove. It felt like a homecoming, in a way. It’s like The Odyssey, right? You go out in the world and you have myriad experiences, but ultimately you come home. I think this time I came home in a way that was much more comfortable for me. How did being abroad affect the way you think about American politics? What I learned is that, when you take away the leaders of places, people are pretty similar the world over. It’s so cliché, but it’s so true. Most people really want a few things. They want a roof over their head, they want food in their bellies, and they want safety and opportunity for their children and themselves. I learned that, whether it’s in very impoverished places in Asia or Africa, or some of the wealthiest places in the Middle East or wherever, we are better off as a country—as the United States—where we’re mindful of our privilege and mindful of our stature. Despite the ups and downs, 16

bcm v fa falll l 20 20226 6

we have it so much better than so many others. A lot of what we argue about are problems that other countries would be lucky to have. What do you think about the overall state of journalism right now, and what it means for democracy? Two things you need now, in this age of disinformation, are very robust civics programs and media literacy programs in school systems. Those are two things you need to have a healthy, vibrant democracy. I tell young people, if you want to be a journalist—and you absolutely should, it’s a wonderful profession—be very mindful of what’s out there. A lot of people are stenographers who just repeat back what is said. Other people want to be influencers. For a healthy democracy, you need a press to ask tough questions that hold leaders accountable. One thing my father used to always say is, “If you can’t answer tough questions, how are you going to make tough decisions?” Remember, these people work for you. You are their boss. That’s how you should think of it. What are three stories you’re most excited to talk about right now? One is voting rights. We’ve seen this administration move in a direction where they want fewer people to vote and want to choose their own voters more so than we’ve ever seen. That’s something that has made a lot of Republicans uncomfortable, because of how far-reaching it goes. Another thing is affordability, the massive increase in costs across the board. Some of that is the fault of the administration, some of it’s not. The last one I’m very interested in is who is going to take over the mantle from Trump at some point on

the Republican side. It seems like he’s running his own Celebrity Apprentice between JD Vance and Marco Rubio, and I’m sure others will want to inject themselves into the race. But there’s no logical heir apparent right now. As a coanchor, how do you keep discussions healthy and productive? You are entitled as a host to have opinions and share those opinions. But I’ve found they register a lot more when that’s done in a way that isn’t screaming and yelling, “I’m right and you’re wrong!” It’s, “This is how I’ve come to this opinion. I’m more than happy to have a conversation. You can challenge me on it.” Showing that willingness is a big part of civility. On our show, Michael [Steele] is a Republican, Symone [Sanders Townsend] is a Democrat, and I come from a beat reporter background. We don’t agree on everything. There’s a reward now, sometimes, for people to be bombastic and over-the-top. But we get into very spirited conversations, and by the end we’re laughing and having a good time. Your father spoke at my BC commencement in 2004, and he shared these words: “You’ve been given an education that says it’s not enough to have a skill, not enough to have read all the books or know all the facts. Values really do matter.” What are the values that inform how you do your work? I think what my dad said in that speech piggybacks off something that he used to teach me every single day: that you’re always loved, but you’re never entitled. That’s something BC did a very good job instilling in its students: the idea of men and women for others, and that you’re a part of something bigger. There’s a tendency now, in our society, that is very narcissistic. It’s, you know, “How’s your social media engagement?” Feed the beast. But when you take a step back, you have those contemplative moments where you think, Sure, I did something well for myself today. But did I help the discourse? Did I help the common good? n photo: Courtesy of MS NOW

fa fall l l 220 026 v b bc cm m

Linden Lane

The Fact Finders

In a media and political environment where it can be hard to know what’s true, these two alumni are building information platforms that replace partisanship with hard data and documentation. BY SCOTT KEARNAN

GOVERNMENT

NEWS

Kyle Dell MA’95, PhD’07

Tim Huelskamp ’05 Cofounder and CEO, 1440 Media

Executive Director and CEO, Vote Smart

A lifelong entrepreneur, Huelskamp grew up selling soda from his parents’ driveway in the Chicago suburbs and peddling custom-mix CDs to high school classmates. Majoring in finance at BC with a minor in history, he was fascinated by the biographies of business tycoons, from Rockefeller to Winfrey to Bezos. What he took away from those stories is that “Companies, when at their best, create products that make peoples’ lives better,” he said. In 2017, after a decade in private equity, Huelskamp started his own company, 1440 Media. His goal, he said, was to create a source of unbiased daily news briefings—distilled information, presented without commentary—that readers can grasp in under five minutes.

Dell discovered the importance of civic engagement as a kid, when his Michigan hometown closed its public schools after local taxpayers voted against property tax levies that would fund them. “Something you don’t think is political can become political really quickly,” he said he learned. He interned on Capitol Hill while an undergrad at Kalamazoo College, and in the lead-up to the 1996 presidential election—which fell in the time between earning his master’s and starting his doctorate in political science at BC—Dell briefly joined the staff of Vote Smart, a nonpartisan nonprofit that informs voters about candidates, lawmakers, and legislation. In 2022, he stepped away from a career in academia to return to Vote Smart as executive director.

1440, named for the year the Gutenberg printing press was invented, produces free email newsletters on specific topics, such as health and medicine, as well as a daily roundup of general news. But instead of publishing its own original stories, 1440 curates fact-checked reporting from a wide spectrum of well-established global news organizations to compose concise, neutral summaries with links to supporting sources. Huelskamp said that 1440’s five million subscribers are evenly divided among Democrats, Republicans, and independents. He plans to make 1440 a “curiosity machine” that additionally directs users to articles, videos, and other content that serve as smart explainers on everything from economic principles to natural sciences. Think “Pinterest for knowledge,” he said. “I had the same pain point every day,” Huelskamp said. “I’d try to understand what happened yesterday, but everything I read had an opinion in it. It’s frustrating when you are trying to learn about something and social media platforms put out misinformation and conspiracy theories. Ninetynine percent of the content on the internet is not worth your time. We find the incredible things and put them in one ecosystem.”

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

WHO

WHAT

WHY

Since 1992, Vote Smart has been compiling and sharing exhaustive profiles of federal and state elected officials and candidates, including their voting records, public statements, endorsements, and ratings by special interest groups. “We have the receipts,” Dell said. Now he is busy modernizing how people can access those receipts. Under his leadership, the Vote Smart website, which currently has about 2.5 million registered users, rolled out an AI-powered chatbot that can conversationally answer questions about politicians, their positions, pending legislation, and more. The chatbot’s responses are drawn exclusively from objectively verifiable information in Vote Smart’s database, Dell noted, meaning they avoid any partisan lean. “We’re all in the position of being overwhelmed with information, and by the rage bubble that many political figures want us to live in,” Dell said. “Maybe you saw something on social media, but you want context. We want to be the trusted source of information you can find whenever you need it, no matter where you live, no matter what issue is driving you, no matter what groups you may belong to or support.”

illustrations: Joel Kimmel

Dan Langenkamp speaking at a Ride For Your Life rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC in 2024.

Turning Tragedy into Advocacy

Four years after the bicycling death of the American diplomat Sarah Debbink Langenkamp ’02, her husband is fighting for safer roadways. BY ELIZABETH CLEMENTE

For nearly twenty years, US diplomat Sarah Debbink Langenkamp ’02 and her husband Dan worked together as foreign service officers for the State Department, serving around the world in places like Haiti, Uganda, and Iraq. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the couple sent their two young sons to live with their grandparents and moved to the country’s western border. They spent six months in a war zone, helping to coordinate defense supplies for the Ukrainian government. Then, late in the summer of 2022, the Langenkamps decided to evacuate Ukraine and return to safety at home in America. “We just couldn’t be apart from our kids,” Dan recalled recently. Tragically, their reunion was short-lived. Only a few weeks after Sarah and Dan returned to Maryland, Sarah was struck and killed by a truck while riding her bike home from an open house at their sons’ school. She was using a designated bike lane on the three-mile trip. Dan was devastated. He was also furious. “I was so angry that she died this way,” he said, filled with emotion as he recalled the loss four years later. The day after Sarah’s death, Dan began researching bike safety laws and cyclist fatalities on roadphotos: Courtesy of Dan Langenkamp

Sarah Debbink Langenkamp, seen here with her husband Dan and their two sons, was struck and killed by a truck while riding her bike in 2022.

ways. He was shocked by what he discovered. In the year Sarah died, he said, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 1,105 bicyclists were killed by motorists, the largest number since 1975. Dan also learned that 2022 marked a fortyyear peak in US pedestrian deaths. “I just thought, we have to do something about this problem,” he said. He channeled his grief into action. Today, Dan Langenkamp is the founder of Ride For Your Life, a nonprofit that supports grassroots bike safety organizations and advocates for national and local policies to improve bicyclist and pedestrian safety. It all started with a GoFundMe campaign that had an initial goal of raising $50,000. Within days, more than $300,000 had been donated. “Money just started flooding in, which is a testament to who Sarah was,” Langenkamp said. These funds were used for Ride For Your Life’s inaugural benefit bike ride in Washington, DC, in 2022, which retraced Sarah’s final route before continuing on to a rally at the US Capitol. The event brought together two thousand cyclists and spurred the creation of the bipartisan Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act. That set of reforms would give states far more leeway to use federal highway money to improve infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians, such as by linking disjointed bike paths into contiguous networks that don’t cross busy roads. The federal bill that includes these reforms has passed the House and is now waiting to be taken up by the Senate. Since 2022, Ride For Your Life has hosted eleven events across five cities, involving more than ten thousand participants. “Our formula is to link a ride to a legislative ask,” said Langenkamp, whose organization has so far helped to advance five pieces of safety legislation. In Maryland, for instance, the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Memorial Act was passed into law, resulting in increased fines and jail time for drivers that kill or cause serious injury to people riding bikes, scooters, or electric assistive devices. Ride For Your Life’s advocacy also contributed to the introduction of a federal act that would require all new cars to include automatic emergency braking systems that are sensitive to cyclists. Langenkamp said his ultimate goal is to host ten rides annually. “If we’re able to pass three laws in three states this year, and then five laws, then seven, then eight,” he said, “we’ll be making a big difference every single year.” n fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Linden Lane

Eagles at the World Cup

From overseeing stadium security to broadcasting matches on television, BC alumni played all kinds of roles in a tournament that broke attendance records. Here are a few of their stories. BY SCOTT KEARNAN AND ELLEN SEAWARD

Ryan Winmill ’00

Chair of the US Host City National Security Working Group Over the course of thirty-nine days and 104 football matches, millions of World Cup fans from around the globe filled stadiums to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event. Behind the scenes, homeland security expert Ryan Winmill was working closely with international partners to make sure every single game in the US played out safely. For more than three years leading up to the World Cup, and then during the tournament itself, Winmill coordinated with chief security officers in each of the eleven US host cities, as well as with federal agents in the

White House FIFA Task Force. They developed plans for crowd management at event venues, exchanged global counterterrorism intelligence to monitor for safety concerns, and trained local law enforcement to respond to potential threats at events. This was all in addition to the role Winmill’s committee played in obtaining federal security funding, including $500 million for anti-drone security and training. The result was a World Cup that went off without incident. “It took tireless hours behind the scenes,” said Winmill. In a separate role as vice president

Lou DiSabatino ’87

Nancy Gonsalves ’85

Alfonso Gonzalez ’20

As FIFA’s point person in Boston for the World Cup, DiSabatino led local operations and connected FIFA with state and local officials, stadium operators, and public safety personnel. And for the more than 447,000 fans who attended Boston’s seven sold-out matches, DiSabatino was part of the team that ensured their visits went smoothly and lifetime memories were made. Among the fans was a group of more than one hundred children traveling from Israel for the World Cup. When no one seemed to have information on the group, DiSabatino found three separate rabbis to connect with them and welcome them to a match.

Gonsalves oversaw arrivals and greeted FIFA VIPs, guests, match referees, and players at Boston Logan International Airport and Hanscom Field. Standing planeside on the tarmac, Gonsalves welcomed teams including France, Scotland, and Cabo Verde, which touched down to a hero’s welcome by the local Cape Verdean community. It was easy to spot fans in the airport, Gonsalves said, with supporters wearing their country’s colors and jerseys. “Everyone was taking pictures with each other,” Gonsalves added. “People were cheerful, happy, and loved visiting.”

Gonzalez’s job was finding and overseeing base camps for the fifteen national soccer teams assigned to his region. He assessed more than forty sites, including private schools and universities, before interviewing teams to help guide them toward their selections. Ice baths for players were an essential amenity, and to make everything feel like a home away from home, most teams put up flags, decorations, and messages from fans. “Argentina had branded grills at their hotel so they could grill dinner just like they would back home,” Gonzalez said. Meanwhile, the University of Kansas marching band learned the Algerian national anthem. “It was a great example of how soccer brings people together,” Gonzalez said.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Host City Director, Boston

bcm v fa falll l 20 20226 6

Airport Manager

Team Facilities Lead, Central North

photos: Courtesy of each person; Shutterstock (trophy, grass and soccer ball)

That's Mbappé!

Brewing Pints for the World Cup

and chief security officer of the Boston Host Committee, he directly oversaw safety plans for World Cup operations in Massachusetts. “At Gillette Stadium, it was like hosting seven back-to-back mini Super Bowls over a six-week period.” The son of an army veteran and a nursing professor, Winmill studied history at BC and was motivated by the events of 9/11 to pursue a career in public safety. He earned a law degree at Suffolk University and was hired by the state of Massachusetts to develop their homeland security program. Winmill sub-

sequently worked for the US Department of Homeland Security before launching his own consulting firm in 2006. Over the course of his career, he’s worked on security for major events including three presidential inaugurations, four Super Bowls, and a G8 Summit. Winmill said protecting attendees and athletes at the World Cup will always remain a special accomplishment. “It was a great experience for me personally and for the country,” he said, “because so many different people were leaning in to bring a global community together.”

Alejandro Bedoya ’09

Joe Gravellese ’10 and Taylor Giuffre-Catalano ’22

Broadcast Analyst

Named to this magazine’s list of BC’s top twenty-five athletes of all time, Bedoya served as a color commentator for Telemundo Deportes’s Spanish-language broadcasts of the World Cup. Nearly half of Americans who watched the World Cup did so on Telemundo, and Bedoya said the network’s emotional coverage helped to draw fans. “We are really passionate about the game of soccer and fans could feel that energy transmitted through the television,” he said. “The emphatic ¡Goooooool! calls helped as well.”

Back in his college days, Brian Kulbacki ’08 bartended at the late, legendary Cleveland Circle dive bar Mary Ann’s. Now he makes beer as founder of Departed Soles Brewing Company in New Jersey, sold in sixteen states. One specialty is World Pint, a light lager the company brews to coincide with major professional soccer tournaments. “Beer and sports go hand in hand,” Kulbacki said. World Pint was served during World Cup fan events and watch parties at venues like Sports Illustrated Stadium, with a portion of proceeds benefiting local youth sports initiatives. The brewery has produced other beers that give back too, like Flutie Flakes, an IPA that supported the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism.

City Employees in Revere, Massachusetts Major sporting events like the World Cup can result in a big boost for local businesses, with fans packing bars and public viewing parties rather than streaming games at home. In Revere, Gravellese, a community development planner, and GiuffreCatalano, a communications associate in the mayor’s office, organized viewing parties and community partnerships, even helping one local taproom have its most successful day ever. “It was a nice reminder that humans crave community and connection,” Gravellese said. “For a month, soccer gave us the opportunity to embrace that in an atomized world.” fa fall l l 220 026 v b bc cm m

Linden Lane // Books

When Less Is More

How a BC English professor let go of material goods and found freedom in return. BY SCOTT KEARNAN

Earlier this year, Boston College English Professor Suzanne Matson spent two weeks with students hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain as part of an experiential course on pilgrimages that she leads. Inspired in part by the spare approach of Emma Gatewood, the first woman to complete the Appalachian Trail, Matson brought a daypack that carried only about ten pounds of gear: a single change of clothes, a rain poncho, a notebook, and a few other small items. “It was delightful to have only that,” Matson recalled. “Life felt so simple.” In the new book Winnowing, Matson, who is codirector of BC’s creative writing concentration, unpacks how she has come to love the feeling of freedom that accompanies a life unencumbered by a surfeit of material possessions. Winnowing is an evocative personal account of how Matson recently purged her home of belongings that she and her family no longer needed or wanted, from old clothes to outgrown toys to extra furnishings. The book is also a philosophical exploration of how and why people develop practical and emotional attachments to objects in the first place. Along the way, Matson incorporates historic anecdotes, such as the story of Gatewood, and research on topics like hoarding. Early on in Winnowing, Matson describes the state of her home—as well as her state of mind—prior to the laborious process of paring things down. “You could come to my house and not immediately feel that there are too many things,” Matson writes. “But the bedrooms upstairs and the closets, cupboards, drawers, attic, and basement 22

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

are full. Even when I’m not looking at the stuff, I’m somehow feeling it. I’m convinced that mental energy gets sapped by an excess of things around you.” Page by page and room by room, she experiences a kind of catharsis as she contemplates what to keep and what to discard, and shares what she learns about the value of discernment. Matson said that helping her late mother cull her possessions as she progressively downsized homes may have had something to do with shaping her attitude toward physical possessions and fostering a creative interest in them. “I think I developed a sensibility of living lightly partly in contrast to how weighed down she seemed by her stuff,” she said. In 2019, The Boston Globe Magazine published an essay Matson wrote about curating her mother’s property ahead of a move to an assisted-living studio. In 2023,

Matson wrote a Boston Globe essay about the bittersweet process of selling her childhood Barbie collection on eBay. “Grappling with material legacies is something that I’ve been writing about in various forms and genres for a very long time,” she said. “My second book of poetry is called Durable Goods. In my first novel, The Hunger Moon, one character is a woman who moves from a family home to a condominium and doesn’t unpack her stuff. She lives in an empty white condo and enjoys it that way.” With Winnowing, her first book of nonfiction, Matson wanted to interweave personal reflections with some cultural anthropology. She cites a study that found one in five Americans rent storage units, with 40 percent of those people reporting it’s because they ran out of room at home. She describes overconsumption as a significant driver of climate change, the dire effects of which ironically wind up destroying property through increasingly devastating storms, fires, and floods. She considers how much easier it has become to accumulate in an “utterly frictionless” online economy that delivers goods from warehouses to doorsteps with the click of a button. What Matson said she didn’t want to write was a prescriptive manual to voiding one’s home, in the vein of a Marie Kondo book. Whether to keep, discard, or donate something is a personal choice, she said, and neither intrinsically good nor bad. More important to her was being reflective about the reason. When Matson rediscovered a small stuffed tiger she received as a six-yearold, for instance, she writes that she kept it so that she could continue to “inhale the delightful musty scent of childhood.” “For me, this was about coming to the realization that touching the material things that have come in and out of your life is instructive,” Matson said. “It brings you back to your life in a really interesting way. I liken it to a sport. It’s not a fast process, but it’s an interesting one.” n photo: Caitlin Cunningham

Revolutionary Spirits

BRIEFLY The Opinionated University: Academic Freedom, Diversity, and the Myth of Neutrality in American Higher Education By Brian Soucek ’98

In a new book, a BC-trained historian traces the role that taverns played in fomenting rebellion in Colonial America. BY MIKE NEWALL

Brooke Barbier PhD’09 knows her history—and her booze. She has authored two lauded books on the American Revolution and founded a popular tour of colonial-era taverns in Boston, where she lives. Her new work, Cocked and Boozy: An Intoxicating History of the American Revolution, offers a rollicking account of the influence of tavern life and alcohol on the founding generation. Dedicated to Boston tavern workers then and now, Cocked and Boozy—just two of Benjamin Franklin’s 229 documented terms for drunkenness—explores the critical role that imbibing together played in igniting rebellion and building bonds of common cause among the founders. Tipping back spirits at bars steadied the patriots on their rocky road to independence, Barbier explained, helping colonists transform from British citizens into Americans. “Historians rarely discuss the role of taverns in the American Revolution. And almost certainly neglect the role of alcohol,” she said. “Taverns are where the discussions about revolutionary ideas happened, where people gathered to discuss the growing political crisis. Opinions were formed in taverns.” Nowhere did patriots plot sedition over their beers like in Boston, where the Sons

of Liberty gathered at the Green Dragon Tavern to hatch plans for the Boston Tea Party and for Paul Revere’s legendary ride. It’s no coincidence, Barbier writes, that it was Bostonians, the largest rum distillers in the colonies, who led protests on the British Parliament’s tax on molasses in 1764, a key stepping stone to Revolution. In telling the tale of rebellion through the lens of alcohol (each chapter ends with an eighteenth-century cocktail recipe based on the founders’ preferred concoctions), Barbier provides a more complete picture of what fueled the revolutionaries. George Washington, we learn, brewed porter. Franklin penned drink formulas. Thomas Jefferson took Sangaree breaks while drafting the Declaration of Independence. Revolution was risky. Drinking helped. “They were human beings,” Barbier said of the Founding Fathers. “Today, going out and having a drink with a friend is a wonderful way to connect. The same was true in the eighteenth century.” n

Recipes Worth Reading

Cocked and Boozy includes instructions for revolutionaryera libations. Here’s one, a modern spin on Thomas Jefferson’s favored Sangaree. 3 oz. Madeira 1 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice ½ oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice ½ oz. simple syrup Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a wine glass. Top with a generous dash of freshly grated nutmeg.

A law professor at the University of California– Davis, Soucek uses his experience within the higher education system to critique its response to modern social issues such as the debate on American campuses over diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Rather than attempt to maintain neutrality in today’s charged political climate, he argues, colleges and universities should adopt clear positions that align with their values.

Cracked Foundations: Debt and Inequality in Suburban America By BC Associate Professor of History Michael Glass The suburbs aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be, writes Glass, despite the myth that suburbanites uniformly have attained economic success and security. Using the postwar suburbs of Long Island as a case study, the historian examines how the pursuit of suburban utopia inspired many families to take on crippling debt, enforced racial segregation, and manufactured inequalities that persist today.

The S@#T I’ve Heard at Yoga (What I Learned in Downward Dog) By Michael J. Norton ’78 This cheeky collection of essays chronicles Norton’s journey from type A nailbiter to calm yogi, and from being a cynic to an optimist. Told through bits of conversations in yoga classes and laden with humor and pop-culture references, it details how a mindfulness practice quieted the “crazy squirrels” in his head and led to personal —Elizabeth Clemente transformation. fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

bcm v fa falll l 20 20226 6

PRIME

TIME HE SKYROCKETED TO FAME AT THE MOVIES. TODAY, CHRIS O’DONNELL ’92, H’17 IS THE STAR OF TELEVISION’S HOTTEST SHOW.

BY SCOTT KEARNAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICOLA HARGER

fa fall l l 220 026 v b bc cm m

WHAT HAS ACTOR CHRIS O’DONNELL BEEN

UP TO LATELY? For the first few hours of the day, his schedule could be anyone’s: He wakes up, makes some coffee, reads the paper, and gets in a bit of exercise—maybe a sauna and cold plunge, too—before he heads to work. For O’Donnell, though, work these days means showing up to the set of a hit television show, the ABC firehouse drama 9-1-1: Nashville, where he’ll spend the next twelve hours or so fighting blazes for the cameras. Now in its second season, Nashville became the most-watched new broadcast series among adults when it premiered last year. O’Donnell, who is also an executive producer on the show, is at the center of the action as fire department captain Don Hart. It’s the latest big television role for O’Donnell, who has been acting on the small screen for years now. Of course, for many people, he’ll forever be associated with the movies that made him famous, such as his Golden Globe–nominated performance in Scent of a Woman—which he made while he was still a student at Boston College—swashbuckling action movies like The Three Musketeers and two Batman blockbusters, and romantic dramas and comedies including Circle of Friends and In Love and War. But in 2009, O’Donnell made a successful transition to TV, landing the main role on NCIS: Los Angeles, a procedural drama about federal special agents. He remained for the show’s nearly fourteen-year-long run, finding it to be the kind of steady, reliable work that suited the life he had built. “Broadcast TV is the closest thing to a nine-to-five you can get in show business,” O’Donnell told me recently. “I really liked making films when I was young and getting to live all over the world for months at a time, but it’s different when you have a family. The stability that TV gave me, I was really fortunate that it came along.”

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

fa fall l l 220 026 v b bc cm m

Sure, there’s a certain romance to movie stardom, but it also comes with a nagging uncertainty: What’s my next project? Nowadays, major studios are making far fewer movies compared to the era in which O’Donnell debuted, and only about half of Americans have even seen a movie in theaters within the past year. On television, O’Donnell has millions of households across the country tuning in to watch him weekly. “This industry is feast or famine for many people,” O’Donnell said. “I think most actors would tell you that steady work on TV is hard to beat.”

T WAS THE FALL OF 1991, and the film director Robert Mandel was about to yell “action!” on the Massachusetts set of School Ties, a drama about antiSemitism at an elite New England prep school in the 1950s. The movie featured an ensemble of thenunknown actors who would later go on to become big stars, including Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck… and Chris O’Donnell. He was taking a break from his actual student life at Boston College to make one of his first movies. On this day, the cast was shooting a scene in a school bathroom. Right before he rolled the camera, Mandel told the boys to act natural, to do what they’d normally do while getting ready in the morning. “One thing I remember about Chris is that he would make unique choices,” Mandel recalled recently. “Most of the guys started brushing their teeth or shaving. Chris started clipping his toenails.” It was a moment of disarming authenticity that sort of sums up O’Donnell’s easy charm as an actor. What an offbeat yet organic thing to do! “He was a natural,” Mandel said. “It’s a wonderful thing when an actor can make it look effortless.” In speaking to several filmmakers who’ve worked with him, it was O’Donnell’s genuineness that was most often mentioned as key to his success. He’s a talented and telegenic guy, they said, who is also refreshingly down to earth. “I’ve never been comfortable with the fame side of things,” O’Donnell himself told me. Growing up in a big Catholic family in Winnetka, Illinois, he didn’t even set out to be an actor, which is not to say he’s ever been camera-shy. When he was thirteen years old, O’Donnell decided he wanted to make money as a teen

“I really liked making films when I was young and getting to live all over the world for months at a time, but it’s different when you have a family.” 28

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

model and started cold-calling talent agencies in the yellow pages. “I was too little a guy to make the sports teams, and I was looking for something to do,” he said. “The idea of getting paid to have my picture in the paper sounded pretty cool.” After his sister connected him with an agent she’d met at a wedding, O’Donnell started getting work in print ads and TV commercials, including one where he played a McDonald’s worker serving a McMuffin to Michael Jordan. Even at that young age, O’Donnell, the son of a radio executive and a real estate broker, started investing his earnings in the stock market. “I was a little businessman,” he said. “I had an accountant who couldn’t believe the stuff I was coming up with.” O’Donnell may have seen himself as a mini mogul, but once he caught the eye of Hollywood executives, they saw a movie star. “Chris had a very natural charm,” said the prolific film producer Jon Avnet. Fresh off launching Tom Cruise’s career with Risky Business, Avnet helped to cast the teenaged O’Donnell in his first film, Men Don’t Leave, where he played the son of a widowed mother portrayed by Jessica Lange. The untrained young actor was already conducting himself as a pro, Avnet said. “After one dramatic scene where Chris was fantastic, director Paul Brickman and I asked him, ‘What was it that opened that scene up for you, to make it so emotional?’ Chris said, ‘I looked at the two of you and thought, I better not let them down.’” And yet, for all his obvious promise, the only thing O’Donnell really wanted at that point was to be a typical college student. He’d watched his six older siblings, including BC grad Sara O’Donnell Groenings ’83, come

and go from university life, and he was eager for his turn. It finally came in January of 1989, when he arrived at his four-man dorm room on Newton Campus. “I was so excited,” O’Donnell said. “I felt like I was being shot out of a cannon.” He didn’t tell his classmates that he’d spent the fall on a film set. “I didn’t want to get labeled as the kid that did a movie,” he said. “I just wanted to fit in and find my spot.” For the next few years, O’Donnell would lead two lives. In one, he was traveling to movie sets around the country and, as time went on, attending red carpet premieres and Hollywood awards ceremonies. In the other, he was a marketing major cramming for his classes, rushing the field after football games, and tailgating with soon-to-be-lifelong friends. BC is even where he met his future wife, Caroline Fentress O’Donnell, the sister of a roommate. “Chris’s acting was amazing for someone so removed from the acting world,” said Martin Brest, who directed O’Donnell in Scent of a Woman. O’Donnell played a prep school student caretaking an irascible blind veteran portrayed by Al Pacino. “I remember him coming up to me halfway through filming with a copy of People magazine and an article about all the different movies Al Pacino had been in—The Godfather, Dog Day Afternoon,” Brest said. “He held it up to me and said, ‘Did you know Al was in all these movies?’” O’Donnell did his best to keep his two lives separate. But he could only manage the secret for so long. During his sophomore year, he was outed as an actor by none other than Barbra Streisand, who called O’Donnell’s dorm room looking to chat with him about

a role. His gobsmacked roommate relayed the message. A few months later, Men Don’t Leave was finally released. Word had already gotten around campus that O’Donnell was an actor, he said, and “half of Walsh Hall” descended on a movie theater in Chestnut Hill to watch it with him on opening night. A melodrama about a single mom wasn’t exactly tailor-made for rowdy college students, but it made for fond memories when his two worlds crashed together. “I definitely remember the sound of beer bottles rolling down the floor of the theater,” O’Donnell recalled.

“T

HIS INDUSTRY IS A total rollercoaster,” O’Donnell told me over the summer, just before he started filming season two of Nashville. “The ups and downs are very public.” For most of the ’90s, it was all ups. Hollywood kept calling, and it was one movie, magazine cover, and talk show appearance after another. O’Donnell carved out a big niche as a likeable, handsome “it” actor of his generation, appearing in dramas, action movies, and on-screen romances with the era’s leading ladies, from Drew Barrymore to Sandra Bullock to Renée Zellweger. “He has that old-school film star quality,” said Gary Sinyor, who directed O’Donnell opposite Zellweger in the romantic comedy The Bachelor, a 1999 remake of a 1925 Buster Keaton classic. Brest, the Scent of a Woman director, told me that through it all, O’Donnell remained levelheaded. fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Role Call

Ten films and TV shows that have defined Chris O’Donnell’s career.

Men Don’t Leave

School Ties

(1990) O’Donnell auditioned only after his mother promised him a car if he landed the part as a rebellious teenager grieving his dad. He got the job (but not the car).

(1992) Playing the loyal roommate to an ostracized Jewish student at a prep school, O’Donnell “was the guy on set that everyone really enjoyed being around,” director Robert Mandel recalled.

Scent of a Woman (1992) O’Donnell’s portrayal of Charlie Simms earned a Golden Globe nomination. “He had this astounding capacity to go to deep emotional places very honestly,” director Martin Brest said.

Circle of Friends (1995) In this highlight from his romantic-lead oeuvre, O’Donnell’s Irish rugby jock Jack Foley wooed university lass Benny Hogan, played by Minnie Driver.

Kinsey (2004) O’Donnell portrayed American sexologist Wardell Pomeroy, the frequent Alfred Kinsey coauthor, in a biopic that is one of the most critically acclaimed films of his career.

NCIS: Los Angeles (2009–2023) O’Donnell played special agent Grisha “G” Callen for over fourteen seasons.

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

Batman Forever (1995) Holy indelible portrayal, Batman! O’Donnell’s performance as Robin in this box office smash represented the height of his movie stardom.

Cookie’s Fortune (1999) Legendary filmmaker Robert Altman directed O’Donnell as the dimwitted sheriff’s deputy Jason Brown, who bumbles his way through a murder investigation.

Vertical Limit (2000) In O’Donnell’s top-billed turn as an action hero, he played mountain climber Peter Garrett, who must rescue his sister when she’s stranded after an avalanche with a Machiavellian billionaire.

9-1-1: Nashville (2025–Present) The many heroic deeds of O’Donnell’s firehouse captain Don Hart have helped to make this show a ratings smash.

images: Alamy; Everett Collection (School Ties); Art Streiber (9-1-1: Nasville); MoviestillsDB (Cookie’s Fortune)

“When the movie was in the home stretch, and Chris was getting accolades, he told me he was going to go back and finish his degree,” Brest said. “Most people would say, ‘I’m a young Hollywood guy now. I’m going to run with that.’ I was taken by how grounded he was. He wasn’t remotely seduced by it all. Acting was a career, not a mistress.” “I was honestly having way more fun at school,” O’Donnell recalled. In retrospect, he said, his BC school ties helped set a stabilizing foundation for his career. “If you make mistakes and get out of control under the bright lights of Hollywood, it can be a dangerous place,” he said. “I think college life separated me from some of the other actors who were running in the same group. I was young and immature. College life was healthy for me. I needed more time to grow up.” After graduating, O’Donnell landed the role that any young Hollywood actor would die for. He was cast as the superhero Robin in 1995’s record-breaking blockbuster Batman Forever. “That was the one that really changed my life,” he said. Suddenly, his face was on billboards, city buses, and souvenir cups at fast food

restaurants. “The publicity machine on a film like that is unbelievable, and it’s worldwide. Suddenly, you’re recognizable to everybody.” Which only makes it more devastating when the rollercoaster dips. The 1997 sequel Batman & Robin was a commercial and critical bust, and O’Donnell’s opportunities slowed down into the early aughts. “One day you’re offered every role in the world, and the next day, no one’s knocking,” he recalled. “You have to have a strong support system around you.” O’Donnell poured even more of his time into his growing family. Today, he and Caroline have five children, three of whom have attended BC. In figuring out his next moves, O’Donnell also expanded into new mediums. He made his Broadway debut in 2002 in a revival of Arthur Miller’s play The Man Who Had All the Luck, which was “the most educational experience in acting I’ve ever had,” he said. And he started popping up on television, most notably in a recurring role on Grey’s Anatomy, which set the stage for his success on the small screen. Today, with his kids mostly grown, he’d like to get back to making films at some point, he said. But right now life is good. When he’s not working, O’Donnell spends plenty of time indulging his lifelong love of golf, which is one of his favorite ways to meet people, satisfy his competitive side, and recenter himself away from the hubbub of the entertainment industry. “As I’ve gotten older, golf and going to Mass are the two things that really settle me,” he said. “You could be anywhere in the world, walk onto a golf course, smell the grass clippings, and feel settled. It’s the same thing walking into a church.” His wife and their youngest child are still back in Los Angeles, but he said that if Nashville continues to be a success, the O’Donnells might make Music City their permanent residence. After all, the other four kids are all East Coasters now, the family has a summer home in Maine, and O’Donnell remains a big BC sports fan who comes back to campus for games several times a year. His connection to the University remains something he values. He’s a member of the BC Board of Regents, he received an honorary degree in 2017, and he even narrated a student performance of the orchestral work Lincoln Portrait at Boston Symphony Hall in honor of the University’s 150th anniversary. After riding the Hollywood rollercoaster for as long as he has, he said he doesn’t take this chapter of his life—busy yet balanced—for granted. “When I was younger, I felt so much pressure that everything I did had to be more successful than the last. Then when you have something that’s not successful, it’s crushing,” he said. “The longer you do this, you realize that’s the business. You don’t have total control over what an audience will respond to. It’s a crapshoot. You just want to keep working.” n fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

Introducing the

Bridge Program The groundbreaking initiative connects students with new opportunities to study across BC’s different schools and to benefit from the University’s strengths in the humanities, business, and science. by john wolfson

illustrations by nadia radic

fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

A decade ago, Boston College began experimenting with a bold new approach to classroom

learning by taking down some of the walls that had traditionally separated the academic disciplines in higher education. Suddenly, you had students in the Carroll School of Management signing up for humanities courses, while those in the Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences were taking business classes. Today, more than a third of BC undergraduates pursue a major or a minor outside their home school. It’s an integrated approach to education that the University believes helps to produce graduates who are uniquely prepared to lead in an increasingly complex world. Building on that foundation, the University is now announcing the launch of yet another groundbreaking initiative centered on academic collaboration. At the start of the 2026–2027 academic year, BC launched the Bridge Program, a new initiative in which undergraduates, known as Bridge Scholars, will take classes designed to probe the world’s great ideas, problems, and opportunities by incorporating the perspectives of the humanities, the sciences, and management. The program, in other words, “bridges” those disciplines. The Bridge Program spans the sophomore, junior, and senior years. Sophomores will attend lectures, meetings, and other events across campus. Bridge Scholar juniors, meanwhile, will take new three-credit courses that cross school lines and academic disciplines. Seniors in the program will take either a capstone interdisciplinary seminar course or a project-based course. The program is open to BC undergraduates who are combining a concentration or minor in the Carroll School with a major or minor in the Morrissey College, the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, or the Connell School of Nursing. To learn more about the Bridge Program, we talked with Carroll School John and Linda Powers Family Dean Andy Boynton; Institute for the Liberal Arts Director and Thomas F. Rattigan Professor of English Mary Crane; Morrissey College Dean Gregory Kalscheur, SJ; and Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and space.

What is the new Bridge Program? David Quigley: It’s the product of years of collaboration among faculty, administrators, and staff in all the undergraduate schools. Over the last three academic years, a group of us has come together to think about how to structure a really meaningful set of curricular and cocurricular offerings for students to draw on the University’s powerful strengths in the humanities, the sciences, and management. The Bridge Program will provide opportunities for students to think at an even higher level about what it means to integrate and pull together the different experiences they’ve had in the core curriculum across the University, with all of it really bringing our commitment to formative education to fuller life for this generation of undergraduates. Andy Boynton: This explicit integration of humanities, management, and science is about increasing students’ aperture about how to think about and understand the world. I think they’ll be more effective citizens, more effective leaders, more effective doctors, teachers, or whatever else they do. 34

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

Mary Crane: It comes out of a sense that problems in the world can’t be solved from just one perspective— not management alone, not history alone, not chemistry alone. Our problems are really complicated, and the people who are going to be in a position to go out into the world and make a difference are people who know how to think and integrate knowledge and methods from across the humanities, management, and sciences. Fr. Gregory Kalscheur: I think the program really exemplifies the heart of the University’s formative mission. When we think about who we want our students to become through a BC education, one thing we hope is that they become people of wisdom. This is symbolized in the mural in Gasson Hall 100. If you’re familiar with that room, there’s a large mural, The Church: The Educator of Mankind, and it shows scholars from all different disciplines being brought together. Around the frame of that mural there are shields that have the names of disciplines in them, and at the top of that, there is a shield that has the word sapiential, which is the Latin word for the virtue of wisdom. And I think that signifies that wisdom is different than simply information or knowledge or expertise. It’s bringing together

that knowledge and expertise, seeing it as an integrated whole, seeing it as something that has purpose and meaning, and then being able to use all of that for the common good. The Bridge Program embodies all of that.

How does the Bridge Program fit within the traditions of Boston College? Boynton: If I could summarize, it’s Ever to Excel. BC students are now sitting in a philosophy class, and next to them is a finance major and an accounting major and a history major, and they’re working in groups together. So there’s a cross-fertilization happening. I like to think of it as the three C’s—combination, collision, and connection. Collision refers to different ideas and perspectives coming together and colliding to create the integration of new ideas. Combination is how ideas get combined in a way that leads to entirely new ideas coming about. And then there’s connection, meaning the connection of people to different knowledge domains and different areas of expertise that create new ideas. So those three constructs provide an intellectual spine as to what academic integration is. It’s great for the students, and it’s also who we are at BC. If we aren’t

waking up every day trying to figure out how to build a better curriculum, a better undergraduate experience, how to give more to the students—which is what Ever to Excel means to me—then we aren’t doing our jobs. Fr. Kalscheur: I characterize it in terms of creative fidelity, which is a term that comes out of recent Jesuit thinking. We want to be very faithful to the mission and history of Jesuit, Catholic education, but we have to be creative about how we’re approaching that at this moment. So this is another manifestation of creative fidelity.

What makes a program like this distinctive in higher education? Quigley: Across so many great universities, almost by design, the architecture is meant to prevent this kind of cross-school collaboration and pathways for undergraduates. But here at BC, I would say the trust among academic leadership and faculty, who have gotten to know each other during nearly a decade of teaching across departmental and school lines, has opened up possibilities for us. I don’t think any of us is saying that BC’s the only institution that could possibly do this. But there are reasons why we have so many possibilities that other schools don’t. It’s because of our tradition, our mission, the way in which we think about undergraduate education above all else. Crane: I agree. There are financial incentives at most universities to avoid these kinds of collaborations among their schools. Also, many deans are thinking primarily about their own school and might not be as interested in what’s going on in the other schools at the institution. But we have a kind of flexibility here at BC. The people that we have here think first about our students. What’s best for their education? And given BC’s mission, encouraging students to major and minor across schools is one of the best ways to prepare them for success.

At the Carroll School, the Portico course includes classes that might be thought of as pilots for the Bridge Program. How would you describe those?

“BC isn’t the only institution that could do this. But there are reasons why we have possibilities that other schools don’t. It’s our tradition and our mission.” David Quigley robert l. and judith t. winston provost and dean of faculties photo: Lee Pellegrini

Boynton: We’ve had some of our Portico professors teach courses around this integration concept. The students read a number of different case studies. One involved the Manhattan Project. There were real issues around humanities—should we even build this bomb? There were also issues around management, such as how do you manage these physicists, and how do you store the information? And then, of course, there was the science question of how to build the bomb. The fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

people who can synthesize and integrate and make discerning decisions that respect human dignity and promote the common good. I think what we’re doing with the Bridge Program very much speaks to this moment.

“There’s a cross-fertilization happening with the Bridge Program. I like to think of it as the three C’s: the combination, collision, and connection of ideas.” Andrew C. Boynton john and linda powers family dean, carroll school of management

students buried themselves in a number of cases like that one that illustrate this integration. They learn to start seeing things differently. Now, case studies are my background, so I gravitated that way, but in the Bridge Program, other faculty will bring other methods and pedagogical techniques that will be just as effective. Quigley: To expand on that a little bit, it’s been wonderful to see how the intellectual strength of the Portico program has helped the Bridge come to life. It illustrates how faculty members from across the University have brought a great deal of energy and imagination to the curricular-design phase of the Bridge Program. Jenna Tonn in engineering; Michael Smith, Bess Rouse, and Christine Rojcewicz from the Carroll School; and Michael Glass in the history department have all been indispensable in planning and building the Bridge, and they’ll be teaching in it, too.

Quigley: Amplifying that, the substance of the Bridge Program is very much about helping students grapple with some of the great vexing challenges of their time, AI perhaps at the top of the list. Nothing is going to eliminate the anxiety about AI. But I think there’s a clear opening for an institution with the values we have and the intellectual firepower we have to lead the way in conversations about other moments of technological rupture, disruption, crisis. How have previous generations managed through those? How have some of the core human values at the heart of our liberal arts education served institutions well through those moments of transition? Crane: And those very questions are at the heart of the junior-year course that we’re offering in the Bridge Program this spring. It focuses on what’s happening today with AI within the context of two earlier periods of disruption—electrification and the internet. Then there’s a final unit in the course on AI itself, with part of it examining what an appropriate use of AI looks like. The idea is that it’s in these periods of disruption that people most need to be able to integrate, and people most need the kind of wisdom that can come from the integration of these disciplines. Wisdom is most needed at a time when things are rapidly changing. You’re getting true information, false information, contradictory information. You have to sort through all of that and figure out what to do. And so the hope is that this course will give students historical perspectives, ethical perspectives, and knowledge about the science and about how cultural narratives play into all of this. And so students will have a richer context for trying to understand what’s going on with AI. Quigley: The Bridge is not going to solve the AI problem, but it becomes a very important tool for helping our students, faculty, and administration think through our responsibilities when it comes to the grand opportunities afforded by AI, but also the fairly serious threats.

How does a program like the Bridge fit into a future that promises to be heavily shaped by AI?

We’re at the very beginning of the Bridge Program, of course. What do you see for the future of the program as it evolves and matures?

Fr. Kalscheur: Interestingly, Pope Leo recently issued an important encyclical about AI—how do we engage AI in a way that safeguards and enhances human dignity? And he calls at numerous points in this document for the development of people with this kind of wisdom,

Quigley: My hope is that a select group of BC students will opt into the program. So some hundreds of students in each graduating class will be Bridge Scholars and will be recognized as such at graduation. And if you’re not a Bridge Scholar, I would hope that

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

photo: Matt Kalinowski

you would attend some of the Bridge lectures that the Institute for the Liberal Arts will be putting together in partnership with the Winston Center. You don’t have to do all the requirements for the Bridge Scholar program to derive some of the benefits.

Academe is notoriously siloed and slow to change. You’re looking to shake up the marketplace. Do you expect any pushback? Quigley: The modern university has been structured with very well-worn pathways, if not ruts, for disciplinary expertise and speaking to one’s own tribe. Trying to get people to move across and respect, understand, and learn from other areas of expertise on campus can be tough for faculty and academics. I think that we have some work to do to continue to convince those on campus and beyond. But I would say that one of the great moments in the last few years was when an accrediting team from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business came to campus three years ago or so to look at the Carroll School. The team was made up of three deans from peer schools, and we talked through

“Wisdom is different than simply knowledge or expertise. It’s bringing together knowledge and expertise as an integrated whole, and using it for the common good.” Gregory Kalscheur, SJ dean, morrissey college of arts and sciences

“The people who will go into the world and make a difference will know how to integrate methods from across the humanities, management, and sciences.” Mary Crane thomas f. rattigan professor photos: Caitlin Cunningham (Crane); Lee Pellegrini (Kalscheur)

what we were doing then, an early phase of what we are now doing. We showed them the ways in which we are genuinely committed to encouraging students to move back and forth between our undergraduate units, and to draw from and to make sense of the different ways of grappling with the complex, vexing problems of our age. Those three deans were extremely impressed by what we had achieved, in some ways voicing desire to see what they might be able to do on their own campuses. And as we talk to visiting teams for academic program reviews, as we bring in visiting scholars from other parts of the country, when we hire new faculty from other great universities, I’ve been pleasantly surprised that there is more admiration and desire to borrow from what we’re doing than pushback or naysaying. Overall, one of the great satisfactions of the last decade or so has been the recognition that Boston College has something to say about curriculum innovation. The Bridge Program is the embodiment of our innovative spirit and our commitment to serve our students. It will allow Bridge Scholars to take full advantage of the richness of BC’s undergraduate schools, and to think about what it means to integrate the different experiences they have had in their majors, minors, and in the core curriculum. The program will allow them to expand their knowledge and understanding and will prepare them for the challenges that lie ahead. It represents innovation and collaboration at its best. n fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

bcm v fa falll l 20 20226 6

The Conservator Boston College’s twelve libraries and archives house more than three million books and hundreds of rare manuscripts and artifacts. Nora Dempsey’s job is to expertly repair the torn pages, broken covers, and shattered spines.

by alix hackett photography by caitlin cunningham and matt healey

nce a day, Nora Dempsey takes a stroll through the labyrinth of vaults, stacks, and reading rooms that make up the Burns Library, home to rare books and special collections dating back to the fifteenth century. To protect these pieces of history, the spaces are climate-controlled and carefully monitored, but especially on a steamy August day, Dempsey doesn’t like to take chances. Prolonged humidity is a recipe for mold. As the conservation and preservation manager for BC Libraries, Dempsey oversees the health of every book in the University’s collections, from modern textbooks to centuries-old manuscripts. Even under ideal conditions, some damage is inevitable: Sixteenth-century leather bindings eventually crumble, and the spines of popular texts break from frequent photocopying. Dempsey is the person who puts them back together, utilizing techniques she first learned as an apprentice in Boston and has honed over two decades of working in library conservation labs at Northwestern, the University of Chicago, and Harvard. From her workbench in the basement of Burns, she repairs torn dust jackets, creased photographs, and cracked book covers, striving to restore their functionality while altering as little as possible. Several days a week, she heads over to her second lab in O’Neill Library, where she fixes modern books used by students for classes or research. With historical items, Dempsey takes an especially light touch, adhering to the “six feet six inches” rule: from across the room, her changes should blend in, but up close, you might notice a binding just a shade lighter than its cover. As Dempsey says, “I’m not trying to fool anybody.” A committee within Burns determines which items to repair, weighing the pros and cons of various approaches while prioritizing items that are in demand by researchers or likely to be requested for exhibitions. Some treatments, like torn pages, are quick, while others require careful planning followed by dozens of hours of labor. “It varies wildly,” Dempsey said, “but we’re always trying to make the respectful choice—some of these books are really old, and my chapter in their lives is small, so I want to be mindful of that.” Dempsey documents her work with photos and notes, creating a record for future conservators. “It’s all part of caring for these materials in a way that supports them now but also in the future.” Here’s a closer look at Dempsey’s unusual role at Boston College. fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Rebinding Broken Volumes One of the most vulnerable parts of a book is the joint— the place where the cover connects to the spine—which is stressed every time the volume is opened or closed. Damaged books often arrive with the covers completely detached or the leather spines worn away, and Dempsey pieces them back together, incorporating a mix of old and new materials. A full rebind can take around fifteen hours, especially if she opts to paint the cloth cover using a hand-mixed shade of brown. For the parts of a repair that touch the original text, Dempsey uses a paste made of wheat starch and water as adhesive. “We try to make everything we do to an object reversible, especially in special collections, and wheat starch paste is a very gentle, thin material that I can take off just by moistening it, just like paper-mache.”

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

Restoring Pages In places where pages are torn or missing altogether, Dempsey reaches for Japanese tissue, a lightweight but strong paper made of plant fibers. Using only wheat starch paste and water, she attaches the tissue to the damaged page or book jacket to create a durable repair that, under perfect conditions, seems to disappear when dry. “If you get it lined up just right and you’re using exactly the right tissue, sometimes it’s just legitimately invisible,” Dempsey said. “It’s quite satisfying.” Her tool kit contains a few unexpected items, like a kitchen blender for making pulp to repair homemade paper, a makeup sponge to remove dirt, and two kinds of cheese graters that she uses to grind up erasers for delicate cleaning projects. “You take the eraser crumbs and you rub them around on the paper really gently and then brush them off,” she explains. “When they turn gray you know it’s working.”

fa fall l l 220 026 v b bc cm m

Fixing Everyday Books For a rare volume used only occasionally by researchers, Dempsey preserves as much of the original material as possible, but a book in the University’s circulating collection has a very different journey ahead of it. Dempsey maintains a second workshop at O’Neill Library, where her focus is on repairing the texts that are checked out by members of the BC community every day. “That book has to go home in the backpack of an eighteen-year-old,” Dempsey explained. “It has to stand up to photocopying. Its function is different.” In those cases, she might choose to replace a book’s cover entirely, rather than repair a cracked piece, and she might reach for a stronger adhesive. Her shelves are always full of modern books awaiting her care, but if a professor or student requests a title, she moves it to the front of the queue. “They’re in a holding pattern, but not inaccessible.”

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

Before & After

Here’s a look at a few of Dempsey’s recent book-repair projects.

Nicholas M. Williams retreat diary, 1860 Every so often, Dempsey encounters what her colleague calls “a well-intentioned prior repair.” In the case of this diary from 1860, tape was previously used to reattach a deteriorating leather spine, which ended up causing even more damage. Dempsey replaced the spine with cloth she painted to match the original brown hue, and gently removed the adhesive residue from the cover. Faint outlines of the tape remain, a reminder of why modern conservators favor treatments that can be reversed.

Palm leaf manuscript, 1878 For help with unusual projects like this cracked palm leaf from an 1878 manuscript, Dempsey often consults message boards and online publications run by the wider conservation community. In this case, the dried leaf had splintered like wood, which made it easier to repair than a clean break. After some online research, Dempsey was able to knit the leaf back together using only wheat starch paste. “People are really open and passionate about sharing projects and treatments and odd things that come up,” she said.

Chants for the Mass for the Feast of Transfiguration, 1590 Some projects, like this sixteenthcentury book of chants, just need a good cleaning. To remove dirt gently, Dempsey uses a paintbrush or makeup sponge and a HEPA-filter vacuum. When mold or chemicals are involved, she works beneath a fume hood like the ones found in science labs. After cleaning an item for mold, Dempsey adds a label alerting anyone handling it in the future. “That way they know the risks.” fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Paying it forward. Paying you back. Invest in a bright future for Boston College students, receive reliable income for life, and take advantage of tax benefits by creating a charitable gift annuity.

HOW A CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY WORKS DONOR

BOSTON COLLEGE

Donor establishes a charitable gift annuity using cash or appreciated securities and receives a tax deduction.

Gift is managed by BC.

Donor receives fixed annual income for life.

Charitable Gift Annuity Rates:

*Payment deferred until age 60

Your Age at Gift

Your Rate

55*

6.5%

5.2%

5.7%

6.3%

7.0%

8.0%

BC receives the remainder of the funds at the end of the donor’s lifetime.

Visit bc.edu/cga for a free online calculator that shares what a charitable gift annuity can do for you or your loved ones. $

Or contact the Office of Gift Planning at 877-304-SHAW or giftplanning@bc.edu to start the process and get personal support.

Class Notes

Alumni Class Notes STAY CONNECTED Submit your news and updates for inclusion in Class Notes at bc.edu/classnotes Follow us on social media at bc.edu/socialmedia View upcoming chapter, class, and affinity group events at bc.edu/alumni To get the latest info on programming and to stay in touch with your BC family, update your profile in our alumni directory at bc.edu/update Some alumni notes have been edited for length and clarity. The statements shared by alumni in class notes are their own. They are not endorsed by, and should not be ascribed to, Boston College or University Advancement. To view the full notes, visit bc.edu/bcmnotes or scan this code:

children, 16 grandchildren, and 10 greatgrandchildren, including two on the way. He continues to watch the Red Sox daily and tries to join the Church in the 21st Century (C21) Center’s Wednesday prayer group whenever possible.

1958

Ellen Every Yavel spent the season at her summer house in Harwich Port and attended the annual reunion at Ocean Edge Resort in August. // Walter Gay passed away on June 4. A Double Eagle, he graduated from Boston College High School in 1954. Ed Sabatino was his roommate and good friend.

NC 1958

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Patty Schorr misses hearing from her classmates and hopes they will contribute to Class Notes. She traveled to BC in May for the graduation of her grandson Daniel James Schorr ’26 and his subsequent ROTC commissioning into the army as a second lieutenant. His Grandpa, Colonel Dave Schorr, would have been proud indeed, Patty writes. // Mary Azzara Archdeacon moved from her family home into a retirement center, and her new life has strengthened the bonds she formed at Newton College.

1959 Colonel Joseph R. Dobbratz passed away in December. He was featured in the Fall 2021 Boston College Magazine article “Operation Deep Freeze” by John Wolfson. His great-nephew, Joe Spades ’29, is currently a sophomore at BC.

Jim Gosselin writes that at his age, recollections are not always exact. With this in mind, he remembers going to Fenway Park to watch BC play the Quantico Marines in football on a Friday night. The game was so rough that half the team ended up with injuries. Class correspondent: Bill Appleyard // bill.appleyard@verizon.net

1956

1960

1951

Jack Ryan spent four years with the Class of 1955 but finished his degree in January 1956. He worked at the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Lompoc, California, from 1956 to 1958. He then worked as a correctional counselor at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 1958 to 1987. He became an ordained deacon in the Diocese of Stockton on June 6, 1981. Jack has a wife, Jennie, as well as five To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

Pauline Fogge Leonard moved to a beautiful apartment in Waltonwood Senior Living in Ashburn, Virginia. She moved there to be closer to her family. Her oldest son, Joe, and his family live nearby, and she sees them often. Pauline also has her little dog, Koto, with her, and he has adapted very nicely to the new environment. “He is my best guy,” she reflects. // Bob Winston writes that by the time you read this, the Los

COURTESY OF PAT WINKLER BROWNE NC’60

Angeles Dodgers may have accomplished a “baseball hat trick” assisted by former BC pitcher Emmet Sheehan. // Jim Tonra sadly reports that his classmate and friend Réal O. Roy passed away in his sleep in June. He was a very influential part of Jim’s life. Réal sold his business to Jim and a group of his franchisees. They built it into a national franchise called Romac and Associates. Réal went off to continue his entrepreneurial passion and started numerous businesses. He left behind his wife, Sheila, and a strong family.

NC 1960

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Berenice Hackett Davis enjoyed a trip to Europe with her daughter Mary Beth and Mary Beth’s husband, Brian. They spent two nights in London before going to Spain for a week to visit cousins and friends. The rest of her family has come to Rhode Island for visits. // Blanche Hunnewell has been a loyal volunteer at the food pantry in Harwich, Massachusetts. She also volunteers at the Harwich Cranberry Arts & Music Festival held in September, which hosts many local artisans and crafters. // Mary Harrington returned to her interest in art when she retired from IBM. She was fortunate to take several plein air trips with a group and enjoyed painting landscapes in several European countries. She continues to make art a part of her retired life. // Class correspondent Pat Winkler Browne became a greatgrandmother in September! She reflects that many of her classmates have become fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes

COURTESY OF PAM MORDECAI NC ’63

COURTESY OF JIM HOOLEY ’62

great-grandmothers and asks that they share this news with her so she can inform the class. Class correspondent: Pat Winkler Browne // enworb1@verizon.net

1962

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 The Tempe Historical Society will recognize Margaret “Peggy” Birmingham Moroney as “a living legend” in November. Peggy will accept on behalf of herself but in the guise of the first telephone operator in Tempe, Arizona. // Bob Caprio had lived in the Villages, Florida, for 26 years before meeting anyone from Boston College there. He was completely surprised when Michael Ronayne, MBA’79, formed a Boston College club in the Villages. Bob met and had lunch with Paul Powers ’61, MBA’72, a fellow College of Business Administration grad. Bob served four years in the coast guard prior to attending BC, and Paul served two years in the army after BC. // Phyllis LaMontagne ’62, MA’64, cherishes the 52 happy years of marriage to her husband, Roger, who is now deceased. They raised two wonderful children and are the proud grandparents of four grandchildren, three of whom are college students, the youngest matriculating in the fall of 2027. Phyllis wishes to thank the Jesuit community for the outstanding education she received at the hands of master teachers. She reflects that her career in secondary education owes its success in great part to the Jesuit fathers. // Paul Horrigan; Lee Heiler; Jack Murray ’62, MBA’70; Carmen Zaccardi; Chris Lee; Jim Hooley ’62, MSW’64; John Mungovan ’63; Dick Gill, MA’71; and Fred Dunfey ’64 met with Jack Izzo, 46

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

S.J., and John Predmore, S.J., MDiv’05, at Boston College High School for a series of spiritual meetings. Several of these individuals are BC High graduates. Class correspondent: Eileen Corazzini Faggiano // efaggiano5@gmail.com

1963

Gerry Ward of Ridgefield, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on April 10. In 1970, he was the first student-athlete inductee into BC’s Sports Hall of Fame, and he was the second BC basketball player to be drafted into the NBA. He went on to play for the Hawks, Celtics, 76ers, and Bulls—winning a championship in 1965 and playing alongside Wilt Chamberlain and Billy Cunningham. He leaves behind a legacy of Eagles, including his daughter Caroline ’92 and sons James ’96 and Gary ’98. // Joseph J. Sullivan

recently celebrated his 85th birthday. He has five children, all living in the Boston area, as well as 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, who are twin boys. Joseph writes that he has been blessed to live this long. His first wife, Ann, passed away 21 years ago, and he has been remarried to Jacqueline Piret for 18 years. Joseph presently works with two of his sons at JJ Sullivan Plumbing and Heating Contractors in Woburn. They were formerly located in Union Square in Somerville. He gives his best to all. // Rev. John P. Galvin was appointed professor emeritus of systematic theology at the Catholic University of America. // Marge Clark Barbiere lived at Franklin Square House and initially attended nursing classes in an office building in downtown Boston. She rode the MBTA to the Heights for classes until the nursing building was ready for students. Her final position was dean of nursing at Widener University. While serving as the president of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Educators, she developed the first nurse practitioner program in the Harrisburg area. // Al Andrea continues to remain active in the field of medieval world history. His latest book, Traveling to the “Tartars”: Three Missions to the Mongols, 1245–1248, explores three papal intelligence missions that traveled respectively to Iran, Armenia, and Mongolia in an effort to learn more about “this menace from the east.”

NC 1963 COURTESY OF GERRY WARD ’63

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Pam Mordecai is primarily a poet. New Directions, a very special indie press in NYC, published her collection of new and

COURTESY OF LLOYD DOUGHTY ’64

selected poems, A Fierce Green Place, in 2022. She also writes fiction and published her second short story collection, Two Days in Mayaro, with Goose Lane Editions in September. Class correspondent: Colette McCarty // colette.mccarty@gmail.com

1964

Sandy ’65 and Lloyd Doughty continue to live between Cumberland, Maine, and Sarasota, Florida—the best of both worlds. They stay busy in both places with small part-time jobs and volunteer work. Lloyd is trying to become the oldest cart boy in Maine golf and is a guide and driver at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota. Their family continues to grow as they now have two great-grandchildren, with a third on the way. Sandy and Lloyd celebrated their granddaughter Katy’s wedding in August—and their 64th anniversary. // On June 9, Thomas “Brian” Condon served as the supernumerary assistant producer for a 50th anniversary segment

of the popular PBS series This Old House. The segment recorded the planting of a tree on the front lawn of a circa 1865 home in Dedham belonging to his daughter, Tara. “Fun time for an 84-yearold BC grad.” // Howard Mann began his professional journey with a biology degree and a commission as a US Army artillery officer, serving in Korea and Germany before returning to academic life to earn a biomedical engineering degree from Boston University. He went on to build an accomplished career across the medical device and pharmaceutical sectors. Today, Howard remains active in the field as a consultant. // Jim Spillane, S.J., ’64, MA’68, MDiv’76, returned from Indonesia to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood with family and friends. After the celebrations he will return to Indonesia, where he teaches college courses in business and economics. // Bob Fuicelli had a “bucket list” event. He went with his two sons and grandson for golf at Pebble Beach. Life continues to be good in the Mile High City (Denver). // Sam Zona writes that he and Dani Stonebridge Zona celebrated 62 years of marriage this summer. They have four children and seven grandchildren, including two Eagles: daughter Michele Zona Marini ’87 and daughter-in-law Anne Costello Zona ’98. Their BC legacy continues with a third generation: granddaughter Elizabeth Marini ’29, a sophomore at the Morrissey College. Sam and Dani retired in 2001. Sam spent nearly 30 years with the US Secret Service. // Karen DiMattia was a devoted teacher, woman of faith, and loving wife, whose support helped her husband, Philip DiMattia, throughout his education and career. A member of St. Lucy Parish in Middletown, Rhode Island, she lived a life of service to family and others. After being given two years to live following a cancer diagnosis, she courageously lived for five more years. She passed away peacefully in prayer and is remembered for her faith, resilience, kindness, and unwavering devotion to those she loved.

NC 1964 COURTESY OF THOMAS CONDON ’64

To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Peggy Bogosian continues to enjoy all that the Greater Portland, Maine, community has to offer. Sadly her spouse,

Valerie, passed away in January 2025 from dementia complications. Every year, when she makes a contribution to the retirement fund for R.S.C.J. sisters in honor of Sr. Frances Cunningham and Sr. Faine McMullen, she is thankful for the meaningful education she received at Newton. Class correspondent: Priscilla Lamb // priscillawlamb@gmail.com

1965

Willam Hardy has published his novel, SUPER COURT, based upon his experiences in the 1970s as an assistant US attorney in the Office of the US Attorney in Washington, DC. He served on its murder squad and prosecuted cases on the then–newly established Superior Court. Class correspondent: Patricia Harte // patriciaharte@me.com

1966

Joseph “JM” Morelli attained a master’s degree at Boston University and a postdoctoral specialty certificate at the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. He works as a professor of endodontics at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry. // Steve Arlinghaus is alive and fairly well, living in Norwich, Connecticut. He just signed on for yet another season ticket for BC men’s hockey. He is in frequent contact with classmates Rich Batsavage and Rich Falco, who both now live in Florida. He is long retired from the US Foreign Service and from teaching at Eastern Connecticut State University. “Do any classmates also enjoy the memory of our junior class show, Li’l Abner?,” he asks. // Jack Quinn ’65 shared that his wife, Karen Anne O’Leary Quinn, passed away in May in Macon, Georgia, after 59 years of marriage. In 1967, they embarked on a beautiful life traveling the world. Karen dedicated her life to teaching children both domestically and globally. Her career spanned classrooms in Massachusetts, Colorado, Virginia, and Georgia, as well as multiple international schools in the Middle East. Karen is survived by two sons, Patrick and Alistair, and three grandchildren, Megan, Sophie, and Coleman.

fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes

Meet your new BCAA Board President She leads the Boston College Alumni Association (BCAA) Board of Directors, uniting a global network of more than 215,000 Eagles worldwide. As an undergraduate, she took a part-time campus job stuffing envelopes in More Hall and calling alumni for donations. That experience planted the seeds for her to consider staying involved with the Heights long past Commencement. Today, Christina Sliwa is the new president of the Boston College Alumni Association (BCAA) Board of Directors, taking over from Wynndell Bishop ’00, MBA’07, whose term ended earlier this year. Over the summer, she sat down with us to talk about her time at the Heights, her goals in this new role, and the most rewarding thing she’s done so far as a BCAA Board member.

Christina (Galmiche) Sliwa ’93, MBA’00 President, Boston College Alumni Association Board of Directors

… and the rest of the leadership team—and new members The Boston College Alumni Association Board of Directors works tirelessly to advocate for alumni interests and serve as University ambassadors. To see a full roster of members, visit bc.edu/alumniboard.

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

What are your priorities as the new president of the BCAA Board? CS: First is to deepen or even reignite alumni engagement with and connection to BC. I want every alum to feel what I have felt serving on the board these past four years, discovering pieces of the University’s mission I hadn’t fully understood before. As Fr. Jack [Butler, S.J.] begins his presidency and BC enters a new chapter, we have an opportunity to partner closely with him and ensure that the board’s work advances his vision and priorities for the University. Additionally, I would like to fully leverage the board as thought partners and an ambassador network to support the University. You grew up in Oregon. What brought you to BC? CS: I had only ever attended Catholic schools and my faith is central to who I am, so that was a priority when I looked at colleges. Most of my friends stayed on the West Coast, but I wanted to try something completely new. My guidance

vice presidents

Dr. Francisco J. “Paco” Arraiza Jr. ’93 Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

Esther Chang ’02, JD’07 Chicago, Illinois

Michael P. Rodriguez, MS’15 Washington, DC

Boston College is what it is because alumni before us invested in it and gave back.” —Christina Sliwa

counselor suggested Boston College. I visited on a beautiful spring day, the Dust Bowl was packed, everyone was outside enjoying the weather, and I felt an immediate sense of community. It was love at first sight. Both my sisters, Jennifer ’95 and Abigail ’00, then became Eagles, and my nephew is now a sophomore at BC. What first inspired you to get involved with BC as a volunteer? CS: I had a work-study job all four years in what was then called the Development office, now University Advancement. I spent my days in the basement of More Hall (now Thomas More Apartments) stuffing envelopes with letters to alumni asking for donations. My junior year I realized I could earn a dollar more an hour calling alumni at night, and that’s really where I came to understand what an alumni community is. Hearing alumni stories, reconnecting them to what was new on campus, and seeing what they were willing to give back, even years after graduating, made an impression on me.

How has your BC education influenced how you approach your career today? CS: I work hard every day to bring humanity into the workplace, the same way BC taught us to consider the whole person. My career has been in marketing and corporate settings, which don’t always make space for that level of humanity, such as checking in on people, showing them I value their contribution, or connecting business goals to something larger. I think the instinct to bring people together around shared purpose traces straight back to the idea of men and women for others. What would you tell alums about staying connected to BC? CS: Don’t wait to be asked to join an alumni group or activity or volunteer opportunity. Reach out to your local chapter, show up to regional or affinity group events, and if there isn’t one where you live, start it. BC is here to help. There’s no official list of people tapped to lead alumni engagement. It’s entirely selfmade. It also doesn’t have to be formal.

ex-officio members

new members

Ann Riley Finck ’66, H’14, P’93, ’95, ’96, ’06, ’08 Chair, Board Associates Nyack, New York

Ashlynn Fields ’16 New York, New York

Susan P. Gallagher NC’69, P’00 Chair, the Council of Past Presidents Hyannis Port, Massachusetts

To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

Something as simple as picking up the phone when a student calls asking about a job at your company counts. Moments like that show you what the alumni network really is. What has been your most rewarding experience on the board? CS: During Senior Week, I had the honor of speaking to the Class of 2026 at the senior toast. I explained to them what I believe: Boston College is what it is because alumni before us invested in it and gave back. We are here for each other, professionally and personally, and it’s our responsibility to keep that going for the next generation, the same way it was done for us. That spirit of being men and women for others does not end when you leave campus. In many ways, this is when it truly begins.

Vasileios Karatzenis ’98 London, United Kingdom

Minje Shin ’13 Chicago, Illinois

fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes

PMC 1966

Ellen “Kip” Searle Abbott just retired after 60 years as a business owner and luxury advisor in the travel business. It was an amazing experience, with many wonderful adventures. It all started with a ski trip to Saint Anton and Davos when she was at Pine Manor.

1967

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 The nurses of the “Great Class of ’67” got a head start on Reunion. Each month, these alumnae get together for lunch: Mary-Anne Woodward Benedict; Cindy Rae Butters; Carol Ann Coakley Genereux; J.T. Crimlisk; Ann Costello Galligan; Mary Lou Downey Logue; Judy Shea Pirolli ’67, MS74; and Maggie Kelly-Hayes. // While visiting Florida, Mary-Anne and Charles Benedict ’67, MBA’70, had lunch with Rob Wilde and Denise Roberto and Paul Delaney ’66. // Gregory Scime recently discovered that Bob Cousy, the renowned Boston Celtics guard who later became the head coach of BC basketball, is still alive and living in Worcester. The basketball program BC now enjoys can be attributed to Cousy’s coaching expertise, Gregory reflects. // Last December, Ira Tarlin was inducted into the Massachusetts Auctioneer Association Hall of Fame. // Charles Benedict had a nice call from Sue Loftus Jacobson, RN. Sue is now retired and living in Fairfax, Virginia, where she and Barry settled. She was originally from Delmar, New York. Sue served as a nurse practitioner for many years, specializing in mental health. Sue and Barry have two daughters and many grandkids! // David T. Gay ’67, JD’70, passed away on July 22. He is survived by his spouse, Tricia Marshall Gay NC’68, and their sons and large family. David practiced law with his dad in Taunton, Massachusetts, at Gay & Gay and counseled the City of Taunton and other towns in southeastern Massachusetts. David was a leader and saxophonist in the BC Bands and was a strong supporter of the University. Class correspondents: Mary-Anne and Charles Benedict // mainside55@gmail.com

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

1968

Arthur Desrosiers tackled the bucket list in April with a visit to Corso Aloisi in Tuscany. Corso, now the Count de Larderel, manages the lovely Villa le Barone, a family boutique hotel in Panzano (Chianti country). Arthur and Marian enjoyed a few days with Corso and Jaqueline. Stepping onto the first tee at Wanumetonomy Golf and Country Club, Arthur was surprised to find Richard D’Addario, who is a judge and an attorney in Newport, Rhode Island. They had a nine-hole reunion. Class correspondent: Judith Day // jnjday@aol.com

NC 1968

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Jane Burke wishes a happy 80th birthday to everyone who is celebrating this significant occasion. She hears that classmates are gathering in New Mexico, Newport, and on the Cape to share in the festivities. She hopes they have fun and asks for pictures and news to be included in Class Notes. // A widow since 2021, Pat Sharman has nine grandchildren (eight of whom are girls) spanning in age from a middle school student to college graduates. Pat loves that she is able to live full-time on the Cape while also having the opportunity to visit family around the country. She still regularly remains in contact with Kathy Cregg Carr and Mary Beth Dereniuk Dumouchel. // Regi Kelly Kendig died peacefully on May 4 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. An English major and star of the Newton Class of 1968 football team, Regi headed to New York City after graduation to enter the world of advertising. Before meeting the love of her life, Hal Kendig, a Pan Am executive, she roomed with Ellen Flynn, Denise Corsa Rehder, and Pi Fogel Mansur. Regi and Hal settled in Westport, Connecticut, to raise their two children, Ty and Paige, and Regi worked as a realtor in the area. She loved her Florida home, where she often saw Ellen Mooney Mello, Kathy Hastings Miller, and Jane Burke. She is predeceased by her husband and is survived by her children and three brothers. // Suzanne Leckey White, a dedicated educator who spent 25 years teaching in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, passed away suddenly in

COURTESY OF CORNELIUS MAHER ’69

September 2025. After moving to Florida, she continued her passion for education as a substitute teacher in Sarasota for over a decade. Suzanne is survived by her husband, Gary, children Kristin and Andrew, and three grandchildren. She was predeceased by her sons, Todd and Matthew, and her younger brother. In retirement, she was an avid reader and a talented gardener. Class correspondent: Jane Sullivan Burke // janeburke17@gmail.com

1969

Cornelius “Neil” Maher writes that as a chemistry major, he was not overly interested in most non-science classes while at BC. It took several decades for him to realize how silly that was. Neil resolved to get a degree in the humanities, and now he’s finally completed a master of arts in humanities from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. It was tremendous to be in a classroom with smart students and professors. He recommends it to keep the brain active! // Roman Martinez IV ended his term as governor of the US Postal Service in December 2025, where he served as chairman from 2022 to 2024. He earned an MBA from the Wharton School in 1971 and began a 32-year investment banking career, becoming a partner of Lehman Brothers in 1978. After retiring in 2003, he served in a number of boards, including Cigna Corporation, Bacardi Ltd., New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and the International Rescue Committee. He was recently awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. // Bill

Aliski ’69, MSP’75, is retired, and he is dividing his time between Hingham and Boston and approaching his 58th wedding anniversary. He spends his time golfing, gardening, and being with his five granddaughters. In his career, he worked at several different biotech companies at the executive level, including an assignment as general manager for EU operations in London. He subsequently has served on the boards of several different biotech companies, all of which are focused on rare diseases. // Jim Littleton is sorry to report the death of classmate Tony Caliri. Jim offers sympathies to Tony’s wife, Janet; son, Charlie ’94; daughter, Amy; and three grandchildren, Matthew, Michael, and Emma. Tony began his career as a teacher in Somerville, where he taught business and marketing for 22 years. After a period serving as human resource director at Somerville Lumber, Tony returned to Somerville Public Schools, where he continued to work in human resources until his retirement. Class correspondent: Jim Littleton // jim.littleton@gmail.com

NC 1969

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 With sadness, Mary Costello NC’69, MEd’72, reports that Paula Fisher Paterson’s husband, John, unexpectedly passed away on March 18. Class correspondent: Mary Costello // mgc1029@aol.com

PMC 1969

After many careers in the arts, Pam Percy wrote and produced her award-winning debut film, Finding Loren, in 2020, which can be found on YouTube. Afterward, she wrote, produced, and directed Chicken City, available on Amazon Prime and other platforms. And her latest film is Brava: A Titillating History of Bras, an animated documentary with music and lyrics. The film premiered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the Oriental Theatre with an audience of 500 people.

1970

Bill Kates ’70, MEd’71, MEd’73, coached Cardinal Spellman boy’s tennis in Brockton in Spring 2025. They were 11–6 and got into the state tournament. They won their first match and then To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

Graduate Programs 1970

In addition to his career in social work, Dr. Everett Lilly, MSW’70, has had a second career in music. In the 1970s, he recorded Down Home Guitar with the well-known bluegrass banjo player Don Stover. Now, many years later, the album is being released again by the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The album may inspire a new generation of bluegrass guitar players COURTESY OF MARY MCALLISTER FADER NC’70

lost to the third seed. // Jack Hanrahan has completed his third book, Traveling ncFreedom’s Road: Frederick Douglass in Massachusetts. Similar to his first two books, one on the US civil rights movement and one on Frederick Douglass in Maryland, the book marries historical narrative with travel guidance to help readers better understand this important history. // James McCurry, O.F.M., ’70, MAT’74, was honored by the Institute of Religious Life as this year’s Pro Fidelitate et Virtute award winner at a ceremony in April at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois. He was surprised by a visit from his fellow BC alumni who drove or flew to attend the event. Those surprise guests were Mary Anne ’71 and Tony Beirne and their daughter, Maureen; Ellen ’71 and Jim Phelan; and Peggy and Jim Lucia ’70, MAT’74. // After a 55-year career at Boston College, Bernie O’Kane ’70, MEd’72, MA’05, recently announced his retirement. His BC career spans five positions in the Offices of Financial Aid, the Vice President for Student Affairs, and Human Resources. A lifelong learner, Bernie plans to complete three additional courses to earn a certificate in Jesuit Studies, and he wishes to continue to travel abroad with friends and visit his four grandchildren. // Candace and Bob Bouley ’70, JD’73, are enjoying retirement on Daniel Island, South Carolina. Their daughter Brynn lives nearby in Charleston and their son Cole visits from New York City to take advantage of the two great golf courses nearby. Class correspondent: Dennis “Razz” Berry // dennisj.berry@gmail.com

NC 1970

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Mary McAllister Fader proudly reports her grandson, Will Morton ’26, graduated in May! She loved getting to know his roommates and friends, and she became a regular at on-campus football games and his water polo matches. In June, Mary also proudly christened and helped launch a newly built tractor tugboat, the Mary McAllister, in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and she awaits word of where she will begin her work. .

1971

Jim “Strad” Engler ’71, MS’76, reports that a small group gathered for a pre55th Reunion event with brunch followed by the BC vs. Notre Dame basketball game on March 7. A good time was had refreshing old memories and catching up on life’s activities. Attendees were Ed Baechtold; Bill Branca ’71, JD’74; Dave Castiglioni; Jim Congo; Bill Kendall; Ed Kofron; Bob Palac; and Cam Vandermaelen, plus wives Diane Beaulieu Palac ’72 and Ann Methot Vandermaelen ’72, who were among the first women to graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences. // Diane McGuire Crowley’s new hobby after retiring from 40-plus years of nursing is dragon boating. She is a member of the New Jersey Dragon Boat Club and has raced internationally in New Zealand and Italy. It’s such a wonderful and exciting sport, she writes. // Jim “Rocco” Centorino ’71, MS’75, is actively composing music in various genres. He recently finished “The Heights” for the BC ensembles and dedicated the piece to former BC Bands drum player Peter DiGiulio ’73. Residing in Cambria, California, Jim has finally “graduated” from many years of classroom fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes

1972

COURTESY OF JIM CENTORINO ’71, MS’75

teaching and composes full-time. His memories of performing with the BC Bands are special to him, and he keeps in touch with fellow “Bandies.” Class correspondent: Jim Macho // jmacho@mac.com

Graduate Programs 1971

After completing his doctorate in curriculum and instruction, David Martin, PhD’71, led a career that included working in teaching and administration in Newton Public Schools; working in curriculum administration in Beverly Public Schools and Mill Valley School District in California; serving as chair of the department of education at Dominican College of San Rafael, California; serving as professor of education at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC; and serving as dean of the School of Education and Human Services, also at Gallaudet University. David retired to Cape Cod in 2001.

NC 1971

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Melissa Robbins writes that she and her husband, Mike Lombardo, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Block Island, where they spent their honeymoon back in 1976. They had fun catching largemouth bass in the freshwater ponds and enjoyed returning to the Atlantic Inn, which has changed considerably in 50 years, for dinner. Class correspondent: Melissa Robbins // melissarobbins49@gmail.com 52

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Jay April, CEO of Maui Community Media, was honored with a Special Recognition Award at the 2026 Alliance for Community Media’s national conference for his outstanding work in helping to lay the foundation for public access media and innovation in multiple sectors of the media industry. // Pat Sherbondy and Peter Accinno got together with Tom Robbins and his wife, Janet, on Martha’s Vineyard to celebrate their joint wedding anniversaries on June 24. It was the 54th for Peter and Pat and the 44th for Tom and Janet. They reconnected at their 50th Reunion and started this tradition. // On June 27, Joan Fitzgerald spent a wonderful day on Cape Cod catching up with Anne-Marie Barron Buckland ’72, PhD’01; Mary Lawrence Cadogan; and Karen McCleavy Murray, who were wonderful roommates their senior year. Class correspondent: Larry Edgar // ledgar72@gmail.com

Graduate Programs 1972

Ken Kolpan, JD’72, will be publishing an intergenerational photography memoir coauthored with one of his sons, Alex Kolpan, a New Orleans filmmaker. The book, Child Is Father to the Man, tells the story of their father-son relationship through their respective images, created 50 years apart, as well as through poetry, short stories, and conversations during this journey. Ken, a personal injury attorney representing persons with brain injuries, won honorable mention in the Kodak International contest in 1971. // Michael Joseph Paribello, MEd’74, passed away on May 10. He had retired as the media specialist at Chopticon High School in Morganza, Maryland.

NC 1972

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Carolyn Caveny received the Cheverus Award from the Boston Archdiocese for her longtime service to St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Dorchester. Carolyn received a master’s degree in philosophy from the graduate program at Newton. // Washingtonian’s July 2026 issue recognized Margot Dinneen Wilson

COURTESY OF JAY APRIL ’72

as an elite real estate producer at the platinum level, marking her as one of the top real estate agents in Washington, DC. She has received similar recognition from other publications. // Linda Noselli Kontovounissios writes that following Christos’s retirement, she is permanently living in Athens, Greece. The last time that she was stateside, she met her former Newton roommates in Boston for a wonderful reunion. Christos and Linda’s son Sebastian is in Beijing, while their daughter Anna-Luiza is nearby in Greece. Linda is happy to see classmates in Greece if any decide to cross the big pond. // For over 25 years, Mary Pat Shea Czajkowski and Joe have lived in the Dallas area. Joe’s work has provided them with some wonderful opportunities to travel throughout Asia and Europe. However, both maintain strong ties to the East Coast with children and grandchildren in New York City and Washington, DC. For the last three years, Mary Pat and Joe have rented an apartment in Morristown, New Jersey—a perfect location for Mary Pat, a former American studies major, to catch up on revolutionary history. // Class correspondent Nancy Brouillard McKenzie NC’72, MEd’75, has a new email address (see below) and an empty mailbox ready for the next issue! Class correspondent: Nancy Brouillard McKenzie // nancybrouillardmckenzie@gmail.com

1973

Steve LeClair just retired after 50 years as an attorney, primarily working as a criminal fraud prosecutor. He is enjoying

spending time with his children and grandchildren and fixing up the family vacation home in New Hampshire. He’s sorry that he saw so few of his friends and acquaintances at the 50th Reunion, but he sends his best wishes to everyone! // Bob Raskopf ’73, JD’76, a trial lawyer, recently accepted a position as special counsel at Wiggin and Dana, which has multiple offices, including one in Boston! “See you soon. Go Eagles!” he writes. Class correspondent: Patricia DiPillo // perseus813@aol.com

1974

James DiResta was recently appointed to the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Nursing Home Administrators. James is currently studying at the Woods College to receive a master of healthcare administration. // Theresa and Chris Levy celebrated their 50th anniversary with a trip to Italy’s Amalfi Coast, the Isle of Capri, and Rome, finishing up with an after-hours private tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. // Celebrate the Class of ’74 turning 74! Linda Chatalian and Paul Battaglia are spearheading a commemorative project and making great progress. They ask classmates to share personal memories and photos from the 5th to 50th Reunions. They’ve received great submissions but need a few more photos and personal stories to weave into the final piece. Please contact them at bcclass74connects@gmail.com to share yours! // Michael Gustafson, Rob Scavone, and Tom Keefe recently rode bicycles from Palm Beach County to Key West in Florida and enjoyed several days recuperating. Brian Feeney provided transport support, comedy, and a much-needed car ride back. Sadly, Brian passed away in December of heart failure. // Ed Kaplan, John Marenghi, and Jeanne Graham Canada NC’74 attended their 50th reunion at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in May. They had a great time catching up with classmates. // Congratulations to Maureen Galvin McCafferty upon her retirement in July after 25 years of teaching and being an administrator at Mount Alvernia Academy in Chestnut Hill. She and John reside in Millis and now will have more time to spend visiting their four grandchildren. // Patti Halligan Nurse To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

was one of only 22 people selected as volunteer managers for the four FIFA matches at Gillette Stadium this summer. She stated that witnessing “the energy and passion in the stadium with so many different countries represented is a unique experience that I will treasure.” Class correspondents: Jane Crimlisk // crimliskp@gmail.com, Patricia McNabb Evans // patricia.mcnabb.evans@gmail.com

NC 1974

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Josephine “Jo” Shields still teaches two classes a week for analog black-and-white photography, and she is painting again and using old photos as inspiration. The class sends congratulations to Jo, as she was just accepted to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts based on her work. // Mari Borrero and her partner, Miriam, were in Springfield, Massachusetts, for a graduation. Jo, Mari, and Miriam met in Newport, Rhode Island, then drove to the home of Mary Lou Maloney-Buckley NC’74, MBA’88, in West Falmouth. During the Cape visit, they saw seven whales during a whale watch. Charlie Forristall ’74 stopped by and then Mari, Miriam, and Jo visited the Sandwich Glass Museum. They then returned to Boston for a visit before Mari and Miriam returned to Puerto Rico. // Jo has been in touch with Kym Corbett, who is still living outside of Chicago and is still the sports coordinator for her city’s high school. Kym and Jo are still knitting and comparing notes on patterns and yarn. // Marcia Picotte Floyd moved from Cleveland and now spends time in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, and Vero Beach, Florida. Marcia and Fred’s daughter Katie and her husband, Mike Ferraguto, have a five-year-old daughter, and their son Charlie and his wife, Aimee, have a son. A note from the class notes editor: The passing of Mary Gail Bryan was announced in the Winter 2026 issue, but we neglected to include her last name. We regret the error. Class correspondent: Beth Doktor Nolan // menolan510@yahoo.com

1975

Tom Kniffen moved to Farmington, Connecticut, in 2024 to reside near his son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons. Tom also fully retired from law practice in February. // Susie Speca Duval has a travel business, taking small groups of clients to great destinations in the US and overseas. This is her dream come true after being a French major at BC, getting an MBA in international business, and living in France for 14 years. She doesn’t see herself ever retiring from such an awesome “job”! The icing on the cake is that her daughter and grandchildren live just outside of Paris, requiring her to visit four times a year! Class correspondent: Hellas M. Assad // hellasdamas@hotmail.com

Graduate Programs 1975

Jill Tapper, MSW’75, went to her oldest granddaughter’s graduation from Santa Clara University, a Jesuit school like Boston College. There was gorgeous landscaping and architecture that reminded her fondly of BC. // Art Caccese, MEd’75, completed a doctorate at Princeton Theological Seminary and spent 25-plus years in senior advancement roles. In 2006, he began a second career in real estate, later joining John R. Wood Christie’s International Real Estate in Naples, Florida, where he provided concierge-level service to sellers, buyers, and investors, and authored two books, one on fundraising (Fundraising Playbook) and a second on home selling (Ready, Set, Sold: The Ultimate Home Selling Guide).

NC 1975

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Beth Marie Reifers’s volunteer and philanthropic activities kicked into high gear this summer. She was on the New York Junior League’s decorations committee for the Freedom 250 celebration and got to wear her tricorn hat. She has volunteered since 2014 in New Canaan’s community emergency response team (CERT) and marched in New Canaan’s tribute parade honoring the nation’s 250th. // Joanne McCarthy Goggins had a busy July, hosting the Fourth of July family cookout and then fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes

viewing the 250th anniversary fireworks from the home of her son John ’04. She and Tim celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary along with her granddaughter Claire’s fifth birthday the same day, so there was lots of cake! They had their annual family beach vacation with John and Kate ’07 and their families in August. // Pam McNaughton D’Ambrosio shared the sad news that Mary Stevens McDermott passed away in July after enduring a number of health issues since early in the year. Mary was a joyful spirit who embraced a love of life with her New England sensibilities. She was the first to organize everyone for the next adventure, with fun as the top priority. Her Newton College experience was important to her, and she faithfully kept her classmates “in the know” for many years as class correspondent. Her sparkle, unmistakable laugh, and always-positive outlook were on full display at the 50th Reunion. A longtime resident of Chatham, Mary remained actively involved in the Cape Cod community she held so dear. In Pam’s words, “Mary leaves many good friends because she was a good friend!” She will be greatly missed. The class sends condolences to her family and friends. May she rest in peace. // Former chairman of the art department at Newton and BC and esteemed studio art professor John Steczynski died on July 5 at the age of 90, with his daughter Madeleine and her husband at his side. His elegant pen-andink drawing of Barat House with The Well, rendered on behalf of the class, is there on permanent display as the class’s 50th Reunion gift. Class correspondent: Karen Foley Freeman // karenfoleyfreeman@gmail.com

1976

Florida Circuit Judge William W. Haury Jr. received the Broward County Trial Lawyers Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the Judges’ Night Gala and Awards Ceremony on November 20, 2025. // Anne Condon Tavares sent her best regards. She and her husband, Don, are living in Norwell, Massachusetts, and enjoying retirement and being grandparents. // Ken Brine is semiretired and living with his wife, Rita, in Norton, Massachusetts. They are enjoying travel and their family, especially their four grandsons! // Patty Finnegan-Zaccardo

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

had an exciting night at the Changing Lives, Discovering Abilities event at Encore Boston Harbor on April 8, 2026. It tied together her love of teaching special education and her love of fashion through her work at Faherty at MarketStreet in Lynnfield! // Clare Jabour-Sidman enjoyed the 50th Reunion. It was wonderful to see friends and catch up with those from years past. // Joan Clark Ankner was happy and proud to be part of the Class of 1976 at the 50th Reunion in May. Connecting with “old” friends on campus was very special. Joan especially enjoyed being invited to be an honor guard at Commencement! Leading the faculty onto the field for the ceremonies was definitely a highlight. She thanks the class’s Reunion committee for all their hard work in coordinating the festivities! // Ellen Schroeder Dionisio had a great time at Reunion catching up with old friends and touring the expanded campus. There are always so many changes, but the Mods are still standing! // Ginny Greeley Champagne writes that there were so many ’76 alumni on the Honor Guard at the 2026 Commencement! It was a great day, and she saw so many old friends and acquaintances. Following the ceremony, the group was treated to a lovely luncheon by the University. Many from the engagement and finance committee participated, as well as many other alumni! // Ginny reminisces about this year’s Reunion. It began with an investiture ceremony, Golden Eagle pins, and a luncheon with Fr. Leahy, followed by campus tours and a lobster bake. Parties were everywhere, with music, food, libations, and lots of camaraderie. Saturday events included a volunteer activity, a barbecue, Mass, the 1863 Society cocktail party hosted by Fr. Leahy, and dinner and dancing with 350-plus Class of ’76 alumni. A memorial of the deceased was displayed. Sunday concluded with breakfast, a FIFA World Cup viewing, and farewells. // Ginny saw many ’76 friends at Reunion, including Angela Anderson; Ken Brine; Karen Chenette D’Amato; Susanne Barrett Dudley; Tom Flynn; Noreen Lovett Green; Joe Hogan; Paul Keating; Mary McCrosson; Judy Memory; Gail and Dennis Ronan; Kathy Gedrich Rosa; Patricia Carbonaro Snow ’76, MEd’84; Paul True; Patty Finnegan-Zaccardo, and

so many others. Congratulations to all Golden Eagles! Class correspondent: Ginny Greeley Champagne // vchampagne76@gmail.com

1977

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Tre Waldren and his wife, Cathy, welcomed their newest grandson, Luke Atlas Hale, on May 18, 2026. He joins his brother, Price Orion Hale (2), and his cousin, Sage Suzanne DeWitt. They have been helping their daughter, Stephanie, for several months in Conifer, Colorado, since Tre retired as a nonprofit executive after almost 40 years. He also just recertified as a certified fund raising executive (CFRE) for the 11th straight time since 1992. // After a 45-year career, Jim McDermott ’77, JD’80, has retired from the law firm of Holland & Knight. Jim and his wife, Sharon Bazarian ’78, live in Boston and Mashpee. Jim looks forward to spending more time with his children, Sarah ’07, Julie ’09, and Amy ’13, and his six grandchildren. // Bob Sewall passed away on April 4. He was a proud BC graduate, and he just missed his Golden Eagle Reunion; he would have enjoyed it. He made a point of coming back every year to catch the Eagles on the gridiron. He was living in Novato, California, where he owned his certified public accountant firm. Class correspondent: Nick Kydes // nicholaskydes@yahoo.com

1978

Peter Crummey writes that it was great to be back on campus for a BC baseball game on May 16 with his daughter Conna ’11 and two of her three children. Conna is one of Peter’s three BC graduate daughters. His BC family is growing, now with eight grandchildren! Peter is currently serving his second term as supervisor of his hometown, Colonie, New York, which has a population of 86,000. // Stuart Boldry continues working on his fourth career with the Archdiocese of Chicago after completing assignments in banking with multiple institutions, working at the Illinois Finance Authority as its chief operating officer and treasurer, and teaching finance and investments and business strategy at Northwestern University and Kendall College, respectively. He continues his

COURTESY OF PETER CRUMMEY ’78

COURTESY OF SUSAN STRONG PMC’78

COURTESY OF ALICIA CONNORS ’79

tenure as a director, serving on the board of Millennium Bank, a minority-owned financial institution. // Dick Goode published a novel titled SAN DIEGO. He provided this teaser: “September 11, 2001. A day that changed a nation. A day that changed her. ‘Flight attendants are either running away from someone or running to someone.’ SAN DIEGO is a gritty, raw, and highly charged contemporary drama that pulls no punches. It blends the stark reality of national tragedy with the intense, often messy PTSD coping mechanisms.” Dick was a US Navy and American Airlines pilot for over 31 years. He hopes you read his book. // Betsy Thompson Bakhaus PMC’76, ’78, has three beautiful granddaughters, and her daughter, Lizzy, is pregnant. The grandchildren live in Atlanta. Their family just lost its 16-year-old mini Aussie to cancer. They will miss her every day! // In July, Jeff Sennott and his wife, Donna ’80, celebrated 50 years of marriage in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. John “Jack” Hanwell, S.J., ’78, THM’91, attended and concelebrated the anniversary Mass with vow renewal. Jack and Jeff were classmates and best friends from the BC High Class of ’74. // Nancy Touhy Arvia is so sad to write of the sudden loss of Ginna Proesel Barr to a heart attack while she was vacationing in Sea Island, Georgia, with her husband and family. They were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. Ginna had an army of close friends. There were over 1,400 attendees at her wake. Her funeral was held at Old St. Patrick’s Church in Chicago. She was the glue to so many

groups and is dearly missed. Class correspondent: Julie Butler // julesbutler33@gmail.com

no idea what he wanted to major in and what he would do for work. He eventually decided to major in geology and stayed at the Heights to begin his graduate studies. After more grad school, he specialized in hydrogeology and geochemistry related to hazardous waste on land and in water. Kevin is retiring this year or next—a great run. // Alicia Connors was recently named to the board of trustees for the Family Place in Norwich, Vermont. Alicia is excited about joining this wonderful organization, as its mission is to help vulnerable families receive wraparound services—work that Alicia has been passionate about throughout her life. Alicia returned from an amazing trip to Morocco and is continuing her dedication to volunteer work by returning to Sicily in October to teach English through Global Volunteers. // Anthony Brown is enjoying retirement in the Tampa area. He really enjoyed watching BC beat FSU, where his son is an alum, at their stadium with many friends and relatives! Class correspondent: Peter J. Bagley // peter@ peterbagley.com

To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

PMC 1978

Susan Strong published her third book, One Yes at a Time: How Open Adoption Transformed Our Family. It’s about how Susan turned her life-defining moment of not getting pregnant into an overwhelming “yes” to open adoption. Through intimate essays, Susan shows by example how her unconventional family includes loving relationships with her daughters’ birth parents and all of their extended families.

1979

Brian Stainken retired from medicine four years ago and moved onto his sailboat, SV Pangolin, full-time. He has been cruising between the Maritimes and the western Caribbean and this summer he traveled from Panama to Rhode Island. Visitors are always welcome! // Jim Sano lives in Medfield, Massachusetts, with his wife, Joanne, and has published his ninth novel, The Fighter, the seventh in the award-winning Father Tom series. More important news was the birth of their second grandchild, Hunter Rowe, who will be visiting the family cottage in Maine for his first time. // After three decades as a partner at Boston law firm Sherin and Lodgen LLP, Steve Eimert ’79, JD’82, has transitioned to senior counsel status, where he will continue his work as a corporate attorney but on a reduced schedule. // At BC, Kevin Doherty had

1980

Susan Pease Banitt, LCSW, published her third book, an anthology compiled with 10 other trauma therapist colleagues called Women Therapists on Healing: 11 Personal Essays About Overcoming Trauma. This book represents needed women’s voices in the field since the conversations in therapy are largely dominated by men. In order to represent more diverse views about trauma and trauma etiology, half of the authors of this anthology fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes // Weddings

Ellen Karen Savran to Paul Coran, JD’67, 12/29/2023

Chloe Kinzig ’18 to Mark Hatem ’18, 6/13/2026 // 52 Eagles in attendance

James O’Neil to Michael Sellers ’84, MEd’90, 6/18/2026

Abigail LeRoy, MSW’25, to Andrew Lynch ’18, 3/28/2026 // Several Eagles in attendance

Darlene Yankowski Zona ’87 to Andrew Warren Fee ’87, 6/20/2026 Alexandra Williams ’12 to Alex Albright ’10, 6/13/2026 // Eagles in attendance: Codi Boek ’10, MS’11; Natacha ’09, MA’10, and Wes Davis ’10, MA’11, MBA’12; Jess ’10, MS’14, and Billy Flutie ’10, MS’11; Chris Fox ’10; Jack Geiser ’10; James McCluskey ’10, MS’12; Hugh Kirkpatrick ’10; Mark Spinney ’11; Kimberly Lee ’12; Alia Verner ’12 Stephanie Parker ’10 to Joseph Towne, 5/15/2026 Domonique “Dom” Johnson, MSW’12, to Danilo De Leon, 5/5/2026 // Eagles in attendance: Jackie Shelburne Abramczyk, MSW’12; Katie Kelley, MSW’12; Bianca Drew Williams, MSW’12; Sayaka Yabuki, MSW’12 Rachel Piccolino ’18 to Benjamin Goodman, 6/13/2026 // Eagles in attendance: Frances Christianson ’18, Katie Babbin Garbino ’18, Kristen Morse Hendrix ’18, Marie Peduto ’18 and Matt Nolan ’18, Andy Kearney ’18, Megan O’Neill ’18, Brianna Fogarty ’18 and Joe Swain ’18, Kate Johnson ’21, Andy Ritter ’21

COURTESY OF ANDREW LYNCH ’18

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

Molly McKenzie ’19 to Zachary Allen ’19, 3/21/2026 Tessa Kindelin ’19 to Brendan Harty ’19, 6/27/2026 Heesu Yun ’23 to Yehoon Joo ’19, 6/7/2025 // Eagles in attendance: Woojae Chung ’19, Hangyul Hwang ’19, Ehyun Kim ’19, Jean Kang ’20, Jisoo Park ’21, Seuk Won Jeong ’22, Yookyung Jin ’22, Haerin Park ’22, Sung Park ’22, Justin Cho ’23, Won Hyung Chung ’23, Eukyung Hong ’23, Kyungyeon Ryu ’23, Yeun Jae Chung ’24, Sooji Yang

COURTESY OF ANDREW WARREN FEE ’87

Katie Flanagan ’21, DNP’26, to TJ Wesner ’21, 6/6/2026 // More than 75 Eagles in attendance Christiana Roszik, MS’21, to Dominik Smreczak, 4/19/2026 Alexandra Monacelli ’21 to Scott Frank ’22, 5/24/2026 // About 30 Eagles in attendance

COURTESY OF STEPHANIE PARKER ’10

COURTESY OF ALEXANDRA MONACELLI ’21

COURTESY OF RACHEL PICCOLINO ’18

COURTESY OF ALEXANDRA WILLIAMS ’12

COURTESY OF YEHOON JOO ’19

To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

COURTESY OF CHRISTIANA ROSZIK, MS’21

COURTESY OF ZACHARY ALLEN ’19

COURTESY OF BRENDAN HARTY ’19

fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes

are BIPOC and are from three different countries. // Jeanne Petrillo-Yeager splits time between Naples, Florida, and Newburyport, Massachusetts. She is a retired entrepreneur from the Greater Boston data management field. // Michael A. Voccola is thrilled to announce the arrival of his fourth grandchild. Logan was born to his son Michael and his wife, Chivonne, this past August. Logan joins Michael’s three other grandchildren: Luke (8), Lennon (6), and Madeline (3). Michael and his wife, Nancy, are too proud for words. Moreover, Michael was sworn in to the US Supreme Court Bar. Recently, he was treated for prostate cancer, but he is thrilled to say that, following surgery at Dana-Farber, he is now cancer-free. // Congratulations to Chris Simmons as he enters retirement from his company, Rainmakerz, and moves on to more exciting adventures. // Maryellen Paisley ’80 and Charlie Lee ’79 have entered the new chapter of grandparenthood, jumping in from zero to four in two short years! // Betsy McCoy is loving getting out of the cold New England winters and golfing with many BC ’80 classmates down in Vero Beach, Florida, including Midge and Steve Galligan, Joanne Tierney, Steve Shay, and many more! // Joanne “Jo Jo” Harrison and her husband, Greg, have also jumped into the grandparent phase. // Margie Fleury and her husband, Tim, have recently transplanted to Ohio from Arizona to be closer to their grandkids. // Helen-Lee Stevens is living it up in Palm Beach, Florida, having left New York City behind! She is right around the corner from Mike Loftus and his wife, Anne. // High five to Mary Menna, who was recently named one of Radio Ink’s most influential women in radio! // Jane Fay and her husband, Ed ’79, JD’82, completed a beautiful home renovation one block from classmate Mark Heyer. Not to be confused with Mark Haddad ’80, JD’83, and his wife, Helene White ’79, JD’83, who are over in Chatham, Massachusetts, and host a great party as the Chatham Fourth of July parade passes by! // Mark Heyer and his wife enjoyed spending time with Peter Cellucci in Harwich Port, Massachusetts, in August. In addition to living one block away from Jane Fay, Mark also lives a few blocks from Mary Larkin and a few towns away from Jo Jo Harrison. Sooner or later,

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

a great BC gathering will happen! // Diane Ryan and her husband recently celebrated the occasion of her daughter’s wedding. It was a beautiful day for all to celebrate. // Tina Massi has recently left Cape Cod and shipped back to her roots in the Chicago area. // Eileen O’Brien McLaughlin writes that it was wonderful to reconnect with so many classmates for the 45th Reunion. Now as everyone celebrates their 50th high school reunions, she finds herself returning to Boston to meet up with her American School in Japan ’76 classmates! Eileen graduated high school in Tokyo and had a reunion in Newton. Makes perfect sense, right? Graduating from Tokyo, landing on the Newton Campus, this is serendipitous, she reflects. She is about to embark on her 19th year as a second-grade teacher. Eileen offers her prayers and all the best to the class. // The tradition continues. For the past several years, Lidia Cossi, Beth Malloy, and Barbara Sorrentino (and Barb’s husband, Bert) have enjoyed the Fourth of July weekend by going to the James Taylor concert at Tanglewood. James Taylor was a big part of their BC experience, and all the memories come flooding back each time they see him, just as if they were back on the fourth floor of Keyes North. Class correspondent: Michele NadeemBaker // michele.nadeem@gmail.com

1981

John Dunlevy is now semiretired and lives on a golf course with his wife, Dana, in Venice, Florida. After spending most of his career working in the investment business in New York City and living in New Jersey, they still maintain a summer home in Point Pleasant Beach. In addition to their two sons, John and Dana also have two grandchildren, Luca (5) and Emma (less than 1). John and Dana celebrated their 40th anniversary this August. // Patti Olson and Cornelius “Neil” Dineen celebrate their 40th anniversary this year! // Ouida Garvin writes that it was good to be back on campus in May. She missed seeing many of her classmates at the 45th Reunion. “May God bless you to make our 50th! Wow!” she concludes. // Kate Ryan Herma; Judy McVeigh Pluta; Ellen Caulo ’81, JD’84; and Chris Cincotta Simeone spent 12 days in northern Italy completing a second biking adventure together. Beginning in Mantua, they cycled along

COURTESY OF FRAN CIPRIANO ’82

the Po River from west to east through beautiful countryside and villages out to the shores of the Adriatic Sea. Next, they rode North through the islands of Chioggia, Pellestrina, and Lido, finishing in Venice, where they flew home just in time to attend their 45th BC Reunion. Class correspondent: Alison Mitchell McKee // amckee81@aol.com

1982

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Tony Giunta ’82, MS’85, has written a book called Lightning in His Blood. It’s the story of his father, Guy Giunta, a World War II veteran. Tony wanted to preserve his dad’s many war stories that he had gathered over a lifetime. As he performed the research to create a comprehensive documentary of his life, the book became a revelation of how the man he simply knew as “dad” was formed by life experiences that were just as challenging as his wartime service. The book is available on Amazon. // Holly Rao is a senior partner in the law firm of Olenn & Penza, LLP, in Warwick, Rhode Island. She regularly represents other attorneys in legal malpractice and disciplinary matters. In addition to her practice, she has been active within the Rhode Island Bar Association and is currently president-elect of the organization. // Susan Clover, MS, RN, ACM, is retiring

His Catholic schooling through grade school, high school, and BC gave him the values and endurance to meet all kinds of experiences in his life. He served two years in the marines and endured war in Vietnam. He’s also worked with families in child protective services. He’s grateful for the values and strength that his Catholic upbringing provided him and the love and understanding to endure the many experiences he had. He thanks Boston College and his professors.

COURTESY OF ANTHONY ONOFREO ’83

from Massasoit Community College in Brockton, Massachusetts, in July. Susan has been a registered nurse for 50 years, and 35 of those years have been devoted to higher education. Susan currently serves at Massasoit as the program administrator and associate dean for the nurse education program. // Nostalgia for the summer of 1981 in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, was the theme for the reunion of Dana Begnal and Danny Carew, Mark McDermott, Carolyn Pistocchi Clemans, and Fran Cipriano Newton when they met up on St. George Island, Florida, in February. The five housemates had not been together in one place since that summer 45 years ago! Carolyn and her husband, Chris, were amazing hosts. Chris and Fran’s husband, Mark, were great sports while everyone reminisced.// Mary McAleer O’Brien recently organized an event at the Adams Street Branch of the Boston Public Library, in Dorchester, to celebrate the release of Elisa M. Speranza’s second historical novel, Triage. Bill Forry ’95 interviewed Elisa in front of a packed house that included classmates Ellen Whalley and M.E. Malone. A dual-timeline work of historical fiction, Triage is set in New Orleans in 1951 and in the European Theater of World War II. Class Correspondent: Mary O’Brien // maryobrien14@comcast.net

Graduate Programs 1982

Charles Ivers, MSW’82, turned 79 in July and has had a wonderful life.

To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

1983

Michael P. Byrne ’83, JD’87, has been named managing partner of Day Pitney, LLP. A longtime leader at the firm, he previously served on its executive committee and as chair of its real estate practice. // Liz Barbera Suchy, Esq., a partner at Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey, LLP, in Stamford, Connecticut, is lead zoning counsel for Manresa Wilds, a $410 million private restoration project transforming the decommissioned, 125-acre Manresa Island power plant in Norwalk (a former Jesuit retreat) into a waterfront public park. // In April, Barbara Kerr retired as director of the Medford Public Library. She had worked there for 42 years first as cataloger, then as assistant director and then director since 2016. She is looking forward to retirement and all the time to read! // Tracy Griffin Fischer ’83, MSW’91, is grateful for her long-term Boston College friendships. She recently celebrated her

30th annual BC Girls Weekend with Sarah Lahr Fitzsimons; Kathy Barry Ducey; Mary Florence Morin ’83, MBA’88; Amy Corbett Funk; Lisa Rouleau Majewski ’83, MSW’87; Lisa Fitzgerald, and Ellen Shay Byrd. Missing this year were Angela D’Orsi Beer, Katie Williams, Sharon Smetana Schweikert, Jane White Reidy, and Marcy Miller. They have been blessed with many years of laughs and memories, and constant chatter on texts. Here’s to 30 more! // Jim Murphy was the 2026 grand marshal of the Hingham, Massachusetts, Fourth of July parade, recognizing his more than 30 years of volunteer work in the South Shore town, including 15 years as chair of the parade committee. Jim was vice chair of the conservation commission, coached boys and girls youth sports, and was a member of the Hingham community emergency response team, and he regularly participates in multiple volunteer groups, including Massachusetts Fallen Heroes. Jim and Carrie Tracey Murphy now enjoy Hull’s sunsets, sailing, cooking, walking the coast, and traveling. // Anthony Onofreo recently announced his retirement from a fulfilling career in general dentistry following the successful sale of his dental practice. After BC, Anthony earned a DMD at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, where he met his wife, Pam, who also recently retired from her career as a periodontist. The couple looks forward to traveling, visiting their children

COURTESY OF TRACY GRIFFIN FISCHER ’83, MSW’91

fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes

2025. Don is also one of the two owners of the company. In April, Don was interviewed on the podcast Locked In with Ian Bick to discuss his 24-year career in building prisons and jails. Class correspondent: Carol A. McConnell // bc1984notes@optimum.net

Graduate Programs 1984 COURTESY OF MARK VENA ’84

in California and Rhode Island, and staying active with scuba diving, tennis, and pickleball. // Rich Considine and Bob Mucci sadly report the death of friend and roommate Jon Thibodeau. Jon passed away suddenly in June, leaving behind his wife, Colette; son, Zach; and daughter, Genevieve. Jon never left his BC memories behind, especially all Eagles sports, his time spent running the Campus Pub, the parties at Mod 8A, and his good times with classmates like Joe McKenney, Bill Gehan, Shawn Bailey-Gates, Ron Collins ’84, Paul Gudelis, and many others. Another good person gone too soon. Class correspondents: Cynthia J. Bocko // cindybocko@hotmail.com, Marianne Lescher // malescher@aol.com

1984

Mark Vena is CEO and principal analyst of SmartTech Research, an independent firm focused on AI, semiconductors, consumer electronics, enterprise infrastructure, internet of things (IoT), smart home, automotive technology, and digital transformation. // Damian Gambacini says that life is good, and he hopes everyone is doing well. He also wrote a poem for his classmates! “To all the decent men that I lived with during my four years at THE Boston College University: Shattered apple remains, long turned brown, stuck to the brick wall / Smashed ceiling tile dust, asbestos, hangin’ round all / Towel only lunatic running, screaming, in the hall / Memories from a Duchesne West survivor, PTSD, and all.” // Don Halloran was promoted to president of Coastal Detention Holdings (CDH) in December 60

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

Valerie Sands Wrobel, MS’84, APRN, AGPCNP-BC, received the 2026 President’s Award from the Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners. The award honors an individual who has gone above and beyond to advocate for the advancement of nurse practitioners in Virginia. As the state government relations chair, Wrobel played a key role in advocating to reduce Virginia’s nurse practitioner autonomy requirement from five years to three years of full-time practice. She recently retired after 40 years as an NP. // Liz Cinquino, MSW’84, was recognized on April 29 at a reception for employees that have worked 25 years at Boston College. She is the director of student services and advising at the School of Social Work. She enjoys sharing her social work knowledge and experience with current students going through the program.

1985

Janice Lavoie graduated from the University of Virginia in May with a doctorate of nursing practice. She is currently employed at Sentara Health in Woodbridge, Virginia, as a urology nurse practitioner. // Mary E. Brobson Gately

COURTESY OF AL SPADA ’85

received the 2026 Champion of Accessible Justice award from DC Affordable Law Firm, recognizing her longtime pro bono work. She has worked tirelessly as the firm’s pro bono litigation director, mentoring newly minted lawyers, championing the rights of hardworking families, and strengthening pathways into public interest law. She previously received the John Minor Wisdom Public Service and Professionalism Award. // Laura Soffey and Al Spada celebrated the senior day and graduation of their son Matthew ’26. // Maria “Mary” Leonard Olsen recently did a TEDx Talk called “The Hidden Risks of DNA Tests.” The talk, which previews her upcoming book, Before and After the DNA Test: A Practical Guide to Genetic Privacy, Medical Risks and Family Secrets, was selected as a TED Editor’s Pick, a designation given to less than 1 percent of all TEDx Talks. Maria is happy to talk at your organization or book club either in person or remotely. // Michele Graney Grubish announced her retirement after 40 years from Northern Trust Bank in Chicago, Illinois, where she was senior vice president of Banking Operations. Michele is looking forward to visiting her BC classmates, including Hillside ’85 roommates Cathy Doherty, Karen McNulty, Jania Andreotti, Elena Saenz Acello, and Kelly Bessette Vasey. Class correspondent: Barbara Wilson // bww415@gmail.com

1986

Audrey Short Vallen enjoyed getting together with her BC roomies Kimberly Norton Chipman; Dawn LiVigne; Heather Kelley Carr; Alison McAlary Bullock; and Jennifer Dacey Allen ’85, MS’91, last October at her cottage near Newfound Lake, New Hampshire. Eating, drinking, chatting, some game playing (thanks Alison!), crafting (thanks Dawn!), and a little hiking filled two wonderful days. There’s nothing better than time spent with old friends, and BC friends are the best of the best, she writes. // Joanie Drain Latauskas and her closest 1986 School of Nursing classmates celebrated their 40th reunion in York, Maine! Maryellen Lee McCarthy ’86, MS’94; Joanne Gates Luise; Cheryl Bowes Esposito; Lisa Truini-Pittman; Maura McNamara Goodney; Liz Naddaff Corrieri; and Kim Bletzer Noonan ’86,

held at Niagara Falls, Ontario. The topic was moving the theory of symbolic interactionism in sociology from a micro theory to a more macro perspective. Edward was the last student of Everett Hughes, H’67, at Boston College.

1987

COURTESY OF AUDREY SHORT VALLEN ’86

MS’92, DNP’26, all came together to enjoy beautiful Maine and celebrate! It was an amazing weekend of sunshine and laughs! // James D. Thomas, MD, has served as president of the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) since 2025. Additionally, he was recently selected as the alumnus of the year from the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he earned an MD degree in 1991. // Jim Ryder completed a master’s degree in religious studies from the University of Detroit Mercy last November. He also began a doctorate in ministry degree from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He is currently the program manager at Life Directions in Detroit, an organization committed to going beyond Church structures to serve those marginalized by society. Class correspondent: Leenie Kelley // leeniekelley@hotmail.com

Graduate Programs 1986

John Findlater, MEd’86, has retired to Tampa after 50 years of immersion in the mission of Catholic schools. John founded the innovative inner-city Martyrs of Uganda Catholic Academy in Detroit and was honored to be the first lay principal of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy. John offered retreats to thousands of Catholic school teachers and principals in 46 states, focusing on the special attributes and mission of Catholic schools. // Edward Davis, PhD’86, presented a paper at the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction international conference

To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Franklin “Frank” Sarra has had a busy year. Three of his four children graduated from college and established their nascent careers in Jacksonville, Albany, and Chicago. Franklin finally decided to retire on February 28 after 38 years working for the US Navy. His last assignment was a dream job in Naples, Italy, where he worked with US Naval Forces Europe, the Sixth Fleet, and NATO. He made a pilgrimage to his grandfather’s birthplace and connected with his Italian cousins in the mountains of Abruzzo.

1988

Tess Coffey ’30, daughter of M. Colleen Daly and Patrick Coffey, began her studies at the Carroll School this fall. The Coffeys go “four out of four” as Tess follows in the footsteps of her three older sisters in the Classes of 2013, 2016, and 2020. Ad majorem Dei gloriam. // Stephen Paul Sayers’s fifth novel, Beneath Still, Dark Water, was released in June by Milford House. It’s a historical thriller about a series of disappearances that occur around the time of the flooding of the Swift River Valley in western Massachusetts to create the Quabbin Reservoir. Hellbender Books also rereleased Sayers’s Amazon international bestseller, A Taker of Morrows, in June. // Skip Barry just finished his 20th year as an educator with Providence Schools. Before that, he was employed as a social worker for the State of Connecticut. He has difficulty remembering what he did previous to that position—something or other, probably, he thinks. For more than 20 years, he has coached rugby at the University of Rhode Island and Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, having played the game at BC for Coach Ken Daly. Mr. Barry has no plans to retire. Class correspondent: Rob Murray // murrman@aol.com

Graduate Programs 1988

Ivan Brown, MBA’84, PhD’88, organized a reunion of the graduates of BC’s social economy program, within the department of sociology, in October 2025. The graduates earned their MAs and PhDs between the years 1981 and 2012. The daylong reunion featured robust conversation about the future, as well as a retrospective of career experiences and a fun lunch and dinner. Plans for future events are underway.

1989

John Taylor was elected to the Beverly, Massachusetts, school committee in November 2025. He represents 7,000 people and seeks student achievement in one of the largest cities in Massachusetts. John Lema and Frank Taylor ’92 dared him to run. During the day, he focuses on accounting and finance, serving clients. He is also a professor of accounting and finance at Endicott College and a certified public accountant. // Phil Rouse is serving his country at the US Treasury’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. He has relied on the values he learned from BC and Fr. Woods throughout his career. He feels grateful and blessed to have received the kind of education at Boston College that supports and encourages a rewarding life. // Chuck Stravin continues to transform his stage IV cancer diagnosis into a mission of advocacy and service. Most recently, he joined Governor Maura Healey and health care leaders at DanaFarber Cancer Institute to announce landmark insurance reforms that will help patients receive faster access to the care they need. Drawing from his own experience navigating cancer treatment, Chuck has become a leading voice for policies that remove barriers to care and advance cancer research. // Scott P. McKenzie, currently the international director of alliances at the Academy of Brain in Helsinki, Finland, was elevated to president of the Scots’ Charitable Society, the oldest charitable institution in the Western Hemisphere. This society has granted almost $3 million in scholarships to young men and women of Scottish descent.

fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes

COURTESY OF ANDY SRIUBAS ’90

1990

Andy Sriubas was asked to join the Trump administration in the summer of 2025 to lead an operational transformation at the Social Security Administration. He serves as chief strategy and marketing officer, with a mandate to dramatically improve access and service for all 330 million Americans and the more than 70 million current beneficiaries—modernizing the initial claims process, strengthening data integrity, and delivering a seamless digital experience. // Michael Baroni was named again to Super Lawyers. His Baroni Law legal practice focuses on entertainment, tech, and corporate law. He also received recognition from the Orange County Board of Supervisors for his volunteer work with veterans. // C. Eric Lobser writes that after 35 years at Laclede Gas Company/Spire, Inc., in myriad roles from finance and treasury; operations and customer service; business planning and corporate development; regulatory and government affairs; and finally insurance, commodity, and enterprise risk management, he’s more than ready for the good life. Eric is enjoying friends and family, golf, sporting and music events, and reading and lounging in the backyard pool with a beverage du jour. Cheers! // Missy Campbell Reid ’90, MEd’94, announces that she is a proud mother-in-law! Her son, Alexander, got married on June 12 in Concord, New Hampshire, to his longtime girlfriend, Danielle. There are really no words to adequately describe watching your firstborn marry the love of his life, Missy reflects. It was a perfect

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

day celebrating the new Mr. and Mrs. Reid! // A group of classmates from Upper Campus and the Newton Campus came together to say goodbye to Brian Lynch; Brian would have loved the walk down memory lane, as he always said how much he treasured the time together in college. Brian was always smiling, because he only brought joy. He showed the world how to love and laugh, leaving an indelible mark on everyone lucky enough to know him. He had a way of making people feel seen and valued. The Class of 1990 will miss you, Brian! Forever an Eagle. // Terence Charles “TC” Laundry Jr. passed away on May 23. TC was described in his obituary as a man who felt deeply, loved fiercely, and never missed an opportunity to make people laugh. He had a gift for finding humor in everyday moments and was especially known for his appreciation of a good inside joke. Whether through his quick wit, animated storytelling, or heartfelt conversations, TC had a way of making people feel seen, valued, and connected. Class correspondent: Missy Campbell Reid // MissyCReid1@comcast.net

1991

Kim Parsons Zayotti was recently named one of the recipients of the Ad Club’s Women We Admire award, which recognizes female leaders in the New England advertising, marketing, and media community who inspire through action and create a positive impact. This acknowledgement means a great deal to her both personally and professionally. She remains grateful for the foundation

BC provided and the role it continues to play in her life and work. // Mary “Gina” Sambuchi Black ’91, MEd’93, writes that it was great to be back on campus for Reunion and to spend time with her former roommate Kerry Buckley Kaufmann and former hockey teammate Kristin Leary! She thanks all of the Reunion organizers. // Donna L. Vaiani Taverna worked at Boston College Law School and graduated from the Woods College with a degree in business management. She raised two children and also worked at Brandeis University, where she earned a master’s of management of human services. She ended her career after 17 years at the former Tufts Health Plan, now Point32Health. She is happily retired and traveling as much as possible. She’s visited New York City, Italy, and Greece so far. Class correspondent: Peggy Morin Bruno // pegmb@comcast.net

Graduate Programs 1991

Janice Magno, PhD’91, writes that after retiring from her career as a professor of education at Salem State University, she pursued her lifelong dream to publish a memoir, which has been classified as a hybrid memoir, as it also has taken the liberty of telling the story of the protagonist, Alexandra Grace Marra. The memoir was previously self-published and is now being republished into a series. Written under Janice’s pen name, Dr. A.G. Marra, and available on Amazon, the books are A Way Out: One Woman’s Journey to Redemption and A Way Forward: Redemption Is a Destination and a Journey. Class correspondent: Leslie Poole Petit // lpetit@dominicanacademy.org

1992

COURTESY OF KIM PARSONS ZAYOTTI ’91

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 After having successfully started a tax software company called TACSSOFT Inc., Steven Tseki has made his debut as an indie writer. His first book of short stories, Tiny Voices, about those who have lost their voice in society, is now available on Amazon. His second book of flash fiction, Life’s Little Adventures, which includes intense character-driven tales, is also available on Amazon. His next book will be a fantasy about Salem Village in 1692. // Mike Ferrier met up with Dao Thach in

Arriola of Miami recently published It’s All About Relationships, a leadership book drawn from his experience as a CEO and advisor; it became an Amazon number one bestseller shortly after release. He lives in Miami with his wife, Katie LaneArriola. Class correspondent: Nancy E. Drane // nancydrane@aol.com

Houston when Dao visited to see a World Cup match. Old roommates catching up. // Rob Piazza’s manuscript of original poetry recently won a national contest for chapbooks, resulting in the publication of his first book, Distilled Spirits: Coffee & Recovery, a sequence of villanelles exploring the intersection of addiction and spirituality. The book is published by Cathexis Northwest Press in Portland, Oregon, and it is available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble. Class correspondent: Katie Boulos-Gildea // kbgildea@yahoo.com

Graduate Programs 1994 COURTESY OF CARL KALLEN ’93

Graduate Programs 1992

Ursuline Sister of Mount Saint Joseph Martha Keller, MA’92, is celebrating 50 years of religious life in 2026. She earned a master’s degree in pastoral studies from Boston College. A native of Whitesville, Kentucky, she has been a teacher and parish minister in Kentucky for 42 years. She has served her community as director of vocation ministry and the contact program. Since 2022, she has served as the elected assistant congregational leader of the Ursuline Sisters in Maple Mount. // Bill McGowan, MSW’92, retired after 29 years in the Massachusetts Probation Service as a probation officer and an assistant chief probation officer. He spent his entire career in the Bristol County Juvenile Court. He values the education and experience he got at the School of Social Work. He looks forward to some travel and golf in retirement. // Cornelius “Christopher” Salmon, JD’92, became a US citizen in 1993. He is a lawyer and author.

PMC 1992

Penny McLean-Nowinski had a great reunion in Kiawah, South Carolina, with Carrie Mosely Mandala, Tracy Grahn Dutton, and Beckett Baither Kimble. Pine Manor College provided an amazing experience for many women over the years. Penny and her classmates were saddened to see it close, but hopeful for its future through Boston College. She is excited to share that she is pursuing a DNP through the University of Rhode Island, and she expects to graduate next August.

To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

1993

Dave Wedge recently released his eighth book, Blizzard of Lies: Karen Read, John O’Keefe and the Shocking Unsolved Murder in Cop Town USA. He is also a coproducer on a three-part Hulu docuseries by Ben Affleck called Hunting Whitey Bulger, which is based on one of Dave’s books. // Carl Kallen, now residing in Chicago, is vice president and general manager for Lyngsoe Systems. In parallel, he was recently appointed nationwide chairman of the board of the Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce for a two-year term. Class correspondent: Laura Beck // laurabeckcahoon@gmail.com

Graduate Programs 1993

Beth Anne Tercek, S.N.D., PhD’93, celebrated the diamond jubilee (60 years) of her religious profession during the summer of 2026. She currently ministers in the finance office of the Sisters of Notre Dame of the United States.

1994

Tom Leyden’s company, Westwood Living Media, combines the benefits of print with digital, podcasting, events, and television, spotlighting the local community while serving as a marketing partner for 95-plus businesses. If you are interested in joining Tom’s podcast and being featured, reach out at westwoodliving.com—he’s already welcomed a few BC grads and helped them promote their latest projects and ventures. // Eddy

Daniel Rosen, MAT’94, is moving to Israel. If you are currently in Israel, he’ll see you soon. It isn’t a big country. If you aren’t in Israel, come visit—he’ll buy you a slice and soda, and you can watch the world go by together.

1995

Lisa Nickerson has been appointed the CEO of Infinityy, a platform redefining the homebuying process through immersive online experiences. With more than three decades of real estate expertise and a proven entrepreneurial track record, she has built and led multiple businesses—including a residential brokerage and a national marketing agency—while helping to shape the future of property technology. // Sean Farrelly ran into a fellow BC alum who was playing pro-am at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut. Doug Flutie ’85 always makes himself available for a pic, especially when he knows you’re a BC alum, as one of Sean’s friends yelled as he walked to the green. “Thank you, Doug Flutie, and thank you, BC!” Sean concludes. // After 14 years with Providence St. Joseph Health, Matt Ducsik recently assumed the role of chief operating officer at Linguava, a language services company providing interpretation and translation in over 250 languages for health organizations and providers. Class correspondent: Kevin McKeon // kevin.mckeon@ridgewaypartners.us

Graduate Programs 1995

Michael Kelly, CAES’95, is enjoying retirement with his wife, Edie. He is keeping busy with their nine grandchildren, five of whom have finished college and started careers. The remaining four are making progress in high school fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes // Baby Eagles

Jenna Edzant and Samuel Price ’99, JD’05, Connor Nicholas, 5/22/2026

Catherine ’12 and Mike Dempsey, Poppy

Elizabeth “Lizzy” Bayoff ’14 and Peter Rothmeier ’14, Amelia Colleen, 5/14/2026

Brynn ’12 and Joe DeLorenzo ’12, Claire Maggie Hurley ’06 and Wally Bielat, Alexandra Lou, 5/15/2026 Christina and Kevin Sheridan ’07, MS’08, Maria, 3/8/2026 Caitlin Toland ’09 and David Henault ’09, Jamie Michael, 4/16/2026

Allison Minogue ’12 and Gil Dionne, Renée, 10/2025 Mary ’12 and Matthieu Lynch, Maxine Tess ’12 and Patrick Michielutti, Frederick

Brooke Huminski, MSW’14, and Ben Zabinski, Rowan Quinn, 5/28/2026 Lizzy and Brandan Ray ’15, Amelia Jane, 3/17/2026 Emily Barry ’16 and Brady Conley ’16, MA’17, Olivia Grace, 4/22/2026

Erin ’12 and Michael Moran ’10, Thomas Leslie Osborn ’09 and Matthew Spada, Adeline, 5/24/2026

Taylor ’12 and Stephen West, Thomas

Audrey Fleming ’17 and Matt Brune ’17, Emmett, 3/2/2026

Leela Assefi, MBA’09, and Justin Barnes, Yasmeen “Yasi” Galano, 2/19/2026

Claire Marinello ’13 and Bryan Fisher, Elizabeth Patience, 3/26/2026

Maureen and Garret Patten ’18, Cillian, 6/25/2026

Abbie Loewenstein, MA’09, and Alan Tannenwald, Elyse, 9/26/2025

Chelsea Wood ’14 and Matthew Brown ’14, Brooks Nathaniel, 5/16/2026

Rachel King ’20 and Matthew LaMarche, Saoirse, 6/21/2026

COURTESY OF SAMUEL PRICE ’99

COURTESY OF ABBIE LOEWENSTEIN, MA’09

COURTESY OF CLAIRE MARINELLO ’13

COURTESY OF LEELA ASSEFI, MBA’09

COURTESY OF CAITLIN TOLAND ’09

COURTESY OF KEVIN SHERIDAN ’07, MS’08

Caitlin and Max Bindernagel ’11, MA’12, Esme Elizabeth, 11/3/2025

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

COURTESY OF DAWN O’BRIEN ’96, JD’99

and college. Michael and Edie are blessed with good health and the satisfaction of the kids’ success.

1996

Tip Murray ’63, Bill Proal ’69, and Mark Szal spend the winters in Sarasota, Florida, and play in a weekly men’s golf league. // Dawn O’Brien ’96, JD’99, celebrated the graduation of her first daughter, Faith ’26, in May. Faith graduated with a BA, majoring in theatre and minoring in dance and inclusive education. She is pursuing a career as an actress. Dawn’s other two children, AJ ’27 and Reagan ’29, are also proud Eagles who are enjoying their time at the Heights. // Adilia Lugo is so excited to share that her daughter has started as a first-year student at Boston College this fall! It means so much to watch her begin this exciting new chapter, make lifelong friendships, and embrace everything BC has to offer. She wishes her an amazing first year. Go Eagles! // Effie Panagiotakis has been self-employed for nearly 14 years as an attorney with a general civil litigation practice in Salem, Massachusetts. She recently completed an accelerated training program with the Committee for Public Counsel Services and is honored to expand her practice by representing individuals in mental health civil commitment proceedings. She values reconnecting with fellow Eagles and encourages others to give back in whatever way they can and help those who cannot advocate for themselves.

To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

COURTESY OF ADILIA LUGO ’96

1997

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Maya MacDonald, daughter of Gary MacDonald Jr. and granddaughter of Gary MacDonald Sr. ’69, married Isaac Droesch at St. Patrick Catholic Parish in Pasco, Washington. Class correspondent: Margo Gillespie // margogillespie@gmail.com

1998

Michael Ventura celebrated the 10th anniversary of his newsletter, Books on GIF, where he uses animated GIFs to review books. It’s one of Giphy’s “favorite Substacks,” and Esquire called it a “brilliant high-low fusion of an old art form and modern storytelling device.” // After 12 years working with Amazon in the Alexa and artificial general intelligence engineering teams, Fergus O’Donoghue joined Cognex, a machine vision company in Natick, Massachusetts, where he leads the Agentic AI, Technical Product Management, and Product Design teams. His son Tadhg started at BC this fall. // Lisa Angulo ’98 and Brian Reid ’97 have come a long way since meeting at the Philippine Society of Boston College picnic in 1994. In 2023, they cofounded Dear Flor, the first Filipina-owned company making infused gummies with iconic Filipino flavors. Rooted in culture, community, and product, the brand continues to expand, with gummies sold nationwide. They live in New York City with their two teens and Pomsky, Leo. // Matthew Buckley is principal of New Berlin Eisenhower, one of Wisconsin’s top

public schools. He focuses on building systems, making sure students are known, supported, challenged, and grounded in high expectations and relationships. He was recently elevated to “local celebrity” status after his graduation speech went semi-viral, noted for its clarity, sincerity, and focus on student agency, resilience, and community responsibility, all shaped by his Boston College background. It’s on YouTube! // Alison Curd and Tyson Lowery are excited to connect back with Boston College, as their oldest daughter, Calista Lowery, has joined the Class of 2030. Life in San Diego continues to go well for the five of them. Let’s go Eagles! Class correspondent: Mistie P. Lucht // hohudson@yahoo.com

Graduate Programs 1998

This past May, five graduates of BC’s Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry (which later merged with the Weston Jesuit School of Theology to form what is now the Clough School of Theology and Ministry) gathered on Cape Cod for their 30th annual celebration of friendships forged at Boston College since the 1995–1996 school year! Maura Colleary, MEd’97; Theresa Hinnenkamp Lineau, MA’98; Paula Jurigian, MA’94, MA’97; Christine Kowalcky, MA’98; and Sue Seltenright DeFerrari, MSW’98, MA’99, were brought together as graduate assistants, and they remain best of friends who meet up to enjoy time together year after year! // Cheryl Amari, MA’98, published her first book, Why I Don’t Wear High Heels When Grieving: Musings on Loss, Hope, and Resilience. It’s a nonfiction, educational, and eye-opening book with an unexpectedly cheeky tone that elicits both laughter and tears. A unique threestep approach with practical strategies helps chart a path forward, even in the midst of doubt and despair. // Kristen Renn, PhD’98, was named university distinguished professor at Michigan State University, where she is a faculty member in the graduate program in higher, adult, and lifelong education. She was also selected as a fellow of the American Educational Research Association and the Association for the Study of Higher Education. // Sharon R. Chace, MTS’98,

fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes

2001

COURTESY OF SCOTT ROSTOCK, JD’99

COURTESY OF ROD WATERS ’00, MSW’03

was a “middle-aged wildcard” at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. Her Wipf and Stock titles, found in college and graduate school libraries, are in poetry and biblical studies. At age 82, she continues to write and is a regular contributor to “Mid-Week Musings” in the Gloucester Daily Times. She hopes that parents will purchase Strengthening Hearts and Minds: Poems for Children, because this book affirms the worth of all children.

his own law firm, Rostock Law, P.A., in south Florida. The firm focuses on business and contract disputes and construction litigation throughout Florida. // Amy Olener Adler, MBA’99, and Marni Holtzman Vyn, MBA’00, MSW’00, became fast friends during their MBA orientation. Now they regularly collaborate as professional résumé writers and career coaches, having created several online job clubs to help job seekers during Covid. At the National Résumé Writers’ Association 2024 conference, they presented on the success of those job club models. In 2025, they presented on best practices and innovations in résumé writing. They thank Boston College and the Carroll School!

1999

Jennifer Blakeslee-DaSilva is an executive officer at VML, a WPP creative agency. During her 20-plus-year career, she has partnered with brands including Mazda, Coca-Cola, Ford, Capital One, and Lexus. Jennifer also founded Connect4Women, creating more than 5,000 meaningful career connections through mentorship and introductions. Class correspondent: Matt Colleran // colleran.matt@gmail.com

Graduate Programs 1999

After 12 years of teaching at the Carroll School following a career in startups, Drew Hession-Kunz, MS’99, retired at the end of the spring semester. Now he finally has time to finish another book, launch another startup, and generally get caught up with lots of people. He will miss the students so very much, but it was time to move on to the next phase! // Scott Rostock, JD’99, started

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

2000

Rod Waters ’00, MSW’03, earned a PhD in educational leadership from DePaul University. His dissertation, “Redefining Retention: Analyzing the Experiences of Black Men in Higher Education Through the Lens of Race, Masculinity, and Strength-Based Approaches,” explored factors that support the success and persistence of Black men in higher education. Rod serves as the executive director of housing and residence life at DePaul University and looks forward to applying his research to his work. // Fahad Javaid is interested in hearing from his former classmates. Look him up and reach out to him. Peace. Class correspondent: Kate Pescatore // katepescatore@hotmail.com

After graduating from Boston College, Joyce Wang went back to Taiwan for the equities sector, where she worked as a research analyst and in sales for many years until she couldn’t find more motivation. That’s when she started her own business running a private dining venue hosting private parties for politicians and celebrities. The ingredients she sources became of interest, so she started a grocery service. While that’s ongoing, she just moved back to the US to Seattle with her husband and kids. She “luvs luvs” cycling and hopes to reconnect! // Jocelyn Walters joined Adobe in early 2026, returning to the world of customer success. In addition to this role, Jocelyn continues to operate her boutique consulting business, Anew Advisory, where she currently provides pro bono community development and professional development services selectively. // Andrew Frey joined JLL, a global real estate advisory firm serving private, public, and nonprofit clients. He will have a focus on public-private partnerships and other complex strategic plans, transactions, and developments, as well as on public institutions, including national, state, and local governments, higher education, and health care. Class correspondent: Sandi Kanne // bcbubbly@hotmail.com

Graduate Programs 2001

Emilia Varona-Vicente, PhD’01, just published a novel, Luna de duermevela (which translates to “Slumber Moon” in English). At present, it can be purchased in Spain. It will soon be available on Amazon and Books & Books. The digital version is already available on Google Books. She wrote the novel in Spanish, but it might be translated to English.

Graduate Programs 2002

Amanda Udis-Kessler, MA’96, PhD’02, has left higher education administration and is now the pastor of a small progressive Christian church in Colorado Springs. Her sociology of religion studies courses are serving her well in this position. // Linda Kennedy, MS’02,

Graduate Programs 2003

Richard Grijalva, MA’03, has begun his second year as an adjunct professor in the School of Arts and Humanities at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. He is teaching courses in writing and rhetoric and Chicanx/Latinx studies. While working at the Hilltop, he has rekindled his calling as an educator while appreciating the affinities among the Jesuit and Holy Cross traditions of education, spirituality, and pedagogy.

COURTESY OF AMANDA UDIS-KESSLER, MA’96, PHD’02

recently achieved 40 years of employment with the US Postal Service. She is a business transformation specialist for the USPS headquarters in Washington, DC.

PMC 2002

It has been awhile since Trisha Grattelo Smith shared news. She is proud of her two daughters, Hannah (20) and Gabriella (19), who have made the dean’s lists at their colleges and have been playing on a semiprofessional soccer team in Maine! She looks forward to finding other PMC alumni. Reach out: gratt_33@yahoo.com! “We need a reunion!” she writes.

2003

With 15-plus years of experience in public service and politics, Emily Ball Jabbour was elected to be the 40th mayor of the City of Hoboken, New Jersey, this past December. Her husband, Peter, two teen daughters, and BC friends and roommates could not be more proud. // Carl Oliveri ’03, MA’05, was made the chief student affairs officer and dean of students at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. In this position, he oversees all of student affairs on all three of the university’s campuses, in Boston; Worcester; and Manchester, New Hampshire. He lives in the Greater Boston area with his wife, Jess, and son, Leo (5). Class correspondent: Claudia Pouravelis // claudiapouravelis@gmail.com

To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

2004

Juliana Gaita has earned board certification in marital and family law from the Florida Bar, adding to her existing board certification in adoption law. She is among the rare group of attorneys who hold dual board certifications from the Florida bar. For the third consecutive year, she was named Top Adoption Attorney by The Boca Raton Observer and was recognized by her colleagues as a 2026 Super Lawyer. // Bridget Monohan is grateful to have come through her divorce a stronger and more honest person. Professionally, she is thriving and continuing to grow her nursing career at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and she happily spends her weekends diving into her son’s competitive soccer world. Class correspondents: Allie Weiskopf // allieweiskopf@gmail.com and Elizabeth Abbott Wenger // lizabbott@gmail.com

2005

At the 2025 Chicago Marathon, Maria Cicero Lindberg ran an all-time best of 2:34:59 to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Trials in St. Louis. She is racing in Chicago this fall to try to improve her time. Maria lives in Elmhurst, a suburb of Chicago, with her husband and three children. Class correspondents: Justin Barrasso // jbarrasso@gmail.com and Joe Bowden // joe.bowden@gmail.com

Graduate Programs 2005

Erik Oland, S.J., STL’05, spent the 2025–2026 academic year as a spiritual director for the Saint Peter Faber Jesuit Community and the Clough School after

COURTESY OF PRISCILLA CHEN, MSW, LMSW, LCSW, SIFI

his time as a Jesuit provincial for Canada. His next assignment takes him to Holy Cross Parish at the University of Victoria, in British Columbia, as a pastor.

2006

Emily A. Bendana McHale is proud to announce the opening of the Law Office of Emily Bendana McHale, LLC, located in Totowa, New Jersey. The firm specializes in immigration law, offering individualized legal strategies, deportation defense, and family-based immigration services. Driven by a mission of zealous advocacy and the Jesuit call to strive for the greater good, Emily is dedicated to helping noncitizens navigate the complex immigration system with dignity. // Priscilla Chen, MSW, LMSW, LCSW, SIFI, is redefining the intersection of mental health and education. As managing director of social work at Bronx Charter School for Excellence, she leads initiatives across 17 schools, drawing on more than 18 years as a licensed clinical social worker. Her work is helping shape trauma-informed, wellness-centered school communities where every student is equipped to succeed and thrive. Class correspondent: Cristina Conciatori // cristina.conciatori@gmail.com

2007

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Kyle Norton writes that former class president and all-around great guy Brian Roche single-handedly started the wave at a Cubs game this spring. Congrats,

fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes

fellow BC alumni to cover their windows in style! Class correspondent: Lauren Bagnel // lauren.faherty@gmail.com

2009

COURTESY OF NICOLE PASCARELLI O’BRIEN, MED’11

Brian! // Audrey Williams was recognized in the 2026 RealTrends Verified rankings of the top 1.5 percent of residential real estate professionals in the US, based on 2025 sales performance. Williams is an associate broker with Jackson Hole Sotheby’s International Realty, serving clients throughout Wyoming and Idaho. A Jackson Hole native, she specializes in luxury homes, ranches, recreational properties, and investment real estate in and around the Tetons. // Dr. Stacy-Ann Allen-Ramdial is proud to announce the release of her debut children’s book, Pam and the Hidden World of Microbes. Written for ages three to 10, this engaging story simplifies complex STEM concepts, teaching children how tiny organisms impact their daily lives. By bridging storytelling with real science, it inspires critical thinking and early scientific literacy. It is available now on Amazon. // Sally Pennington Roller ’07, MEd’08, is excited to announce the launch of her firm, Sally Roller Law, LLC. Her practice focuses on workplace and Title IX investigations, and she brings a thoughtful, neutral, and legally grounded approach informed by years of experience. Sally works with nonprofits, corporations, and higher education institutions and is grateful for the support of the BC community as she begins this new chapter. // Tommy Anderson is pleased to share that he has started a window treatments installation business, Local Shades and Blinds, that services the Boston MetroWest—right around the BC area and beyond! Find him online if you have a need, as he would love to help his

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

Anthony Bova, who has worked as a corporate mergers and acquisitions attorney at Am Law 100 law firm Nixon Peabody since 2021, was recently promoted to counsel. Anthony has advised his clients through hundreds of millions of dollars of transactions in his 13 years as an attorney. Anthony’s wife, Caitlin Brison Bova ’09, MA’15, is undoubtedly the source of his professional success. Class correspondent: Timothy Bates // tbates86@gmail.com

Graduate Programs 2009

The private leadership coaching practice of Rev. Sandra Dorsainvil, MA’09, Connect-SD.com, provides ministry in nontraditional settings as she meets pastors and pastors’ spouses at crossroads where life has them pausing and discerning next steps. Her extensive pastoral experience and disability advocacy work enable her to listen and ask the necessary heart questions. Her cross-cultural global experiences and multilingual fluency foster sacred presence. Leading retreats is an added bonus.

2010

Emma Staffaroni started her new position in the Thayer Academy English department after many years at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and a short stint in Newton Public Schools. The switch from boarding to day school has been great, as is being back in the neighborhood of BC (Emma is living in West Roxbury).

Graduate Programs 2010

Meaghan Clark Rajkumar, MA’10, is director, research and strategy, at the Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice at Southern New Hampshire University. Her research is regularly shared with the White House, Congress, and higher education leaders nationwide

to integrate best practice into federal policy and across systems. Last year, her impacts on federal policymaking included being cited in a Senate hearing, directly informing a newly proposed bill, and being listed in the Education Resources Information Center database for policymakers in Washington, DC. Class correspondents: John Clifford // clifford.jr@gmail.com and Kathryn Phillips // Katyelphillips@gmail.com

Graduate Programs 2011

A graduate of the master’s in forensic nursing program, Lauren Kopcso, MS’11, recently accepted the position of TeleSANE coordinator with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program. In this role, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the TeleSANE program, expanding equitable access to trauma-informed forensic nursing care for sexual assault patients across Massachusetts. // Nicole Pascarelli O’Brien, MEd’11, recently launched a podcast. The Women Who Stayed is a weekly, multi-episode podcast documenting the untold stories of women in Boston during the AIDS epidemic— caregivers, activists, nurses, and friends whose contributions were essential, yet are often absent from the historical record. Each week features a different woman’s story. The podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

2012

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 After a decade in criminal law, Patrick Keating ’12, JD’15, has recently started work as a trial attorney in the federal programs branch within the civil division of the Department of Justice in Washington, DC. Class correspondent: Riley Sullivan // sullivan.riley.o@gmail.com

Graduate Programs 2012

Ryan Vale McGonigle, MEd’12, has accepted a new position as assistant executive director for the Caumsett Foundation. In this role, Ryan will

practice includes advising clients engaged in mergers and acquisitions across multiple industries, counseling clients in the preparation and negotiation of commercial agreements, and assisting public company clients in securities law compliance.

2015 COURTESY OF RAY LAMBERT ’13

leverage her decade-plus experience in programs, development, and education to meet the foundation’s mission for preservation, conservation, and education at Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve in Lloyd Harbor, New York.

2013

Herling Romero Adrianza joined Cole Law Partners, P.C., a boutique construction and commercial litigation firm serving clients across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Herling was recently named a MassDLA Rising Star for 2026 and is recognized as a Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Star. // Ray Lambert has worked in the mental health field for 12 years and recently founded Blackstone Psychology Group, a private practice dedicated to helping individuals optimize their mental health, overcome psychological barriers, and reach their full potential through evidence-based psychotherapy. He has earned more than 70 five-star reviews for his therapy services, reflecting his commitment to delivering high-quality, client-centered care. Class correspondent: Bryanna Robertson // bryanna.mahony@gmail.com

Graduate Programs 2013

Colin Smith, MA’13, accepted a job as assistant professor in the department of philosophy at Creighton University, a Jesuit university in Omaha, Nebraska.

To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

COURTESY OF DANIEL T. MORRISON ’12, MS’14

2014

Jonathan Mott completed a doctorate of musical arts in choral conducting at the Eastman School of Music, graduating as his teacher, Dr. William Weinert, concluded his 32-year career at the school. In his studies for the comprehensive examination, Jonathan leaned heavily on themes and knowledge he picked up from his teachers and mentors in the BC music department, including John Finney, Barbara and Ralf Gawlick, Sandra Hebert, Thomas Oboe Lee, Jeremiah McGrann, and Michael Noone. // Jonathan Raude, cofounder of Resourceful Talent Group, recently led the company to be named the Top Offshore Software Engineering Partner of 2026 by Manage HR Magazine. Based in Miami, Florida, Resourceful Talent Group helps startups and growing businesses build high-performing global engineering teams and access specialized technology talent. // David DePalma graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a doctorate in physics. He wrote his thesis on his observations of how the environment around galaxies affects galaxies’ formation and evolution across cosmic time. You can find him at MIT leading Astrogazers, a stargazing public-engagement group, or volunteering at the MIT Museum.

Graduate Programs 2014

Carroll School alumnus Daniel T. Morrison ’12, MS’14, has joined Fox Rothschild in New York City as an associate in the corporate department. Daniel handles a broad spectrum of complex corporate transactions. His

Marina McBee ’15, MS’18, practices as a doctor of nursing practice in the pediatric primary care setting in Northern Virginia. In 2025, she pursued a certification in an evidence-based program called Triple P (Positive Parenting Program). This program focuses on parents, coming around them as they seek new ways to coach and discipline challenging behaviors. Six months into the program, she started a follow-on sleep clinic, seeing that for some individuals, behaviors could improve with better sleep. // Caitlin Horsfield has recently joined Cartier as operations manager of the Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York City. After seven years in Madrid, Spain, she is happy to be back home in New York. Class correspondent: Victoria Mariconti // victoria.mariconti@gmail.com

Graduate Programs 2015

Stacy Hutton Johnson, PhD’15, and Sara Macchiano, MS’06, MBA’06, are cofounders of Canopy Consultants. Since 2020, they have partnered with health care clinical leaders to strengthen clinical environments and advance patient care excellence through onsite leadership development, strengths-based coaching, and tailored consulting services.

Graduate Programs 2016

Addison Witzel, MA’16, returned to Oklahoma City University as the director of student success in the Meinders School of Business. // Andrew J. DeVellis, MSW’16, LICSW, began a doctoral program at Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work. He hopes to research and develop adventurebased group therapy, intertwined with the use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, for adolescents and adults struggling with addiction. fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes

selection, application strategy, ISEE/SSAT preparation, essay coaching, and interview preparation. A proud Eagle, she welcomes connections with alumni searching for the right schools for their children. // Thomas Duff ’19, JD’22, accepted a position as a commercial litigation associate with the Chicago office of Venable, LLP.

Graduate Programs 2019 COURTESY OF KAYLA FERNANDO ’18

2017

Reunion, June 4–6, 2027 Elizabeth Facey has started her own estate-planning law firm, Holliston Family Law! Class correspondent: Joshua Beauregard // joshuab136@gmail.com

2018

Kayla Fernando successfully defended her PhD in neurobiology from Duke University in May with her dissertation, “Testing the Cellular and Synaptic Mechanisms Underlying Cerebellar Motor Learning.” In attendance were BC faculty members John Christianson and Bret Judson. Also in attendance were Karen Lin, Joan Lee, Winnie Liang, and Josephine Tang. In August, Kayla began her new role as an associate life science consultant at SciVida in Raleigh, North Carolina.

2019

Hailey Michalski recently completed her sixth Abbott World Marathon Major in London, after running the Chicago, Boston, New York City, Berlin, and Tokyo marathons! Her “majors” journey began sophomore year at BC, running Chicago in 2016, followed by Boston in 2017, where classmates cheered her on at Mile 21. Fellow BC alumnae Katrina Gallinal and Cady Sanderson flew to London to support her in her final race! // Caroline DeLuca, a former teacher in elementary, high school, college, and hospital settings, launched Admit MA, LLC, after sixplus years working in Greater Boston admissions. Her boutique practice guides families throughout the country as they navigate the independent school journey for grades 3 to 12 and addresses school 70

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

Kiersten Anderson, MSW’19, LICSW, OSW-C, was named the 2026 Oncology Social Worker of the Year by the Association of Oncology Social Work. The award recognizes an exceptional, experienced oncology social worker and active AOSW member who embodies excellence in practice, compassion in service, and meaningful engagement in advancing the profession.

2020

After passing the Pennsylvania and Florida Bar exams, Ashley Stauber will be working at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor.

Graduate Programs 2020

Juiling de los Reyes, MS’20, recently published Government Accounting Finally Explained: A Practical Guide with Real Municipal Scenarios. Drawing on her experience as town accountant for the Town of Burlington, Massachusetts, she wrote the book to make governmental accounting more approachable through practical examples, real municipal scenarios, and illustrations. She hopes it will serve as a valuable resource for municipal employees, students, and anyone interested in public finance.

Graduate Programs 2021

Catherine Hrbac, JD’21, is celebrating opening her own law firm. After practicing for five years following graduation from Boston College Law School, Catherine opened her doors as a boutique intellectual property firm. She is proud to serve start-ups and small businesses throughout the country. She is so grateful for the support of the BC community in

COURTESY OF ANTHONY ADUAKA, S.J., STL’22

the lead-up to opening, and would like to especially thank Professor Ingrid Hillinger and Professor Mary Ann Chirba, JD’81, for all of their guidance.

Graduate Programs 2022

Anthony Aduaka, S.J., STL’22, earned a licentiate in moral theology at BC and served as chaplain at Loyola Jesuit College in Abuja, Nigeria, where he connected theology with students’ lived experiences and realities. He later shifted from the field of theology to education, earning a master’s degree in educational leadership and management at King’s College London. Now a principal, he blends both fields and looks to a future that is challenging, enriching, and full of possibilities.

2023

Jackson Goodman, strategic programs manager at America Media, the Jesuit Review of Faith and Culture, writes that the organization hosted an event at Boston College in April. It was a conversation about how a Jesuit education from BC helped to shape the vocation of some of the organization’s staff, and how it continues to guide their ministry. The event featured five Eagles, including Jackson; Sam Sawyer, S.J., ’00, MDiv’14, president and editor in chief at America Media; Molly Cahill ’20, associate editor at America Media; Matt Razek, MBA’20, associate director, Office of First Year Experience at Boston College; and Kerry Cronin ’87, MA’91, PhD’15, director, Perspectives Program at Boston College. // Morgan Sage Seltzer (they/

2024

Marie Hauck graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, with a master of science in higher education administration and policy. She is looking to pursue a role in college student affairs, helping to facilitate meaningful experiences and programs for students to grow and engage with their college community.

2025

COURTESY OF MARIE HAUCK ’24

she) passed away this year. They worked at TJX Companies as a senior software engineer. Morgan was unapologetically themself, repeating “Don’t kill what makes you cringe; kill the part of you that cringes.” Sharp as a tack, Morgan could have a deep conversation with anyone about anything. They loved weaving chain mail, cooking, and gaming. Morgan was an active member of the New England furry community. She is survived by her parents, her brother, and her chosen family.

Abby Duffy is a second-year student at the University of California–Irvine School of Law. She recently spent the summer as a law clerk through the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association Summer Internship Program. Abby is grateful for the strong academic foundation and critical thinking skills she developed at Boston College, which prepared her well for law school. Once an Eagle, always an Eagle! // Evanthia “Anthoula” Gounalakis completed her undergraduate degree through the Woods College of Advancing Studies in December 2025 and was honored to receive the Rev. Jeremiah O’Connor, S.J., Award for her leadership,

COURTESY OF EVANTHIA GOUNALAKIS ’25

community engagement, and service to others. Once unsure she could balance school, work, and family, she found BC’s support made the journey possible. She now works in BC Human Resources and began the MS in leadership program in January. She hopes her experience encourages others!

Class Notes // Fond Farewells

1940s

Arthur Delaney ’53

James Pender ’56

Pete Steeves ’58 MBA’72

John Maloney ’53

Vincent Ruth ’56

Tony Busa ’59

Ralph McKenna ’53

James Salmon PHL’56

Kathryn Yager Callahan ’59

Daniel Reardon ’53

James Taylor ’56

John Deneen ’59

William Shaughnessy MSW’53

Louise Burke Toland ’56

William Fallon ’59

James Buckley ’54

Rita Nicetta Torrisi ’56

Paul Harrington ’59

Robert Cieri ’55

Francis Flaherty ’57

Pierre Henry ’59

Walter Grover ’55 MA’56

Robert Garrity ’57

William Parks ’59

Dave Keelan ’55

Jeannette Gonthier MEd’57

Bill Sherman ’59

Sally Doherty Motherway MEd’55

Martin Lee ’57

Tom Tierney ’59

William Lucey ’57 MBA’67

John Murphy ’55 Coleman Nee ’55

Helen Sullivan McNamee MEd’57

1960s

William Van Dusen MS’55

Barbara Sawyer Morgan ’57

Andrew Esposito ’60

Eleanor Sullivan ’57

Jacquelyn Galluzzi ’60

Charles Tyrrell ’50

Salvatore Annarummo ’56 MEd’60

Walter Gay ’58

Marina Gibbons MA’60

Frank McCulloch ’51

Robert Bent ’56

Morris Harrison ’58

Jerry Hallisey ’60

James Smith ’51

Paul Frank ’56

Maureen Kent ’58

Charles Hayes’60

Vincent Germani ’52 JD’55

Thomas Hanlon ’56 MTS’99

Eugene Lanem’58

Ronald McCaffrey ’60

Howard Levenson MA’52

Sheila McCarthy Higgins NC’56

Paul Martino ’58 MA’63

Réal Roy ’60

Jim Regan ’52

David Houston ’56

Elizabeth Mozdiez Olson ’58

Robert Sriberg JD’60

John Ricci ’52

John Houton ’56

William Quigley ’58

Roddy Cannon ’61

Marjory Yewer PMC’41 Gloria Van Norden PMC’43 Sibyl Waterman PMC’43 Buzz Minderman PMC’44 Van Cooke PMC’47 Antoinette Fallon PMC’48 Winifred Rhodes PMC’49

1950s

Louise Bynoe MSW’50 Marie Canniff ’50 Joseph Lind ’50 Ronald McAuliffe MA’50

To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

Paul Cataldo JD’60

fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes // Fond Farewells

Mary Finnerty DeCoste ’61 James Hall ’61 Pat Harrigan Hutchinson ’61 Edward Karazin ’61 David Pelley ’61 Edward Powers MA’61 Bill Cronin ’62 MBA’76 Joan Ward Davis ’62 Martha Marcelonis DiStasio ’62 Tom Hagan ’62 John Kenney JD’62 Wilfred Lavoie ’62 Martha Lynch ’62 Gerard McKenna ’62 Barbara McKeon ’62 Alan Miller JD’62 Rosemary O’Connell NC’62 Gerry Phillips ’62 Edward Schwartz JD’62 Patricia Kolano Brien ’63 John Crowley ’63 Sue De Decker PMC’63 Patricia Dupont MA’63 Susan Frisbee NC’63 Michael Gallant ’63 Gerald Kerrigan ’63 David Lee ’63 Edward Lynch ’63 John Lynch ’63 Maureen Dotolo Lynch ’63 Carmen Mastrocola McNamara ’63 James O’Neil ’63 Marilyn Pare ’63 Marie-Christilla Pelletier MS’63 Wilma Sullivan NC’63 Robert Almeder MA’64 Sue Anderson ’64 Michael Bergan JD’64 Kathy Wilson Conroy NC’64 John Cunningham ’64 MBA’70 Francesca Sullivan Finnegan Barbara Richardson Forsythe NC’64 Trudy Flahive Gallagher ’64 Thomas Jennings ’64 Daniel Mahoney ’64 William Mayer ’64 Jim Moran ’64 Joseph Previte ’64 MBA’66 Frank Remeika ’64 Mary Jean McAndrew Roy ’64 John Sullivan ’64 Bill Sweeney ’64

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

Mary Jane McLaughlin Angelone ’65 John Mack ’65 MA’67 Nancy Mastrangelo ’65 John O’Brien ’65 MEd’66 Helen Long Savage ’65 Margaret Conley Villela NC’65 Regina Whalen MEd’65 Dennis Delorey MA’66 Carmine Di Adamo JD’66 Michael Gigliotti ’66 Raymond Gouin JD’66 Michael Keenan ’66 Patricia Lee ’66 Maria Santopietro Moskos ’66 Donald Northrup JD’66 Karen Quinn ’66 James Statt ’66 Raymond Thompson ’66 David Brown ’67 James Callanan ’67 Roger Cavallo ’67 David Gay ’67 JD’70 William Green ’67 Timothy Hodgens ’67 PhD’70 Dick Kane ’67 Ed Minor ’67 Terence O’Malley ’67 JD’70 John Paris MEd’67 Francis Quaratiello ’67 Johanne Townsend Quinn ’67 PhD’84 John Sacco ’67

Jean Tolini Croak ’68 Henry Doyle ’68 Paul Fasano ’68 Hill Gallagher ’68 Thomas Gorman ’68 Andrea Quigley Griffiths ’68 Regi Kelly Kendig ’68 Carol Zwissler Kritzer MS’68 Peter Martin MBA’68 Jon McGovern ’68 William McLaughlin ’68 Brian O’Donohue MBA’68 Bob Ruane ’68 Christopher Smargie ’68 Gene Taylor MEd’68 PhD’82 Bernard Zimlicki ’68 Dorothy Morelli Conforti PhD’69 Tom Connolly JD’69 Dana Gaebe JD’69 Barbara Nathan MEd’69 Edward Ofcharsky ’69 Peter Reilly MST’69

1970s

Patricia Rohan Ambroszewski MEd’70 Henry DeCotis ’70 John Kennedy MA’70 Maria Kreeft MA’70 Francis Maher MBA’70 Richard Mallen ’70 Robert Marechal ’70

Thomas McGill MDiv’70 NTE’70 Coleman O’Doherty ’70 Richard Byrne ’71 Seth Emmer JD’71 Tom Fitzgerald ’71 Carolyn Hann MA’71 Margaret Devine Horan ’71 Mary Gorski Huffling MEd’71 Robert Keane ’71 MDiv’78 Stephen McEleney ’71 Francis McGurk MSW’71 Doug Welsh ’71 Donald Bischoff ’72 Corinne Burnett MS’72 Charles Cataldo ’72 Frank Cotter MSW’72 Joseph Delaney ’72 Paul Doty ’72 Marsha Halperin Epstein MA’72 Stephen Gibbons ’72 Tom Groden ’72 Robert Kennedy MEd’72 Fredric LaCarbonara ’72 Janet McLaughlin MA’72 Ellen Oler PMC’72 Sharon Pacyna-Skoldberg ’72 Guy Peregrin ’72 Ronald Stevens JD’72 Arthur Casey ’73 William Hannon MEd’73 Mary Kenny-Murray ’73 Fernand Morasse MEd’73

Johan Naess MST’73 James Sterio JD’73 Timothy Strazar ’73 Leland Ware JD’73 Michele Annable ’74 William Culnane CAES’74 PhD’77 Kerry Donovan ’74 Michael Paribello MEd’74 John Townsend JD’74 Maurice Vazquez ’74 Clare Angermaier MEd’75 Paul Brennan ’75 John Corcoran MA’75 Gleason Gallagher ’75 Robert Jankun ’75 Mary Stevens McDermott NC’75 Sue Williams Meade ’75 Michael Miller JD’75 Thomas Persichilli ’75 Jean Walden MA’75 Daesene Graf Willmann ’75 Harold Baillie MA’76 PhD’78 Michael Cain ’76 Joseph Crispo MEd’76 Kathleen Hogan ’76 MS’93 Marjory Hulnick MEd’76 PhD’96 Martha Johnson ’76 MS’77 Robert Levite JD’76 Mary Stampley ’76 Paul True ’76 Andy Urban ’76 Janet Irwin PMC’77 James Lawlor MEd’77 Polly Owen ’77 Dana White Poulin ’77 Thomas Quinn ’77 Robert Sewall ’77 Eric Shuman ’77 Annamarie Taylor ’77 Taalibah Amatul-Haqq ’78 Ginna Proesel Barr ’78 Michael Fulchini ’78 Peter Gallagher ’78 Evelyn Hayes PhD’78 Todd Johnston ’78 John Nason ’78 Ed O’Sullivan ’78 Cynthia Diehl Brinkmann ’79 William Chaplick ’79 Barry Goggins MBA’79 Charlene Kara Golub MSW’79 Barbara Jellinek MS’79

Lauren Blackburn Kamin ’79 Paul Malone ’79 Barry McCloskey JD’79 Marilyn Miller MEd’79 Steve Prostano ’79 Carol Van Zandt ’79 Blenda Wilson PhD’79 DPA’04

1980s

Stephanie Carter ’80 Ted Donnelly JD’80 Nancy Stoddard Guardione ’80 Carol Jussaume MA’80 Robert Moynihan ’80 Anthony Chiccuarelli ’81 Christopher Green ’81 Richard MacDougal ’81 CAES’81 Jerry Scripps MBA’81 David Treffs CAES’82 Janet Vaughan Zale ’82 Carl Bonk MDiv’83 Bryan Cadel ’83 Ercan Kumcu PhD’83 Michael Quigley PhD’83 Jon Thibodeau ’83 Marion Doyle ’84 Laurie Gormley ’84 Lisa Reed ’84 MSW’85 Ethel Conley ’85 Ralph Maglio ’85 James McCauley ’85 Jane Walton Rowe MS’85 Colleen Egleston Bonde ’86 Toom Garner ’86 Charles Kasparian ’86 Joseph Riga ’86 JD’89 Barbara Sugrue MEd’86 MEd’86 Paula Bird ’87 MSW’88 Miriam Jacobs Greenspan MS’87 Tim Hanley ’87 Martha Wolf MBA’87 James Gray MDiv’88 Harry Sloate ’88

Nancy Ayotte MSW’91 Marie Chehade PMC’91 Susan Kay MEd’91 Jennifer Steventon ’91 James Hamma ’92 Patricia Martin DED’93 Carol Mitchell MSW’93 Marjorie O’Reilly JD’94 Charles Gurtler ’95 Shelley Johannesen McLaughlin ’95 Kevin Riley ’95 Michael Lawlor ’97 Marie-Eve Thomas ’97 Georgia Gojmerac-Leiner MA’98 Rosemary Seibold MA’98

Kelly Davis MA’99 Lynn White MS’99

2000s

Lynne Sullivan PhD’00 Timothy Carwinski ’04 Jennifer Auger MSW’08

2010s

Trudy Ernst MA’12 Brian Broderick ’14 Peter Schock MBA’19

2020s

Morgan Seltzer ’23 Michaela Waldrop MSW’25

COMMUNITY DEATHS Pradip Bakshi, of Belmont, MA, on August 27, 2026. He was a Distinguished Research Professor in Physics from 1970 to 2022 and Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus from 2022 to 2026. Alfred Dionne, of Norwood, MA, on June 7, 2026. He was Principal Applications Director, Information Technology Services, from 2001 to 2026. Joellen Hawkins, of Newton, MA, on May 25, 2026. She was Professor, Connell School of Nursing, from 1983 to 2008 and Professor Emerita from 2008 to 2026. Jeremiah Jefferson, of Framingham, MA, on July 6, 2026. He was Assistant Director, Campus Ministry, from 2011 to 2026. Aloysius Lugira, of Winchester, MA, on August 27, 2026. He was Adjunct Associate Professor, Theology Department, from 1995 to 2016. Dennis McCarron, of Burlington, MA, on July 15, 2026. He was Manager, Boston College Mail Services, from 2018 to 2026.

1990s

Ann-Marie Taylor Darling ’90 Barbara Govendo DED’90 Terence Laundry ’90 Brian Lynch ’90 Peter Mazzetti ’90 Paul McCullagh ’90 Kumiko Oga ’90

The “Fond Farewells” section is compiled from national obituary 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.

Ester Pratt MA’90

To submit your note, visit bc.edu/cla ssnotes.

fa l l 20 2 6 v bc m

Class Notes // Advancing Boston College

Striking the Match The bold idea that sparked a surge of faculty support at BC In 2021, the University announced a historic Faculty Challenge Match, fueled by a $50 million pledge from an anonymous alum and his spouse. Their goal was clear: close the gap between BC—then home to about 100 endowed faculty positions, a key marker of academic strength—and peer institutions that boasted as many as 300 or more. In just five years, their initial pledge sparked more than $100 million in new gifts and led to the naming of over 65 professorships, fellowships, and other academic funds—the most significant expansion of faculty support in Boston College history. “We’ve always been proud of BC, but over the last 20 to 30 years, we’ve seen it grow from a great school to a truly outstanding research university,” the alum said. “This gift was our way of not only giving back to the school that means so much to us, but also to make sure future University leaders have the resources to remain academically competitive.” Endowed positions are a necessary tool to attract and retain faculty across the full span of the academic life cycle, says Billy Soo, vice provost for faculties and professor in the Carroll School of Management. As vice provost, Soo oversees the recruitment, hiring, and management of more than 930 faculty members across BC’s nine schools and colleges. “I was ecstatic when I heard about the gift, because I knew it would have a multiplier effect on donors and on our ability to attract even more superstar faculty. The more endowed positions you have, the more flexibility you have to entice someone to come to—or stay at—your campus,” Soo says. The Match in Motion Inspired by the match and the 2023 launch of Soaring Higher: the Campaign for Boston College, the BC community embraced the chance to make a lasting difference at the Heights. Their giving reached every level of the University, from postdoctoral positions to deanships and other senior-level administrative posts.

bcm v fa l l 20 26

I was ecstatic when I heard about the gift, because I knew it would have a multiplier effect on donors and on our ability to attract even more superstar faculty.” —Billy Soo

The biggest impact was felt among junior faculty, who rely on endowed fellowships and other funding to purchase datasets, hire student research assistants, and advance scholarly projects that are not yet ready for outside funding. A total of 36 endowed faculty fellowships were established through the Challenge Match—a dramatic infusion that gives rising scholars the freedom to take intellectual risks and build strong foundations for long-term success. The number of endowed professorships also grew, providing important recognition for senior faculty who have long gone the extra mile for BC students as well as helping to recruit established faculty from other institutions.

“One of the most impressive aspects of this match is how widely it reached,” says Soo. “It shows how a single person’s generosity can have such a wide magnitude of effect on the University.” Challenge Match donors also funded specialized positions to meet school-specific needs. At the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, two endowed visiting professorships will bring accomplished scholars with fresh perspectives to campus. In the Connell School of Nursing, a new endowed professor of the practice will honor the essential teaching and mentoring role of non-tenure faculty by bringing real-world clinical experience directly to students. And in the School of Social Work, an endowed postdoctoral fellowship fund will attract rising scholars and support research on urgent social matters. Many donors found the Challenge Match helped them support BC in ways that made a difference for them as well as the University. For some, this meant establishing their first endowed faculty position; for others, it meant adding to an existing fund to increase their impact. In one case, three couples came together to establish a faculty fellowship in honor of their extended family’s many connections to BC. “The impact of the Challenge Match gift will last for generations,” says Soo, noting that every new endowed position contributes to the transformative student experience for which BC is known. “When faculty choose to come here or remain here, they shape their students, and those students go on to flourish and influence others.” While the gains are historic, Soo emphasizes that the work is far from finished. “This is extraordinary progress, but we can’t stop here,” he says. “If we want to remain competitive, we need to keep building. Endowed positions are what allow a university to grow for generations.”

Empowering breakthroughs in STEM While the Faculty Challenge Match inspired gifts across schools and disciplines, it was first focused primarily on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) faculty in hopes of more quickly closing the gap in these crucial—and resource-intensive— fields. By 2026, 12 endowed faculty positions were created in STEM fields—an unprecedented investment that reinforced BC’s standing as a top research university. For DeLuca Professor Thomas Chiles, vice provost for research and academic planning, the impact has been immediate. “I don’t think you can overstate the importance of endowed professorships and fellowships,” Chiles says. “We educate the next generation of scientists and scholars. If we want them to be leaders who have an impact in the world, we have to expose them to the highest caliber faculty— and endowed professorships bring those faculty to BC.” The Challenge Match arrived at a pivotal moment: BC had recently achieved R1 status, elevating its national profile and intensifying competition for top scientists.

Three of the first endowed funds were designated for the newly launched human‑centered engineering department, providing a foundation for recruiting exceptional faculty and signaling BC’s long‑term commitment to the distinctive program grounded in ethics and the common good.

from leading scholars, participate in cutting‑edge research, and are prepared to confront the complex problems facing society, people, and the planet.

“Having those three positions endowed signaled that engineering was a very important endeavor,” says Chiles. “It allowed us to recruit high‑caliber faculty we might not otherwise have been competitive for.” Beyond engineering, the new endowed funds are strengthening STEM departments at a time when federal funding is tightening. They provide significant investments in equipment, data, lab space, and personnel. “A lot of the ideas that drive research come from our undergrads, our grad students, our postdocs, and our colleagues,” says Chiles. “To explore those ideas, you need resources, facilities, and time. Endowed support gives faculty the flexibility to move ideas forward, generate data, publish, and be competitive for grants.”

I don’t think you can overstate the importance of endowed professorships and fellowships.” —Thomas Chiles

Strengthening the sciences speaks directly to BC’s mission, says Chiles. It ensures that students learn

fa l l 20 26 v bcm

because I owed money. Then I got a Reginald Heber Smith fellowship. I took less money. I think I made $12,000 and the accounting firm paid $18,000. That fellowship took me to Savannah, Georgia, where I did civil rights work. From Savannah I went to CambridgeSomerville Legal Services, representing housing tenants, because I had that background myself. Let me tell you, not too many of my classmates came from public housing.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

Robert Bloom JD’71 Over a half-century legal career, Boston College Law School Professor—and 1971 graduate— Robert Bloom became a nationally respected expert on the Fourth Amendment, criminal and civil legal procedure, policing, and jailhouse informants. He recently retired from the Law School after teaching for forty years and inspiring generations of students. —John Wolfson Be a runner, not a fighter. I grew up in public housing in Brighton. There weren’t many Jewish families there, and I often experienced anti-Semitism. I realized that I wasn’t a good fighter, so I became a fast runner—but not fast enough sometimes. Sometimes you have to bend the rules a little. My father graduated high school during the Depression. He was always striving to be successful. He wasn’t. He was a retail shoe salesman. My mother was a wonderful person. Her name was Martha. She died in 1977, and my daughter was born a few months later. We followed a Jewish tradition of naming her after someone who passed away. Usually it’s a Hebrew name, but we chose Martha. A mother’s tears can motivate you. A fourthgrade teacher made my mother cry. She said I was a behavioral problem. I didn’t want my mother to cry; her life wasn’t that great. 76

bcm v fa l l 20 2 6

So I turned it around. This teacher was invited to all my graduations, and she’s so proud of herself. Being good at something isn’t always a reason to do it. I went to Boston Latin School and then to Northeastern. I was an accounting major. The best accounting job I had in Northeastern’s co-op program was for Star Market. I would go to this factory where they were making Jell-O, and I would time them. I also had a job at Haskins & Sells, which was one of the larger accounting firms. I did well in accounting, but I just didn’t like it. I wanted to do something more important. It’s not where you’re from, it’s where you’re headed. Because I had experienced considerable prejudice, I had a desire to address that. That was really important to me. And law was a way to do that. But third year of law school I got an offer from a large accounting firm. I didn’t want it, but I had to accept

When it comes to police reform, Northern Ireland shows the way. In an article I wrote, I compared police discrimination against Catholics in Northern Ireland to Blacks in this country. After the Peace Agreement in 1998, Northern Ireland created an omnibus commission made up of sociologists and citizens. They review cases and if the police officer’s done bad, that’s it. Goodbye police officer. It’s completely changed the culture of their policing. We need more of that in our country. Take the George Floyd incident. The police officer had something like eighteen incidents of aggressive behavior. And on the day that he put the knee on George Floyd, he was a supervisor with a couple of younger cops. That speaks volumes. You bring a civil rights action against police officers, and the jury’s largely going to believe officers. So there’s no real way of addressing it. Nothing has really solved it. There’s some progress. Oregon, for example, has citizen review boards that can take action against bad police officers. That’s pretty much what exists in Northern Ireland. Sometimes, giving is receiving. I wanted to have an emergency fund set up to help students in financial need. I’ve had experiences where my students came in and said, “my computer’s not working and I have exams,” or, “my father is dying, and I have no money for airfare.” I gave money to start the fund, and then students gave money to it. The Bloom Emergency Aid Fund is now endowed. The Law School created a committee to make decisions about giving money. I’m not involved in the decisions. I’m involved only in giving money to the fund. I’m glad that I have left this legacy, which is important to me. It’s hard to say goodbye. I’m going to be very sad in retirement. I already miss the energy that I get from my students. In my retirement speech I said that what I have loved most about BC is my students. I get invited to their weddings—I even became a justice of the peace for the day and officiated at one of their weddings. I’m so proud of so many of them who have done really wonderful things. And that’s what’s always been important to me. n photos: Matthew Healey (Bloom); Meg Kelly (Crowther)

Parting Shot

Remembering 9/11 This year’s Red Bandana Football Game, which was held on the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, included ceremonies to honor members of the BC community who died during the terrorist attacks. Family of the deceased Eagles were invited to attend the game, including Alison Crowther, the mother of 9/11 hero Welles Remy Crowther ’99, who held up one of the WRC red bandanas that were given out to fans. —J.W.

On behalf of 215,000-plus Eagles around the globe, the Boston College Alumni Association Board of Directors congratulates Jack Butler, SJ, on becoming the 26th president!