Holy Cross Magazine - Winter 2019 - Volume 53 - Issue 1

WINTER T WO THOUSAND NINETEEN

VOLUME FIFTY-THREE / NUMBER ONE

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“NOTHING CHANGES UNLESS WE REMEMBER AND LEARN FROM HISTORY.”

THE IMPACT AND LEGACY OF THE BSU AT 50

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

College President Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., awards an honorary degree to Theodore V. “Ted” Wells Jr. ’72 at a special academic convocation.

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dan vaillancourt

Hope for the New Year

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couple months ago, I had the privilege of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Black Student Union at Holy Cross over a weekend filled with joyous and powerful events. We began this important weekend with a special academic convocation, during which we conferred an honorary degree upon prominent litigator Theodore V. “Ted” Wells Jr. ’72 in recognition of his extraordinary success in the courtroom, as well as his commitment to social justice, civil rights and educational opportunity for all.

When Ted and 18 other black students arrived on campus in 1968, they joined a community that looked very different from the one on Mount St. James today.

The Holy Cross student body was all male, with fewer than 10 students of color. Our students and our nation were grappling with war protests and civil rights.

Individuals and groups in our country were being targeted for their race, religion, identities and beliefs. While our campus community is different today, we are confronted with similar issues and we feel the effects of our contentious social and political environment, which is fostering anger and division.

When Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., ’49 chose those 19 students, he did so with great intention. He sought young men who would not only change the face of the campus, but who would also lead the Holy Cross community to new ways of seeing the world through their passion and integrity. He chose students with gifts he knew would be developed at Holy Cross and would allow them to have great

impact on the campus community and beyond. And such an impact they had, both during their time on campus and after they left. Along with Ted, among those students were Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas ’71, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward P. Jones ’72, former Deputy Mayor of New York Stan Grayson ’72 and former Miami Dolphin Eddie Jenkins ’72.

We still seek to admit students with the character and gifts that Fr. Brooks sought in recruiting those first black students to campus. We bring those students to Mount St. James and we challenge them and life challenges them. At the same time, we do our best to support and educate them to become the ethical leaders that our campus community, our country and our world so badly need.

We know that we will succeed as we have seen ample evidence of what a Holy Cross education brings to our world. We see it in those first black students, the founders of the Black Student Union 50 years ago.

We see it in 2018’s Sanctae Crucis winners, who have advanced cardiology research and mentored hundreds of young doctors, brought to life for us stories of conflicts in the Middle East and Latin America, developed technology that would keep our troops safe as they navigate wartorn lands, presided over some of the most historically significant cases filed in our federal court system, and shaped the protocols for the psychiatric treatment of children with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

We see it in the young families who return to campus for Homecoming, raising their children to approach life with curiosity, to seek different

perspectives and to be people for and with others.

It is the interaction with our students and recent graduates that gives me great hope going into the new year. This is a complex moment for our community and society.

Our students are grappling with issues, events and a political climate, the likes of which rival many similar moments in the history of our College and our country. And yet our students and young alumni continue to seek ways to use their gifts to impact their communities, starting with the one they inhabit on our campus. I see them standing with their classmates who represent different races, religions, nationalities, socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual orientations and abilities. I hear them raising their voices against disrespect, bias and hate. While our Holy Cross community is certainly not immune to the issues that plague our society and the divisiveness and incivility that surround us, I am heartened that our students are committed to building the inclusive and respectful community that we seek on our campus. And I know that they will take this passion and dedication into the world when they graduate.

A new year is a time for renewal, for hope. May we find Christ coming to us in the challenges and opportunities of this new year and may our struggling world see Him in us and the transformative commitments we make.

I wish you and your families a blessed 2019. ■

Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J.

President

H O P E F O R T H E N FE RWO YME A TH R E/ PF RR EOSMI DTEHNET P/ ROE PS EI DN EI N G T / 1

HOLY CROSS MAGAZINE

WINTER 2019 / VOLUME FIFTY-THREE / NUMBER ONE

Sanctae Crucis honoree Augustine J. “Gus” Caffrey ’73 conducts a Portable Isotopic Neutron Spectroscopy (PINS) test at the U.S. Army depot near Tooele, Utah, in August 1992. Caffrey’s signature PINS technology allows users to “see” through steel casings to detect potential explosives, chemical warfare agents or otherwise harmful materials.

(Each of these containers held about 1,600 pounds of the chemical warfare agent known as “mustard gas”.)

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46 58 10 photos by michael quiet (page 28), rebecca bl ackwell (page 40), afrik ArmandO (page 74) and dan vaill ancourt (page 10)

HCM TEA M

BRIDGET CAMPOLETTANO ’10 Editorial Director

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MELISSA SHAW Managing Editor

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STEPHEN ALBANO Art Director / Designer

H O LY C R O SS M AGA Z I N E (USPS 0138-860) is published quarterly

by College Marketing and Communications at the College of the Holy Cross. Address all correspondence to the editor at: One College Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01610-2395.

Periodicals postage paid at Worcester and additional mailing points.

TA B LE OF CON TE NTS 1 From the President 2 Table of Contents 4 Dear HCM, 6 Editor’s Note 7 Who We Are/ Contributors

46 The 2018 Sanctae Crucis Awards Honoring five alumni who have leveraged their success, influence and expertise to support truth, justice and equality of opportunity.

half-century of mission and personal impact of the Black Student Union.

40 Examining the Political Machine From the Inside-Out Thanks to political veterans Tim Bishop ’72 and Peter Flaherty ’87, Holy Cross students had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to combine hands-on experience and veteran expertise for a frontrow seat to the 2018 midterm elections.

8 Campus Notebook 8 Snapshot 10 Spotlight 12 On The Hill 20 Faculty & Staff 20 Creative Spaces 22 Headliners 26 Syllabus 28 Features 28 For Us, For Others, For Action Alumni reflect on a

58 Sports 58 Women’s Ice Hockey Joins Elite Hockey East The team is finding top-tier competition and more opportunities in its first Division I season.

CON N ECT WITH H O LY C RO SS O N S O C I AL M E DIA

@collegeoftheholycross

@holy_cross

COVER P HOTO

60 From One Hill to Another Schone Malliet ’74 wants all children to know the joy of winter sports.

62 Alumni News 62 Mystery Photo 64 HCAA News 68 Book Notes 69 Solved Photo 70 The Power of One 72 In Your Own Words 74 The Profile 76 Class Notes 80 Milestones 82 In Memoriam 88 Artifact Ask More How To Reach Us

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CONTACT US Arthur “Art” Martin ’70, first president of the Black Student Union, following the 1969 walkout of the majority of the black students at Holy Cross, behind a quote from Jennifer Edwards, M.D., ’81, from our story about the BSU’s legacy and impact over the past 50 years. The story begins on Page 28.

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DEAR HCM, they had influenced Joyce. He made everything accessible, once describing “Irish nationalism” as “a potato with dirt on it.” Mostly, he wanted us to enjoy the humor in Joyce, so he delivered a onehour history of Irish politics so we could see that “‘Dubliners’ is a damn funny book.”

The Off-Campus Classrooms of Professor Edward Callahan “Better to pass boldly into that other world in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.”

— James Joyce, “The Dead” Joyce wrote these words about Michael Furey in “The Dead,” the final story in “Dubliners.”

They also apply to the late Dr. Ed Callahan who, although “retired” and living at Pocasset on Cape Cod, kept alive the full glory of his passion for Joyce, literature and life well into his 90s (“In Memoriam,” Summer 2018, Page 115).

We first met Dr. Ed through the Academy of Lifelong Learning in Hyannis, where he offered a course on “Dubliners” and “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.” The class was learning as it should

By the end of the course, we were pleading with him to offer “Ulysses” next semester and, to our delight, he did.

Again, a group of a dozen senior citizen students (one person commuted to The Cape from Somerville, each week, just to hear him). He began by announcing that, “After ‘Ulysses,’ the novel is obsolete”— and we were hooked. He was beginning to experience some health issues (notably hearing) but still stood before us for an hour and a half each week, almost never needing his notes. And we laughed a lot. be, learning at its very best: about 12 motivated retirees, no quizzes, no tests, no papers, just the enjoyment of Joyce, led by a Joyce maestro.

(Dr. Ed said he had been reading Joyce since 1943!)

The good doctor brought a lifetime of Joyce scholarship to us, having taught many years at Holy Cross and also having attended many Joyce conferences over the years.

His Irish heritage endowed him with a ready wit, and his classes for our group of senior citizens always seemed too short, they went by so quickly.

Dr. Ed was entirely at home with the academic scholarship on Joyce, easily explaining “integrity, consomatia, claritas” to us, but at the same time he encouraged us: “Don’t worry, just read the stories.”

His years on the Holy Cross faculty made him an expert on Jesuits and he showed us how

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Walking out of the final “Ulysses” class, Dr. Ed said to our dismay, “I won’t teach ‘Ulysses’ again.” We had been planning to ask him to offer Dante’s “Divine Comedy” the next semester.

Hoping to change his mind, we invited him out for a beer and a burger, and were delighted when he accepted.

This became a routine that lasted through his final years; every two months or so, we would go out for beer and a burger and some literary guidance. After he moved to Linden Ponds in Hingham, Massachusetts (where he offered a poetry course to the residents), we would drive up there; he had discovered a local pub he liked and we got help reading Dante. (“You have to read all of it — that means Purgatorio and Paradiso!”)

So we did. Then Proust (all of it). Then Pushkin. Then

Tolstoy. Then “Don Quixote.”

We are still reading. We always brought our literature questions and Dr. Ed brought his hilarious tales of being in the U.S. Air Force during the war, then being on the faculty at Holy Cross for all those decades. His best tales were about the Jesuit colleagues he admired and his grandchildren.

When his health began to make it more difficult to go out for lunch, he didn’t stop.

He did not “fade or wither dismally with age” — we still went out to the pub. When Chaucer described his Oxford clerk — “gladly would he learn and gladly teach” — he could have been describing Dr. Ed Callahan, who taught us much about literature and a lot more besides.

Jim Rogers ’65 Bill Collins, Boston College ’64

Sandwich, Massachusetts

The Story Behind the BEATBC Plate I would like to kindly and respectfully note a correction to a section regarding the famous BEATBC plate (“Sanctae Cruciana,” Summer 2018, Page 67).

The Massachusetts BEATBC plate originally belonged to my late and beloved uncle, Edward Long Jr. He was a diehard football fan (even noted in his obituary) — especially of Holy Cross and Notre Dame. He had a few variations of this BEATBC plate over the years, and when it became too old and new plates needed to be switched out, he gave the old green and white plate to his brother, my other uncle, James D. Long, who worked at the College as superintendent of grounds for 50 years. My Uncle Jimmy

P ROF ESSOR EDW A RD CALLAHAN

then subsequently gifted this to Fr. Brooks, who was a very good friend of his.

I wanted to share this anecdote with you because it shows just how important Holy Cross and its legacy is to the Worcester community and the relationships we foster and share with one another, in the spirit of men and women for others.

Cheers — and, obviously, beat BC! Deirdre A. (Milionis) Mitchell ’10

Waltham, Massachusetts

Reunion, a Time for Evaluating the College Experience Education is claimed to be the great equalizer in American society. For many families like mine, a college education became my parents’ dream and that dream was carried on by the family that I created.

“Obsession” would be too strong a word, but the best education possible to create as many opportunities as possible was the focus.

As I sit at my dinner table with a wife who went to Brown, a child at Yale and the other at Harvard, I make comparisons to my education at Holy Cross.

I still check the rankings and the admissions reports and

P HILIP A .

KA P P ’52

wonder about the evaluations and their meaning. I even worked on a documentary, “SAT and the Art of Thinking,” as it applies to the world of college admissions.

With all of this background, I come back to campus and realize that one of the most important concepts in evaluating the college experience is a word that is seldom used in evaluating colleges, college choices and the college experience: happiness. One concept is clearly the actual education, the opening of the mind to new knowledge and experiences.

Another is the practical role of learning skills that can facilitate gaining meaningful employment, but the most important concept that is seldom discussed or evaluated is happiness. It is an intangible quality that seems ever-present at Holy Cross.

When discussing colleges or college choice, no one ever seems to ask, “Are students happy?” Do they enjoy their college experience? Have they made friends? Have they opened up their world to new people, new thoughts, ideas and possibilities? Have they gained an understanding of what really matters in life? Have they built a foundation that can withstand disappointment, heartache, failed marriages, the failure of a

career or business, or death of a friend or family member? Can they reach back and find the support they need to survive life through their friends, moral compass, religious concepts or the foundation they created in college?

In my experience, and in so many others from my Holy Cross world, I can proudly say yes. As I walk the campus and am greeted by smiling, happy students in groups of two or three or more, or as I watch athletic practices or dramatic presentations or just wander the bookstore, I see pride and, yes, happiness all around this campus. I think about my classmate Ann Bowe (now McDermott), the admissions director, and I swell with pride over Holy Cross and how her staff has changed the world one student at a time. I know that in the evaluation that truly matters, my own, no school could have provided a greater benefit to me than the College of the Holy Cross.

Brian Cook ’79

Duxbury, Massachusetts

Erratum In “In Memoriam” (Fall 2018, Page 86), the yearbook photo of John J. Kapp ’52 was incorrectly included with the obituary of the late Philip A. Kapp, M.D., ’52.

J O HN J. O ’MA LLE Y ’52

In “In Memoriam” (Fall 2018, Page 86), the yearbook photo of the late John F. O’Malley ’52 was incorrectly included with the obituary of the late John J. O’Malley ’52.

“Solved Photo” (Fall 2018, Page 75) contained an error. In the December 1969 walkout in protest of the suspension of Holy Cross students, the correct number of suspended students was 16: four African-American students and 12 Caucasian students.

In “Finding New Things in a Familiar Place” (Summer 2018, Page 8), the residence hall’s name is Brooks-Mulledy.

Holy Cross Magazine regrets these errors. ■

We Want Your Letters!

Whether it is a response to something you read, Mystery Photo identification, Milestones submission or a story idea, drop us a line!

WRITE Holy Cross Magazine One College Street Worcester, MA 01610-2395

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DEAR HCM / 5

EDITOR’S NOTE

Fr. Boroughs and BSU members who span the group’s 50 years pose for a photo on the Hogan Ballroom stage.

“Get in here!”

T

he idea behind the photo you see was simple: a picture of Arthur “Art” Martin ’70, first president of the Black Student Union, on the Hogan Ballroom stage surrounded by his classmates and members who followed him.

Team HCM lovingly commandeered the end of one of the BSU 50th anniversary events and asked any alumni in the audience to please head to the stage for a group photo. To our delight (and relief), many were willing and walked up the steps to the stage chuckling, smiling, arms slung around shoulders.

Then, as people were being arranged by the photographer, you heard the calls.

Anyone who walked in after we made our request, or those who were reluctant to follow suit, were joyfully called to from the stage and urged on by their fellow alums: “Get in here!” “Come on up!” “Join us!”

And that, right there, is the essence of the organization, one that for half a century has been encouraging exactly that for black students at Holy Cross: Join us.

The offer was later extended to any Holy

Cross student, but for black students since 1968, the BSU has been a safe place, a welcoming community offering a shared experience and honing a united voice for advocacy and education.

success. (If you haven’t read the book, it is well worth your time, as it reads like a movie and is especially poignant in today’s still racially contentious United States.)

Traditionally, what has been written about the BSU has focused — and rightfully so — on its founders’ experience and the early years, a turbulent, challenging time highlighted by at least 60 black students (nearly the College’s entire black population) quitting school in December 1969 to protest the unjust suspension of four black classmates.

The students, all on scholarship, were giving up essentially the American dream — a college education and opportunity for a successful future — to stand up for what they believed was right. “I cannot adequately explain the level of fear we had about the wisdom of our decision to leave a college we loved and the uncertain future we faced,” said Theodore V. “Ted” Wells Jr. ’72 in a November speech after receiving an honorary degree from the College.

While the BSU’s founding fathers had all graduated by 1972, in the 46 years that followed, new members picked up the mantle in ways that, while not always high-stakes, were significant in sharing the black student experience in a place where they were still greatly outnumbered. They brought national figures to campus to discuss social justice, equality and advocacy. They staged film screenings and dance, music and theatre performances to tell their story. They challenged the administration when they believed it was right, such as the year when classes fell on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and members campaigned for a way to honor his legacy in classrooms. And, at its core, the group continued to provide a shared community for a population of students that may otherwise feel alone: Join us. ■

That seminal event, and much more, was chronicled in Diane Brady’s 2012 book, “Fraternity,” which told the story of the early days of significant integration at Holy Cross via the eyes of five black men, who later forged lives of spectacular

Melissa Shaw Managing Editor

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MICHAEL QUIET

WHO WE ARE

BRIDGET CAMPOLETTANO ’10

MELISSA SHAW

STEPHEN ALBANO

TOM RETTIG

joined the College Marketing and Communications office in 2013, and has been seeking out new and unique stories about the Holy Cross community to tell since day one.

As winter approaches, she’s looking forward to fresh snow on campus and more time to catch up on her Netflix queue!

is celebrating her one-year anniversary at the helm of Holy Cross Magazine. She’s extraordinarily grateful for her colleagues across campus (especially the gentleman on the right) for making her first year on The Hill wonderful. Happy New Year!

has been a part of the HCM team for seven years – with this being his 30th issue. He earned his degree in studio art at Clark University. After this issue closes, he looks forward to enjoying time off with his husband at home during the holidays and hosting their family and friends now that their house has modern plumbing and a new bathroom.

joined the College Marketing and Communications office after working as a photojournalist for 15 years for newspapers and magazines across the Northeast. A true New Englander, Tom enjoys the “country life” in Connecticut with his family. Tom moved on to a new role this fall, but HCM is so grateful for his contributions, and we wish him the best!

Editorial Director

Managing Editor

Art Director / Designer

Photographer / Videographer

CONTRIBUTORS

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WRITERS 1 MAURA SULLIVAN HILL is a freelance writer and editor based in Chicago — and a Team HCM alum who is still thrilled to appear in the pages of the magazine. She writes for higher education clients, including Loyola University Chicago, University of San Francisco and University of Scranton, as well as the alumni magazine of her alma mater, Notre Dame. 2 STEVE ULFELDER is a Texas-based freelance writer and novelist. 3 ELIZABETH WALKER has been writing to celebrate alumni and to make the case for support of colleges and universities for more than three decades. 4 MICHAEL BLANDING is a senior fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University and author of “The Map Thief: The Gripping Story of an Esteemed Rare-Map Dealer Who Made Millions Stealing Priceless Maps.” He has written for Wired, Slate, The New York Times, The Boston Globe Magazine and Boston. 5 ANDREW CLARK is a Boston-based freelance writer. 6 MADISON WALSH ’12 writes about creating spaces and opportunities, building community and celebrating the voices of young women in the Mississippi Delta after her experience with Teach for America in this issue’s In Your Own Words on Page 72. 7 EVANGELIA STEFANAKOS ’14 is the managing editor for digital content in College Marketing and Communications. She studied English and art history at Holy Cross and is a steadfast advocate of the Oxford comma. 8 JANE CARLTON is the staff writer for College Marketing and Communications. She studied creative writing at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and loves a good poem. 9 MEREDITH FIDROCKI is a freelance writer who graduated from Bates College with a degree in English and French. 10 BINAH SAINT-LOTH ’19 is in her final year at Holy Cross. As a psychology major and Africana studies concentrator, she is open to pursuing endeavors where she can utilize both disciplines and have a direct impact on people’s lives. When not at Holy Cross, she enjoys cooking, drawing, and being around her family and friends. 11 REBECCA (TESSITORE) SMITH ’99 and 12 KIMBERLY (OSBORNE) STALEY ’99 are longtime contributors to Holy Cross Magazine — and even longer-time friends. Former roommates in Loyola, they’ve come a long way from washing dishes in Kimball, now writing, editing and proofreading marketing and fundraising communications at their freelance writing firm, SmithWriting. In this issue, Rebecca and Kim wrote In Memoriam and Book Notes, and also served as our copy editors. PHOTOGRAPHERS 13 REBECCA BLACKWELL ’16 is the executive assistant in the Office of College Marketing and Communications. She studied studio art with a self-created concentration in photography and transformative special effects. 14 DAN VAILLANCOURT graduated from the Hallmark Institute of Photography in 1995 and has been photographing professionally for 20 years. He feels blessed to make a living doing something fun. You’ll see Dan’s photos throughout this issue. 15 CHRISTIAN SANTILLO ’06 is the associate director of the Office of College Marketing and Communications for College web communications. While not engrossed in all things digital marketing, Christian enjoys shooting and editing digital photos. 16 MICHAEL QUIET is a Boston-based sports and fitness photographer whose recent clients include Adidas, UFC, Reebok, Muscle and Fitness Magazine, the New England Revolution and more. 17 LOUIE DESPRES is a Worcester-based photographer; his images have appeared in numerous galleries and publications throughout Massachusetts. He is also involved with the local nonprofit organization stART on the Street and was a recipient of a Worcester Arts Council Fellowship in 2011. 18 HUI LI ’21 is a photography intern for the Office of College Marketing and Communications. She is a classics and psychology double major from Boston and is chief photographer of The Spire, Holy Cross’ student-run newspaper. She is also a student greeter in the Holy Cross admissions office.

19 AFRIK ARMANDO is a Philadelphia-based freelance photographer. CAMPUS CONTRIBUTORS 20 THE HOLY CROSS ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS TEAM collects, preserves, arranges and describes records of permanent value from the College’s founding in 1843 to the present. Made up of Mark Savolis ’77, archivist, and Sarah Campbell, assistant archivist, they are invaluable colleagues to HCM. We couldn’t put together an issue without their historical research and context, as well as the access to archival images and objects.

WHO WE ARE / EDITOR’S NOTE / 7

CAMPUS NOTEBOOK

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dan vaillancourt

8 Snapshot • 10 Spotlight • 12 On The Hill

Ninety-four-year-old St. Joseph Memorial Chapel remains as majestic as ever, whether the occasion is December 2018’s Lessons & Carols, seen here, or daily Mass, as seen in the black and white overlay photo. tom rettig

SNAPSHOT / CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 9

SPOTLIGHT

Wells addresses the crowd after receiving his honorary degree. (below left) Wells poses with Fr. Boroughs, wife Nina Mitchell Wells, and their son, Phillip. (below right) Wells with classmates Eddie Jenkins ’72, Art Martin ’70 and Stanley Grayson ’72.

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dan vaillancourt

Theodore V. Wells Jr. ’72 Receives Honorary Degree

BY E VA N G E L I A S T E FA N A K O S

“

Powerful voice for racial and social justice. Pillar of American trial practice.

Masterful strategist for the defense.

Tireless champion for civil rights and educational opportunity. Exemplary son of Holy Cross.”

With these words, Margaret Freije, provost and dean of the College, addressed Theodore V. “Ted” Wells Jr. ’72 and the hundreds gathered in the Hogan Ballroom to see him receive an honorary degree from alma mater.

Since arriving at Holy Cross in 1968 as one of the 19 black students recruited

by Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., ’49, Wells has become a leading white-collar criminal defense attorney in the United States. The honorary degree, which was presented on Nov. 9 as many alumni returned to campus to celebrate the Black Student Union’s 50th anniversary, recognized Wells’ legal career, service to the College and work championing civil rights, racial and social justice, and educational equality.

“This weekend is not about me or any single individual, but is rather a celebration of the 50th anniversary of an historic event in the history of Holy Cross — the decision by Fr. John Brooks to integrate Holy Cross beyond a token number of black students,” Wells said in his address.

Entering kindergarten at an integrated school the year after the Supreme Court’s ruling on Brown v. Board of

Education and entering Holy Cross the year Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, Wells explained that the black students who arrived at Holy Cross in 1968 were “the children of the civil rights movement” who had lived their teenage years “in the midst of what was often a violent struggle for racial equality.”

Their goal in coming to Holy Cross, he said, was the same as that of their fellow white students: “We wanted a great education and we hoped that great academic training would in turn help us get good jobs. None of us thought we would win Pulitzer Prizes or play on Super Bowl teams or go on the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Wells said, “the history of black students at Holy Cross would be far different from that which we celebrate today.”

Wells, who holds an MBA and a J.D. from Harvard University, has spent the past 50 years practicing law at a premier law firm and working pro bono for nonprofits, such as the NAACP, focusing on civil rights and racial justice.

“In that half century,” he shared, “America has continued its great experiment in racial integration.” And while we have seen many positive developments, Wells said, we still do not live in a post-racial world.

The purpose and conviction with which the men approached their careers echoes that of their time at Holy Cross. In his first semester at the College, Wells co-founded the BSU and, a year later, was helping lead the infamous 1969 BSU walkout, when the organization’s 60-plus members left Holy Cross, suitcases in hand, in objection to the College’s suspension of four black students for participating in a protest against General Electric’s involvement in the Vietnam War.

“The fight for equality in America must be led by a multiracial coalition.

This country needs whites, blacks and other people of color to join together in the struggle for basic human and civil rights,” he said. “That was the message that Fr. Brooks taught us by his words and by his deeds. We should celebrate his life and vision by fighting together for a color-blind society, where all people are not only equal in the eyes of God, but also in the eyes of their fellow human beings.”

“The night the members of the BSU decided to withdraw from Holy Cross in protest was one of the most difficult nights of our lives. Each black student called his parents that night to tell them we were quitting school over a matter of principle,” Wells shared. “I cannot adequately explain the level of fear we had about the wisdom of our decision to leave a college we loved and the uncertain future we faced.”

Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., president of the College, said Wells is an example of the heroic leaders who have emerged out of this ongoing struggle for freedom and civil rights: “We recognize that Ted’s contributions are the consequence of and his response to a history and culture of slavery and racism in this country, and his participation in prolonged efforts by individuals and communities and organizations to fight for equality, and freedom, and civil rights.

Wells took the opportunity to recognize the role the late Fr. Brooks — then academic vice president and dean, and later the College’s 29th president — played in negotiating a resolution to the walkout, which would not have ended with the black students’ return without him.

“If it had not been for Fr. Brooks,”

“It is most appropriate then,” he continued, “that on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Black Student Union at Holy Cross, and in light of the struggles which produced it, and the ongoing commitments which enliven it today, that we honor the life and work of one of its founders.” ■

SPOTLIGHT / CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 11

christian santillo

christian santillo

ON THE HILL

Holy Cross Among the Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Salary Potential, According to PayScale

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oly Cross ranks No. 16 among liberal arts schools for graduates’ starting and mid-career salary potential by the website PayScale.com. The annual list is based on the salaries of recent graduates and those with more than 10 years of experience.

The starting median salary among Holy Cross graduates with less than five years of experience was $58,800, while the mid-career median was $121,000. Additionally, 46 percent of alumni reported having “high meaning” careers, those they believe make the world a better place.

PayScale’s College Salary Report includes salary data of 3.2 million

graduates from 2,700 colleges and universities across the country. The data used to produce the report was collected through an online compensation survey.

Holy Cross also came in at No. 17 on PayScale’s “Best Schools for Business Majors” list, a ranking based on the College’s successful accounting major; No. 18 for humanities majors; No. 8 among religious schools; and No. 8 overall among colleges in Massachusetts. Additionally, Holy Cross was ranked No. 18 among the best liberal arts colleges in the country on PayScale’s 2018 College Return on Investment Report earlier this year. ■

College Cancels Classes for Campuswide Summit

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n an effort to engage the community in building a more inclusive campus, Holy Cross held a campuswide summit on Nov. 16 that drew 1,000 student, faculty and staff participants. Everyone on campus was invited to discuss and explore the College’s culture and steps needed to build a community that supports and celebrates all its members.

The event, ENGAGE Summit: Where Do We Go From Here?, included more than 60 different sessions throughout the day on a variety of topics, including LGBTQ issues, Title IX and sexual

O CTO B E R ARTISTIC TRADITIONS The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery at Holy Cross opened the exhibit “The Newar Craftsmen of Kathmandu Valley: Objects of Devotion from Nepal.” Running through December, it featured repoussé metal work, lost wax castings, wood carvings and paintings created by the Newar craftsmen of the Kathmandu Valley. The Newars are among the last groups in the world to make devotional art for Buddhist and Hindu practices, following preindustrial, highly refined artistic traditions.

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respect, and inclusion of marginalized groups. All afternoon classes, Athletics practices and meetings were canceled to allow each community member the opportunity to learn from each other, gain new perspectives and offer ideas for how Holy Cross can move forward as a community.

The event was the first step in addressing issues of respect and inclusion on campus. The College will also be creating further opportunities for the community to work together to identify issues, brainstorm solutions, respond to the feedback and suggestions, and enact needed change.

“There is more work to do and, just as importantly, concrete action steps that we as a community must take,” Fr. Boroughs says. ■

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“Our goal was to reflect on our shared responsibilities to each other and to consider how we might work to create a community marked by mutual respect and civility,” says Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., president of the College. “While many of the conversations we had were difficult and challenging, my hope is that what [participants] also saw and heard was a community wishing to be better and willing to do the difficult work to achieve that goal. It was inspiring to see the crowds walking across campus on Friday afternoon to attend sessions and then to gather with more than 1,000 student, faculty and staff members in Kimball Dining Hall to conclude the summit.”

College Dedicates D’Agostino Café in Integrated Science Complex

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one of America’s first supermarkets after opening its doors in 1939. Over the decades, D’Agostino supermarkets have become renowned as “New York’s grocer.” The store’s fame grew as their signature D’AG Bag shopping bags were seen in the hands of actors and performers who liked to use the totes to carry their costumes and performance items.

Alongside his brother, D’Agostino took over the business in 1964, which had long since been considered

The D’Agostino name is also a familiar one at Holy Cross, with second- and third-generation family members joining the Crusader family. ■

he popular eatery in the Integrated Science Complex has been named in honor of Stephen I. D’Agostino ’55, whose family founded the famed D’Agostino supermarket chain in New York City.

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FAMILY WEEKEND Held the weekend before Halloween, Holy Cross families enjoyed three days of nonstop activity on The Hill, from Casino Night and musical performances to president’s hour, a faculty showcase, pumpkin decorating on The Hoval, Mass and interfaith worship, and much more.

CHAMPIONING VISITING EDUCATORS Holy Cross was lauded

by The Chronicle of Higher Education for championing its visiting assistant professors. Discussing the growing challenges facing young academics, the publication noted how the College is leading the way in making visiting assistant professors more competitive on the tenure-track market, whether it’s through faculty-development workshops and mentoring, support for scholarly studies or more.

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Two Alumnae Deliver Keynote Address at Annual Women in Business Conference

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ne hundred seventy students and alumnae turned out to hear María Eugenia Ferré Rangel ’89 (right) and her sister, Loren Ferré Rangel ’92 (left), speak about the importance — and challenge — of mixing good business practices with good citizenship at the annual Women in Business Conference, sponsored by the Carlyse and Arthur A. Ciocca ’59 Center for Business, Ethics, and Society.

The sisters hold management positions at their family’s Puerto Rican media company, Grupo Ferré Rangel, which owns one of the largest newspapers in the country, El Nuevo Día. In their keynote interview, moderated by Michele Murray (middle), vice president for student affairs and dean of students, the sisters talked about Hurricane Maria and its

devastating aftermath.

“We had to make a choice: Were we going to be an observer?” Loren said.

“Or were we going to be an agent of change? We didn’t have a road map, but we made the choice to choose to help. People needed us.”

María Eugenia noted her family’s company was one of the only media outlets still working on the island in the storm’s aftermath. There was no radio, no television and no internet — only a printed newspaper. And she credits lessons learned at Holy Cross for tapping into the discipline needed to get the job done under tough circumstances.

“Holy Cross trains you every day for that grit,” she said, “for that desire to become better.” ■

Rodin Exhibit at Cantor to Celebrate the Gallery’s 35th Anniversary

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he 1983 inaugural exhibition of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery at Holy Cross featured Rodin sculptures from the collection of the Cantors. Thirtyfive years later, in celebration of the Gallery’s anniversary and in

O CTO B E R INTERSECTION OF MUSIC, ART AND SCIENCE Artists, musicians and scientists from the multimedia rock opera “Black Inscription” spent a week in residency at the College. Members encouraged students to see all the unexpected places where science and art intersect and overlap, such as via a drum circle in a math class, a music lecture in a marine biology class and a hunt for freshwater shrimp with a group of first-year students wearing hip-waders. The group also performed its work “Black Inscription,” a multimedia song cycle that follows a deep-sea diver on an Odyssean journey.

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(left) Auguste Rodin Head of Shade with Two Hands, c. 1910 Bronze, cast 2 in an edition of unknown size, Alexis Rudier Foundry 7-5/8” x 10 ¾” x 8-1/8”

conjunction with the College’s 175th anniversary, Auguste Rodin’s sculptures will again grace O’Kane Hall in the exhibition “Rodin: Truth, Form, Life, Selections from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Collection.” In addition to 22 sculptures on loan from the Cantor Foundation, the exhibition will feature several Rodins from the College’s permanent collection.

In a career that spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Rodin — regarded as the father of modern sculpture — created forms that captured the vitality of the human spirit. Although respectful of sculptural traditions, the intensity of Rodin’s vision and his innovative studio and business practices ushered sculpture into the modern era and influenced countless artists who followed him.

The opening reception will be held 5 p.m.-7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 24, featuring remarks

by Judith Sobol, curator of collections and exhibitions for the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Foundation. The exhibition will run through April 6. ■

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Alpha Sigma Nu Inducts 28 New Members

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n Family Weekend, Alpha Sigma Nu inducted 28 members of the class of 2019 into its elite ranks. The inductees exemplify the society’s values of excellence in scholarship, loyalty, leadership and service.

The only honor society permitted to bear the name Jesuit, Alpha Sigma Nu recognizes students who, along with classroom excellence, have a commitment to and concern for the wellbeing of others and have made the most

of their experience in a Jesuit academic community.

Candidates for membership are selected from the top 15 percent of their class, and from this group, membership is awarded to only 4 percent.

The class of 2019 inductees include Isabel A. Block, Jaclyn M. Brewster, Lauren R. Carey, Madeline A. Carroll, Maya E. Collins, Galen L. Comerford, Declan E. Cronin, Kara M. Cuzzone, Erin W. Dennehy, Katherine M. Elacqua, Margaret M. Goddard, Maureen B. Hodgens, Juliana M. Holcomb, John Kim, Emily K. Kulp, Sijia Liu, Claire E. MacMillan, Kerrin M. Mannion, Marie C. Moncata, Teresa M. Murphy, Lillian J. Piz, Christopher J. Puntasecca, Rui Qiang, Stephen J. Ross, Matthew E. Rueter, Mithra S. Salmassi, Franҫois J. Venne and Amanda C. Wibben. ■

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MUSIC CONNECTS Grammy Awardwinning Silkroad began the second year of its three-year residency at Holy Cross. At a jam session in downtown Worcester, the group invited amateur and professional musicians from the city’s immigrant populations and recently resettled refugees to join them.

PURPLE GOES GREEN For the ninth consecutive year, Holy Cross has been named one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the country, according to The Princeton Review’s “Guide to 399 Green Colleges.”

The guide is the only free, comprehensive resource identifying colleges with exemplary commitments to sustainability based on their academic offerings and career preparation for students, campus policies, initiatives and activities. Holy Cross received a “Green Rating” score of 91 out of 99.

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ON THE HILL from Holy Cross,” attracting more than 4,000 participants. Here’s what some past recipients have said about the experience: “Thank you for sharing this Lenten journey with me, an alumna. Often, after a long day at the clinic or teaching my medical students, I found inspiration in the reading and reflection awaiting me in the email. This email Lenten series has been one of the best connections I have had with Holy Cross since my student years; I felt like HC put effort into caring for my spirituality.” – alumna, class of 1980 “Thank you for the beautiful messages you sent each day during Lent. I always look forward to getting them.”

– grandmother of a member of the class of 2017

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“Thank you so very much for spreading the meaning of the readings during the days of Lent and Holy Week. The reflections were lovely and ‘provoking.’

I have printed out many and they will be my ‘go to’ for days for spiritual reading in the days to come.” – parent of a member of the class of 1992

‘Return to Me’ Offered for Lent 2019

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ice President for Mission Rev. William Campbell, S.J., ’87 and College Marketing and Communications will once again

offer a daily, digital reflection series for the holy season of Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday on March 6 and concludes on Easter Sunday, April 21.

Each day, subscribers will receive a reflection on the reading of the day written by Holy Cross professors, students, chaplains, staff and alumni.

This will be the fifth-annual offering of “Return to Me: Lenten Reflections

“Whether you have subscribed in past years or are looking for a new resource to enhance your devotion in this holy season, it is my hope that these daily reflections will help all members of our community enter deeply into the season of Lent,” Fr. Campbell says.

To sign up for the daily Lenten reflection email, fill out the form found at holycross.edu/return-to-me. If you have any questions, email returntome@ holycross.edu or call 508-793-3026. ■

N OV E MBE R STARTUP SUCCESS A Holy Cross student startup competed at the Beantown Throwdown, an annual pitch contest held in Boston. The company’s pitch centered around Wilox, a universal, long-lasting product that can kill bacteria and viruses on many surfaces to prevent the spread of illness. The eight-person team placed second, beating teams from MIT, Harvard, Boston College, Boston University, Tufts, McGill, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Wentworth, Brandeis and Berklee.

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‘Summa’ Exhibition Showcases Work of Visual Arts Faculty

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cattered across a table built using the golden ratio were a series of small-scale hybrid sculptures created by Associate Professor Michael Beatty (above). His work, a mix of handmade and digitally printed forms, was among the artwork featured in “Summa,” an Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery fall exhibition that showcased new work by the eight artists who make up Holy Cross’ visual arts faculty: Beatty, Rachelle Beaudoin, John Carney, Matthew Gamber, Victor Pacheco, Cristi Rinklin, Susan Schmidt and Leslie Schomp.

A quick scan of the gallery revealed the

scope of the faculty’s mastery, represented through media that included photography, painting, digital media and printmaking.

To augment the exhibition, each artisteducator led a demonstration inviting students and the wider community into their process of creation.

“I’m interested in the intersection of art and science — the two things that I loved when I was your age in school,” Beatty shared with students gathered around his work in the gallery. His sculptures, small enough to fit in one hand and resembling organic forms, heavily incorporate elements created using 3-D printing technology. In the ideation stage, Beatty draws his forms on the computer, often starting with mathematical figures.

“I’m in awe of the way that math can become this sort of window through which we can see the world, but I also realize that our lived experience is very different from the sort of rigid rules of mathematics. We see the world and there is pain and suffering; there is wonder and awe,” Beatty explained. “In a funny way,

I’m trying to use this mathematical model to look at something very different — to give ideas physical form.”

Some of Beatty’s work in “Summa” — like one 3-D sculpture that was filled in with plaster rather than left open and porous like much of his work — was created during his recent sabbatical when, he explained, he had the rare opportunity and space to experiment.

“I think it was just playing in the studio, to be honest with you,” he shared about the solid form. “I got bored one day and started filling in the thing. It’s been a long time since I’ve had that kind of time to devote to the studio. And it’s amazing, for those of you who are studio art students here, the idea of playing. Have time to play, make mistakes and throw things out.”

The exhibition — held every three years — gave students and the community a rare glimpse into the creative process of the practicing visual artists who serve as educators at Holy Cross. ■

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STUDENT-ATHLETE SUCCESS Holy Cross Athletics teams are tied for eighth in the nation with an overall graduation rate of 98 percent, according to the Graduation Success Rate Report, which has been released by the NCAA. This marks the 12th straight year in which the Crusaders have posted a Graduation Success Rate of at least 97 percent. Only five other schools from New England earned top 20 rankings: Harvard (100 percent), Dartmouth (99 percent), Yale (99 percent), Brown (98 percent) and Fairfield (97 percent).

STUDY ABROAD RECOGNITION Holy Cross was ranked No. 2 among baccalaureate institutions in the United States for long-term study abroad participation by the Institute of International Education. The ranking considers the 2016-17 academic year. Over the past five years, the College has made the top 3 each year.

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ON THE HILL rare examples before the sixth. Even a plain Christian cross symbol is virtually missing in Christian art much before the middle of the fourth century,” shared Robin Jensen, Patrick O’Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, at a lecture examining the history, art and meanings behind the College’s namesake a few days after the Feast of the Holy Cross.

‘A Symbol of Victory and Sign of Salvation’ Lecture Explores College’s Namesake

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oday, images of the cross and crucifixion are synonymous with Christianity — but that has not always been the case.

“Art historians have been unable to identify an explicitly Christian crucifix prior to the fourth or even the fifth century, and then only a few

Some scholars believe the lack of cross or crucifix imagery implies that Christians of the first three centuries were not as focused on the matter, purpose or meaning of Christ’s crucifixion, but rather on his message of love, justice and a promised paradise. Jensen disagrees.

“As a historian who works in both early Christian texts and material culture, I cannot avoid the evidence that ancient Christian writers in fact regarded the cross and Christ’s crucifixion as a core event in salvation history,” she explained. “We have extensive evidence that early Christians went about explaining, defending and even proclaiming the crucifixion.”

It wasn’t until the middle of the fourth century that an unambiguous Christian cross began to make a frequent

appearance, alongside the Christogram, a symbol made up of the interlocked Greek letters chi and rho, the first two letters of Christ’s name.

Without question, the Christogram was initially associated with the Emperor Constantine, to whom the symbol appeared in a dream or waking vision just before a major military victory, Jensen shared. The use of the images spread under Constantine, who regarded the cross as his personal protective insignia.

“Both the Christogram and the simple cross now start to appear in a variety of contexts that are clearly imperial and specifically military in character,” she said.

Within a few years, however, the cross and Christogram were included in scenes of the Passion story — still not showing Jesus’ crucifixion — as symbols of Christ’s victory over death, completely removed from any imperial context.

“If the cross hadn’t had the association with Constantine’s victory, it wouldn’t necessarily carry the meaning of victory,” she noted, pointing to this as a strong example of how images transform themselves.

Images of the crucifixion come into prominence after Constantine’s mother, Helena,

identified the site of the crucifixion and relics of the true cross were discovered.

The earliest depictions of Jesus on the cross were found within Constantine’s shrine of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, built on the site identified by his mother.

From then on, cross and crucifixion images became steady motifs within Christian visual culture. In the few centuries that followed, their presentation and associations continued to evolve. Some depictions linked Jesus’ cross to the Edenic tree of life, bringing the story of original sin full circle to salvation, while crucifixion depictions shifted from an emphasis on Christ’s victory over death to his participation in human suffering.

This changing, enriched visual repertoire, said Jensen, “expanded the possibilities and potentialities of the Holy Cross as a rich and incredibly complicated Christian symbol.”

The lecture was presented as part of the College’s ongoing celebration of its 175th anniversary and one of the Deitchman Family Lectures on Religion and Modernity, sponsored by the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture. ■ ­— Evangelia Stefanakos

N OV E M BE R NATIONAL CHAMPIONS The Holy Cross Mediation Team won the national championship at the 2018 International Academy of Dispute Resolution Intercollegiate Mediation Tournament, held at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Brian Senier ’19 and Jessica Russo ’19 finished in first place; Caitlin Maple ’21 and Caroline Fredericks ’21 finished in third place. The team also won a record nine All-American honors.

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Why didn’t I reach out more?”

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“I was the man,” said Cousy, the Celtics’ captain. “I was in a position where maybe it could have made a difference.”

Cousy Speaks on The Hill for First Time in 10 Years

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ob Cousy ’50 and author Gary Pomerantz sat down for a conversation before a standing-room-only crowd at Holy Cross to talk about the recently released book, “The Last Pass: Cousy, Russell, the Celtics, and What

Matters in the End.” In Pomerantz’s new book, Cousy reflects on his complex relationship with Boston Celtics teammate Bill Russell, the racism Russell endured during the 1950s and 1960s, and how Cousy feels he could

have — and should have — done more.

It wasn’t until an ESPN interview in 2001 that Cousy realized he felt a great sense of guilt about how he handled the situation with Russell.

Cousy, 90, shared that the past few years of introspection have led him to ask: “Why didn’t I do more?

Although he graduated from Holy Cross almost 70 years ago, Cousy pointed to the impact the social justice lessons he learned from the Jesuits had on him and the formation of his moral compass — which he admitted should have been better utilized in the case of Russell.

“I should have shared his pain more,” Cousy added.

The event, which was also attended by fellow basketball star Togo Palazzi ’54, was the first time Cousy has spoken on campus since the unveiling of his bronze statue in front of the Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex in 2008. ■ ­— Evangelia Stefanakos

HC Hosts AJCU First

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n November, College President Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., celebrated Mass in Mary Chapel for mission and identity officers and student affairs officers from the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) member schools. Holy Cross hosted separate annual conferences for both groups on the same week. The groups met for a joint session — the first time in AJCU conference history — in which they discussed how they can best collaborate with one another on shared issues of concern. ■

TOP COLLEGE Holy Cross ranked No. 3 on Money Magazine’s list

OF DOLPHINS AND ETHICS Thomas I. White ’69

of “10 Top Colleges That Don’t Care About Your SAT Scores,” with the submission of standardized test scores being optional at the College.

According to the publication, the list was compiled by using data from the National Center for Education Statistics and FairTest, and ranked according to Money’s annual “Best Colleges” rankings, which are based on affordability, educational quality and career outcomes.

visited campus to speak on “Dolphins, Flourishing and the Challenge of Interspecies Ethics.” White is the author of “In Defense of Dolphins: The New Moral Frontier,” a scientific adviser to the Wild Dolphin Project and a fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. He is currently a visiting professor of philosophy at Mount Holyoke College.

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F A C U LT Y & S T A F F

“I’m sitting on the second story of a three-story treehouse that my husband built in our backyard, winding a staircase around an old oak and adding a balcony, a viewing platform, a weathervane, a letterbox, a built-in folding table for tea with friends and a leafy furnished hideaway beneath for visiting children. This green and golden place is best for just sitting quietly, thinking or reading or writing poems. It’s one of the places where I feel most like myself.”

SUSAN ELIZABETH SWEENEY | Monsignor Murray Professor in Arts and Humanities, English department | Her backyard treehouse |

20 Creative Spaces • 22 Headliners • 26 Syllabus

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Worcester, Massachusetts | READING "DUMBSTRUCK: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF VENTRILOQUISM"

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Eight New Tenure-Track Faculty Members Welcomed in 2018-19 Academic Year The new scholar-educators bring a wealth of knowledge to eight departments B Y J A N E C A R LT O N

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oly Cross has welcomed eight new faculty members to tenure-track positions for the 2018-19 academic year. They bring a breadth of expertise on a variety of topics, from studying fruit flies for brain function to looking at how the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution influence the practice of modern politics.

CHRISTINE HAGAN, assistant professor of chemistry Hagan earned an A.B. in chemistry from Amherst College, an M.Phil. in chemistry from

the University of Cambridge and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard University.

Prior to Holy Cross, she completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School and was a teaching fellow at Harvard University.

What excites you most about joining the faculty?

I'm impressed by the commitment of the faculty in the chemistry department to both teaching and research. The department has a thriving research program for undergraduates, and it encourages students to start thinking like researchers early on by making laboratory experiments the focus of

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the introductory chemistry courses. I'm drawn to this way of teaching because it is important for students to learn how to identify interesting questions and then figure out how to solve them — regardless of what the students may end up doing in the future.

How do you see your work interacting with the world?

In my research lab, we are trying to identify new strategies for treating bacterial infections. Many of the antibiotics currently used in the clinic are becoming less effective as bacteria develop resistance to them. There is an urgent need for new drugs to treat infections caused by these resistant bacteria. My group is studying the mechanisms bacteria themselves use to kill one another when they encounter competing bacteria in their environment. My hope is that by understanding these bacterial toxin delivery systems, we may identify better ways of overcoming the natural resistance of many disease-causing bacteria to antibiotic therapy.

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(from left) Ke Ren, Dominic Machado, Mahri Leonard-Fleckman, Christine Hagan, Reginald McGee, Alexis Hill, Ryan Mruczek (not pictured) Alex Hindman

ALEXIS HILL, assistant professor of biology Hill earned a B.A. in biochemistry and M.S. in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in neurobiology from Columbia University.

Prior to Holy Cross, she completed her postdoctoral fellowship and taught at Washington University in St. Louis.

What excites you most about joining the faculty?

I'm excited about the amazing environment, created by both students and faculty. The students have already surpassed my high expectations, in that they are eager and engaged, in both my introductory biology and my advanced neurobiology courses. The faculty and administration here have created a supportive environment for research and for innovative approaches to education.

How do you see your work interacting with the world?

In my research, I use fruit flies to study genes that are important for proper brain function, many of which are associated with neurologic and psychiatric disease. While the brains of flies and humans are very different, the cells that make up the brain are very similar. Here at Holy Cross, I am currently setting up a neuroscience research lab, where I will have students performing experiments with me, which will contribute to the broad understanding of how brains function, in both healthy and disease states.

ALEX HINDMAN, assistant professor of political science Hindman earned a B.A in political science from Saint Vincent College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in politics from Claremont Graduate University. Prior to Holy

Cross, he taught at Morehead State University, Vanguard University and Azusa Pacific University. He was also a visiting assistant professor in the Holy Cross political science department from 2016 to 2018.

What excites you most about joining the faculty?

I believe in the mission of a Jesuit, Catholic institution. Holy Cross consistently pursues vexing questions with a spirit of civility and free inquiry that characterizes the best elements of the intellectual life. From the students to the faculty and staff here, Holy Cross has great people who are committed to learning with — and from — each other.

Holy Cross stands out to me as a place where it's possible to engage in the Ignatian search for knowledge among a community of friends and scholars.

How do you see your work interacting with the world?

My work in American government focuses on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. In particular, I look at how the political ideals embodied in these documents influence (or fail to influence) the actual practice of our politics. Through my teaching and my research, I hope to invite others to evaluate the American constitutional tradition's answers to some universal questions of the human condition, particularly how we can both live in a community with others and retain the individual autonomy necessary for human flourishing.

MAHRI LEONARDFLECKMAN, assistant professor of religious studies Leonard-Fleckman earned a B.A. in Spanish and English literature from Washington University in St. Louis; an M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary in New York with a dual focus in Old Testament/ Hebrew Bible and religion and education; and a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and ancient Near Eastern studies from New York University. Prior to

Holy Cross, she taught at Providence College, the University of Scranton, Stonehill College, Clark University and Marymount Upper School of New York.

What excites you most about joining the faculty?

I was deeply attracted to Holy Cross' unique combination of a strong liberal arts college and a Jesuit mission. I was equally attracted to the religious studies department, which contains a remarkable breadth of fields and methodological interests and is simply a powerhouse of scholar-teachers. Also, Holy Cross is a true community. I could not imagine a better fit for my own blend of interests and values.

How do you see your work interacting with the world?

My field is Hebrew Bible and ancient Near Eastern studies ("ancient Near East" is synonymous with "Middle East a long time ago"). I believe that knowledge of the ancient Near East is vital for engaging with contemporary Middle Eastern issues, and such knowledge gives us immense and broad insight into politics, society and religion.

Depending on how we humans use it, the Bible continues to have immense power to cause harm or good. My desire is to help people gain the tools necessary to read with integrity and use the Bible as a positive force in this world (and perhaps fall in love with it, too!).

DOMINIC MACHADO, assistant professor of classics Machado earned an A.B. in classics and economics from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. in ancient history from Brown University. Prior to Holy Cross, he taught at Wake Forest University.

What excites you most about joining the faculty?

Holy Cross calls on faculty members to be more than just teachers. In particular, I am excited to answer the call of providing not just technical instruction to high-achieving students,

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HEADLINERS but of delivering a holistic education aligned with the Jesuit ideals of "cura personalis." I also look forward to participating in the College's mission of fostering social justice that asks each and every one of us to think about and work to improve the world around us.

How do you see your work interacting with the world?

I am personally interested in engaging and expanding the field of classics — long a bastion of the elite in society — to broader audiences and, especially, to underserved minority groups. I have spoken at numerous conferences about how classicists can become more engaged with underserved minority communities and I look forward to continuing this work at Holy Cross.

Additionally, my academic research is motivated by what is happening in the world around us. My work on protest and dissent in the Roman world is informed by the ways that we as a modern society react to, write about and process resistance.

REGINALD MCGEE, assistant professor of mathematics McGee earned a B.S. in mathematical sciences from Florida A&M University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in mathematics from Purdue University. Prior to Holy Cross, he completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the NSF Mathematical Biosciences Institute and taught at The Ohio State University.

What excites you most about joining the faculty?

Holy Cross strikes me as a positive, supportive and welcoming community during both my campus interview and a colloquium visit in 2016. I also had a gut feeling that the other new faculty hires would all be really cool.

at building mathematical models and developing approaches for analyzing biomedical data to assist collaborators in clinical research.

RYAN MRUCZEK, assistant professor of psychology Mruczek earned a B.S. in neuroscience from the University of Rochester and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Brown University.

Prior to Holy Cross, he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Princeton University, was a research scientist at the University of Nevada, Reno, and taught at Swarthmore College and Worcester State University.

What excites you most about joining the faculty?

I was specifically drawn to Holy Cross' commitment to building a collaborative learning environment for all its members — students, faculty and employees alike. The psychology department's emphasis on meaningful student research experiences was also very important to me. These values mirror my own ideals with respect to an undergraduate liberal arts education. I look forward to the opportunity to work closely with students in the classroom and in my laboratory.

How do you see your work interacting with the world?

My research focuses on object vision — how we see, recognize and interact with objects. Specifically, I am interested in how networks of neurons in the brain encode information about the world around us. Our brains are limited in their capacity to acquire and process sensory information, and these limitations can lead to biases in our perceptions and decisions. Thus, these questions are fundamental to how we perceive and interact with others and with our environment.

How do you see your work interacting with the world?

I apply mathematics to problems in biology, particularly cancer immunology. My research is directed

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KE REN, assistant professor of history Ren earned a B.A. in history and economics

from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from Johns Hopkins University.

Prior to Holy Cross, he taught at Indiana University, South Bend and Bates College. He was a postdoctoral teaching fellow in the history department at Holy Cross from 2016 to 2018.

Why did you choose to become a faculty member?

I chose to become a tenure-track faculty member at Holy Cross after a rewarding two years here as a postdoctoral teaching fellow.

During that time, I developed a great appreciation for the cross-disciplinary liberal arts environment cultivated at the College, as well as for the support and generosity of my colleagues here in the history department and Asian Studies program. I even had an opportunity to co-organize a conference on "Love and Desire in Premodern China" with colleagues from the Chinese program and the Worcester Art Museum, with support from the McFarland Center. Of course, I have also developed a fondness for the diligence and enthusiasm of the students here!

How do you see your work interacting with the world?

Both my teaching and my research are concerned with China's evolving place in the world. In my research and writing, I work on Chinese diplomats, writers, travelers and activists who have mediated between East and West, reinvented their own cultural identities in the process, as well as the transnational movements and networks they joined in the late 19th century and early to mid-20th century.

In my teaching, I also emphasize the importance of understanding Chinese and East Asian history in international contexts. I hope a deeper appreciation and critical understanding of this kind of cosmopolitanism and crosscultural interaction can help enrich our thinking and our choices around issues of diversity, dialogue and identity in a globalized world. ■

How were you introduced into developmental psych?

Psychology Professor Wins 2018 Donal J. Burns ’49 Career Teaching Medal Professor, mentor and researcher Danuta Bukatko talks teaching, making an impact on students and how she still gets jazzed about psychology

A

s a teacher and mentor, Danuta "Diane" Bukatko, professor of psychology, has played a significant role in the lives of hundreds of students over the course of her 42year Holy Cross tenure.

In September, she was awarded the 2018 Donal J. Burns ’49 Career Teaching Medal, given annually to one outstanding faculty member who has devoted their life to teaching at the College.

While Bukatko has been lecturing for decades, her approach and accessibility to students is timeless. Her students describe her as a professor who "ensures that all students are equipped with the necessary resources to achieve success." One student noted, "She was sure to deeply connect with her students, but it was her

tom rettig

ability to push them outside of their academic comfort zones and foster open and dynamic communication that set her classes apart from others."

What drew you to psychology, especially developmental psychology?

It was my wanting to understand how human beings think — I wanted to know more about the brain and how it functions, how we remember, how we solve problems, and generally how we function in the cognitive domain. I thought adults were very complicated, and I thought it made sense to start that investigation by looking at the youngest, what I thought were the leastcomplicated organisms.

But, as you know, it turns out research shows that even babies are pretty complicated.

My alma mater is Rutgers University — I went to the women's college, Douglass College. I took a child development course with Melinda Small. There were things that we were reading in that course that really captivated me — about babies, about other species and the possibility that they had language and thought. I was captivated by the possibility that science could help us understand some of the questions I wanted to answer.

Had you ever known that you'd be teaching developmental psych in the future?

No, I didn’t. I did an honors thesis on children's writing, actually — how they learn to write the alphabet. I discovered that I loved that process of asking a question, collecting data and coming to some conclusion about the question. I went to grad school to do more of that, and I didn't realize that teaching would be a big part of what I would end up doing.

Knowing what you know now, what would you tell yourself as a graduating college senior and as you first began your career as a professor?

I wish I had taken advantage of opportunities to be better at public speaking. I think that's the avenue to power.

Not that I want power, but I think if you're not skilled at public speaking, it can be limiting in terms of opportunities or getting your message out. We actually had a required speech class in college, and I cut it all the time! It was that difficult for me. I think the college had the right idea by offering the

course, I just don’t think I took full advantage of it.

What can Holy Cross do to produce well-prepared leaders?

I think we could do a better job of preparing students for public speaking. So many of our students go on to be leaders in industry and education and medicine.

Some of them go on to be leaders in politics. What concerns me is the lack of participation of women in those leadership roles. As our research is looking at, part of that might be related to lack of confidence or lack of skill in public speaking. This isn't just about women; it's about any student whose tendency is to be quiet, who has a lot going on inside. That person can be a leader, too.

What conversations with your students have stuck out?

I teach a seminar on gender role development and I feel like there is a craving for some of that skill that we've been talking about. Next semester, I'm doing a tutorial on women in leadership with two students. One idea is to develop a course, either here in the psychology department or in the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, on women in leadership.

What’s your favorite question to ask students?

What I like to ask students is, "Isn't this amazing?"

When we're talking about what babies do or how the mind works or how language functions, I always ask that. I guess I just hope that students get as jazzed by the material as I do — and I do get jazzed about it. ■

— Binah Saint-Loth '19

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SYLLABUS students sit with their copies of “Dracula” and volley back and forth in discussion with each other and Mulrooney.

They use textual evidence from the book and historical context to explore questions of desire, religion and agency — especially for the female characters — all rooted in a study of the words on the page.

“Go to the passages and let the texts teach you how to talk about them … Always, at the center, is the word,” says Mulrooney; this is his guidance to students and his own teaching philosophy — one he draws from his first time reading “Dracula.”

Stranger Things — Gothic Old and New with Jonathan Mulrooney, professor of English

BY MEREDITH FIDROCKI

M

ore than 120 years ago, readers huddled by the amber glow of candlelight in wide-eyed terror to devour the pages of author Bram Stoker’s Gothic tale, “Dracula.” In 2016, viewers by the millions sat in the screen-lit blue light of streaming devices or televisions to watch the Gothic-esque Netflix original thriller, “Stranger Things.” The breakout hit affirmed what English Professor Jonathan Mulrooney has long known: The Gothic is alive and well.

Mulrooney created his course,

Stranger Things — Gothic Old and New, to explore this genre, asking students to consider what monsters show us about ourselves. (After all, “monster” is derived from the Latin “monstrare” — “to show.”) “It’s about inviting the students to understand in a deeper way why they’re scared, why they're excited, and why these things are so popular,” he explains.

While the Dracula image seared into popular memory is that of the blood-sucking count, Mulrooney asks students to think through how Stoker really got under

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the skin of readers of his time: by twisting and challenging Victorian societal ideas on gender, sexuality, religion and technology, including a recent startling medical advance — blood transfusions.

Set in the 1980s, “Stranger Things” is a nostalgic comingof-age tale about a group of kids investigating the supernatural while searching for their disappeared friend, and — Mulrooney points out — challenging power structures in the process.

“The Gothic is always expressing the possibility of revolutionary desire or human experiences that cannot be contained by the institutions that want to contain them,” he says. “And that’s exciting to people — even if they don’t know why.”

The course explores that question. At one class,

“I was assigned ‘Dracula’ in my eighth-grade English class

by Mrs. Moran,” he tom rettig remembers. “She was such a great teacher — she would have us look up vocabulary words from ‘Dracula’ so the words were connected with something that was exciting and mattered to us. An attention to the way language works to produce imaginative effects informs my class to this day.”

This approach also resonates for Anastasia Vasko ’19, an English major with a creative writing concentration. One of her favorite parts of Mulrooney’s class is “seeing how stylistic choices on the behalf of the author reinforce the thematic meanings of the prose, poetry or film.” She’s also struck by the way “the Gothic reveals reality.”

“The monsters in these tales are not necessarily the people we would call the monsters — Frankenstein's creature or Dracula,” Mulrooney explains.

tom rettig

Course Catalog ENGL 399 Stranger Things — Gothic Old and New PROFESSOR Jonathan Mulrooney DEPARTMENT English DESCRIPTION This course traces the Gothic tradition in novels, poems, plays, films and serial television. Through the study of British Gothic literature of the 18th and 19th centuries, American authors like Toni Morrison and Nathaniel Hawthorne, 20th-century filmmakers and modern media, the course explores the enduring relevance of the Gothic story form. Gothic readings provide the foundation for analysis of films, including “Nosferatu,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Vertigo” and “Get Out,” as well as selections from popular television series, including “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Stranger Things.”

MEETING TIMES Tuesday, Thursday 2 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

CLASSROOM Stein 202 REQUIRED READING • “The Castle of Otranto” by Horace Walpole (Penguin) • “The Monk” by Matthew Lewis (Penguin) • “Northanger Abbey” by Jane Austen (Penguin) • “Frankenstein: The 1818 Text”

by Mary Shelley (Penguin) • “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti (Dover) • “Dracula” by Bram Stoker (Penguin)

“The scariest part of these books is the humans.”

•

•

“The Turn of the Screw and Other Ghost Stories” by Henry James (Penguin) “Beloved” by Toni Morrison (Vintage)

ASSIGNMENTS • Preparation for class discussion, including written reactions to texts • Viewing of films and television episodes via Panopto video platform • Two essays • Midterm and final exam GRADES Short written reflections and exercises, class participation, two essays, midterm and final exam PREREQUISITES Open to second-, third- and fourth-year students ABOUT THE PROFESSOR Professor Jonathan Mulrooney joined the English department faculty in 2004. He received his Ph.D. in English from Boston University and an M.A. in English from the University of Toronto, after graduating summa cum laude from Boston College with an A.B. in English. His scholarship focuses on British Romantic-period theatrical culture and poetry, especially the work of John Keats. The recipient of various grants and awards, Mulrooney is the author of the book “Romanticism and Theatrical Experience: Kean, Hazlitt, and Keats in the Age of Theatrical News” (Cambridge University Press, 2018) and was recently named the editor of the “Keats-Shelley Journal.”

Mulrooney was chair of the Department of English from 2011-2017. His teaching includes courses on Romantic Poetry, Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien and Environmental Poetics.

This realization gives students a foundation to consider how modern media, including films such as “Get Out” and television series like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” use the roughly 250-year-old genre to come to terms with real contemporary issues of race, power and gender.

Arostegui ’19 chose to enroll in the class because she knew the Gothic would be interesting, exciting and revelatory about human nature. “This class has shown me how imaginative and ‘unrealistic’ storytelling — stories that delve into the mysterious and sometimes magical — can often reveal our deepest truths and fears,” she says.

To help his students start to experience stories in a new way, Mulrooney began the course in September with a classic by “Sesame Street” writer, producer and director Jon Stone: “The Monster at the End of This Book,” which features the character of Grover warning young readers that each page turn brings them closer to the monster at the book’s end.

Mulrooney sees this imaginative jolt to the self as being at the core of the College’s liberal arts and Jesuit focus on reflection: “In the Gothic, it’s the scare that in a bodily way, makes you jump out of yourself — which is a good thing, especially if you can then think about, talk about and imagine your way into some conversations about why that just happened to you.”

“It's about the production of fear in the child. But, of course, they’re going to turn the page — this is why we watch horror movies,” Mulrooney says. “There is a dual engagement: Go forward, don’t go forward. Read more, don’t read more. The actual act of reading these texts or seeing these movies becomes an experience like the experiences they’re describing. That’s one of the reasons people love the Gothic.”

It’s also why Mulrooney suggested Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” as the first-year book for the class of 2022: “It raises issues of: What is the human? Who do we get to decide is inside and outside the border?

Who gets to decide who is inside and outside the family? These are things our students should be thinking about.

English major Bella

“If we do not allow ourselves to be haunted — in profound ways — by the sins of our past,” he continues, “then we will forget them.” ■

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FOR US, FOR OTHERS, FOR ACTION Alumni reflect on a half-century of mission and personal impact of the Black Student Union

BY M E L I S S A S H AW

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IT WAS SPRING 1987 AND HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR ARNOLD PRINCIPAL WAS LOST. He arrived on Mount St. James for a campus visit, got separated from his host and unknowingly stumbled upon the Black Student Union-sponsored Spring Talent Show.

“Two BSU members immediately recognized that I was not a current student and seemed lost,” he remembers.

“That night, they made sure I had a great time at the event and hosted me in their dorm. Not only did I join the BSU that fall, but I also performed twice in the talent show the following spring.”

College, took his now-famous road trip up and down the East Coast to recruit more students of color, an effort to better diversify the student body. That fall, 19 black students arrived at Holy Cross, and while they greatly bolstered the minority numbers on campus, they were still a tiny percentage of a nearly all-white institution, which was jarring for many of them — and their new classmates.

PRINCIPAL ’91 Today a proud alumnus of the class of 1991, Principal recognizes the impact of that happy accident and how it changed his life: “I credit coming to Holy Cross to its students and that one particular event.”

Changing lives, taking action, finding lost students (usually figuratively, but in this case, literally) — and inviting them into a welcoming community of shared experience is a common thread that spans the history of the BSU, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018.

A PLACE TO FIND COMMUNITY “Prior to 1968, there were very few black students on campus,” notes Arthur “Art” Martin Jr. ’70, first BSU president. He arrived on campus in 1966, one of two black students in a freshman class of 600. “You may have had eight to 10 black students, so there wasn’t any organization or safety net for the number of students who came on board.”

In the wake of the April 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., ’49, then academic vice president and dean of the

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“As much as the black students didn’t know the white students, the white students didn’t know the black students,” Martin says. “There were a lot of cultural differences going on back then, even down to the music that people listened to, the way people danced. It was a whole cultural shock for some.”

Notes Theodore V. “Ted” Wells Jr. ’72, who was recruited by Fr. Brooks and later became the BSU’s second president: “When we arrived on campus, I dare say that Holy Cross was not ready for us and we were not ready for Holy Cross.”

The environment was familiar to Martin, as he graduated from a predominantly white high school as student council president of a 2,500-person student body — one as large as Holy Cross. “I was used to that demographic; it didn’t bother me,” he says, “but I knew a lot of people that came on board that year didn’t have that.

And I think Fr. Brooks realized they didn’t come out of that environment. So he and [then College President] Fr. Swords made an effort as if to say, ‘What do we need to do to make this whole thing possible?’”

The answer was the formation of the Black Student Union, which received recognition as an official student organization, a budget and office space on the fourth floor of Hogan Campus Center.

It was the first cultural affinity group in the then-125-year-old College’s history, a trailblazer that paved the way for students from other cultural backgrounds to form their own groups and find their own voice in the years to come.

“What the Black Student Union was doing was giving the students on campus the opportunity to interact with each other,

Because their members represented a small percentage of the student body, the Black Student Union provided a built-in community of support and shared experience — a mission it continues today.

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MARTIN ’70 AND WELLS ’72 IN 1969

Wells and Martin at the BSU 50th Anniversary Weekend, which saw more than 300 members return to The Hill in celebration of the group’s golden anniversary as a force for advocacy and education.

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The Dec. 12, 1969, press conference at which Ted Wells, flanked by Art Martin, reads the BSU’s statement. The group announced its members would leave Holy Cross in protest of the suspension of four black classmates — a move the organization argued was racist.

WELLS ’72 AND MARTIN ’70 TODAY

high number of black students were charged because they were more easily identifiable, which the group argued was an act of racism. Of the 49 white students involved in the protest, only 12 were identified and suspended, compared to the five black students, four of whom were identified and punished.

“It wasn’t so much about [the suspensions], it was more about, OK, why them?” Martin says. “‘Well, we could identify them.’ Well, I guess you could identify them! There’s the old saying, ‘it’s the fly in the buttermilk!’” He chuckles, then continues: “I can look back and smile and laugh, but at the time this was going on, it was not quite that funny.”

Martin and Wells decamped to nearby Clark University (“Our refuge,” Martin recalls), where Fr. Brooks visited them, gave them cash out of his own pocket to ensure they ate and urged them not to leave the city altogether. The College administration, torn between upholding its policy and fairly treating its students, met continuously over the weekend, and the college careers of the BSU members — nearly all the nonwhite students at Holy Cross — hung in the balance. All of the students had a lot to lose, but few more than Martin, who was halfway through his senior year. He was already accepted into law school, and now he had quit one semester shy of receiving his degree.

An early BSU executive board, as noted by the then-director of student activities. Fifty years later, the list represents some of the country’s most influential leaders.

to have some commonality, to have some comfort level,” Martin says. “We were there at the same time, we breathed the same air, we suffered the same way. I mean that not in a negative way, but that experience really made us brothers — literally, brothers. We went through some stuff on campus and it made us stronger.”

A TIME TO TAKE ACTION The organization would need to draw on that strength just a year later, when at

least 60 black students — nearly the entire BSU — famously turned in their student IDs on Friday, Dec. 12, 1969, and quit Holy Cross in protest of the suspension of four black classmates. Martin names “the walkout” as the BSU experience of which he is most proud.

Earlier that week, 16 students (four black, 12 white) were charged with violating College policy and suspended after being identified in an on-campus protest of General Electric. The BSU had voted to remain neutral in the protest itself, but became involved after the suspensions, noting that a disproportionately

“[BSU members] came to me and said, ‘Art, you don’t have to do this.’ And I said, ‘No, I have to.’ I helped start the organization and I wasn’t going to forsake anybody at this point,” he notes. “What I’m proud of was the fact that we stuck together. This was a hard time. Some people wanted to say, ‘Let’s just go back to school’ and throw up our hands, and we couldn’t do it. Trust me, it was not a bluff.

We weren’t playing chicken at that point; I was gone. We were all thinking about where we were going to finish school — we just felt that strong.”

On Sunday evening, Dec. 14, Fr. Swords announced to a packed Hogan Ballroom that the suspensions of all 16 students would be reversed. He noted he agreed

FOR US, FOR OTHERS, FOR ACTION / 33

After a weekend of nonstop discussions within the administration, College President Rev. Raymond J. Swords, S.J., ’38 announces his decision to grant amnesty to the suspended students, a move that resulted in the at least 60 black students who walked out returning to campus.

with the BSU and that the procedures for identifying the students led to what he later termed in a letter to alumni and parents, a “de facto mathematical disproportion of the Blacks who were identified.”

“I’m so proud of what happened there,” Martin says. “That really gelled the organization. It gave us, not a purpose, but it solidified who we were.

“We went through it, we came through it,” he continues. “Fr. Swords had a hell of a decision to make: damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. A lot of alumni said, ‘Let the n------ go.’ He made the right decision, and I respect him for that. He stood up. I think the school is better for what we did.”

AN OPPPORTUNITY FOR EDUCATION “We came from different places and we had different ideas, but we came together,” Martin notes of the BSU’s early days, and it’s a movement that continues within the organization each year on Mount St. James. In addition to its ongoing advocacy for the recruitment of more black students and faculty, over time the BSU has become a force for education, culture, the arts and engaging the campus in dialogues on challenging issues.

(right) After turning in their student IDs and announcing their decision to leave Holy Cross, students wait outside Hogan Campus Center for their rides to an uncertain future.

Members have written and published magazines and literary journals and staged plays, film screenings, music and dance performances, sharing, expressing and illuminating the black experience.

The group has attracted dozens of national figures to campus from the fields of civil rights, politics, entertainment and social justice, from Coretta Scott King and Maya Angelou to Alex Haley and Opal Tometi, co-founder of Black Lives Matter.

Black Week, an annual highlight of the 1970s and 1980s, was a key event for the organization, merging the arts and education; in the 1990s, it was renamed African-American Experience Week. “We

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EDWARDS ’81

MAYNARD ’19

tried to help others in the community get a sense of what our culture is,” says Jennifer Edwards, M.D., ’81. “We had Black Week every year: events, poetry, speakers — it was open to the whole campus.” Since 2008, the group has programmed a series of events across February, celebrating Black History Month.

teens involved in similar incidents were not treated comparably. In protest, an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people marched on Jena in September 2007, one of the largest civil rights demonstrations at that time. Brown and the BSU hosted an event and encouraged all students to attend to examine the matter.

Yet education wasn’t limited to a single week or month; the group seized opportunities for discussion whenever they could. Daryl Brown ’09 was a community liaison for the BSU when he helped organize a 2007 open forum about the Jena Six — six black teenagers in Jena, Louisiana, who were charged with beating a white student. Supporters argued that the arrests and charges brought were excessive, and that white

“It was a good opportunity for people who had come from completely different walks of life to see issues that have plagued the black community for hundreds of years,” Brown says. “It was an opportunity to be a part of something that raised awareness across campus: to open a forum where everyone was comfortable to speak, to share what they’ve experienced and, more importantly, what they haven’t experienced. To see the white students really embrace what we were doing and the cause we were standing up for was great.”

Brianna Maynard ’19, current co-chair of the BSU, echoes Brown: “I want to provide spaces for intellectual dialogue to bring issues for people of color on campus and in the country generally to the light.

Students over the years have told me crazy things other students have said and done to them on campus. I think this is largely due to being uninformed and afraid to ask questions to reverse that.

Something I hope to accomplish in my last year with the BSU is to bring more nonstudents of color into conversations with us to close this gap! A little understanding can go a long way, and I think it could definitely transform this campus for the better.”

Such education didn’t always happen via formal events. In Edwards’ experience, she found she carried an everyday obligation, whether she liked it or not.

“Education became something that even if you didn’t want to do it, you had to do it, especially if you’re living on a floor with several people and they’ve never seen a black person before. Sometimes some of the questions were a little strange: ‘Is your blood red?’ ‘Why is your hair like that?’

‘Can we touch it?’ Sometimes it was hard to be the ambassador 24-7.”

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KHASU ’92 She arrived on campus in 1977, just five years after Holy Cross went coed and nine since the creation of the BSU. “The extra [burden] of being a woman of color was even greater because our numbers were even less than the men,” she notes.

“We were a minority within a minority.

Some of the comments were that we were taking the place of a man that needed an education and some were based on color.

I remember being approached Day 1 of a class and offered tutoring before even knowing what my capabilities were. I was told from the beginning that most of us would not make it to graduation — on the first week of school. There was also some ignorance and some fear.”

The latter was demonstrated when Edwards accidentally touched the hand of a white male student in the cafeteria: “[He] jumped, stared at me very frightened and walked halfway down the line so as not to be next to me,” she recalls. “We experienced some subtleties and then there were things that were not so subtle.”

Terrifying for Edwards and a friend was the walk they took one early morning on the way to work their shift at Kimball: “We took the shortcut through the cemetery because we lived in Mulledy. A group of white males was behind us. ‘Roots,’ the

Alex Haley miniseries, was on television that week. The night before was the scene of the black woman slave [Kizzy] being raped by white slave owners. They said, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to get us Miss Kizzy today?’ Frightened, we ran to the cafeteria, very shaken. I have wondered what would have happened if we hadn’t run fast enough.”

A LONG-LASTING IMPACT The BSU was founded as a safe space and shared community for black students 50 years ago and that bedrock remains strong, continuing to fill an ever-constant need. “The BSU was a safe haven that already existed,” Edwards says. “They were actively working toward educating the community in terms of diversity, they were trying to work on getting things done. The BSU was a saving grace. I don’t know if I would have remained at Holy Cross if it were not for the BSU.” Adds Maynard, “It has been comforting to know that at least once a week I can destress with a group of my peers who understand campus life from my perspective.”

Principal, the wayward prospective student who literally discovered the organization one spring night, calls the group “an integral part of my support system at Holy Cross.”

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(above) A screening of Khasu’s documentary, “Race to the Start: 50 Years of the Black Student Union at Holy Cross,” premiered to a packed Hogan Ballroom during the 50th anniversary weekend. The film featured historical footage and interviews with BSU alumni recounting the group’s history and legacy. (opposite) BSU alumni have high hopes for the organization’s future, years that will be guided by future Crusaders.

“I was able to develop immediate friendships with students who shared similar circumstances and frustrations,” he says. “We were able to learn coping skills and take emotional care of each other. The BSU was there for me in ways my other schoolmates could not be. It wasn’t that my experiences were terribly difficult, it was just nice to know that there were others like me who shared them and that I was not odd or different as I sometimes felt in classrooms and dormitories.”

The organization forges strong connections between classmates and even alumni separated by decades.

Notes Kona Khasu ’92: “My Holy Cross BSU connections remain my tightest life connection besides my family. Being a BSU member itself is a source of pride and purposefulness for me. I came into a tradition where the group and membership provided for intangibles for each other in ways Holy Cross majority students take for granted.”

“When I started my business as an asset manager, BSU alumni were among my first clients,” Principal says. “They were willing to take a chance with me. I can’t forget that.”

Mentoring and networking are encouraged, and grateful recipients, such as Brown, are now looking forward to their opportunity to do the same.

“Harry Thomas ’78, the retired ambassador, has been a mentor and influence,” Brown notes. “One of his last placements as ambassador, he invited me to his swearing-in ceremony in Washington, D.C. It really meant a lot and inspired me to continue to push forward the mission, to strive to be the best, so hopefully I could be who Harry is to me to someone else.”

Edwards’ challenging experience as a woman of color at Holy Cross in the late ’70s/early ’80s “broke, in some ways, a little of my belief in myself.” She began studying psychology and premed, but dropped the latter “because I started to doubt my ability to be able to do it.

Something happens when you come to a place that says you may not even graduate.

Something happens when you hear you’re gonna need tutoring when you’re top three in your class coming out of high school.

Something happens when you are hearing subtle messages you really shouldn’t be here. One professor even went so far as to tell me, ‘You people belong in vocational school.’ When you are exposed to that on an everyday basis, those things start to wear on you.”

However, her resilience — coupled with the support and encouragement of her BSU family — pushed her to finally accomplish, after graduation, her dreams of becoming a doctor. A desire for healing and a belief in mentoring compelled her to attend her 25th reunion, the first time she had stepped foot on Mount St. James since she departed, diploma in hand.

“I said to myself, Nothing changes unless someone says something. Nothing changes unless we’re reminded of history,” she says.

“For the 25th reunion, I told my story and it was healing for me because as I told

the story, there were other people who were responding and saying, ‘That story is similar to mine.’ There were women from other classes who said, ‘That story is similar to mine and I graduated after you. I wish I had known.’ And that is when I knew it was time for me to start giving something back.”

A ROLE FOR THE FUTURE The racial climate in the United States is eerily similar to that of 50 years ago — a fact that is lost on few. Martin says the organization — founded as a community and advocate for social justice and awareness — needs to fill a continued and critical leadership role today.

“It’s a sad thing, but the Black Student Union is just as important now as it was [then],” he says. “Racism is still alive and well in America and that’s sad. I’m 70 years old; it’s been 50 years since I started the BSU and things have not changed. For a while, the racism has disappeared and now it has raised its ugly head — and it’s a damn shame. This generation has to be prepared to take that on. They’re going to have to be the leaders, they’re going to have to deal with this and they’re going to have to be the tip of the spear. They have to understand: The work has to be done.

I never would think, 50 years later, that I would be having this conversation about racism in America.”

“Nothing changes unless we remember and learn from history,” Edwards notes.

“Politics teaches us that. We’ve forgotten history; that’s why we’re repeating it again.”

Which leads to Martin’s hope for the group’s future: “To become a force and stay a force of positive change and image on campus.” Its mission, too, remains similar to the one he led five decades ago. “[We set out] to try to combat this, bring some of the racism to heel and understand it’s not over yet,” Martin says. “It’s a sad state of affairs, but it’s not over. I’m hoping the Black Student Union will be strong enough to deal with that and take on the leadership role they have to take.” ■

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T BLACK STUDENT UNION CELEBRATES 50 YEARS AT HOLY CROSS Nearly 300 alumni and current students spent a weekend honoring the group’s history and influence

BY JA N E C A R LT O N

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he Black Student Union celebrated its 50th anniversary Nov. 9-11 with a range of empowering workshops and performances, and a celebratory dinner with a keynote address from Loretta E. Lynch, former United States attorney general.

“To all the alumni of the school and the Black Student Union, congratulations on this anniversary,” Lynch said to the many alumni and students gathered in the Hogan Ballroom.

“To the founders and early members who are here, your first thought might be, ‘Where did that time go?’ But take a look around at the students, all of those who followed you, and look at what you have wrought. Because it is phenomenal.”

The organization was founded by some of the College’s first African-American students in 1968, during the height of the civil rights movement. Its goals were to support, empower and inspire African-American students at the College by creating an environment promoting leadership, embracing identity and encouraging diversity. Fifty years later, the community came together to honor the BSU’s heritage and the people who have played a role in shaping it.

The weekend festivities included a new documentary about the organization, created by Kona Khasu ’92, which premiered to a full house. Students and alumni also participated in an event featuring spoken word and musical performances that lasted well into the night, a barbecue tailgate and football game against Fordham University, and a candid fishbowl conversation on “Unity and Fortitude” discussing the group’s influence.

A particularly well-attended panel highlighted the power and reach of the BSU alumni network.

Of the five panel members, three generations of students (from the classes of 1975, 2003 and 2020) served as mentors to one another.

Nakyah Lucas ’20, BSU copresident, was moved by the weekend, but not in ways she expected: “It didn’t mean much to me that the alumni I met throughout the weekend were powerful and successful. But it did mean the world to me that they viewed all of us as family and wanted to help us in any way possible. It was nice to see that the BSU helped them in the same way it is helping me.”

Earlier in the weekend, the College bestowed an honorary degree on Theodore V. “Ted” Wells Jr. ’72, a co-founder and former president of the BSU, for his legal career, service to the College, and work championing civil rights, racial and social justice, and educational equality (see story, Page 10).

As Lynch pointed out in her keynote, “The organization that we honor tonight was created by young men committed to working on the issues of the day.

And they changed this school with their presence.

“The BSU is a strong community; I can feel it here tonight with those of you I’ve met just this one evening,” she said. “Your voices and your presence come together to uplift your community, and your community provides support and inspiration for the difficult work ahead. But you are also twice-blessed, because you sit within an academic community that’s a source of ideas and viewpoints as well as committed to the ideas of service and justice.” ■

B L A C K S T U D E N T U N I O N C E L E B R AT E S 5 0 Y E A R S AT H O LY C R OS S / F O R US , F O R OT H ER S , F O R A C T I O N / 3 9

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Peter Flaherty ’87 (far left) and Tim Bishop ’72 (left) may sit on different sides of the aisle, but each values respectful dialogue, critical analysis and factbased assessments: “We are not people who view those who disagree with us as our enemies,” Bishop notes.

Examining the Political Machine from the Inside-Out

BY MICHAEL BLANDING

T

he advertisement starts with a video of Hillary Clinton on stage. “If you look at the map of the United States, there’s all that red in the middle where Trump won,” she says. The video is intercut with images of Missouri’s Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill proudly endorsing Clinton, as Clinton goes on to describe Trump supporters as racist and sexist. The kicker flashes in block red letters on screen: “This is what Claire McCaskill and her ‘President’ think of you.” It ends with the logo for Josh Hawley, McCaskill’s Republican opponent in the 2018 midterms.

“Who thought that was a very powerful ad?” asks former Democratic congressman Timothy “Tim” Bishop ’72, standing in front of a Smith Labs lecture hall of more than 20 Holy Cross students.

Nearly every hand goes up. He

tom rettig

agrees: “I thought that was a very powerful ad.”

“A lot of this stuff is polldriven,” explains Peter Flaherty ’87. “The strategists sitting in the room got a poll back that tested Hillary Clinton’s favorability in the state of Missouri, and that’s the reason an ad like this got put on the air.” He should know — as a longtime political consultant, he’s run campaigns for Mitt Romney, Scott Brown and other Republican candidates, often being the one to make decisions about what ads to air and where to spend resources.

Students in the Academic Internship Program course Campaign 2018: A HandsOn Approach spent the fall semester combining handson learning as interns in area local, state and national political campaigns with a weekly seminar co-taught

EX AMINING THE POLITICAL MACHINE FROM THE INSIDE- OUT / 4 1

BISHOP ’72

FLAHERTY ’87

by Bishop and Flaherty. In addition to getting realworld experience in races culminating in the November midterms, the students had the ear and expertise of two veterans of the national political scene.

As distinguished visiting lecturers in the J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World, the men brought a unique combination of experience from both sides of the aisle to bear in teaching students how to analyze 2018’s contentious elections in real time and without bias.

They did this without the all-too-common partisan bickering, keeping the focus on critical thinking and strategy rather than ideology, helping students understand everything that goes into building and running a political campaign.

“This is not like watching two pundits scream at each other on cable news,” says Daniel Klinghard, director of the J.D. Power Center. “They are very polite and very civil even when they disagree. It’s a great model, and they are both really good at it.”

Solutions and visiting professor at St. Joseph’s College on Long Island. “Every graduation speech I ever gave, I told students to be willing to step in off the sidelines and make a difference,” he says.

“I decided to take my own advice.”

Despite their political differences, both are equally passionate about the idea of public service. A history major, Bishop attended Holy Cross in the late 1960s and was inspired by the activism of the time to make the world a better place. He spent nearly 30 years in higher education administration at Southampton College of Long Island University, including 16 years as campus provost, before deciding to run for Congress at age 51.

He now serves as director of the Center for Community

As the U.S. representative for New York’s 1st Congressional District, he was a firm adversary of President George W. Bush’s conservative policies, opposing the Iraq War and tax cuts for the wealthy, and supporting the formation of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. “Being a member of Congress is the best job in the world,” he enthuses. “You get a seat at the table for national issues that are going to influence millions of people for decades to come, but you also get to play a role in bringing the federal

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government to bear to resolve local problems.”

Flaherty, meanwhile, was a district attorney in Boston for a dozen years, including several prosecuting homicide cases. Asked by Romney to consult on legal issues during his first run for governor of Massachusetts, Flaherty became one of his closest advisers, offering input on issues such as marriage equality and stem cell research. As Flaherty began running campaigns for candidates, he made the connection to his former career by thinking of the electorate as a giant jury pool, to which he had to make his best case. “My work as a prosecutor really helped me understand human nature,” he says. “When I am in the living room of a family who just lost a loved one, no one would

“In order to be an informed and responsible citizen, I believe that people at a minimum must be politically aware and better than that is being politically active. Becoming aware of issues and how they affect campaigns encourages people to go from awareness to action.” ­— TIM BISHOP ’72

(opposite) Bobby Tuzzio ’20 at work at Worcester City Hall. (above, right) Tuzzio’s internship took him to the Worcester Election Commission, where he interned for Assistant City Clerk Niko Vangjeli ’13 (above, left) and registered new voters: “It was great to see so many people out there who were talking about change and wanting to shape our nation’s future,” Tuzzio says.

ask if I was a Republican or a Democrat. The things that are important to people, like education, health care or public safety, should rise above party affiliation and politics.”

Over the years, Bishop and Flaherty have returned to Mount St. James several times to give lectures and workshops on politics. When Bishop was on campus last spring to talk about his experience as a congressman, he began talking with Political Science Assistant Professor Greg Burnep ’09 about coming back in a more formal capacity. Burnep quickly saw this as a good opportunity for the J.D. Power Center, and brought Klinghard into the conversation. The trio discussed several ideas before

photos by rebecca bl ackwell

settling on an Academic Internship Program course centered around the midterm elections. It would be offered under the auspices of the center, which was created to foster opportunities for experiential learning, in which students marry their classroom education with hands-on experience.

“More than ever, students need to be able to demonstrate coming out of college that they have some kind of practical experience,” Klinghard says. “It used to be you got hired on a job and they’d give you a training period of six months to a year.

They don’t do that so much anymore.”

Concerned that having only one instructor might suggest

a partisan slant, Klinghard reached out to Flaherty, who had been back to Holy Cross multiple times to moderate debates between campus Democrats and Republicans.

Together, Bishop, Flaherty and Klinghard created a unique opportunity that would analyze real-time political races, at the same time placing students with local political campaigns to see how they operate close-up.

With midterms typically serving as a referendum on the sitting president, Bishop and Flaherty started each class by examining whether

it was a good, bad or neutral week for the president. “Some people who are not Trump supporters might say, ‘The Judge Kavanaugh hearings were outrageous,’” Flaherty says. “’But as much as I don’t like to admit it, in the court of public opinion, it was probably good for Trump.’”

They further helped students drill down into what has made campaigns successful with books such as “The Thumpin’” by Naftali Bendavid, which details how Rahm Emanuel helped Democrats win the 2006 midterms, and “The Great

EX AMINING THE POLITICAL MACHINE FROM THE INSIDE-OUT / 43

“I’ve been to every state over three presidential elections, and for the most part, everyone does want the same things out of life — they want the best for their kids and for themselves so they can provide for their kids. If everyone would take a step back and look at politics through that lens, it might lend itself to a much more civil and productive discourse.” ­— PETER FLAHERTY ’87 Revolt” by Salena Zito, which explains how Donald Trump won the presidency. “It’s absolutely required reading for anyone wanting to figure out the Trump phenomenon,” Bishop notes.

Over the course of the fall, Zito joined a slate of highprofile guest speakers in the class that included David Axelrod, chief strategist for Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, and Chris Matthews ’67, political commentator, MSNBC talk show host and author.

IN THE FIELD Outside the classroom, students were divided into pairs to track specific congressional races, each team examining one Senate race and two House races that might be crucial to the outcome of the national election. Bishop and Flaherty encouraged students to look beyond polls and fundraising numbers to examine the issues on the ground.

“You can’t get all of your news from CNN or Fox or Politico,” Flaherty says. “If you have an Iowa race, you need to go to the Des Moines Register and see what the local issues are.” For example, a district that voted heavily for Trump in 2016 might have a manufacturing plant closing that residents blame on the president. “This is not just ‘Make America Great Again’ — this is ‘Make Worcester Great Again’ or ‘Make Des Moines Great Again,’” he notes.

For Bobby Tuzzio ’20, the intense campaign analysis changed the way he views politics. “Senate races are really judged on how the president is doing, but House races are based more on how a district feels,” he says. “It caused me to focus more in terms of how campaigns were run rather than party ideology.”

The pair also emphasized the importance of looking at national or local events that

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fall outside of candidates’ control that might have bearing on the races. “We told them, ‘You can’t let a week go by — so much happens,’” Flaherty says.

Case in point, Carter Mitchell ’19 was impressed by the influence Hurricane Michael had on the Florida Senate race she was tracking. From his position as sitting governor, candidate Rick Scott was able to display a strong response to the storm, narrowing the race with incumbent Senator Bill Nelson. “They can plan for the debates and how they present themselves, but it’s interesting to see how the candidates react to a natural disaster that is out of their control,” Mitchell says.

The outside event that probably affected candidates most was the Judge Brett Kavanaugh hearings, in which the Supreme Court nominee faced charges of sexual harassment by his high school acquaintance. “You

now have three incumbent Democrats who will probably lose their seats because they voted against Kavanaugh,” Flaherty said before the election, correctly predicting the electoral demise of senators Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota, Joe Donnelly in Indiana and McCaskill in Missouri.

Despite the intensity of emotion around that issue, Flaherty and Bishop took pains to keep class discussions from spiraling.

“We set the tone early in the first week, saying this is a uniquely polarized climate, but there is a way to put all of the facts out there and talk about them in an educated and informed way, as long as we are respectful of each other — and maybe sometimes we will even persuade each other,” Flaherty says.

“We are both nice people and people who are inclined to approach issues collegially. We are not people who view those

j a n e c a r lt o n

(above) Carter Mitchell ’19 interned for Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s re-election effort, where she experienced campaign basics such as calling voters and going door to door: “You gain an appreciation for just how hard you have to work on a campaign,” she says.

who disagree with us as our enemies,” Bishop agrees. “We are all prisoners of our own experience and we all bring our own values to the table, but we certainly encourage fact-based assessments and evaluating what our leaders say against reality.”

The visiting lecturers modeled that behavior in their own debates. “You could tell the professors disagreed and sided with their own parties, but they never got heated or went after each other,” Mitchell says. During debate around Kavanaugh, for example, they were always careful to bring it back to the effect on the election.

“They would ask, ‘How did a senator vote and why?’” she says. “For example, why did Senator Manchin vote yes and how will this help or hurt his political future?”

The students received a practical education in their internships, working eight to 10 hours per week with local campaigns to see how strategy translates into action.

it takes to win. “You gain an appreciation for just how hard you have to work on a campaign,” says Mitchell, who interned with the Baker campaign.

They joined the campaigns of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, Sen. Elizabeth Warren or her challenger, Geoff Diehl, among other candidates.

Tuzzio eschewed partisan lines to work at the Worcester Election Commission with Assistant City Clerk Niko Vangjeli ’13. Among other tasks, Tuzzio visited community centers, college campuses and homeless shelters to register new voters, impressed with the energy he saw on both sides. “It was great to see so many people out there who were talking about change and wanting to shape our nation’s future,” he says.

Klinghard was careful to ensure that internships would be more rigorous than just volunteering for the campaigns, and students would also be able to sit in on strategy and planning sessions. But, out of necessity, the internships included a fair amount of phone banking and door knocking as well — itself an education in what

On one of her first doorknocking outings, she and her partner had an unexpected encounter that showed just how important it is for campaigns to avoid taking anything for granted. “We went down a dirt path where a man in his 60s was doing yard work,” she recalls. “He told us he was a registered Democrat, but he voted for Baker in 2014.” Impressed by the governor’s work on transportation and the opioid crisis, the man said he would probably vote for Baker again in the midterms.

“It was refreshing to see that just because you are a lifelong Democrat, you don’t have to vote for that party all the time,” she says. “It showed that what we were learning in class about hearing out others and not disregarding their opposing beliefs can translate into campaigns as well.”

Bishop and Flaherty hope that combination of roll-upyour-sleeves practicality and big-picture thinking has given

students a new appreciation for democracy, not just for the midterms, but for future elections. “In order to be an informed and responsible citizen, I believe that people at a minimum must be politically aware and better than that is being politically active,” Bishop says. “Becoming aware of issues and how they affect campaigns encourages people to go from awareness to action.”

That awareness doesn’t have to necessarily be ideological, Flaherty adds, making the point by quoting John F. Kennedy: “He said, ‘Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future.

And we are all mortal.’

“I’ve been to every state over three presidential elections, and for the most part, everyone does want the same things out of life — they want the best for their kids and for themselves so they can provide for their kids,” he continues. “If everyone would take a step back and look at politics through that lens, it might lend itself to a much more civil and productive discourse.” ■

EX AMINING THE POLITICAL MACHINE FROM THE INSIDE-OUT / 45

(from left) Mary Beth Sheridan ’83, Arthur Weyman ’62, Barbara Tylenda ’79, Richard Leon ’71 and Gus Caffrey ’73 stand at the entrance of St. Joseph Memorial Chapel.

TH E 201 8

SANCTAE CRUCIS AWARDS

BY ELIZABETH WA L K E R

PHOTOS

BY TOM RETTIG

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T

tom rettig

hey graduated years apart, yet each embraces the Jesuit magis, a calling to “be more” that has fueled Holy Cross men and women throughout the decades and around the world. Determined to live lives of purpose and impact, these alumni have leveraged their success, influence and expertise to support truth, justice and equality of opportunity. They include:

•

A world-renowned nuclear physicist and pioneering researcher who stands as a testament to the great power, significant value and expansive sweep of a liberal arts education.

•

A courageous, passionate and uncompromising foreign journalist who uses her voice and frontline presence to report with clarity and conscience from global hotspots.

•

An independent and impartial federal judge who speaks truth to power in rulings as historic as they are complex.

•

An unequalled advocate, practitioner and educator who supports the most vulnerable children among us.

•

A visionary physician and researcher who saw the life-saving potential of technology for detecting heart disease and transformed medical training, patient care and cardiac outcomes.

On Sept. 21, Augustine J. Caffrey, Ph.D. ’73, Mary Beth Sheridan ’83, Hon. Richard J. Leon ’71, Barbara Tylenda, Ph.D., ABPP ’79 and Arthur E. Weyman, M.D., ’62 were honored as recipients of the 21st Sanctae Crucis Awards, the highest non-degree honor the College bestows on alumni who have distinguished themselves professionally and dedicated their lives to justice in a variety of ways.

While their backgrounds and fields are varied, all five recipients share a common foundation on Mount St. James, one that has influenced their journey in unexpected ways.

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Augustine J. “Gus” Caffrey, Ph.D. ’73 is a world-renowned nuclear physicist, pioneering researcher and visionary inventor. An international authority on gamma ray and neutron spectroscopy, he’s known by his peers as a generous collaborator, inspiring mentor and exemplary team-builder. Throughout his illustrious career of nearly four decades at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL), he has focused on “the assessment of dangerous things you’d rather not open.” And he remains inspired by his Jesuit liberal arts education always to do more.

In the early 1990s, Caffrey led an awardwinning research and development team at INL, an endeavor that resulted in the Bay State native’s signature technology,

his lab’s highest honor in 2015 when he was named an Idaho National Laboratory Fellow. An original member of the U.S. Army Munitions Assessment Review Board, he has consulted for the International Atomic Energy Agency and served on two national Energy Department panels. His scientific output is highly cited, and his publications top 100.

Caffrey considers scientific research a team sport and was inspired by Dan Kennedy ’68, who managed the staff at WCHC, Holy Cross’ radio station.

“Dan is my role model for managing a team,” he says. “We were just a bunch of volunteers, but he taught us by example to get along with everyone and to make every team member feel valuable.” That

AUGUSTINE J. “GUS” CAFFREY, PH.D. ’73 “As a man of science with a consuming interest in history, you stand tall as a testament to the great power, significant value and expansive sweep of a liberal arts education.”

an innovative chemical analysis system, the Portable Isotopic Neutron Spectroscopy system (PINS). PINS “sees” through steel casings, using neutrons to identify potential explosives, chemical warfare agents or otherwise harmful materials within munitions or containers.

The object under test need not be opened or even touched; the PINS instrument nondestructively determines the contents of unexploded munitions. The patented system also protects human life through a simple computer interface that allows the operator to remain at a safe distance.

In recognition of his innovative work, Caffrey received an R&D 100 Award in 1992, the INL Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and the INL Inventor of the Year Award in 2014. He received

lesson in teamwork was amplified during Caffrey’s military service, which took him away from campus from 1969-1971. “In the Army, I learned to respect people of different backgrounds because everyone in a platoon brings something to help complete the mission,” he notes.

Caffrey’s parents also imparted their values by example. “We all took pleasure in learning on our own, working hard and working independently,” he says, lessons that translated well when he arrived at Holy Cross. His father, the late Hon. Andrew Caffrey ’41, chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Boston, gave “rather firm direction regarding where my brothers and I would go to college,” Caffrey says. Brothers Andrew ’71, James ’73 and Joseph ’81 also followed their

father to Mount St. James. Caffrey’s extended family of Crusaders also includes brother-in-law David Boison ’74, sister-in-law Camilla ’81 and nephew Daniel Boison ’06.

At age 7, Caffrey was probably one of the youngest subscribers to Popular Mechanics, a gift from his grandfather, who sensed the first-grader’s early interest in science and how things work. By the late 1950s, the Space Race momentum, accelerated by the successful launch of Russia’s Sputnik satellite, underscored the wondrous possibilities of discovery. “Kids who showed the slightest interest in science back then got great encouragement,” he says. Physics became a passion when he was a high school senior: “I decided then that physics would be my life’s work.”

At Holy Cross, the late Edward F. Kennedy, physics department chair, and Melvin Tews, mathematics professor emeritus, became Caffrey’s lifelong role models: “I stayed in touch with Ed Kennedy until he passed away in 2017. Professor Tews had such a good sense of whether or not students were understanding the material. I have modeled my teaching on his.”

After graduation, Caffrey went on to earn a doctorate in physics from Johns Hopkins University. He and his wife, Adele, headed west for his new job at INL in Idaho Falls, where they raised their children, David and Anna. Retirement in 2016 brought emeritus status at the lab, which allows him to keep an office, retain his security clearance and maintain an active research agenda.

Caffrey appreciates every opportunity to be outdoors, revels in his proximity to Yellowstone National Park and looks forward to visits from friends and family, especially his grandchildren.

“I think finding your life’s work comes from within,” Caffrey says. “Your work needs to be coupled to your interests.

Rev. Raymond J. Swords, S.J., thenpresident of Holy Cross, spoke these words to my entering class: ‘Now is the time to live your dreams.’”

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Throughout her career spanning more than three decades, award-winning journalist Mary Beth Sheridan ’83 has dedicated herself to lighting up the truth, infusing human dimension into grand-scale issues and upending wrongs with meticulous research and well-chosen words. She has traveled the world to report from the perilous frontlines of war, the dark recesses of human suffering and the thin margins of harrowing poverty. The Washington Post correspondent and former deputy foreign editor was part of a team whose series of articles on the United States’ post-9/11 war on terrorism was cited as “exhaustive and illuminating,” bringing recognition as finalists for a 2006 Pulitzer Prize Public Service Award.

Sheridan credits her Holy Cross

with a U.S. Army helicopter unit ready to launch an attack during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. She was even briefly kidnapped in Mexico. “It’s important to have fear and to respect it when you’re in a dangerous situation,” she explains.

“Without fear, you can become a danger to yourself and those around you.”

Sheridan took a circuitous route to journalism. “I planned to go to law school after graduation,” the English major explains. But she was the second of five children who were close in age and needed money for college. She soon discovered that “there were no scholarships for future lawyers, but there were for future journalists.” The former high school newspaper editor received an annual scholarship from the Scripps Howard Foundation in support

MARY BETH SHERIDAN ’83 “You live the Jesuit ideal of a woman for others whose faith and high purpose are revealed in your reverence for truth, advocacy for human rights and respect for the dignity of every person.” experience for preparing her to write with clarity, confidence and compassion while reporting on the run. “The College deepened my faith and my sense of idealism, which has been important in my work,” she says. “I think that the value of a liberal arts education is as strong as ever. I learned to think critically, to write, to debate, to get to the core of the issue. You come away from a Holy Cross education with a sense of mission, of wanting to do your part to make the world a little bit better.”

A nonstop career in up-close-andpersonal international reporting can carry inevitable risks. Even as a young reporter, Sheridan did her job from dangerous places. She covered human rights struggles in the midst of drug war violence in Colombia. She was embedded

of journalistic excellence; she joined The Crusader staff and reported for her hometown newspaper during breaks. By senior year, the prospect of law school no longer excited her, but becoming a journalist did. Her change of heart found its footing through the counsel of her Holy Cross adviser and mentor, Helen Whall. The English professor, now emerita, encouraged Sheridan to choose a career that embraced her passion. A study-abroad experience in England also weighed heavily in her decision to abandon the thought of law school.

“My year in England was life-changing,” she says. “I was discovering the world and experiencing other cultures from the inside out. I knew that I wanted to go to Spain and become a foreign correspondent.”

After graduation, Sheridan moved to Spain. “I decided to give myself a ‘gap year,’” she notes. “If it didn’t work out, at least I would be fluent in Spanish and have had this tremendous experience.

Too often people are pressured after graduation to lower their expectations and to be more pragmatic. I think it’s a time to give yourselves permission to take risks and to experience life as fully as possible. Have a Plan A and a Plan B. Do everything possible to make Plan A work before you pivot to Plan B.” Sheridan cobbled together jobs in Madrid as an English tutor and as a freelance reporter, and was eventually hired part time by the Associated Press bureau there. That led to a staff job with AP in New York, and then, a few years later, an assignment as a correspondent in Italy. Based in Rome for four years, she learned Italian and reported on the country’s madcap politics, the Mafia, and the Vatican, traveling with Pope John Paul II. She moved to Colombia as a Latin America correspondent for the Miami Herald, followed by five years with the Los Angeles Times, based in Mexico City.

“I was inspired by the people — including journalists, lawyers and human rights activists — who sacrificed so much to bring justice and democracy to their countries,” she says. “I wanted to contribute something meaningful as a journalist by telling about their struggles.”

Sheridan joined The Washington Post in 2001. By 2009, she was covering the U.S. Department of State and traveling regularly with then-Secretary Hillary Clinton. As a news editor in 2012, she was awarded a prestigious yearlong Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University, where she studied international politics with a focus on Latin America. She was named the Post’s deputy foreign editor in 2015, a role she held through November 2018, when she returned to Mexico — her favorite foreign country — as a correspondent, where she’s continuing the reporting she loves.

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Hon. Richard J. “Dick” Leon ’71 was appointed a U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia by President George W. Bush in 2002 and has rendered opinions in some of the nation’s most high-profile, historically significant and exceedingly complex cases. He’s an independent jurist who has been described as “one of the most powerful men in Washington,” yet when he arrived at Holy Cross, he had no aspirations for a career in law.

“I never expected to be a lawyer when I went to college,” Leon says. “I took pre-dental classes, but didn’t do so well.

By my junior year, I was interested in teaching high school and coaching.

I also took a criminology class that spring, which really intrigued me.

So much so, that when a friend of my

In 1981, he earned a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School and served as a law professor at St. John’s Law School. In 1983, he moved to Washington, D.C., to serve as a tax prosecutor at the Department of Justice, and was later selected to serve in the first of a series of engagements as counsel to four different congressional committees. Three of those committees (Iran-Contra, October Surprise and Whitewater) conducted investigations of sitting U.S. presidents. In 1989, he went into private practice with the first of two prominent national law firms, and eight years later began serving as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law School, where he still teaches today. In 2001, President Bush nominated Leon to the federal bench; he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in February 2002 and was sworn

Leon was the first in his family to attend college, but immersed himself in a wide range of campus activities, including playing varsity lacrosse. He received a Presidential Service Award. “My parents were my first mentors,” he says. “My dad was a carpenter who worked very hard six-and-a-half days a week. My mother was a news junkie who loved to follow politics, so I learned from her to stay informed.”

HON. RICHARD J. LEON ’71 “A true Holy Cross man for others, your distinguished career has been a powerful blend of private practice and public service for more than four decades.” parents, who was a lawyer, encouraged me that summer to consider going to law school, I decided to take the law boards with my former roommate, Ed Joyce, that fall. The rest, as they say, is history!”

Today, Leon is counted among the 14 Holy Cross alumni who have been appointed by a president to serve on the federal bench. His distinguished career has been a high-powered mix of private practice, public service and enlightening the next generation of lawyers. After graduating at the top of his class from Suffolk Law School in 1974, he was named to highly competitive judicial clerkships and selected for the U.S. Justice Department’s Honors Program.

He was assigned to New York, where he served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

of nearly two-dozen sections of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. That panel issued a 1,800-page ruling in McConnell v. FEC, which was later upheld in large part by the Supreme Court, in what still stands as the longest opinion in its history. In 2008, he presided over the first Guantanamo detainee habeas merits trial and ruled in Boumediene v. Bush that five Algerians had been detained illegally and ordered them released. In 2013, he ruled in Klayman v. Obama that the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of metadata from every cell phone user in the nation “likely violates the Fourth Amendment.” Most recently, in 2018’s US v. AT&T-Time Warner, he ruled against the U.S. Justice Department’s attempt to block, on antitrust grounds, the $108 billion merger of AT&T with Time Warner.

in by his classmate, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas ’71.

“I’ve had quite a few interesting cases,” Leon says with resounding understatement. “Federal judges arrive on the bench with a lot to learn. It’s a real trial by fire.” He is quick, however, to praise his “great team of law clerks, including three of the four Holy Cross alumni” who have already served in his chambers.

Some of Leon’s outsized cases have generated banner headlines and seven of his decisions have gone to the Supreme Court. In his first year on the court, he served on a three-judge panel charged with evaluating the largest First Amendment case in U.S. history: a challenge to the constitutionality

Leon emulates his father’s strong work ethic, yet makes time in his challenging schedule to provide opportunities for Holy Cross alumni and students. He participates in events of various Holy Cross associations and additionally hosts a lunch at the federal courthouse each semester for Holy Cross students participating in the Washington Semester Program and alumni attending Georgetown Law School.

“My love for Holy Cross and the friends I made there has never wavered,” Leon says. “It remains a special place for my wife, Christine, and me. We met at a mixer in the old Field House. We were married in 1973 in the Jesuit residence chapel. Our son, Nicholas, was baptized there in 1991.

At virtually every stage of my life, Holy Cross friendships, old and new, have been critical not only to my success, but also to the enjoyment of my life.”

RI CH A RD L EO N / S A N C TA E CRU CIS AWA R DS / 5 3

Barbara Tylenda, Ph.D., ABPP ’79 remembers in sharp focus a pivotal childhood memory. At age 7, she witnessed her Uncle Bob, a parish priest, give his childhood bicycle to a heartbroken young boy whose new bike had been stolen. In that moment, she knew what she wanted to do for the rest of her life: help others.

For more than three decades, Tylenda has been doing exactly that as a trailblazer in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of children with developmental disabilities and co-existing mental health disorders. A recognized leader in her field, she has been a fierce advocate for changing public perceptions, increasing understanding and improving access to opportunities for children with intellectual disability and autism

The Alpert Medical School has honored Tylenda’s dedication with a 2004 Teaching Recognition Award, as well as 2008 and 2018 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Awards.

In addition to her many publications in peer-reviewed journals and wide-ranging presentations, she has written a children’s book, “What Is Heaven, Babci?,” which integrates her grandmother’s – Babci’s – comforting story about death into her therapy. The book, illustrated by Elizabeth Hamilton ’04, begins the conversation.

Tylenda’s deep faith and great admiration for her uncle explain, in part, why she chose the vital-but-difficult work she does on behalf of an often misunderstood and underserved population of children.

“For me, it evolved into a question of how to be of service to others,” she says. “My Uncle Bob was what psychologist Julius

BARBARA TYLENDA, PH.D., ABPP ’79 “You have been an unequalled advocate, exceptional practitioner, outstanding educator and brilliant researcher in support of the most vulnerable among us — children and adolescents with intellectual or developmental disabilities.” spectrum disorder through her forwardthinking research, award-winning teaching and steady focus on the full appreciation of the whole child.

“Being a sharp detective with a developmental focus is essential when assessing these children,” says Tylenda, chief psychologist and associate unit chief at Rhode Island’s Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities at the Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital in Providence. Also a clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School, she is teaching the next generation of clinical child psychologists and child psychiatrists to be outstanding clinicians, and to better understand and advocate for their young patients.

Segal would have called a ‘charismatic adult,’ a caring person with whom a child at risk can identify and from whom he/ she can gather strength. The children who come to our inpatient program need to feel that we will act as advocates for them and help them find a new way forward.”

Tylenda discovered her path to Holy Cross after reading an article about the Catholic Ivy League. “The College also was still transitioning into a fully coeducational institution; it was a place where new ground could be broken by strong, bright females,” she says. She took a Greyhound bus — by herself — to visit campus for her admissions interview.

Planning to double major in psychology and fine arts, she shared her portfolio with a studio art professor and met with

Ogretta McNeil, the late dynamic chair of the psychology department. “Later, as I waited for a taxi at the top of the hill, I thought, ‘This could work.’ I was the first student formally admitted to Holy Cross as a double major. Things took off nicely for me there.”

Tylenda wanted practical experience in tandem with her academic work, so she arranged an internship at Worcester Juvenile Court. “Two mornings a week for two years, I worked at the court with kids who had eye-popping challenges in their lives.” She credits her Holy Cross mentors with providing wide latitude, wise counsel and unwavering support for her to construct the academic and hands-on professional experience she sought. Named a Fenwick Scholar her senior year, she created a yearlong program of independent study and travel in consultation with her mentors. “I was to attend the Jung Institute in Switzerland with the travel stipend I received,” she explains. “The exchange rate dropped and I didn’t have enough money for living expenses. Fr. Brooks generously wrote me a check to cover the deficit. I was so grateful.”

McNeil, the College’s first AfricanAmerican faculty member to receive tenure, became Tylenda’s adviser, principal mentor and guide for life. “She encouraged me to specialize in clinical child psychology as a career,” she says.

“Ogretta was tough and demanding, but also fair and caring — an exemplary role model as a teacher and a mentor. I have tried to emulate her with my own students. She was empathetic, reliable, encouraging, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and collaborative.”

To finish her Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University, Tylenda was required to complete a yearlong clinical internship: “My plan was to specialize in neuropsychology. Instead, I was assigned to a unit for children with developmental disabilities. I opened myself up to the unanticipated experience and found these wonderful children. By reframing my acceptance of the situation, my career was enriched.”

B A RB A R A T Y L ENDA / S A N C TA E CRU CIS AWA R DS / 5 5

Arthur E. “Ned ” Weyman, M.D., ’62 hated his quantitative chemistry class, so he dropped it. That decision took the then-sophomore out of the premed program – but only briefly, thanks to a withdrawal-from-course notice sent home, followed by a conversation with the dean and his father who, once alerted, drove to campus from New Jersey. Today, Weyman is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, a brilliant researcher and a compassionate physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. As the pre-eminent leader in echocardiography, he has advocated tirelessly for international recognition of the pivotal role the noninvasive assessment tool plays in saving lives by quickly detecting cardiac issues in patients from infants to adults. In addition, his well-deserved reputation

“When I showed him my acceptance letter, he suggested that I accept the offer ‘as soon as possible before they change their minds.’ If I hadn’t gone to Holy Cross, I never would have become a doctor and I wouldn’t have the life I have today.”

He went on to the New Jersey College of Medicine and did an internship and firstyear residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York. He then put his residency on hold while he served in the U.S. Navy as a Marine squadron and air group flight surgeon from 1968-1971. Weyman then returned to complete a second year and chief residency at St. Vincent’s, followed by a three-year cardiology fellowship at Indiana University, where he found his calling. His first rotation landed him in the cardiography lab, where he

ARTHUR E. “NED” WEYMAN, M.D., ’62 “You take everything to heart — and with good reason.

A half-century ago, you were the visionary young physician who saw the life-saving potential of echocardiography as a noninvasive diagnostic tool for detecting heart disease.” as a teacher and mentor has attracted young cardiologists worldwide to compete for two-year fellowships to train in his Boston lab.

“At dinner, after our meeting with the dean, I asked my dad why he was so mad,” Weyman recalls. “I was back in class and would be reinstated in the premed program if I got a B for the semester. I said, ‘You told me I could take any classes I wanted.’ He responded, ‘That’s right, but once you start something, you can’t quit in the middle.’

That was a lesson I never forgot.”

Weyman went on to medical school and a stellar career. “If you got Fr. Busam’s recommendation, you got into medical school somewhere,” he remembers.

immediately was impressed with the diagnosis potential of this technique.

At the end of his first-year fellowship, a prototype two-dimensional echo machine arrived at the lab, one of only three in the world at the time. “It was like a refrigerator on wheels,” he says. “I loved it. I became very good with echo tests.

Everything I observed was new. I was the first person to see an acute myocardial infarction as it was developing.” No one else was interested, so it became his project and his passion. He always tells his fellows that “to be truly successful you have to be in the right place at the right time but, more importantly, you have to know you’re there.”

Weyman decided to take a risk and

delay his return to New York where a job awaited. One year turned into seven. Promoted to associate professor of cardiology at Indiana by 1980, Mass General recruited him to be research director of its cardiac ultrasound laboratory and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. Named Mass General’s chief of cardiology in 1994, his development of innovative methods, research models and exemplary mentoring led the way for echocardiography to become the go-to assessment tool for heart and vascular imaging.

Weyman developed an echocardiography laboratory known for producing the widest range and highest quality of new information with active research programs in multiple areas. He also put into practice the Jesuit values that infused his experience at Holy Cross, where he says he grew up and learned to be a man for others. “I have worked with outstanding fellows from around the world. They come to us after they’ve finished their cardiac training because they’re looking for their passion,” he says.

“I felt it was my obligation to help them find it.”

Weyman’s tremendous contributions to advancement in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease through research, teaching and service have been recognized with a litany of honors. They include a 2001 American College of Cardiology Gifted Teacher Award and a University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey 2004 Distinguished Alumnus Award. The American Society of Echocardiography’s Arthur E. Weyman Young Investigator’s Award was established by the National Board of Echocardiography to honor its first president.

A devoted family man, Weyman enjoys spending time with his wife, Jean, their four children and grandchildren. “At 77, I’m still spending time in the lab, nominally working full time,” he says.

“Life is good and I’m lucky. When you love what you’re doing, it stops being work.” ■

A RT HUR W E Y M A N / S A N C TA E CRU CIS AWA R DS / 57

SPORTS

The newest members of hockey's toughest conference prepare to take the ice at the team's Hockey East home opener vs.

Boston College in October.

Women’s Ice Hockey Joins Elite Hockey East The team is finding top-tier competition and more opportunities in its first Division I season

BY ANDREW CLARK 5 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 201 9

L

ife is a lot different for head coach Peter Van Buskirk and the Holy Cross women’s ice hockey team this season. One day they’re facing the sixth-ranked team in the country, and the following week they’re right back at it, battling another top 10 squad filled with some of the nation’s best players.

It’s quite the change of pace for the team, one that just last year was playing in Division III. Now they’re a member of the toughest division in the sport: Hockey East.

The heralded 10-team conference is home to teams that regularly appear in the weekly national rankings. (Hockey East members include Northeastern University, Boston College, Merrimack College, Providence College, the University of Maine, the University of Connecticut, Boston University, the University of Vermont and the University of New Hampshire.) Last year, the Crusaders started the transition, playing a schedule that included a mix of Division I and non-Division I teams while increasing the number of games from its previous 27 to 32. This season, the team is slated to play a full 34-game Division I schedule.

The transition to Division I is a hallmark moment. “This move puts the team on the level of all other sports teams at Holy Cross,” Van Buskirk says. “This puts us at the top level of college hockey.”

According to Holy Cross Director of Athletics Nathan Pine, the move to Division I and Hockey East has been in the works for years. The process began with a look at the team’s options; Hockey East was an appealing choice based on the level of competition. Pine knew that having an association with the elite league would have numerous benefits for the program. “We wanted to elevate the women’s program and this was the first step,” he says.

The move was announced in 2016, and in order to become a member of the conference, the College had to meet a number of requirements, including increasing its scholarship limits, Van Buskirk says. Though the transition has been a lot of work, he notes it will pay off in a variety of ways, such as increased exposure, which will help with recruiting.

For veteran players, the jump holds special meaning. “Personally, it has always been a dream of mine to play Division I hockey, especially Hockey East,” says Sam Girard, a senior forward from Dedham, Massachusetts, and one of the team captains. “Being on the team during the move from DIII to DI has been an amazing time. It was great to see the major steps being taken by our coaching staff and our entire Athletics department to make our chances of getting into the league as high as possible.”

The evolution has been one Girard feels the team has been ready to make for years. “I think our team deserves to be in this new division and league; we work hard and we have been so successful in our last few years,” she says.

“I think that this program was ready to take this next step, and I am so thankful to be a part of it.”

Antonia Matzka, a sophomore defenseman who is also a member of Austria’s U18 and Senior Women’s National Team, says this season has required more work. “It’s super exciting, but we know we have to work really hard,” she says. “The practices are hard,

and we have to put our best work in.”

“The speed of the game is definitely a lot faster than the previous years I’ve been here,” says Hannah Gillis, a junior defenseman from Northborough, Massachusetts. “The talent is a lot better, and it takes a lot to keep up with it.”

The Crusaders’ inaugural Hockey East season has been — and will remain — challenging. But amid those challenges also came a moment of greatness. On Nov. 30, in front of a home crowd inside the Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex, the Crusaders found the upset they were looking for — and it came against one of the nation’s best. Holy Cross upset No. 5 Northeastern with a 5-3 win that shocked the college hockey world.

The Crusaders rushed the ice in celebration of their biggest win in program history — also their first in Hockey East and first against a top 5 team. Van Buskirk notes this season is and will continue to be a learning process. Yet moments like this show the progress that is being made, and the coaching staff is elated for the opportunity the players have to compete against the best teams in the country.

“I’m so happy that they were able to feel this moment,” says Katie Lachapelle, associate head coach. “Every Monday, we come back after the games that we played and the tough road we’re on, and we are ready to go. Our team is ready to go every time; they come back and just give it their all.” ■

SPORTS

In its pilot 2015 season, Malliet's National Winter Activity Center drew 180 children to the slopes and the following year increased that number to 800.

This year's goal: 2,100 children. Here, he is coaching athletes who were training with the National Brotherhood of Skiers at Aspen Snowmass.

From One Hill to Another Schone Malliet ’74 wants all children to know the joy of winter sports

BY STEVE ULFELDER

A

city kid, Schone Malliet ’74 didn’t strap on his first pair of skis until he was an adult. He’s since made up for lost time, becoming a prominent figure in the winter sports scene and taking on a mission to give all youth the outdoor winter opportunities he never had.

Bolstering a resume that could be optioned as a feature film (U.S. Marine pilot, ski-racing coach, CEO), Malliet leads a group that turned a dormant New Jersey ski area into a nonprofit whose goal is to expose urban, suburban and rural children in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to snowboarding, as well as Nordic and alpine skiing. Malliet believes “every kid should have access — for the outdoor activity, the opportunity to excel and, hey, just for fun.”

While winter fun is a noble goal in its own right, there’s a lot more to Malliet’s National Winter Activity Center (NWAC) mission than schussing and hot chocolate.

Participation in winter sports helps reduce the incidence of childhood obesity, which has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. and is linked to diseases such as Type 2 diabetes. This form of diabetes

6 0 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 201 9

is growing alarmingly among children and teens, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exercise is a key weapon in the fight against the disease, and experts say too many youth stop traditional outdoor play once winter sets in.

PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF Raised in the South Bronx, Malliet notes, “I grew up on asphalt sports.” (He eventually played basketball at Holy Cross, making the team as a walk-on.) His initial exposure to skiing was less than glorious — and that’s putting it mildly. The introduction came during Marine Corps leave, when a buddy took him skiing in Park City, Utah.

How’d that go? “I had a terrible time,” Malliet says. “Promised I’d never do it again.”

andre horton

unattainable for many.

Under NWAC’s business model, each participant pays $450 for the winter program — but the organization’s clients are youth-serving organizations, such as the YMCA, the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs, schools and other groups. Some partner with the Community Foundation of New Jersey’s Warm Jacket Fund or others to provide supporting resources. Most participants don’t pay a dime.

(left) Malliet as he appeared in the 1974 Purple Patcher and on the slopes in 2012. (above) Malliet and friend Stanley Grayson '72 speak at the BSU's 50th anniversary celebration.

Capital, the Boston Foundation and the Community Foundation of New Jersey to fund the 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

But he’s hard-wired for persistence. He joined a ski club, practiced and “went from being really bad to a little better.”

He got good enough to coach, eventually founding and chairing the National Winter Sports Education Foundation (NWSEF), an “enabling foundation,” as Malliet puts it, focused on gathering resources (including financing, best practices and partnerships) to introduce 100,000 urban children to winter sports.

In 2014, NWSEF learned that Hidden Valley, a bankrupt ski area in Vernon Township, New Jersey, was available for sale. Malliet saw the opportunity to put NWSEF principles into practice, and thus was born the NWAC — but not before he left his private-banking career to work full time on the organization. Approximately $20 million was raised from such groups as NWSEF (now ShareWinter), Howland

Raising funds and re-engineering Hidden Valley were only the first of many challenges. When the program launched, students had to be transported to the mountain. They had to be provisioned and outfitted (as many know, simply getting kids into boots and binders for the first time is a harrowing experience). They had to be fed, instructed and transported back home.

NWAC ran a pilot program in 2015, serving 180 children. “We confirmed there was an opportunity to make a difference,” Malliet says. “We also found there were a number of youth-serving agencies that would support the program.”

Since then, growth has been impressive: 800 children served in 2016; more than 1,100 in 2017; 1,748 this past season and a projected 2,100 this year. Most students participate in the program “ELEV8 Learn,” which focuses on the basics: healthy meals, proper clothing, instruction and mentoring. Also available is the “ELEV8 Compete” program, which allows youth to advance their skills and become skiing or snowboarding racers — a world otherwise

By 2022, “we expect to be able to be sustainable without fundraising,” Malliet says, which means serving up to 8,000 students per year. When that sustainability target is met, any revenue over and above operating costs will be used to drive down the per-participant fee. NWAC appears poised to meet the ambitious 2022 goal; it just finished a new Nordic complex and is adding 27,000 square feet to its lodge.

Attracting new skiers and snowboarders shouldn’t be a problem given the program’s popularity with its current members, such as Trey’von Dunns of Newark, New Jersey. His mother, Brearra, reports that the NWAC is a highlight for the 7-year-old: “Everything about the [program] was great.” Trey’von’s looking forward to participating again this year — and bringing along his younger brother.

While the organization’s early success and impact is already impressive, what may be more so was Malliet’s decision to leave his career as a Fortune 50 banking executive for the world of nonprofits. Inspiration for that move can be traced to another oftensnowy hill.

“It wouldn’t have happened without Holy Cross,” Malliet says. “The book education, the coping skills, my classmates … when so much is given to you, you want to pay it forward.” ■

FROM ONE HILL TO ANOTHER / SPORTS / 61

ALUMNI NEWS

62 Mystery Photo • 64 HCAA News • 66 Fall Homecoming • 67 Save The Dates •

Mystery Photo It’s a happening at Holy Cross! But why, where and when?

Are you in this picture? Do you recognize someone else?

Help us solve this issue’s mystery by emailing us at hcmag@holycross.edu

6 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 201 9

68 Book Notes • 69 Solved Photo • 70 The Power of One • 72 In Your Own Words • 74 The Profile • 76 Class Notes • 80 Milestones • 82 In Memoriam

MYSTERY PHOTO / ALUMNI NEWS / 63

HCAA NEWS think about what worked and what didn’t, what we liked and disliked, which chapters made sense and which we’re still wondering why they were included at all. What does reflection involve for us this year as Holy Cross alumni and members of the Holy Cross community?

A Message from Brian

A

s we say goodbye to 2018 and hello to 2019, we are presented with an opportunity to think back over the past year, as well as look ahead. So, too, when finishing a book, we can

For me, you have all made 2018 one of my most compelling years yet. I truly enjoyed the deep conversations we had as alumni. Whether constructive or challenging, collaborative or contentious, the conversations were always thoughtful and considerate toward each

other and alma mater. They are great examples of the pride we have as alumni and how we continue to evolve as a community. I am excited to discover what the HCAA will become in our 150th year (2019!) and beyond.

As we continue to celebrate Holy Cross’ 175th anniversary, let us not forget all the chapters we have experienced with the College. This year alone, we saw the retirement of Iggy and relived, ever so briefly, our rivalry with Boston College. We started to see student-athletes thrive in the new Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex, and began to wonder who will follow in the footsteps of Bob Cousy ’50, Sherry Levin ’84 and Dominic Randolph ’09.

And who would have thought back in 1947, when the first chapter of the Field House was written, what a future it had in store? The same can be asked about Fenwick Theatre when it staged its first production in 1965 and the Black Student Union when it

first convened in 1968.

We celebrated the BSU’s 50th anniversary, its members, mission and milestones last fall, and we look forward to its next half century.

In the College’s next few chapters, the Field House will be replaced by a wellness complex, and the footlights of Fenwick Theatre will illuminate the stage at a new arts building. How will these additions to campus, and others, impact the story of Holy Cross’ next 175 years?

I hope you will continue to get immersed in — and enjoy — the new chapters that are in store for us as alumni and for alma mater!

I wish you all the happiest of holiday seasons and a new year that is full of twists and turns, life and love. ■ Brian P. Duggan ’96 email bduggan.817@hotmail.com twitter @BPDuggan instagram @BPDuggan817

PHOTOGRAPHER

Alumni Volunteers Honored

F

ive alumni were recognized for their outstanding service to Holy Cross and the Alumni Association at the HCAA dinner on Sept. 28, 2018, during Fall Homecoming weekend, with more than 300 alumni, parents, students and friends in attendance.

The In Hoc Signo and Young

6 4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 201 9

Alumni Leadership award honorees, shown here with Brian Duggan ’96, HCAA president (far left) and Richard Patterson ’80, chair of the board of trustees (far right), were (left to right) Kenneth Padgett ’66, James Sparkes ’71, Coleen Lynch ’95, Hon. Orion Douglass ’68 and Ivan Watanabe ’08. ■

G I A M PA O LO M A CO R I G

Brian P. Duggan ’96

president Laura Cutone Godwin ’96

vice president Jacqueline M. Rock ’02

vice president

Alumni Travel: Sicily

A

lumni, parents and friends are invited to join Aaron Seider, associate professor of classics, as he shares perspectives on Sicily's Greco-Roman civilization and culture.

For the past 3,000 years, Sicily has been the crossroads of the Mediterranean.

Amidst natural beauty, we find

Call for HCAA Award Nominations

T

he Holy Cross Alumni Association invites nominations for the 2019 In Hoc Signo and Young Alumni Leadership awards. The In Hoc Signo Award is the Alumni Association’s highest honor and recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves by their dedicated, outstanding and lengthy service to the College, alumni

OCT. 12-19, 2019

archeological treasures and intertwined cultural influences left behind by the people who have called this island home.

Discover Sicily's stunning locales, rich history and delightful cuisine, as we visit sites such as Palermo, Syracuse and Mt. Etna.

For more information, go to www.holycross.edu/alumnitravel. ■

organizations, regional clubs or class.

The Young Alumni Leadership Award is presented to an alumnus/a who has graduated within the past 10 years (20092018) and has demonstrated outstanding service to alma mater through the Alumni Association’s committees and activities, regional club or class. The deadline for submitting nominations, noting the qualifications of each nominee, is Jan. 26, 2019. For more details on the standards of eligibility and nomination forms, visit holycross.edu/alumni. Questions about the awards can be directed to the Office of Alumni Relations at (508) 793-2418 or hcaa@holycross.edu. ■

Daniel D’Agata ’04

treasurer Kristyn M. Dyer ’94

executive secretary

questions, comments and suggestions: hcaa@holycross.edu 508-793-2418

The Holy Cross Alumni Association (HCAA) supports alma mater in its Catholic, Jesuit mission by bringing together the diverse talents, experience and knowledge of Holy Cross alumni. We accomplish this by engaging alumni for life through our reunions, regional clubs, community outreach and intellectual and spiritual formation programs.

By these means, we nurture our love for and dedication to Holy Cross, its students and its alumni as men and women for others. ■

HCA A NEWS / ALUMNI NEWS / 65

FALL HOMECOMING

Back on The Hill

T

he tailgate was full and the skies were blue on a sunny Saturday in September, when alumni returned to Mount St. James for Fall Homecoming 2018. In addition to the football game, Crusaders enjoyed a weekend full of their Holy Cross family, food and fun. â–

6 6 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 201 9

SAVE THE DATES

Winter Homecoming and Giving Challenge Friday, Jan. 25 – Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019

J

oin fellow Holy Cross alumni at Winter Homecoming on Saturday, Jan. 26, for a day of family-fun activities! Featured events will include the men’s basketball game, family swimming and skating, brunch in Kimball, a celebration of Mass, a family movie in the Seelos Theatre and a post-game celebration featuring Holy Cross’ a cappella groups.

Also over the weekend, be a part of the Homecoming Giving Challenge as we celebrate 175 years of Holy Cross graduates. Your participation helps today's students prepare for lives of impact.

A full schedule of events, as well as lodging information, can be found at www.holycross.edu/homecoming. ■

Grow Your Career Through Alumni Career Development

H

oly Cross Alumni Career Development’s mission is to provide networking opportunities and career development assistance for Crusaders. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned professional looking to make a change, we offer a variety of resources to support alumni throughout their careers:

• • • • •

Career Advisor Network Job Postings Career Resources Career Affinity Networks Career Advising

Learn more at www.holycross.edu/alumni/careers ■

Classroom Revisited ’19 Saturday, April 6, 2019

R

elive your Holy Cross classroom experience.

Registration materials will be sent in February. ■

Welcome to the HC Network!

T

he College is launching a new career advising platform for alumni to engage with students!

Invitations to join will be emailed to all alumni in early January. Start the year off right by giving back to the Holy Cross community and helping students discover their professional passions. visit hcnetwork.holycross.edu for more information. ■

HCA A NEWS / ALUMNI NEWS / 67

BOOK NOTES

From Our Alumni and Faculty Authors

BY REBECCA SMITH '99 A N D K I M B E R LY S TA L E Y ' 9 9

The Web Paige Chronicles

By Emilio Iasiello ’91 Tell-Tale Publishing Group, LLC In “The Web Paige Chronicles,” Iasiello, a cybersecurity expert, introduces readers to Wilhelmina Evangeline Beatriz Paige — “Web” Paige — a computer whiz who wants to help her friends safely navigate the internet. A “coming-of-age” book for tweens and teens, it explains how to deal with such modern problems as cyberbullying, hacking and online predators.

WHAT OTHERS SAY

“'Web Paige Chronicles’ offers a refreshing and empowering role model for young adults. … Iasiello folds practical cybersecurity guidance into a relatable story.” —Scott Schober,

author of “Hacked Again”

Daughters of Long Reach

By Irene M. Drago ’78

Maine Authors Publishing In her novel, “Daughters of Long Reach,” Drago explores shipbuilding, history, love and

loss across three centuries through the lens of multiple families, who are separated by time but connected by the rolling tides of the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine.

WHAT OTHERS SAY

“Drago delivers a beautifully written debut novel set in the town of Bath, nestled along the coast of Maine. The story, steeped in local maritime history, deftly weaves past and present honoring core New England values — love of family, love of history, and the importance of fighting for what you believe. Readers will be well pleased!” —Julie Shea, owner

of The Mustard Seed Bookstore

Capturing Loyalty: How to Measure, Generate, and Profit from Highly Satisfied Customers

By John A. Larson ’69 and Bennett E. McClellan

focusing on turning a business’ already satisfied customers into highly satisfied customers by removing their sense of risk.

The authors also provide a failsafe method for identifying the risks inherent in your business.

WHAT OTHERS SAY

“'Capturing Loyalty’ offers fresh and compelling insights on what generates high customer satisfaction in both consumer and business-to-business transactions and, with it, market success and a pathway to attractive growth.” —John A. Luke Jr., non-executive chairman, WestRock

Imagining a Great Republic: Political Novels and the Idea of America

By Thomas E. Cronin ’61

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers In “Imagining a Great Republic,” the first comprehensive reading of dozens of American literary and social culture classics, Cronin tells the story of our country’s political experiment through the eyes of 40 major novelists, from Harriet Beecher Stowe to Hunter S. Thompson.

Praeger, an imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC Written by two highly successful business coaches and management consultants, “Capturing Loyalty” explains how to improve profitability by

6 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 201 9

WHAT OTHERS SAY

“Tom Cronin’s smart, engaging, expansive tour of political novels is especially timely …

Cronin shows how storytellers

long have served to remind us of what America is and what we want it to be.” —Susan Page,

Washington bureau chief, USA TODAY

A Record of My Writing Career at the College of the Holy Cross

By Rev. Vincent A. Lapomarda, S.J.

Independently published In “A Record of My Writing Career at the College of the Holy Cross,” the second edition of his bibliography, Fr. Lapomarda compiles the titles of his voluminous publications to “provide a record of how one historian has gone about searching for the sources, evaluating these sources, and writing his own histories.”

The book lists the author’s hundreds of books, scholarly articles and book reviews, among other types of writings, that were published during his half century at the College.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Former professor of history at Holy Cross, Fr. Lapomarda’s many titles have included coordinator of the Holocaust and the Italian-American collections at the College, and state historian of the Knights of Columbus in Massachusetts.

He celebrated the Golden Jubilee of his ordination in 2014. ■

S O LV E D P H O T O

Shooting Star

“

I took that photo!” notes Roy Vella ’90 of the NoLonger-a-Mystery Photo in our Fall 2018 issue.

award as many wrote in — and quickly — identifying the main subjects. The only thing they didn’t know was what exactly was going on outside Hogan. For that, we asked Casey, who says, “I can remember it so vividly.”

Yearbook photo editor Vella says the picture can be found on Page 203 of the class of 1990 yearbook and includes Mike Casey ’90, Maryann Lee Landrigan ’90, Lisa Marie Skorvanek ’90 and Justin Rubin ’90 in the 8x10 (“I believe budding photographer Case is showing off his work from his photography class — and it's a fine shot indeed!,” adds Kerry Acker ’90).

In the last semester of his senior year, Casey, a studio art major, and three other seniors created an independent study in which they would produce a joint exhibition. “I did studio portraits up on the top floor of Fenwick, in the corner overlooking the chapel,” he remembers.

“I asked a number of classmates to be subjects and we had a blast.” He chose those who had unique looks or interesting hobbies, which is how he ended up photographing everyone from a ballerina to a jockey.

The class of 1990 gets the eagle eye

As for the photo in question: “We were

outside of Hogan and I saw Lisa [Skorvanek, one of Casey’s subjects].

I had all of the portraits in my portfolio; I think she asked how they turned out and I started thumbing through them.” Onto the scene came Vella and his camera to capture the moment for posterity, which led Casey to pull out the 8x10 of his good friend, Rubin: “I got Justin in the picture with me,” he says.

Now 28 years after taking his classmates’ portraits, Casey is still shooting — but he admits he took a circuitous route. He was hoping to pursue a career in photography when he left Mount St. James, “but I knew it didn’t pay that well,” he chuckles. After a dozen years in advertising, he left the field to return to his original interest, portrait photography, and has been running Casey Photography for the past 13 years. ■

B O OK NOTES / S OLV ED PHOTO / A LUMNI NE WS / 6 9

THE POWER OF ONE

Young alumni are a vital part of the Holy Cross family.

They stay connected and pay it forward as consistent donors and dedicated, passionate volunteers.

Through their devotion and support, Holy Cross has reached new heights.

KATI FERNANDEZ ’15

70 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 201 9

name Kati Fernandez ’15 hometown Cambridge, Massachusetts family “For the most part, it's always been my mom, grandma, sister and aunts. I'm incredibly close to all of them!” what she did at holy cross “I was involved in the Office of Alumni Relations, the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Office of Academic Services and Learning Resources Mentor Program. As part of the Office of Alumni Relations, I was a student alumni representative who assisted in coordinating Fall and Winter Homecoming, and the senior reception. As a member of SGA, I was a co-director of student engagement, planning and implementing campuswide programming.

Lastly, as part of the mentor program, I served as a mentor to first-year students as they transitioned to Holy Cross.”

“I stay connected because I'm a Crusader for life.

I love the lessons I learned at Holy Cross: the alums, the faculty and the campus.

It's a family.”

M A N U TS A W E E B UA P E T

how holy cross affected her life “I learned so many lessons inside and outside of the classroom during my time at Holy Cross. I was able to attend the College with my older sister, Yarlennys Villaman ’14, who is my best friend. The Holy Cross alumni community has been an incredible part of my success in the workforce.

My mentor, Brian Lockhart ’96, vice president of original content for the NFL, is one of the many reasons why I’ve had doors opened to me professionally. Melisa Alves ’06, associate director of the College’s Center for

Career Development, guided me throughout my entire four years at Holy Cross and continues to do so even after graduation.” the working life “Currently, I am a sports and live-TV producer at Hulu. When I first joined the company in 2016, I focused on licensed and original content, working on marketing shows such as “Chance,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “March of the Penguins 2.” Since March 2018, I’ve begun focusing primarily on leading all sports and live-TV content that is produced across all funnels and on-channel for Hulu.” memorable holy cross teachers “Professor Beard in the sociology and anthropology department was my favorite professor. She empowered me to be an individual, to be a voice of change and to remain true to who I am. She taught me skills that I was able to apply in the classroom, but most importantly, in all areas of my life. She’s the kind of professor who really embodies what a liberal arts education should be. I highly recommend all of her courses at Holy Cross!” why she stays connected to holy cross “I stay connected because I’m a Crusader for life. I love the lessons I learned at Holy Cross: the alums, the faculty and the campus. It’s a family.” why she gives to holy cross “I give back to Holy Cross because much was given to me during my time there, and I feel as if it’s my duty to do the same for other students.” ■

THE POWER OF ONE / ALUMNI NEWS / 71

IN YOUR OWN WORDS

Born out of her Teach for America experience, co-founder Madison Walsh’s Girls Write the World provides young women with agency and education through poetry

Finding Heart and Words in the Mississippi Delta

BY M A D I S O N WA L S H ’ 1 2

(above, from left) Co-founders/counselors Kenrica Sands, Madison Walsh, Jackie Driver (junior counselor), Sarah Hutchinson and Sloane Winters. (bottom row) GWTW campers proudly identify as “poets” well beyond one week of summer camp. They take the skills and confidence gained at camp into the world and use them to process emotions and experiences, combat assumptions and stereotypes, break down walls and connect with others to communicate and fully express themselves.

7 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 201 9

I

f you’ve ever been to Mississippi in the summer, you know it is no place for the faint of heart, and you might wonder what brings me back year after year. It’s exactly that — heart — in the form of bright, fierce young women and the community we’ve built together through Girls Write the World, a girls-only literacy and youth development nonprofit.

The program was born out of my Teach for America experience. When I left Holy Cross and arrived at Delta State University following my graduation in summer 2012, I was eagerly joining hundreds of other soon-to-be teachers at Teach for America’s summer training institute in Cleveland, Mississippi. I had no idea that even the rigor of Holy Cross would not have prepared me for the challenges I faced as a firstyear teacher in a community completely unfamiliar to me.

As I struggled through my first two years of teaching seventh grade English in Greenville, Mississippi, my emotions ran the gamut from despair to elation, from hopeless to optimistic. I lost and regained faith in my teaching abilities and fell in love with the community and my students.

Along the way, I couldn’t help but notice my students’ lack of resources — not just books and school supplies — but spaces to grapple with sexism, racism and the challenges of girlhood; creative outlets; inspirational and informative literature; leadership opportunities; sex and health education; and college preparatory information.

At the end of my Teach for America commitment, I knew

there was more work to do in Greenville. Girls Write the World was a way to address many of the concerns I was unable to tackle as a teacher and create a new, alternative space for my female students.

In summer 2015, full of renewed energy, my three co-founders and I (all former English teachers) launched our inaugural summer program.

My memories from that first summer come in bursts.

Sleeping in a house with no air conditioning because a gracious friend offered it for free. Hand-painting invitations to our first poetry showcase because we didn’t have access to a color printer. Driving all around town each morning and afternoon to pick up and drop off campers because we were afraid if we didn’t, they might not come.

All of those memories don’t begin to capture the overwhelming feelings of awe and gratitude when I look back at that first bumpy summer.

Gratitude for the parents who trusted us, the campers who jumped in with both feet and community members who provided a free space for our campers to gather. Awe that our three essential rules — be kind, supportive and brave — and a lot of love created an incredible community that is continuing to grow.

We’ve come a long way in terms of organization and capital since that first summer, but our goals have not changed. First and foremost, we aim to create a safe space for our eighththrough 12th-grade female campers to create, explore and grow, a place where they are supported and celebrated. We do this through morning poetry

workshops, where we read, discuss and analyze poetry written by women of color and write and share our own poetry.

Second, we aim to provide specific, tangible resources to help our campers navigate their high school years. We do this through a variety of afternoon workshops. In the past, we’ve covered topics such as healthy relationships, mental health, sex ed, college 101, financial literacy and self-defense. We end the week with a college field trip and poetry showcase, in which campers perform their original work for family, friends and community members.

As the program continues to grow, we have turned our sights on more leadership and ownership opportunities for our campers. This past summer, we introduced two new elements: a G-Lead role, which creates a pathway for students to develop from camper to counselor, and a community day, which provides an opportunity for campers to act as counselors for a day and guide their family, friends and community members through a part of Girls Write the World’s curriculum.

At the end of each summer, I am again overwhelmed by those same feelings of gratitude and awe. One hundred percent of our campers reported that they would recommend camp to a friend, that it helped them open up and express themselves in new ways and improved their self-esteem. In a world in which women, particularly women of color, are consistently receiving the message that their lives and stories have less worth than others, I am proud to be part of an organization that works to celebrate, affirm and project young female voices. ■

At Girls Write the World's summer program, young women of color in grades eight through 12 discover how to express their experience through their own original works, such as the piece below.

BEING ME… IS UNIQUE

By Derricka

Being me is unique Not letting the society define me Not transforming myself to that So called perfect woman Being me is unique Being that headstrong and determined woman Being confident and outspoken Embracing my size even though I’m not that coke bottle ideal shape Being me is unique Being a little cocky And being the top of my class As society hates me being Smarter than the men in my class Being brave and showing that I can step outside my box Showing that I’m independent Being me is unique

IN YOUR OWN WORDS / ALUMNI NEWS / 73

THE PROFILE

Justice, Equality and Immigration Jason Hernandez ’07 is on the cutting edge of higher education, offering free legal advice and representation to undocumented college students to help them navigate the U.S. immigration system

BY M AU R A S U L L I VA N H I L L

W

hen Jason Hernandez ’07 arrived on Mount St. James in fall 2003, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to major in or which career he might be interested in after graduation. But he did know, he says, that he wanted to learn how to live well.

“I decided I would spend time figuring out what I wanted my life to be about, so I majored in philosophy,” he says.

“Holy Cross was a great place to experiment with what leadership meant, and thinking about things that you saw and wanted to change.”

These days, living well for Hernandez means serving as an immigration attorney, leading the Rutgers Immigrant Community Assistance Project (RICAP) at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.

Hernandez grew up on Long Island, New York, where his father was an immigrant from Guatemala who ran a food truck business.

74 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 201 9

But he says his path to immigration law isn’t as simple as the son of an immigrant wanting to help others in similar situations. His desire grew out of questions about justice, equality and the legal system, first piqued at Holy Cross as a member of SPUD, the Latin American Student Organization and the

BY MADISO Student Government Association and, later, as a volunteer with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in West Los Angeles after graduation. He worked at Chrysalis, an organization that helps people reenter the workforce after homelessness, incarceration or substance abuse problems.

“I found that work fulfilling in many ways, but it was tough, too. I would assist people in finding employment, and then maybe the background check would reveal some additional information and the employer would let them go. Then they would ask me what they could do or if they had any rights,” he says. “It got me thinking about social justice and

afrik armando

how the legal system isn’t equal for all.”

Hernandez decided to enroll in law school at Temple University in Philadelphia, where a fellowship at HIAS Pennsylvania turned into a full-time job. He worked at the nonprofit, which helps immigrants and refugees navigate U.S. immigration, for five and a half years.

When Hernandez saw that Rutgers was creating an office to assist immigrants on campus, he jumped at the chance to get involved. He estimates that the school is one of two or three universities on the East Coast that has created dedicated, full-time attorney positions to specifically O N WA L S H ’ 1 2 represent immigrant and undocumented students in immigration matters. New Jersey has offered in-state tuition rates to students who are not U.S. citizens since 2015; in 2018, it expanded to offer financial aid as well, which has increased the population of undocumented students on the university’s three campuses across the state.

Hernandez says Rutgers created his position and the RICAP because of this change, coupled with the anti-immigration policies implemented by the Trump administration.

In particular, students expressed distress over the uncertain future of the country’s undocumented youth and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

DACA provided work permits and deportation

protection to eligible immigrant youth who came to the U.S. when they were children, which enabled them to obtain jobs and apply to college.

Hernandez travels among the three campuses, providing free legal consultation and representation to what he estimates are several hundred undocumented students enrolled at Rutgers. He also organizes community education programming and trainings, so students know when there are changes to immigration law and how it impacts them, as well as their rights in the event they come into contact with immigration and customs enforcement.

While Hernandez is quick to credit the support of supervising faculty at Rutgers Law School, he is in many ways a one-man operation, which comes with challenges. Balancing his time among the three campus locations is his toughest hurdle, but he says he is energized by working with the students.

“Obviously, every case doesn’t go the way you want it to, but if you are able to assist somebody in removing a barrier to citizenship, the sky is the limit,” he says. “You can help get people working documents or on a path to citizenship, and it really changes their life.”

While immigration has been at the forefront of the news cycle

and recent elections, Hernandez points out that undocumented immigrants have been living on the margins of American society for decades.

“DACA definitely changed the game for young people who are undocumented in the United States, but their family members were undocumented before and remain undocumented, and that’s a lot of stress on a college student, to have a family of mixed immigration status,” he says. “The complicated part is, undocumented immigrants want some level of anonymity; they are not likely to make themselves known, out of fear. And it’s a different kind of fear, a statesanctioned fear, because there are laws that permit family detention and separation.”

Hernandez is doing what he can at Rutgers to alleviate some of that fear by helping students resolve their immigration status legally and acknowledging their unique student experience.

“I want them to know, ‘We see you, we see that you are here and we aim to help you succeed,’” Hernandez says. “The United States is a wonderful place — not perfect by any means — but we are clearly privileged to live in the United States. And I really believe it is what it is because of immigration and not in spite of it.”

FIVE QUESTIONS with

JASON HERNANDEZ ’07 1) Where is your happy place?

Wissahickon Valley Park, which is a stone’s throw from my home in Philadelphia. You go into it and it feels like you’re not near civilization. There’s a very subtle din from the road, but you could totally think that you weren’t in Philadelphia. It’s a nice place to go on the weekends or before work in the morning if I have a little extra time.

2) What is your favorite spot on campus at Holy Cross?

It used to be the field between the Hart Center and Easy Street, but I think it’s an apartment building now!

3) What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?

A supervising attorney at my old job told me, “Remember that we can’t only take the good cases, because everybody deserves the right to have their case prepared properly and get their best chance at a favorable result.” It helped put things in perspective, because sometimes it is tough to take cases where we don’t have much evidence or it will be hard to prove. Everybody needs counsel, and I learn a lot from each case.

4) What do people thank you for most often?

Some people are nervous to meet with an attorney, so people generally thank me for being kind and approachable. When my students leave meetings with me, they have said that it is easy to talk to me.

5) What is your favorite food from your dad’s food truck?

He would bring home strawberry paletas — strawberry popsicles that are made with real strawberries. They’re cheap, but they’re delicious! ■

THE PROFILE / ALUMNI NEWS / 75

IN MEMORIAM Holy Cross Magazine publishes In Memoriam to inform the College community of the deaths of alumni, trustees, students, employees and friends.

In Memoriam content, which is based on obituaries published in public forums or provided directly to HCM by the family, is a limited overview that includes service to alma mater and a survivors listing. Family members are welcome to submit an obituary or additional information, which will be included at the discretion of the editor; due to time and space constraints, the final obituaries will not be sent to family members for approval. Portrait photos from the Purple Patcher appear as space permits and at the discretion of the editor (photos provided by the deceased’s family are not accepted). Obituaries appear in the order in which they are received; due to the volume of submissions and magazine deadlines, it may be several issues before they appear in print. To notify the College of a death, please call the Alumni Office at 508-793-3039 or email AlumniRecords@holycross.edu, attaching a copy of an obituary, if available.

1939 Col. John J. Daunt Jr., USAF (Ret.)

Co., Travelers Insurance Co. and

several great-grandchildren; and

formerly of Beverly, Massachusetts,

Milton Bradley Co. (Hasbro), from

many nieces and nephews. He was

died on Sept. 13, 2018, at 91. Mr.

which he retired as vice president of

predeceased by his wife of 45 years,

McGuire joined the U.S. Navy during

Col. John J. “Jack”

advertising and public relations. In

Claire; his companion of 24 years,

World War II and achieved the rank

Daunt Jr., USAF (Ret.),

addition, he was an instructor in the

Charlotte Ingersoll; one son; one sister;

of lieutenant junior grade; he later

of Sarasota, Florida,

Dale Carnegie Course, which he taught

and one grandson.

entered the U.S. Air Force, serving as

died on Aug. 5, 2018,

throughout New England for over

finance officer and assistant professor

at 100. Mr. Daunt was a member of the

30 years; he also taught advertising

John J. O'Coin

Debating Society; after graduation, he

and marketing courses at Western

John J. “Jack” O'Coin, of Grafton,

University. He worked as a sales

obtained a law degree from Boston

New England College, University of

formerly of Auburn, Massachusetts,

manager and then vice president at

College. He served in the U.S. Army Air

Massachusetts, University of Hartford,

died on Aug. 5, 2018, at 96. Mr. O’Coin

Union Bookbinding in Boston. Mr.

Corps during World War II. When the

Hartford YMCA, Springfield Technical

served in the U.S. Army for four years

McGuire is survived by two sons

U.S. Air Force was being established, he

College and Holyoke Community

during World War II, spending much

and their wives; four grandchildren;

was offered a full commission to return

College. Mr. Merritt is survived by

of his deployment in the China Burma

one great-grandson; one sister; and

to active duty to help; he later retired as

five daughters, four sons and their

India Theatre. He then spent more than

nieces, nephews and friends. He was

a colonel. Mr. Daunt was a member of

spouses; 17 grandchildren; and 17 great-

39 years with New England Telephone,

predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth.

the Holy Cross Lawyers Association. He

grandchildren. He was predeceased

retiring as a marketing manager.

is survived by his daughter-in-law. He

by his wife, Marion; one son; and one

Active in his community, Mr. O’Coin

was predeceased by his wife, Julie; his

grandson.

supported the Holy Cross football

1947 Edward J. Tabor

team. He is survived by two sons, two

Edward J. Tabor, of Windham,

daughters and their spouses, including

Connecticut, died on July 14, 2018, at

Edward A. Reilly '76; one sister; one

94. A chemistry major at Holy Cross,

Richard H. “Dick”

brother-in-law; nine grandchildren,

Mr. Tabor participated in the Debating

Thomas J. “Tom”

Flicker, of Palm City,

including Colleen B. Hicks '01 and Erin

Society and intramural sports. He was

McGillicuddy,

Florida, died on June

M. Reilly '15; four great-grandchildren;

an original member of the class of 1946

of Needham,

19, 2018. Mr. Flicker

and many nieces and nephews. He was

and a member of the 1843 Society. He is

Massachusetts, died

participated in ROTC

predeceased by his wife of 40 years,

survived by his wife, Virginia.

parents; and his son.

1940 Thomas J. McGillicuddy

1945 Richard H. Flicker

and cheerleading at Holy Cross. He was

Barbara; and six siblings, including

Mr. McGillicuddy graduated cum laude

a member of the O’Callahan Society,

Robert E. O'Coin '41.

from Holy Cross; he also graduated

and affiliated with Naval ROTC and

from Harvard Business School. He

NROTC October 1945 Class. Mr. Flicker

worked for Arthur Andersen for many

is survived by his daughter.

on Aug. 26, 2018, at 98.

years. He served in the U.S. Navy

1946 Richard J. Kervick

of air science and tactics at Boston

1948 Robert J. Harrison Robert J. “Bob” Harrison, of

Richard J. Kervick,

Harrington Park

of Medford, Oregon,

and Westwood, New

during World War II on the USS Dunlap

Edwin P. Meyer

in the Pacific Theatre. Mr. McGillicuddy

Edwin P. “Ed” Meyer, of Worcester and

formerly of Novato,

is survived by one daughter, Mary

Dennis, Massachusetts, died on Aug. 4,

California, died

29, 2018, at 91. Mr. Harrison majored in

Alice Moynahan ’82, and her husband,

2018, at 95. At Holy Cross, Mr. Meyer

on July 24, 2018,

business at Holy Cross, and participated

Paul J. Moynahan ’74; three sons

majored in business administration/

at 94. Mr. Kervick participated in

in the Purple Key Society and the

and their wives; 17 grandchildren,

economics and participated in ROTC.

ROTC at Holy Cross and graduated

Tomahawk student newspaper; he also

including Claire M. Moynahan ’11; one

After serving as an ensign, later

with a degree in naval science; he

played football and was a member of

sister; one brother-in-law; several

lieutenant, in the U.S. Navy in the

later earned a master’s degree from

the Varsity Club. He was drafted into

nieces and nephews; and cousins,

Pacific Theatre during World War II,

Georgetown University. During World

the U.S. Army during World War II;

including Patrick S. Curley ’21. He was

Mr. Meyer was employed by Leon

War II, he served as a lieutenant in

honorably discharged as a sergeant, he

predeceased by his wife of 54 years,

Barrett Centrifugals, Inc., where he

the U.S. Naval Service, then in the

rose to 2nd lieutenant and was given

Mary; one sister; and one cousin.

served as vice president for much of

Merchant Marine. He was a member

two more honorable discharges from

his 42-year career. During that time, he

of the College’s O’Callahan Society

the U.S. Army Reserves. He ran the

furthered his education at Worcester

and was affiliated with Naval ROTC.

family business, Harbro Church Arts,

George H. Merritt, of Naples, Florida,

Polytechnic Institute's School of

Mr. Kervick is survived by his wife,

Inc., for 70 years, while also serving

and Old Lyme, Connecticut, died on

Industrial Management for four years.

Brigitte; three daughters; one son; one

in such roles as mayor of Harrington

Aug. 1, 2018, at 96. At Holy Cross, Mr.

He supported the College as director

stepdaughter; 12 grandchildren; five

Park, captain of the ambulance corps,

Merritt majored in economics and

of the Holy Cross Club of Cape Cod; he

great-grandchildren; and one sister.

town councilman and New Jersey State

participated in the Glee Club. He served

was also a member of the O’Callahan

He was predeceased by his first wife,

certified court mediator. Mr. Harrison is

as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force

Society and affiliated with Naval ROTC.

Mary Jane.

survived by five daughters, three sons

before starting his career in advertising,

Mr. Meyer is survived by two sons,

marketing and public relations with

two daughters and their spouses; one

Henry W. McGuire

such companies as American Optical

daughter-in-law; six grandchildren;

Henry W. McGuire, of Framingham,

George H. Merritt

8 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 201 9

Jersey, died on Aug.

and their spouses; 15 grandchildren and their spouses; one great-grandchild; and numerous cousins, nieces and

Herbert F. Janick Jr.

before co-founding King Instrument

nephews. He was predeceased by his

graduated from Holy Cross with a

wife, Joan; one son; one brother; and

degree in economics. He worked

Herbert F. Janick

in Westboro, Massachusetts, where he

his parents.

in sales and management for the

Jr., of Ridgefield,

handled the business and sales side of

Goodall Rubber Company for more

Connecticut, died on

the company. He was a veteran of the

than 35 years. He served in the U.S.

Jan. 31, 2018, at 88.

U.S. Army. As a student, he was involved

Army in World War II. Mr. Conroy is

A history major at

with the Purple Patcher, and later

1949 Walter T. Kearns Walter T. Kearns, of

survived by eight children, including

Holy Cross, Mr. Janick held a Ph.D. and

supported the College as a member of

Palm Harbor, Florida,

Pitr G. Conroy, M.D., ’76, and their

was a professor of American history at

the President’s Council. Mr. McGonigle

died on Sept. 3, 2018, at

spouses; 21 grandchildren; one great-

Western Connecticut State University

is survived by three children, including

93. Mr. Kearns gradu-

grandchild; and one sister. He was

for more than 30 years. Author of

Michael P. McGonigle ’88; many

ated from Holy Cross

predeceased by his wife, Mary Kay;

several works on Connecticut history,

grandchildren; and two brothers. He

after serving in the U.S. Army Air Force

and his uncle, Gardiner Conroy, class

he worked closely with the Connecticut

was predeceased by one brother.

during World War II. He is survived

of 1910.

Humanities Council and was the

by one daughter; three grandchildren; and many other extended family and

J. Robert Maney

recipient of several professional

James F. Mooney Jr.

awards; he was a founder of the

James F. “Jim”

friends. He was predeceased by his wife,

J. Robert “Bob”

Danbury Preservation Trust. Mr. Janick

Mooney Jr., of Boston,

Elizabeth “Betty”; one daughter; and

Maney, of Pittsford,

is survived by four children and their

formerly of Fall River,

four brothers.

New York, died on

families, including six grandchildren;

Massachusetts, died

Aug. 7, 2018. Mr.

one niece; and many lunch mates,

on July 30, 2018, at 89.

Maney began his

friends, neighbors, colleagues and

An economics major at Holy Cross, Mr.

Joseph C. Nagelsen Jr., D.D.S. Joseph C. “Joe” Nagelsen Jr., D.D.S.,

career at J.R. Maney and Bros. Farm

former students. He was predeceased

Mooney participated in cross-country

of Winter Park, Florida, died on Feb.

and Produce Company, and later

by his wife of 54 years, Mary Jane.

and track. After serving two years in the

9, 2018, at 90. A graduate of the Ohio

worked as a stockbroker for more

State College of Dentistry, Dr. Nagelsen

than 50 years with Merrill Lynch, then

had a dental practice in Orlando. He is

Bache and finally Wells Fargo. He

survived by his wife, Stephanie; three

served the College as a class agent. Mr.

Lowell F. “Frank” Cur-

Massachusetts, for more than 30 years.

children and their spouses; Stephanie’s

Maney is survived by nine children

ran Jr., of Princeton,

An avid fisherman, he was a co-owner

four children and their spouses; and

and stepchildren and their spouses;

New Jersey, died on

of MacDougalls’ Cape Cod Marine

grandchildren. He was predeceased by

26 grandchildren; and 10 great-

July 1, 2018, at 88.

Service. Mr. Mooney supported Holy

his father and mother; one brother; and

grandchildren. He was predeceased by

At Holy Cross, Mr.

Cross as a member of the 1843 Society

one sister.

three wives, Jean, Elke and Gay; one

Curran participated in ROTC; he was a

and President's Council. He is survived

daughter; and his parents.

lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, serving as a

by his son, James F. Mooney III '90,

navigator on numerous vessels during

and his wife; and two grandchildren.

the Korean War. He graduated from

He was predeceased by his wife of 50

Columbia Law School and had a private

years, Joan.

Rev. Paul F. O'Malley, S.S.C. Rev. Paul F. “Fr. Paul” O'Malley, S.S.C., of

1951 William R. Carroll

1952 Lowell F. Curran Jr.

U.S. Navy, he was owner and president of Mooney & Company, a distributor for Anheuser-Busch based in Southeastern

Bristol, Rhode Island,

William R. “Bill”

law practice in Princeton for more

formerly of Clinton,

Carroll, of Sandwich,

than 50 years, was the president of the

Massachusetts,

Massachusetts, died

NJ Association of Trial Lawyers and

James E. “Jim”

died on July 7, 2018, at 91. A retired

on Jan. 12, 2018, at 88.

served as public defender in Princeton.

Mross, of Greendale,

priest of the Missionary Society of St.

A U.S. Army veteran

Mr. Curran supported Holy Cross as an

Wisconsin, died on June 25, 2018, at 88. At

James E. Mross

Columban, Fr. O’Malley served in the

of the Korean War, Mr. Carroll worked

admissions advisor, career advisor and

Asiatic Pacific Theatre during World

as an accountant at Monsanto. He

class agent; he was a member of the

War II in the U.S. Navy. He later earned

is survived by one son and his wife;

Holy Cross Lawyers Association and

participated in ROTC; he served in the

his master’s degree in education from

two daughters and their husbands;

the O’Callahan Society, as well as affili-

U.S. Navy as 2nd lieutenant. He was

Fitchburg State College and taught in

seven grandchildren; and one great-

ated with Naval ROTC. He is survived

a member of the O’Callahan Society

the Clinton and Boston public school

granddaughter. He was predeceased

by his wife of 46 years, Barbara; three

and affiliated with Naval ROTC. After

systems, before accepting his call

by his wife of 54 years, Carolyn.

sons; two daughters-in-law; and three

an honorable discharge, he earned

grandchildren.

his MBA and worked as a salesperson

to the priesthood. He was ordained a priest in 1957 and, throughout his

Armand R. Girouard, D.D.S.

Holy Cross, Mr. Mross

at Forrer Business Interiors until

60-year ministry, served assignments

Armand R. Girouard,

Edmund J. Figurato

in the Philippines; Jamaica; Norwich,

D.D.S., of Lawrence,

Edmund J. Figurato,

wife of 62 years, Janet; two daughters,

Connecticut; and Los Angeles, before

Massachusetts, died

of Palm Springs,

one son and their spouses; five

retiring to Clinton and, later, Bristol.

on Sept. 14, 2018,

California, died on

grandchildren; one grandson-in-law;

Fr. O’Malley is survived by one brother

at 90. Dr. Girouard

June 6, 2018.

one great-grandson; and one sister.

retirement. Mr. Mross is survived by his

and his wife; one niece; one nephew;

graduated from Holy Cross with a

one great-niece; four great-nephews;

degree in biology. He then received

his brother priests; and dear friends.

his Doctorate of Dental Surgery

Paul McGonigle, of

Mirick G. “Bill” Perkins,

He was predeceased by one niece; one

from Georgetown University School

East Windsor, New

of Worcester, died

nephew; and one cousin.

of Dentistry; he opened his dental

Jersey, formerly

on Sept. 8, 2018, at

office in Lawrence after his discharge

of Falmouth,

91. After graduating

from the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant.

Massachusetts, died

1950 John S. Conroy

Paul McGonigle

Mirick G. Perkins

from Holy Cross, Mr.

Dr. Girouard is survived by his wife,

on Aug. 6, 2018, at 88. After graduating

Perkins earned a master’s degree from

John S. “Jack” Conroy,

Mary; two sons, five daughters and

from Holy Cross, Mr. McGonigle earned

Worcester State College. He was a U.S.

of Napa, formerly of

their spouses; nine grandchildren;

his MBA from the Wharton School

Navy veteran, Yeoman 3, of World War

Glendale, California,

two great-grandchildren; one

of the University of Pennsylvania.

II. He was a controller and treasurer

died on Aug. 17, 2018,

sister; and many nieces and

He worked as a field underwriter for

of Rice Barton Corporation, where he

at 92. Mr. Conroy

nephews.

New York Life Insurance Company,

worked for 32 years, retiring as vice

IN MEMORIAM / 83

IN MEMORIAM president. Mr. Perkins is survived by

'83 and Catherine F. Burke '87; 18

Mr. Farrell also graduated from the

Company for over 35 years. Mr.

his wife of 62 years, Bridget “Bridie”;

grandchildren, including William

Fordham University School of Law.

Carney supported the College as a

two daughters, one son and their

E. Salter '16, John A. Burke '15 and

He participated in the College’s

member of President’s Council. He is

spouses; four grandchildren and their

Charles A. Salter '20; and one great-

Glee Club, and later served as an

survived by four daughters, two sons

families; and one sister.

grandchild. He was predeceased by his

admissions advisor and class agent;

and their spouses; 13 grandchildren;

parents; one sister; his son, Thomas D.

he was also a member of the Holy

11 great-grandchildren; nieces and

Burke '85; and his infant child.

Cross Lawyers Association and

nephews; and extended family and

career advisor network. Mr. Farrell

friends, including his brother-in-law.

is survived by six children and their

He was predeceased by his wife of 56 years, Jean Marie.

1953 Richard L. Belanger Richard L. Belanger,

Francis J. Doherty Jr.

of Haverhill,

Francis J. “Frank”

spouses; 18 grandchildren, including

formerly of Boxford,

Doherty Jr., of

Evan B. Farrell ’16; and one great-

Massachusetts, died

Lunenburg,

grandchild. He was predeceased by

on Sept. 15, 2018, at

Massachusetts, died

his wife, Eileen.

87. Mr. Belanger graduated from Holy

on Sept. 23, 2018, at

Robert R. Henzler Robert R. Henzler, of Fort Lauderdale,

1954 J. Earl Lavery Jr.

Cross with a degree in chemistry. He

86. Mr. Doherty majored in English

then served in the U.S. Army during

and philosophy at Holy Cross and

the Korean War; he received the

made the dean’s list. He participated

J. Earl “Duke” Lavery

National Defense Service Medal and

in the Cross & Scroll Society, History

Jr., of Westerly, Rhode

studied marketing at Holy Cross

Good Conduct Medal. He worked

Society, intramural sports, Sodality,

Island, formerly

and participated in ROTC. He was a

as an engineer for Sylvania Electric,

WCHC radio station and the

of Bridgeport

member of the College’s 1843 Society,

and later became a certified financial

Wilderness/Outing Club. He later

and Trumbull,

1955 Support Network Committee and

planner and licensed insurance agent.

served the College as a class agent,

Connecticut, died on Aug. 25, 2018, at

O'Callahan Society; he was affiliated

He was employed by Mass Mutual for

and was a member of the O’Callahan

86. After graduating from Holy Cross,

with Naval ROTC.

more than 15 years, before opening

Society and Reunion Gift Committee.

Mr. Lavery earned his master’s degree

Belanger and Morse, a financial

Mr. Doherty also graduated from

in education from Fairfield University.

Abraham R. Joseph

planning and insurance agency. Mr.

Syracuse University. He held various

He taught mathematics at his alma

Abraham R. Joseph, of San Jose,

Belanger is survived by his wife of 58

on-air, production and management

mater, Fairfield College Preparatory

Costa Rica, died on July 13, 2018. A

years, Marilyn; two sons; one daughter;

positions at commercial radio stations

School, where he was involved in

marketing major at Holy Cross, Mr.

one son-in-law; one daughter-in-

in New York and Massachusetts. He

the football program for 37 years,

Joseph is survived by his wife, Anne

law; one brother; one sister-in-law;

later joined Corning Glass Works (now

serving as head coach for 28 years.

Marie; and his son.

seven grandchildren; two great-

Corning, Inc.) as a public relations

He and his teams won several state

grandchildren; and several nieces and

manager, and subsequently held public

and league championships, and he

nephews.

relations positions at American Optical

was the recipient of many coaching

Marshall E. Lamenzo,

Company and Norton Company,

awards. Mr. Lavery played football

of Manchester,

where he retired as director of public

at Holy Cross and was a member

Connecticut, died

Alexander J.

relations. He then worked as an

of the Varsity Club. He is survived

on July 22, 2018, at

“Al” Burke Jr., of

independent PR counselor specializing

by his wife of 30 years, Eleanor;

Manhasset, New York,

in crisis communications; he also

one daughter; one son; two sisters;

studied history and philosophy at

died on July 8, 2018.

served as an adjunct professor of

three grandchildren; one great-

Holy Cross. A U.S. Army veteran, he

An English major at

public relations at Clark University and

granddaughter; one stepson; and

was active in Manchester politics

Holy Cross, Mr. Burke was a member

member of the advisory board for its

several nieces and nephews. He was

and the community. He taught in the

of the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor

master’s professional communications

predeceased by one stepson; and one

East Windsor (Connecticut) School

Society. He later earned his doctorate

program. Mr. Doherty also served in

brother-in-law.

System, where he established the

in sacred scripture from Fordham

the U.S. Navy Reserve for 42 years,

University. After a three-year tour of

retiring as captain. He graduated

Francis X. Sepuka

duty in the U.S. Air Force, he began

from the Communications School at

Francis X. “Frank” Sepuka, of

the Ford Motor Company, Boston

a long career in publishing at the

the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School

Charlton, Massachusetts, died on Aug.

District. Mr. Lamenzo is survived by

McGraw-Hill Book Company; he was

in Monterey, California, and the

31, 2018, at 86. Mr. Sepuka graduated

his wife, Jean; one son and his wife;

president of the company and later

Senior Reserve Officers Program

from Holy Cross with a degree in

one daughter and her husband; three

served as president of its international

at the U.S. Naval War College in

education; he later received a master’s

grandchildren; two brothers; and one

division. He went on to found his

Newport, Rhode Island. Mr. Doherty is

degree from Worcester State. He

sister. He was predeceased by two

own publishing company, Phoenix

survived by three sons; two daughters,

had a long career in teaching. Mr.

sisters.

Learning Resources, and later started

including Ann D. Smith ’83; three

Sepuka is survived by five children

the publishing studies program at

daughters-in-law; one son-in-law; 10

and their spouses; 11 grandchildren;

Hofstra University, where he taught

grandchildren; one granddaughter-

12 great-grandchildren; two brothers

Philip J. “Phil”

for 19 years. He also taught theology

in-law; one grandson-in-law; three

and their spouses; and friends. He was

Ryan, of Tampa,

to seminarians and deacons at the

great-granddaughters; and his former

predeceased by his wife of 64 years,

Florida, died on

Immaculate Conception Seminary in

wife and dear friend, Elaine. He was

Helen.

Aug. 11, 2018, at 84.

Lloyd Harbor, New York. He supported

predeceased by his wife of 56 years,

Holy Cross as a member of the career

Martha; and one sister.

Alexander J. Burke Jr.

advisor network and President's Council. Mr. Burke is survived by

John M. Farrell Jr.

Florida, died on July 24, 2018, at 85. Mr. Henzler

Marshall E. Lamenzo

86. Mr. Lamenzo

Automotive Club. After teaching, he had a long career as an engineer with

Philip J. Ryan

Mr. Ryan graduated

1955 John A. Carney Jr.

from Holy Cross with a degree in

John A. “Jack” Carney Jr., of San

Glee Club. He then earned a Juris

economics and was a member of the

his wife of 63 years, Suzanne “Sue”;

John M. Farrell Jr.,

Antonio, died on June 20, 2018. A

Doctorate from Boston College Law

his children, including Nancy Burke

of Manhasset, New

graduate of Merrimack College, Mr.

School and a master’s degree in

Salter '83, Brian J. Burke, M.D., '79

York, died on Aug. 10,

Carney earned an advanced degree in

taxation from Boston University. He

and Matthew M. Burke '87, and their

2018. An accounting

chemistry from Holy Cross. He was a

practiced law for 50 years, much of

spouses, including George A. Salter

major at Holy Cross,

sales executive with Shell Chemical

that time at Ryan and White, P.C., in

8 4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 201 9

1958 John S. Guarnaschelli

Springfield, Massachusetts, where

Hague, Netherlands, before serving as

he was a founding partner. He was a

assistant commandant of the Defense

member of the Holy Cross Lawyers

Language Institute at the Presidio,

John S. Guarnaschelli,

three years. He worked at several

Association. Mr. Ryan is survived by

Monterey, California. In retirement,

of New York City,

companies, including Merrill Lynch,

four daughters; three sons-in-law;

he served as director of the Monroe

died on July 7, 2018,

Reynolds Securities (later Dean Witter

one brother; two sisters; one brother-

County Veterans Service Agency in

at 81. A history major

Reynolds) and Nations Bank (later

in-law; six grandchildren; and one

Scottsville. Mr. Mellody is survived by

at Holy Cross, Mr.

Bank of America). He was a member of

granddaughter-in-law. He was

his wife of 58 years, Mary T. “Terry”;

Guarnaschelli received the Nellie

the O’Callahan Society and affiliated

predeceased by his wife of 57 years,

one daughter; one son; and one

M. Bransfield Award (elocution)

with Naval ROTC; he supported the

Shirley; one son; and two brothers.

daughter-in-law. He was predeceased

and graduated magna cum laude.

College as a class agent. Mr. Vosseller

by his parents.

He later received his Ph.D. in

is survived by his wife, Anne; two

history from Yale University, and

children and their families; and one

taught history at Amherst College,

brother, one sister and their families.

He was predeceased by his parents.

1956 James H. Kerr

Richard T. Williams

James H. “Jim” Kerr,

Richard T. “Dick”

Washington University in St. Louis

of Chatham, formerly

Williams, of Fiskdale,

and Queensborough Community

of Kingston, New

Massachusetts, died

College for over 30 years. He served

Jersey, died on July

on Aug. 16, 2018,

the College as a member of the career

at 84. Mr. Williams

he was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Navy, where he served for

1960 Lawrence J. DeNardis

advisor network. Mr. Guarnaschelli is

Lawrence J. “Larry”

Holy Cross, Mr. Kerr participated in

graduated from Holy Cross with a

survived by his wife of 52 years, Maria;

DeNardis, of Hamden,

cross-country and track. A graduate

degree in political science. He then

and one daughter.

Connecticut, died

of Albany Law School, he served as

served two years in the U.S. Army in

an assistant attorney general for New

Europe. After his discharge, he worked

York State before his 45-year career in

for 37 years as a claim representative,

John F. Kennedy, of St.

graduated from Holy Cross with

private practice, starting with the firm

supervisor, manager and claim

Petersburg, Florida,

a degree in economics; he later

Ryan, Bradley & Kerr and ending with

director in the insurance claim field.

died on May 26, 2018,

earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in

Kerr & Weiss. He was a member of

Mr. Williams is survived by his wife

at 81. Mr. Kennedy

government from New York University.

the Holy Cross Lawyers Association.

of 47 years, Beverly; three daughters;

was an English major

He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Naval

Mr. Kerr is survived by one son, two

one son; one son-in-law; three

daughters and their spouses; and five

grandsons; three granddaughters;

grandchildren. He was predeceased

three granddaughters-in-law; one

by his wife of 57 years, Agatha

grandson-in-law; one granddaughter’s

“Sookie”; and three sisters.

fiancé; eight great-grandchildren; one

Robert J. “Bob”

government at Connecticut College. He

sister-in-law; and nephews and nieces.

O’Connell, of Tolland,

later became president of the University

He was predeceased by one brother.

Connecticut, died on

of New Haven; as president emeritus,

Aug. 2, 2018, at 80. An

he taught national security policy in the

accounting major at

university’s Washington, D.C., program.

7, 2018, at 84. At

Edward J. Mays Edward J. “Ted” Mays, of Eatonton, Georgia, formerly of Oriental,

1957 John J. Kennedy, M.D.

on Aug. 24, 2018, at

John F. Kennedy

80. Mr. DeNardis

Reserve. His academic career began at

at Holy Cross.

1959 Robert J. O’Connell

Albertus Magnus College, where he was an associate professor and department chair; he was also a visiting professor of

Holy Cross, Mr. O’Connell graduated

Mr. DeNardis’ career in government

North Carolina, died

John J. “Jack”

magna cum laude. He later received

included serving as a Connecticut state

on Aug. 26, 2018. Mr.

Kennedy, M.D., of

a master’s degree in education from

senator; delegate at state and national

Mays graduated from Holy Cross

Belle Isle, Florida,

Harvard University. He worked as a

Republican conventions; and member

with a degree in economics. He had

died on Aug. 30,

history teacher and sailing instructor,

of the U.S. House of Representatives. He

a sock business at the New Bern

2018, at 83. Dr.

living in Lakewood, Colorado; San

also served as acting assistant secretary

(North Carolina) Farmers Market for

Kennedy studied premed at Holy

Diego; and Tolland and Windham,

at the Department of Health and

many years. He is survived by his

Cross and graduated cum laude. He

Connecticut. He served the College

Human Services; member of the Board

wife, Virginia; four daughters; one

also graduated from Georgetown

as a class agent and was a member

of Regents of the National Library of

stepdaughter; one stepson; and 10

University Medical School. After

of the Varsity Club. Mr. O’Connell

Medicine; and official election observer

grandchildren.

his residency, he served in the U.S.

is survived by his wife of 29 years,

for the national parliamentary and

Navy and then practiced medicine

Margaret “Peg”; one brother, James J.

presidential elections in Ukraine and

in Orlando; he later became the first

O’Connell, M.D., ’63, three sisters and

Tanzania; as well as other leadership

board-certified gastroenterologist

their spouses; one daughter, four sons

and board positions. Mr. DeNardis

Col. Robert J. “Jerry”

in Central Florida. Dr. Kennedy is

and their spouses; one stepson, three

participated in ROTC at Holy Cross;

Mellody, USAF

survived by his wife of 58 years,

stepdaughters and their spouses; and

he was a member of the O’Callahan

(Ret.), of Scottsville,

Charline; five children and their

13 grandchildren. He was predeceased

Society and affiliated with Naval ROTC.

New York, died on

spouses; seven grandsons; one

by his mother and his father, Enos J.

He served the College as a class agent

Aug. 14, 2018, at 83. After graduating

brother, one sister-in-law and their

O’Connell, M.D., ’30; his stepmother;

and member of the Class Reunion

from Holy Cross with a degree in

four children; and one sister-in-

one sister; one brother; and two sons.

Committee; he also supported Crusader

industrial relations, Mr. Mellody was

law and her four children. He was

commissioned in the U.S. Air Force.

predeceased by his brother, Paul A.

He served as a fighter pilot, and then

Kennedy Jr., M.D., ’53.

Col. Robert J. Mellody, USAF (Ret.)

transitioned into the Strategic Air Command (SAC) and became a B-52

Warren A. Kingman Jr.

James O. Vosseller III

Athletics. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Mary Lou; one daughter,

James O. “Jim”

three sons and their spouses; and five

Vosseller III, of

grandchildren.

Jacksonville, Florida,

John R. Dingeman

instructor pilot and commanding

Warren A. Kingman

died on July 16,

officer of the 20th Bombardment

Jr., of Bradenton,

2018, at 80. An

Squadron at Carswell AFB, Texas.

Florida, died on

economics major at Holy Cross, Mr.

of Oxford, England,

He completed two tours of duty

July 13, 2017. He is

Vosseller participated in ROTC, the

and Detroit, died in

in Vietnam, and later served as air

survived by his wife

student newspaper and the radio

September 2017. A

station, WCHC. Upon graduating,

poet, Mr. Dingeman

attaché at the U.S. Embassy in The

of 60 years, Carole; and family.

John R. Dingeman,

IN MEMORIAM / 85

IN MEMORIAM studied English literature at Holy Cross.

Robert G. Medcalf

President's Council, Class Reunion

Princeton University. He held positions

Committee and career advisor network;

in the National Institute of General

1968 Timothy J. Ahearn

he also served as a class agent and

Medical Sciences, the Institute of

Timothy J. Ahearn, of

Robert G. Medcalf, of

regional club career counselor. He is

Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the

Wallkill, New York,

Westhampton, New

survived by his wife, Anne; two sons,

National Institute of Dental Research.

died on Aug. 1, 2018,

York, died on June 8,

Scott V. Booth '91 and Matthew E. Booth

Mr. Gartland is survived by his wife of

at 72. An economics

2018.

'93; one daughter; three sisters; five

37 years, Margaret.

Patrick J. Sullivan, M.D. Patrick J. “Pat” Sullivan, M.D., of

grandchildren, including Mara C. Booth '22; and friends.

Thomas F. Hogarty

1964 Paul E. Brunell

major at Holy Cross, Mr. Ahearn also graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. He worked as a law clerk for two New York

Paul E. Brunell, of

State Supreme Court justices, and later

Chicago, died on July

Thomas F. “Tom”

Euharlee, Georgia,

practiced law for over 20 years. He

11, 2018. Dr. Sullivan

Hogarty, of Reston,

died on July 24, 2015. A

served in the U.S. Air Force. Mr. Ahearn

studied classics and

Virginia, died on Aug.

history major at Holy

was a member of the Holy Cross

premed at Holy Cross; he graduated

23, 2018, at 78. Mr.

Cross, Mr. Brunell was

Lawyers Association, career advisor

cum laude. A graduate of Northwestern

Hogarty graduated

a captain in the U.S. Air Force before

network and Parents for the Class of

Medical School, Brooks School of

from Holy Cross with a degree in

becoming an international human

2007. He is survived by two daughters,

Aerospace Medicine and Loyola

economics; he received his Ph.D. in

resources executive with Mobile

including Bridget C. Ahearn ’07; one

University School of Law, he was a

economics from the State University

Oil, National Cash Register and The

son-in-law; three granddaughters; one

flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force and

of New York at Buffalo. He worked for

Walt Disney Company. He served on

sister; and one niece.

held the rank of captain. Later, he was

American Petroleum Institute; and

the compensation committee of the

an assistant professor and internist

during his career as an economist,

International Foreign Trade Counsel

in private practice at Northwestern

he also worked for the Senate Budget

and as a teacher and speaker for the

Wayne P. Johnson, of

University School of Medicine and

Committee, General Accounting Office,

International Foundation of Employee

Hooksett, formerly

Northwestern Memorial Hospital for

Senate Anti-trust Subcommittee

Benefits. Mr. Brunell is survived by his

of Nashua and

43 years. He was a member of the Holy

and the Federal Trade Commission.

wife of 29 years, Linda; two sons; and

Hampton Beach,

Cross Lawyers Association. Dr. Sullivan

In addition, he taught economics at

his brother, John D. Brunell '68.

is survived by his wife, Nancy; four

Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois

sons, including Robert R. Sullivan '89,

University. Mr. Hogarty is survived by

two daughters and their spouses; four

his wife of 53 years, Margaret “Marge”;

grandchildren; two sisters; one brother-

two sons; two daughters-in-law; and

Peter T. Larmour, of

his master’s degree in education from

in-law; one sister-in-law; and nieces

four grandchildren.

Claverack, New York,

Antioch College. He was a history

died on Aug. 18, 2018,

teacher for more than three decades

at 73. Mr. Larmour

at Manchester (New Hampshire)

studied history and

High School West. Mr. Johnson is

and nephews. He was predeceased by one brother.

1961 Clark V. Booth

1966 Peter T. Larmour

John P. McGuinness John P. “Jack”

Wayne P. Johnson

New Hampshire, died on Aug. 16, 2018, at 72. After graduating from Holy Cross with a degree in history, Mr. Johnson earned

McGuinness, of Hobe

political science at Holy Cross. He also

survived by his wife of 48 years, Mary;

Sound, Florida, died

attended the University of Hawaii,

three daughters, including Christine

Clark V. Booth, of New

on July 13, 2018,

where he served in the U.S. Navy. He

J. Monahan ’99; two sons-in-law,

Smyrna Beach, Florida,

at 79. An English

spent his career teaching science. Mr.

including Daniel P. Monahan ’00; five

formerly of Reading,

major at Holy Cross, Mr. McGuinness

Larmour was a member of the College’s

grandchildren; one brother; three

Massachusetts, died

earned a master’s degree in library

1843 Society, O’Callahan Society, Class

sisters; many nieces and nephews; and

on July 27, 2018, at

science at Simmons College. Most

Reunion Committee and career advisor

friends.

79. At Holy Cross, Mr. Booth majored

of his professional life, he worked

network; he was also affiliated with

in English and minored in history

in insurance in Auburn, Grafton

Naval ROTC. He is survived by two

and philosophy. He served in the U.S.

and Falmouth, Massachusetts.

brothers; and one sister.

Army Reserves for six years before

He supported the College as a

beginning his career as a renowned

HCAA regional club president. Mr.

Boston print and broadcast journalist,

McGuinness is survived by his wife,

Michael T. McManus,

covering sports, news and features

Elizabeth; three daughters; one

of Fitchburg,

for 55 years. He began the newspaper

daughter’s spouse; four grandchildren;

Massachusetts, died

Mr. Thurston was a member of the

part of his career at The Patriot Ledger

two brothers, including Paul E.

on July 10, 2018, at

Holy Cross Lawyers Association.

in Quincy, Massachusetts, and he

McGuinness '62, and their spouses;

74. At Holy Cross, Mr.

He is survived by his wife, Joan;

continued to write columns for print

two sisters; one sister-in-law;

McManus was an English major and

one daughter; one son-in-law; two

publications, including The (Boston)

and numerous grandnieces and

a member of the Glee Club. He was

sisters-in-law; two brothers-in-law;

Pilot and the Dorchester Reporter, for

grandnephews. He was predeceased by

employed as a state social worker in

and many nieces and nephews. He was

decades. He spent 10 years reporting

one brother; and one nephew.

the Fitchburg office for many years. He

predeceased by three siblings.

for WBZ-TV, Channel 4, before working 25 years at WCVB-TV, Channel 5, as a correspondent specializing in sports,

1962 William J. Gartland Jr.

Michael T. McManus

is survived by one brother; six sisters;

John R. Thurston John R. Thurston, of Marshfield, Massachusetts, died on July 21, 2018, at 72. An attorney,

one sister’s significant other; his late

1970 Albert F. Fleury Jr., M.D.

one sister-in-law; one brother-in-law;

religion, politics and international

William J. “Bill”

brother’s significant other; and many

Albert F. Fleury Jr., M.D., of Chevy

affairs. In addition, he moderated “In

Gartland Jr., of

nieces, nephews, great-nieces and

Chase, Maryland, died on July 13, 2018.

Good Faith,” a weekly public affairs

Gaithersburg,

great-nephews, including Kathleen E.

Dr. Fleury was a psychology major

program, and was chief writer for a

Maryland, died on

Moylan '87. He was predeceased by two

at Holy Cross. He is survived by his

Boston College TV documentary team

July 17, 2018, at 77.

brothers; and one sister. His father was

wife, Marianne “Mimi”; three sons

that produced shows about conflict

A chemistry major at Holy Cross,

the late John L. McManus '25; and his

and their spouses; his mother; five

resolution. Mr. Booth supported Holy

Mr. Gartland received his M.A. and

brother-in-law was the late Edward L.

grandchildren; and six brothers, sisters

Cross as a member of the 1843 Society,

Ph.D. degrees in biochemistry from

Mahoney '62.

and their spouses and children.

8 6 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 201 9

Peter B. Longobardi Peter B. Longobardi, of Franklin,

Massachusetts, died on Sept. 6, 2014,

later, working in private practice in

San Francisco and Austin. He played

at 63.

Topsfield, Massachusetts. He worked

baseball at the College, and later was

for many years handling family

a member of the Varsity Club and

law matters in the Essex Probate

career advisor network. Mr. Pflum is

Massachusetts, died

Dennis A. McCormack

on June 29, 2018, at

Dennis A. McCormack, of West

and Family Court as well as the

survived by two children; his children’s

70. Mr. Longobardi

Hartford, Connecticut, died on July 16,

Massachusetts Juvenile Court. He was

mother; his mother; one brother; and

studied economics at Holy Cross and

2018, at 66. An English major at Holy

a member of the Holy Cross Lawyers

two sisters.

graduated cum laude. He earned his

Cross, Mr. McCormack participated in

Association. Mr. Cuffe is survived by

MBA from Columbia University and was

cross-country and track. A graduate of

his wife of 40 years, Kathryn L. “Cathy”

FRIENDS

a co-owner of the family-run Medway

the University of Connecticut School

Cuffe '77; two brothers and their wives;

A. Augustine Andolfo, brother of

Lumber and Home Supply Company

of Law, he practiced law for more than

one brother-in-law and his wife; two

Tom Andolfo ’73; Olive S. Berg,

for over 40 years. He is survived by his

40 years, ending his career with Quinn

nieces; and many cousins, extended

formerly of public affairs (now College

twin brother and his wife; one sister;

& Quinn in Hartford. He was also

family, friends and colleagues.

marketing and communications);

six nieces and nephews; and 12 great-

mentor and coach to many runners at

nieces and great-nephews.

Northwest Catholic High School and

John F. Madaio

Constance Cullen, wife of Robert J. Cullen '53; Hugh C. Doherty, father of

the University of Hartford. He was a

John F. Madaio,

Martin Doherty ’76; Daniel F. Doyle

member of the College’s career advisor

of Paxton,

51; Catherine Driscoll, formerly of

Robert J. “Bob”

network, Varsity Club, Class Reunion

Massachusetts, died

Advancement; Sherill A. Duggan,

Madruga, of Gloucester,

Committee and Holy Cross Lawyers

on Aug. 13, 2018, at 63.

mother of Elizabeth Duggan ’90 and

Massachusetts, died

Association; he was also an admissions

Mr. Madaio graduated

Brian Duggan ’96; Eunice Groark,

on July 11, 2018, at

advisor. Mr. McCormack is survived by

from Holy Cross with a degree in

wife of Thomas Groark Jr. ’58; Drusilla

69. A history major at

his wife, Magda; one son; one daughter-

political science, before studying law

A. Haran, wife of John T. Haran

Holy Cross, Mr. Madruga participated

in-law; two sisters; one brother-in-

at Loyola University in New Orleans,

Jr. ’70; Dante Libatique, father of

in ROTC; he served as a lieutenant

law; and one sister-in-law. He was

where he earned his Juris Doctorate.

Daniel Libatique '10 of the classics

in the U.S. Navy for six years during

predeceased by one sister.

He began his career as a law clerk in

department and Danielle Libatique

Alexandria, Louisiana, and then worked

'12; Phyllis T. Mangan, formerly of

as an assistant district attorney in

health services; Josephine Mascolo,

Worcester County; he later entered

mother of Judith Mascolo '80 and

Robert J. Madruga

the Vietnam War, for which he was awarded several medals and honors, including the Vietnam Service Medal

1976 Robert W. Norris

and The Presidential Unit Citation for

Robert W. “Bob”

private practice as a defense attorney.

grandmother of Allegra Le '16 and

Extraordinary Heroism. After being

Norris, of Washington,

He was a member of the Holy Cross

Gianna Le '19; Marina Q. McDonagh,

honorably discharged, he earned a Juris

D.C., died on Aug. 12,

Lawyers Association. Mr. Madaio is

wife of James McDonagh ’81; Buel

Doctor degree from Suffolk University

2018, at 64. Mr. Norris

survived by his wife of 32 years, Susan;

G. McQuay Jr. 73; Edwin S. Miranda,

Law School. After working for a few

graduated from Holy

two daughters; one daughter’s fiancé;

father of Damaris P. Miranda ’84;

years at the IRS, he started a private law

Cross with a degree in biology; he also

two brothers; several brothers- and

Shirley Parsons, mother of Karen

practice in Gloucester, where he worked

graduated from Catholic University

sisters-in-law; his father-in-law;

Parsons of environmental services,

for more than 30 years. He supported

Law School. After, he worked on the

two nieces; two nephews; and many

Thomas Parsons of graphic arts and

the College as a member of the Holy

campaign of U.S. Rep. Barney Frank

cousins. He was predeceased by his

Robert Parsons of environmental

Cross Lawyers Association and the

and then worked for him once he was

parents; one sister; his mother-in-law;

services, mother-in-law of Arlene

O’Callahan Society; he was affiliated with

elected. Later, he established N/K

and one brother-in-law.

Parsons ’87 and grandmother of Brady

Naval ROTC. Mr. Madruga is survived by

Associates, a political consultancy

his wife of 34 years, June; his children

agency. He then worked with various

and their spouses and companions; his

politically oriented agencies, consulting

ex-son-in-law; eight grandchildren; his

and working to promote social change;

Victor L. Fortin III, of

Gorka of dining services; M. Robert

“sister” Jean Madruga; his mother-in-

he also took part in election monitoring

South Glastonbury,

Revelli 58; Joseph R. Riegler 57;

law; and numerous family members.

in several foreign countries. Mr. Norris

formerly of Bloomfield,

Gerard R. and Marie Roche, parents

He was predeceased by his parents; his

was a member of the Holy Cross

Connecticut, died on

of Anne E. Roche 84; Michael Ryan,

first wife, Elizabeth “Reb”; his brother;

Lawyers Association and the GLBTQ

June 29, 2018, at 61.

father of Tim Ryan of student affairs

his son; his father-in-law; and his very

Alumni Network. He is survived by his

An economics major at Holy Cross,

housing; Robert M. Shields Sr., father

special nephew.

husband, Aris; four siblings and their

Mr. Fortin earned a master’s degree in

of Robert M. Shields Jr. ’73; Dorothy C.

spouses; five nieces and nephews; two

accounting at Northeastern University

Tinsley, wife of the late Hon. Joseph M.

step-siblings and their spouses; his

and went on to pursue a career in

Tinsley ’38, mother of David N. Tinsley

mother-in-law; his father-in-law; one

accounting and finance. He is survived

’69 and Marjorie (Tinsley) Ursoleo ’77

Daniel J. “Dan”

brother-in-law, two sisters-in-law and

by three children; one brother; one

and grandmother of Valerie Landry

Kerwin, of Attleboro,

their families; one aunt and her partner;

sister-in-law; one son-in-law; three

Taylor ’93, Brendan J. King ’94, Patrick

Massachusetts,

and many friends.

grandchildren; one nephew; and

C. Tinsley ’98, Brett T. King ’99, Daniel

extended family.

C. Tinsley ’01 and Michael C. Tinsley

1972 Daniel J. Kerwin

formerly of Shaker

1978 Victor L. Fortin III

Parsons ’16, Teagan J. Parsons ’17, Dara R. Parsons ’19 and Sean Alger of dining services; Jan Rebis, father of Margaret

on July 19, 2018. Mr. Kerwin studied

1977 Brian T. Cuffe

history at Holy Cross. He is survived

Brian T. Cuffe, of Newburyport,

by three siblings and their spouses; and

Massachusetts, died on July 21, 2018,

William J. Pflum, of

many nieces, nephews and friends. He

at 62. Mr. Cuffe studied classics and

Austin, Texas, died on

was predeceased by his parents; and

played soccer at Holy Cross. He

Aug. 3, 2018, at 58. An

in the next issue

two siblings.

received his law degree from New

economics major at

At press time, Holy Cross Magazine

England Law School and was an

Holy Cross, Mr. Pflum

learned of the passing of Rev. Philip

Heights, Ohio, died

1973 Richard P. Hecker Richard P. Hecker, of Gloucester,

1982 William J. Pflum

’07; Anthony G. Venincasa 54; Robert M. Walsh Jr. 55; Alan Ward, father of Stephanie Ward ’79; Rev. Robert J. Welsh, S.J., Hon. ’95.

attorney for more than 30 years,

graduated cum laude. He worked in

Rule, S.J., professor emeritus of

starting his career at Shafner Keating

sales and development in the computer

English, on Nov. 14, 2018. A full obituary

and Cuffe in Lynn, Massachusetts, and,

software industry in New York City,

will appear in the Spring 2019 issue. ■

IN MEMORIAM / 87

ARTIFACT

The Plan for a Holy Cross Without Fenwick and O’Kane

I

t’s nearly impossible to imagine Mount St. James without the iconic spires of Fenwick and O’Kane halls, but that’s exactly what a 1955 master plan predicted — and argued was inevitable.

A Dec. 15, 1955, story published in The Crusader outlines the campus’ future via a master plan devised by architect Cornelius W. Buckley ’29 and presented to the public by Rev.

William A. Donaghy, S.J., the College’s 27th president (19541960).

“It is necessary,” Fr. Donaghy said, “to have a specific plan for all future building if the campus is to have any proportion.” The article stated the “dream campus” would “be cruciform with the main axis along Linden Lane to the chapel, and the minor axis from Kimball Hall to

Dinand Library.” With nothing beyond Dinand, save for the already 8-year-old Field House, this proposal would have eliminated today’s upper campus, which has been home to the majority of new construction for past decades.

Under the eye-catching statement “O’Kane Will Tumble,” the article explained why the College’s most famous buildings would not see much of the 21st century. “These buildings contain no steel, and as Fr. Donaghy put it, ‘we have to face the reality that they won’t stand forever,’” wrote author Bill Kennedy ’58. “We do expect them to last for another fifty or sixty years,

however.” The plan called for Fenwick and O’Kane to be replaced by two residence halls and an administration building (numbers 9, 10 and 11).

The article noted a student union was “the most pressing need.” “The natural location for the structure would be the area between Kimball Hall and Fitton Field,” Fr. Donaghy said. It would include “a gymnasium, student recreation facilities and probably either a swimming pool or a skating rink.” Also slated to be built near the proposed student union — a new field house. The plan called for the Field House to be replaced by an “intramural

Architect Cornelius W. Buckley ’29’s 1955 vision of the Holy Cross campus of the future: 1 proposed residence hall; 2 proposed faculty residence; 3 Alumni Hall; 4 St. Joseph Memorial Chapel and proposed cloistered walk; 5 and 6 Hanselman and Lehy halls; 7 proposed residence hall; 8 Kimball Hall; 9 and 10 proposed residence halls; 11 proposed administration building; 12 Carlin Hall; 13 proposed residence hall; 14 Dinand Library; 15 proposed residence hall; 16 Wheeler Hall; 17 Beaven Hall; 18 proposed residence hall; 19 intramural gym; 20 proposed science building; 21 “Biology Building” (O’Neil Hall); 22 site of proposed field house and student union building. As the original caption noted: “The plan foresees the eventual razing of Fenwick and O’Kane.”

8 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 201 9

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should not exceed 250 words and must pertain to items in the two most recent issues. All letters are subject to editorial approval, and some may appear online.

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However, despite a student union being viewed as a priority, that didn’t mean it would be built first due to “the increasing need for science facilities.” According to the article, “a new science building is proposed, modeled after the Biology Building (editor’s note: You know the “Biology Building” as O’Neil Hall; it was renamed in 1959). A new science building would be located between Biology (O’Neil) and the Field House. Both the science building and the student union are planned for the near future.”

The “student union” arrived 12 years later in the form of Hogan Campus Center, notably on the opposite end of campus from the plan and beyond the proposed map. The “science building” would be realized in 1959 as Haberlin Hall, named after Monsignor Richard J.

Haberlin, class of 1906, former vicar-general of the Archdiocese of Boston and president of the College’s then General Alumni Association at the time of his death. Swords Hall would follow in 1985 and Smith Laboratories in 2009, with the entire Integrated Science Complex opening in 2010.

The article noted: “The new campus is a long-range project.

Although work may begin within a few years, Fr. Donaghy noted that all of the proposed buildings will not be completed ‘in my lifetime and perhaps not in yours.’”

For a further description of Fr. Donaghy’s building plans and more history behind them, see Pages 323-324 in “Thy Honored Name: A History of the College of the Holy Cross (1843-1994)”

by Rev. Anthony J. Kuzniewski, S.J. ■

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Attorney Jason Hernandez ’07 (here in front of Philadelphia City Hall) helps immigrant and undocumented students enrolled at Rutgers University reach for the American dream by representing them in immigration matters in his cutting-edge role at the school. Read about Hernandez in The Profile on Page 74.

afrik armando