Holy Cross Magazine - Spring 2021

WINTER TTWO SPRING WO THOUSAND THOUSAND TTWENT WENTYY-ONE ONE

VOLUME FIFTY-FIVE / NUMBER TWO

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pastor president the

as

How Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., combined leadership and Jesuit values to transform Holy Cross for generations.

A L SO I N THI S I SS U E

B Y M A U R A S U L L I VA N H I L L

Record Gift Supercharges Financial Aid

PAG E 44

What It’s Like Living At An Empty Holy Cross

PAG E 50

Alumni Form Grassroots Anti-Racism Alliance

PAG E 70

FROM THE PRESIDENT

God Will Guide Us Into Brighter Days Ahead

W

e recently marked a full year since all of our lives were radically changed by what we now know is a pandemic. Last spring, we moved all classes to a distance-learning format,

H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

cancelled all campus events and required students to move out of their residence halls within the course of a few days.

We did not know at that time what the future would hold or the course this new virus would take, but I doubt that any of us thought that it would last this long.

In the past month, I have found myself reflecting often on this past year. It has had a profound impact on all of us, as individuals and families, as a College community and as a nation. We have experienced anxiety and uncertainty; we have dealt with sickness and the death of loved ones; we have continued to grapple with broader issues of racism, equality and justice in society; and we have discerned how we are being called to reflection

Fr. Boroughs talks with students outside the Hogan Campus Center during an outdoor gathering this spring.

On a more personal level, we have lost the ability to celebrate milestones, holidays and liturgies with loved ones in ways we had previously taken for granted. We have also lost the small things — the ease of taking a walk or heading out of the house without remembering a mask, meeting a friend for coffee, visiting grandchildren or going to see a movie. Our former sense of normalcy and community has been uprooted, and I find myself and those I encounter (virtually) feeling it profoundly, especially when we layer “pandemic fatigue” on top of the cold darkness of winter.

The pandemic has also upended the lives of our whole campus community, and I am incredibly grateful to our faculty and staff, each of whom has made sacrifices this year for the greater good of the College and our community. Every one of them has endured dramatic changes to the way they work in order to support our students. Our students have sacrificed their usual ways of gathering with friends on The Hill and have missed out on beloved traditions like Move-In Day, fall football and basketball games, and the 100 Days Ball.

and action. We watched in horror a siege upon our Capitol in Washington, D.C., which was not only an attack on democracy itself, but led to the deaths of five people. We have witnessed continued violence and hate against individuals because of their skin color, country of origin, gender, religion — because of their very identities. As I write this, we have experienced two devastating shootings in the past two weeks, which took 16 lives.

AVANELL CHANG

We were all overjoyed to be able to return to campus this spring semester, and even with a range of restrictions on how we live and go to class, we are finding new ways to gather and build community this semester. We have erected a skating rink, set up fire pits and invited food trucks to campus to allow students spaces in which to safely socialize. We recently held our annual Innovation Challenge, during which 11 teams pitched ideas for safe socializing and building community on campus during the pandemic. We plan to implement some of their creative ideas this semester.

delighted to see daffodils making their annual appearance. On one of our first warm days a couple weeks ago, I hosted students on the Hoval, where members of my executive team gave away cookies and Holy Cross masks.

It was so good to be together, to talk to each other in person and to see our campus come to life. Those two hours were energizing for all of us and were a harbinger of even warmer days to come. A few days ago, because of the generosity of a benefactor, we were able to distribute purple folding camp chairs to the entire student body to enable socially distanced outdoor conversations and gatherings. Again, the students were delighted at such practical generosity.

There is more light ahead with the continuing vaccine rollout. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that grandparents who have been vaccinated can safely visit with their families, and we look forward to gathering safely with family and friends this summer.

While we must still be cautious and carefully watch new variants of the virus, hopefully we are emerging from our homes into the sunlight. As we liturgically celebrate the Easter season, we rejoice in Jesus’ promise of new life in our lives here and in our life to come. Our loving God has been with us in the darkness of winter and pandemic, and now will guide us into brighter days ahead. Let us pray to be open to new ways of seeing and engaging each other and our world — something that the challenging experiences of the past year have given us. And let us work together to promote greater justice, understanding and community with those most affected so that our lived faith might truly make a difference. ■ Sincerely,

After a snowy winter, spring has arrived on campus. The days are longer, the weather has been warmer and our students have been embracing the opportunity to socialize outdoors. I am particularly

Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J.

President

G O D W I L L G U I D E U S I N T O B R I G H T E R D A Y FS RAOHME AT D H E/ PF RR EOSMI DTEHNET P/ ROE PS EI DN EI N G T / 1

HOLY CROSS MAGAZINE

SPRING 2021 / VOLUME 55 / NUMBER 2

Jason Erichsen, a biology department research associate, holds a dark-eyed junco near Ciampi Hall. Ornithology students captured birds in mist nets in order to collect physiological and morphological information, and placed aluminum bands around their legs for future captures and tracking.

“The Jesuits stocked their feeders well this past winter, so there are lots of fat and happy juncoes dancing around their yard,” notes Sean Williams, visiting assistant professor of biology.

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93

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82

58

22 PHOTOS BY AVANELL CHANG ( TOP LEFT / 26 / 93 )

HCM TEA M

MELISSA SHAW Editor

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STEPHEN ALBANO Art Director / Designer

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AVANELL CHANG Multimedia Producer

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 2 4 8 9

From the President Table of Contents Dear HCM, Editor’s Note Who We Are / Contributors

10 Campus Notebook 10 Snapshot 12 Spotlight 13 On The Hill 18 Faculty & Staff 18 Creative Spaces 20 Headliners 24 Syllabus 26 Features

26 An Uncommon Balance Friends, family, colleagues and peers reflect on how Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., combined Jesuit values and practical leadership during his nine-year presidency that transformed Holy Cross for generations.

44 How Agnes Williams’ Passion for Holy Cross Will Change the Lives of Generations Her $23.5 million gift funds transformational Hope + Access Campaign for Financial Aid.

38 Alicia Molt-West ’09 Takes Lessons from Golf, Politics and the Jesuits to the White House As special assistant to President Joe Biden and House legislative affairs liaison, Molt-West joins the new administration ready to put people first.

50 Long-Term Occupancy Unable to travel home following the COVID-19 outbreak, students share what it was like living through a historic world event while residing on an empty Holy Cross campus.

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

56 Sports 56 Go Cross Go 58 Remembering Jack “The Shot” Foley 62 Alumni News 62 Mystery Photo 64 HCAA News 68 Creative Notes 69 Solved Photo 70 Alumni News 72 For and With Others 76 Class Notes 82 Milestones 84 In Memoriam 95 Ask More / How To Reach Us 96 Examine

FACEBOOK / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM / LINKEDIN / ISSUU

@collegeoftheholycross

college-of-the-holy-cross

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CONTACT US Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., stands in front of the Thomas P. Joyce ’59 Contemplative Center, one of several buildings funded by the recordbreaking Become More campaign — a hallmark of his nine-year presidency.

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TA B L E O F CO N T EN TS / 3

DEAR HCM, Topics like wearing masks early

humanities and sciences: Latin

on, achieving herd immunity

at Boston Latin, classics and

with vaccine, the World Health

premed at Holy Cross, followed

Organization not owning

by dentistry and then interna-

up to China’s role in COVID,

tional health. And it was at Holy

and trusting that American

Cross where I was exposed

citizens don’t have to always

not just to the humanities,

be manipulated by the public

but also to the Jesuits, each of

health world are issues I did not

which had a hand in instilling

always feel were spoken to with

a sense of abiding purpose.

clarity by Dr. Fauci. I felt that he

That purpose came home to me

was baited by the press many

many years later when a Jesuit

times trying to get answers it

educator tracked me down at a

wanted and not true facts. All

flyspeck clinic in South America

of us would struggle with this

and asked me: “What are you

challenge of speaking to the

doing for God today?” It was a

truth about public health in this

moment of epiphany. I came to

political correctness world we

understand magis – to strive to

live in.

work for humankind, and in so doing, to work for God.

I love and respect Dr. Fauci as a scientist and role model of what

That high calling comes across

a Holy Cross graduate is. A good

clearly in Marybeth Reilly-

read.

McGreen’s article. Dr. Fauci, fortified early by his Holy Cross Paul A. Ruozzi ’73

Norton, Massachusetts

education, has now for almost four decades doggedly served us, and in so doing, exemplifies

Praise for Fauci

York and academic drive to

I love receiving Holy Cross

succeed is inspiring.

Magazine! Hooray for Dr. Fauci

our credo ad majorem dei Kudos to Dr. Fauci, a true

gloriam.

American patriot. May his

and Holy Cross (“I Mean, Is

His long years of service

comments and this article lay

Robert Emmet

This Really Happening?” Winter

as the face of science

to rest the perennial question

Morris, D.D.S., ’65

2021, Page 34). Your recent

serving government is to

of young scholars coming to

cover was super. Many friends

be commended. The report

Holy Cross: “Why study the

enjoyed it also. The Jesuit

card for him, like all of us, is

humanities?”

education resounds in family

not perfect on COVID; it has

and professional life of every

challenged science and all its

Let’s look at what Dr. Fauci said

article on Dr. Fauci. He is

graduate; its value affects many

experts. Sometimes long-

in the article: “[the humanities]

certainly a great credit to Holy

generations.

term service, especially in

are such an important part of

Cross.

government support roles, is

me as a physician–scientist

Continue the great work of

counterproductive. I don’t see

and public health figure ...

I suspect that you will hear from

producing such a valuable

the whole truth voiced in the

[they gave me] a feel for the

many alumni of the time about

magazine.

article by a science colleague of

nature of evolving civilizations

the picture of Fr. Busam. That

Dr. Fauci: “I think he’s going to

and how they related to each

certainly was not a cat being

stick it out because if he doesn’t

other ... And that triggered my

dissected. Fr. Busam only used

do it, there’s nobody else who

intense interest in global health

rabbits for the anatomy class.

can.” This comment does not

… And with that comes an

I’m sure I’m not the only one

match the humbleness of Dr.

understanding of the disparities

who immediately recognized

I enjoyed the last issue on

Fauci. Aren’t we all replaceable?

in the world ... If I wasn’t deeply

the picture of “Bunny” Busam

Dr. Anthony Fauci and found

Lengthy service breeds

entrenched in the humanities, I

and had to look at the caption

his story a true Holy Cross

familiarity with a process that

might be a little bit cold and not

below to remember that his real

fulfillment of the mission as I

needs the input of new ideas

fully appreciate how important

name was Joseph!

know it — men and women for

and thoughts from new faces of

it was to address those things.”

others and caring for the entire

science.

Clare Ryan W58

Utica, New York

person. His early life in New

4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

South Boston, Massachusetts

Thank you for the excellent

Gene Lariviere ’61 My education, too, melded

Sun Lakes, Arizona

I really enjoyed the Winter 2021

Doughton, the latter being an

handed and left-handed – from

was removed, bleeding from

issue of Holy Cross Magazine.

off-campus roommate and

deep in either corner of the

both nostrils. Iconic trainer

friend during my senior year at

court. Then, of course, there

Bill Samko stuffed Tom’s nose

Holy Cross.

were those patented line drive

with wadded cotton. Five times

jump shots that somehow went

up and down the court and

I don’t know Dr. Anthony Fauci, other than how the whole world now knows our most

In short, the people who have

in quite regularly. That was the

Heinsohn collapsed, unable to

famous scientist and truth-

and will traverse Mount Saint

Tommy Heinsohn I knew, the

breathe. The din grew louder.

telling hero. How perfect it is

James will always be my

one who filled my elementary

that you reminded us of who he

extended family.

and high school years with

Upon removal of the repairs

basketball magic – and eight

and his return, Tom went to

NBA championships along the

work. With drives, jumpers,

way.

hooks and rebounds, he tore up

was at Holy Cross and all that he has accomplished with his

Jeffrey R. Gould ’77

Boston

Jesuit education. He makes us Crusaders proud every day.

the Elis for 44 points and the Big T from Holy Cross was

silence was deafening.

I also loved and appreciated

Great edition on Tony Fauci

inducted into Johnny Most’s

the kind obituary for my

and Tom Heinsohn! Holy Cross

pantheon of Celtics gods,

friend, mentor and colleague,

ranked 18th in the Washington

larger-than-life heroes like The

P. Michael “Mike” Saint ’71,

Monthly listing of top liberal

Colonel, Dynamite Don, Big

of Franklin, Tennessee, who

arts colleges. We’re in good

Bill, Jungle Jim, Rapid Robert,

died in September 2020 (“In

company!

Leapin’ Larry, KC, Slippery

Kimball

Sam, Satch, Wide Clyde and,

I loved “Bring Kimball to Your

of course, Jarrin’ John, the

Kitchen” (Winter 2021, Page 22).

and his land use company, The

Bouncin’ Buckeye from Ohio

I’ve often thought back to the

Saint Consulting Group, for 18

State.

many meals that I had in that

Memoriam,” Page 93). As an

Chris Matthews ’67

attorney, I represented Mike

Chevy Chase, Maryland

William Hynes ’60

Holden, Massachusetts

years. Mike was a dear friend

Big T From Holy Cross

who no doubt hired me in part

Your ode to Tommy Heinsohn

Other great ones would come

Italian chicken fingers from

because of our shared alma

brings back memories of

later, but these were the

the late ’90s ... got a recipe for

mater.

my high school years, when

players, during those Celtics

those? (e d i to r ’ s n ot e We

Heinsohn thrilled me game

golden years of unheard

checked with dining services

In addition, Billy McEntee

after game as a member of the

domination in professional

and they were a purchased

wrote a beautiful story about

great Celtics championship

sports, who 60 years ago night

product no longer made.)

Mike’s brother, David Saint

teams (“Remembering Tom

after night — listening on my

’75, the prolific stage director,

Heinsohn ’56,” Winter 2021,

little blue transistor radio —

One Kimball memory that

producer and protege of

Page 62). But to me he will

provided me with the sense

always makes me smile is

theatre legend Arthur Laurents

always be “Big T from Holy

that all was right with the world

thinking back to the wall of

(“The Long Intermission,”

Cross.” I wonder if that

and that some good things

cereals. When my brothers

Page 54). Among many roles

nickname assigned to him by

could always be counted on, as

(Brendan ’03 and Alex) came

at Fenwick Theatre, David’s

Johnny Most, the incomparable

I waited for Red to light up one

to visit for Siblings’ Weekends,

leading role in Moliere’s “The

Celtics announcer, had

more victory cigar. Thank you

they always lost their minds

Miser” his senior year was

anything to do with my

Big T from Holy Cross. Thank

with all of the choices that we

unforgettable; I was there in the

decision to attend The Cross in

you for a great ride.

were never allowed at home.

audience.

fall 1965?

dining hall. I always loved the

The hot food was great, but Paul Shannon ’69

Somerville, Massachusetts

they ignored that and always

Finally, I thoroughly

In 1966, Fr. Brooks was the

appreciated the article by Mary

resident priest on my floor in

Cunningham ’17, reviewing

Lehy (long before he would

the faculty film “Pakachoag:

become president) and we

It was the second game of

Thanks for a super feature. It

Where the River Bends,” which

spent endless hours sharing

his senior year at Yale and

served up a lot of memories.

explores the Indigenous and

expertise about the great

the Elis were howling. Their

environmental history of

Celtics. (Brooks was always

freshman star, Larry Downs,

Also, these issues keep getting

Holy Cross (“Faculty Film

incredibly generous with his

had just torn up our frosh in

better and better. Keep up the

Explores the Indigenous and

time and interest.) But by then

the prelim, tossing in 36 points.

good work. I love all of the

Environmental History of

Tommy had recently retired

Cries of “Downs is better than

diversity that you’re showing!

Holy Cross,” Page 28). A great

and we would never see

Heinsohn!” filled the gym.

film by Professor Sarah Luria

anything like it again: deadly

Early in the game, Tom took

Adam Cohn ’99

and senior lecturer Thomas

accurate hook shots – right-

an elbow to the nose and he

London

had bowls and bowls of the most bright-colored and sugary exotic options on display.

DEAR HCM / 5

DEAR HCM,

Bring Kimball to Your Kitchen Contest Winner

one of those lawyers. He is

each P.O. Box later that week.

honorable and a credit to the profession. I have been a trial

I made the Kimball Bakery

lawyer to the present and know

Magic Bars (above, right) for

of no one who has ever made a

Valentine’s Day weekend and

derogatory remark about Ken’s

they were a hit! Paired with a

honor or ability.

money had arrived. My father was a prolific letter writer and

Roger Boucher ’81, P.O. Box 80

North Andover, Massachusetts

his words of wisdom, love and support (which also admonished me to write to my mother) would always brighten my

I enjoyed the feature story

day and challenge me to reach

about the mailboxes at

for the stars. His letters would

I am glad you are honoring him

Hogan. It’s obvious that many

often fill the box, literally, as

and thought you might like to

alumni are attached to “their”

some of his handwritten let-

Michelle (Fox) Huaman ’97

have your decision applauded

mailboxes; that would include

ters on yellow legal pad paper

Westfield, New Jersey

by a working member of Ken’s

me. In the years before email

would exceed 20 pages. These

profession.

and cell phones, snail mail

letters, some of which I still

was the main conduit to

have, were lifesavers, written by

communicating with the world

a dad who like so many parents

beyond Worcester. While we did

sacrificed mightily to send their

the New Jersey Bar in 1966.

have telephones in our rooms

child to Holy Cross.

I have had the pleasure of

after 1971 (until then we were

coffee in my class of 1997 mug completed the treat.

A Worthy Recipient

A. John Blake ’63

Westfield, New Jersey

I graduated in 1963 and passed

knowing Ken Kunzman ’58

Mailbox Memories

limited to the public payphone

I will preserve them for my

almost from the start of my

I remember every mailbox

on Carlin 3), the costs of toll

children. It is difficult to convey

career (“The HCLA Recognizes

receiving a copy of Pope John

calls quickly added up and

the full impact and function

Two Outstanding Lawyers,”

Paul II’s homily (above, left)

broke the budget, so mail was

of that mailbox to current

Winter 2021, Page 70).

from his historic Youth Mass

the affordable option.

students; it was literally the

on Boston Common on Oct. 1,

communication lifeline for me

There are few lawyers who

1979. I believe it was the Holy

Countless trips were made to

and no doubt for many others.

deserve to have their word

Cross Knights of Columbus

check on whether promised

Your article gave me added

accepted at face value. Ken

who arranged to have the

care packages, letters, cards

perspective and brought home

has the distinction of being

homily printed and delivered to

and the occasional lifeline of

the realization that generations

6 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

(I seldom did) or run up and

I want to express my support

down the stairs.

and overwhelming joy for the exposé that was launched in

Mark Murray ’74, P.O. Box 1706

Newport News, Virginia

your Examine feature in the fall issue (“An Open Letter to the Class of 1970 — And All Crusaders,” Fall 2020, Page 92).

Thank you for the most recent

This piece by Art Martin

magazine issue, I loved so many

was profound as is the

of the stories you captured. It

effort to bring these types of

is probably one of my favorite

experiences to life.

issues in recent memory, so

of Holy Cross students made

box, I was reminded that my

use of the same mailbox. If

mailbox was 1706! The Boston

those mailboxes could talk,

postal stamp shows a mailing

what stories they could

date of Nov. 26, 1971.

I am seriously moved by Mr.

work, during a difficult time

Martin’s piece and see the

to produce such quality work.

need for Ignatian care and

Many thanks to you all for your

compassion in our world, today

dedication!

more than ever.

Miryam Burshan ’14, P.O. Box 278

Charles J. Herbert 80

Avon, Connecticut

Worcester

tell, with over 100 years of occupants each!

I thank you all for your hard

I eventually started playing the game by postal mail against

Erratum

people from all over the

Banjo Parties at HC

country. The game requires

I thoroughly enjoy every issue

the World What It Means to

the player to make alliances

of Holy Cross Magazine and

‘Fight Like a Girl’” (Winter

with other players in the game,

encourage you all to keep up

2021, Page 76) misspelled the

My “room block” friend, Brian

which required writing letters

the great stories regarding

name of Renata Palau ’22. The

Forts ’74, knew I liked to play

or post cards and receiving the

alumni such as Dr. Fauci. In

story “Holy Cross Welcomes 11

board games. He had a political

same. About every two or three

the most recent issue, you

Tenure-Track Faculty Members

science professor who had his

weeks, players would mail in

featured an article covering

for the 2020-21 Academic

class get together one night a

moves to the “boardmaster” for

Dick Sheridan ’56: Wow, did this

Year” (Winter 2021, Page 25)

semester to play a game called

the next turn. The boardmaster

bring back memories (“Prolific

inadvertently omitted Devin

“Diplomacy,” which purported

would resolve the results of

Ukulele Songbook Writer Keeps

Gouvêa, assistant professor of

to reflect the secret alliances

the moves and send out a

Classic Tunes From Fading Out

philosophy. Her story can be

that were made and broken in

mimeographed newsletter

Forever,” Winter 2021, Page 73).

read in this issue on Page 23.

the years leading up to World

magazine (or ’zine) publishing

War I. It is a seven-player

the results. I would often

Back in those wonderful

game with no dice and with

go to my mailbox in excited

college days, I sang the tunes

simultaneous movement for all

anticipation of a letter, post

while Dick played the banjo.

seven opponents.

card or gaming ’zine to get

In fact, informally we called

We Want Your Letters!

Bill McGovern ’74, P.O. Box 1483

Andover, New Jersey

The story “Vanecko Shows

Holy Cross Magazine regrets the errors. ■

good or bad news on whether

them Beer and Banjo parties;

Whether it is a response to

I was a math/econ major, but

I had made the right alliances

of course, a few beers added to

something you read, Mystery

joined Brian’s class for a night

and moves in the game. It

the enjoyment. We’d sing until

Photo identification, Milestones

of gaming. In retrospect, none

would take about two years to

we wore out the banjo and the

submission or a story idea,

of us played the game well, but

finish a game by postal mail.

beverages were gone. Thank you

drop us a line!

I got hooked, bought the game,

I now play online with people

and stay warm up on The Hill.

and have been playing on and

from all over the world and

off for nearly 50 years. I did not

it takes about two months to

remember my mailbox number,

complete a game. I also dream

but I realized I still had the box

about going to my Hogan

the game (above) came in when

mailbox; I go to see if I have

I ordered it from a company

any new gaming letters or

called Games Research Inc.

’zines. Sometimes I can’t decide

in Boston. Checking the game

whether to take the elevator

WRITE Norb Zahm ’59

Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Holy Cross Magazine One College Street Worcester, MA

The Need for Ignatian Care and Compassion Today

01610-2395

EMAIL hcmag@holycross.edu

DEAR HCM / 7

EDITOR’S NOTE

WHO WE ARE Jo and the arts center, the area probably would have been silent, too. I remember the time I was waiting for the elevator on Hogan 3, the doors opened and a person was there. I startled; it had been that long since I saw someone in the elevator.

A Quiet Place

H

CM art director Stephen Albano and I (above) are used to an empty Holy Cross campus, as we often work random nights and weekends toward the end of an issue’s production cycle.

At those times during the academic year, foot traffic is much lower than a weekday (unless there’s a home football game) and on a summer night or weekend, the campus is empty and quiet, save for a stray soul here and there. So when Holy Cross sent students, faculty and staff home last March to work and learn remotely, and we were still in the office daily working on the Spring 2020 issue, it wasn’t completely alien to us.

But, as the months continued on and campus stayed as empty as it has ever been, it began to feel surreal.

Our office is located in the Hogan Campus Center, normally a bustling hub thanks to foot traffic from 3,000 students, 1,000 faculty and staff, and visitors on any given day. Last March through September, the five floors were dark, empty and locked – every office, conference room, store and space — save for the post office, which was open a few hours daily.

You’d find only a handful of cars in a normally full lot and you could easily go a whole day without seeing a single person, either in person or from a distance. Were it not for the construction crews working on The

By late summer, I realized that whenever I was on campus, I’d catch myself looking out the office windows trying to find signs of life. Out one side, I could see Easy Street; every once in a while I’d see a pair of people here, a trio there, walking. From my desk, I overlook the Hoval, and again, a duo or trio would be walking to a destination. I knew these were the students who lived in Figge and were, most likely, making their way down to Kimball and back. It made me wonder: If I think it’s odd being on campus at this time, what is it like for them? I had the luxury of returning to my home and family, but for these 60+ students, these deserted 175 acres were it. How did they pass the time?

How did they manage being half a world away from their loved ones during this stressful period?

My questions were answered in the story you’ll find on Page 50.

I enjoyed reading about how these resilient people made the best of a bad situation and, most impressively, lived the Holy Cross mission during one of the most distressing times over the past century, all while thousands of miles from the people and places they hold most dear.

Even if you’ve had your fill of COVID content, I promise you, this story is worth your time. ■

MELISSA SHAW Editor

is an award-winning writer and editor who has led newspapers and magazines in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

STEPHEN ALBANO

Art Director / Designer has been a part of the HCM team for over nine years; this is his 39th issue. Stephen earned his degree in studio art at Clark University. He looks forward to the next seven months of playing tennis and traveling with his husband, David (above left), once everyone has been vaccinated. Shout out to his best friend, Natalie, who is an avid HCM reader. Bingo!

AVANELL CHANG

Multimedia Producer

Melissa Shaw

Editor hcmag@holycross.edu

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is enjoying having students back on campus this semester. She was on campus regularly last fall and knows how lonely and empty it was. She’s making the most of this semester, capturing classes and campus events on a regular basis.

She even got to band a bird (above) during an ornithology class she photographed.

CONTRIBUTORS

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WRITERS 1 MAURA SULLIVAN HILL is a freelance writer and editor who has written for the Notre Dame Alumni Association, Loyola Magazine and Impact, the research magazine of Brown University. 2 MARYBETH REILLY-MCGREEN ’89 is an awardwinning content strategist and writer for the University of Rhode Island. The author of three books on the history and folklore of Rhode Island, she is working on her fourth. 3 MEREDITH

FIDROCKI is a freelance writer who graduated from Bates College with a degree in English and French. 4 MARY CUNNINGHAM ’17, a former intern in the Office of College Marketing and Communications, is a digital content coordinator in the communications department at Barnard College in New York. She is passionate about storytelling, faith and social justice issues. 5 LORI FERGUSON is a freelance writer with a soft spot for education and art. 6 SANDRA GITTLEN is a freelance journalist in the greater Boston area. She writes on higher education, technology and health issues. 7 DANIELLA VOLLINGER is the founder of Grier Park LLC, a marketing and communications company. 8 BILL DOYLE is a freelance writer who covered sports for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette for 40 years. 9 MAURA TRACY ’15 is an Equal Justice Works Fellow providing trauma-informed legal representation to immigrant youth survivors of trafficking and gender-based violence at The Door’s Legal Services Center in New York. 10 NICOLETA JORDAN is assistant director of media relations in the Office of College Marketing and Communications. She holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Bucharest and a master’s in integrated marketing communications from Suffolk University. 11 REBECCA (TESSITORE) SMITH ’99 and 12 KIMBERLY (OSBORNE) STALEY ’99 are former Holy Cross roommates who have been writing for HCM and other College publications for more than 15 years.

They work together at their freelance writing firm, SmithWriting. CAMPUS CONTRIBUTORS 13 THE HOLY CROSS ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS TEAM is comprised of Abby Stambach, head of archives and special collections; Sarah Campbell, assistant archivist; and Corinne Gabriele, archival assistant. Archives collects, preserves, arranges and describes records of permanent value from the College’s founding in 1843 to the present. We couldn’t put together an issue without their historical research and context, as well as the access to archival images and objects.

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EDITOR’S NOTE /

WHO WE ARE / CONTRIBUTORS 9

CAMPUS NOTEBOOK

LIFE ON THE HILL Bryce Barron ’24, Eric Schon ’24, Ayir Asante ’23, Christo Kelly ’24 and Byron Shipman ’24 are five of the nearly 2,000

10 Snapshot • 12 Spotlight • 13 On The Hill

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students who returned to campus for the spring semester, which began Feb. 1.

SNAPSHOT / C AMPUS NOTEBOOK / 11

SPOTLIGHT arts education that will allow him to lead Holy Cross in meeting the many challenges facing higher education today. Both his scholarship and his leadership demonstrate his profound dedication to Catholic social teaching and to educating students toward seeking justice and making a meaningful difference in our world.”

Vincent D. Rougeau Named First Lay President of Holy Cross

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n Feb. 10, Holy Cross announced Vincent D. Rougeau as its 33rd president, the first lay and first Black president in the history of the College.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Holy Cross community as its new president,” Rougeau said. “I have long admired the College for its academic excellence, its talented students and accomplished alumni, its dedicated faculty and staff, and its unique place as our nation’s only Jesuit, Catholic liberal arts college. Our current moment in history cries out for the mission-driven education that Holy Cross provides, and I am very excited about what this community can accomplish in the years

ahead.”

Currently dean of Boston College Law School, Rougeau was chosen after a nationwide search and will assume the role on July 1. He will succeed Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., who announced last fall that he would be leaving his post at the end of June 2021, after a nine-year presidency.

“We are thrilled to welcome Vincent to the Holy Cross community and look forward to his leadership in building on the College’s success of the past decade,” said Richard Patterson ’80, chair of the board of trustees. “Vincent brings the strategic vision, deep experience as a faculty member and administrator, and commitment to liberal

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A national expert in Catholic social thought, Rougeau’s book, “Christians in the American Empire: Faith and Citizenship in the New World Order,” was released

by Oxford University Press in 2008. His current research and writing consider the relationships among religious identity, citizenship and membership in highly mobile and increasingly multicultural democratic societies. He serves as senior fellow at the Centre for Theology and Community in London, where he researches broad-based community organizing, immigration¬and citizenship in the U.K. as part of the Just Communities Project.

“During our time together at Boston College, I discovered that Vincent Rougeau has a deep understanding of, and appreciation for, the Jesuit, Catholic vision of higher education,” said Rev. Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J.,’76, provincial of the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus. “Moreover, he has the leadership skills to make that vision a reality. I am delighted to welcome Vince and his wife, Robin, to our Holy Cross family.“ Rougeau has led Boston

College Law School since 2011; he was recently named inaugural director of the new Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America, a meeting place for listening, dialogue and greater understanding about race and racism in the United States.

Prior to Boston College, Rougeau was a tenured professor of law at Notre Dame Law School, and served as their associate dean for academic affairs from 19992002.

Rougeau writes and speaks extensively on legal education reform. He was recently named presidentelect of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), and has served as a member of the AALS Executive Committee, chair of the AALS Deans Steering Committee and on the Council of the Boston Bar Association.

Rougeau earned his Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Brown University and his J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he served as articles editor of the Harvard Human Rights Journal. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and currently serves on the American Law Institute Project on Sexual Misconduct and the Brigham Young University Law School Visitors Board. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Maryland Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar Association.

He and his wife, Robin Kornegay-Rougeau, M.D., have three sons. ■

ON THE HILL

COVIDConsciousness and Community Top Priorities as Students Return for Spring Semester

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ollowing a remote fall semester, Holy Cross students arrived in late January for the highly anticipated spring semester move-in, an event managed over the course of two weeks to enable social distancing.

For the nearly 2,000 students who chose to return to campus (about two-thirds of the student body), some new steps were required — such as registering for and using HC Clear, an app that checks symptoms daily, and reporting to the new Joanne Chouinard-Luth Recreation and Wellness Center (pictured above) for regular

COVID-19 tests.

Students returned to a number of physical changes on campus, including plexiglass dividers, hand sanitizer stations and markers in public places to help guide social distancing efforts. Dining facilities have been consolidated and reconfigured, and a plan developed to enable flexibility for either in-person or grab-and-go dining.

Less visible, behind-thescenes changes were also implemented before the students’ return this semester, such as the installation of HEPA filters

in many classrooms and reassessments of max capacity limits for elevators, buildings and flex spaces.

The College’s COVID plan is informed by almost daily consultation with an infectious disease expert, Robin Ingalls, M.D., ’85, a professor of medicine and microbiology at the Boston University School of Medicine. The College also hired additional nursing staff and brought in a third-party testing company to manage the high-volume testing recommended for reducing the spread of COVID-19. Onand off-campus isolation and quarantine spaces were prepared, staff volunteered as contact tracers and student health ambassadors were appointed to assist with communicating regulations and best practices to the student body.

“Some of the most important aspects of the Holy Cross experience are in the community that we have built together,” says Michele Murray, vice president for student affairs and dean of students. “We are committed to helping students continue to build community and make those memories that make the Holy Cross experience what it is. Living in the pandemic doesn’t mean that we won’t have these elements — they will just look different.

“The goal is not to re-create the Holy Cross experience in these COVID times, but to find expressions of the Holy Cross community and experience that are COVIDfriendly,” she continues.

“In our community, we will have people on campus,

studying from home, in quarantine and elsewhere, so having all of these outlets to bring people together in a meaningful way and maintain connection with one another — this is what keeps the Holy Cross experience alive.”

Among semester adaptations are a series of programs and activities for students to keep busy and maintain social contact with their classmates.

The College has invested in the “My HC” student engagement platform, which includes an app that students can download to keep track of all the student programming, activities and events coming up on campus or remotely.

The Office of the College Chaplains continues to offer programming this semester that seeks to connect students in meaningful ways. The chaplains will offer retreats and prayer experiences online and a weekly podcast for reflection.

St. Joseph Memorial Chapel is open for daily and Sunday liturgies in person, as well as for quiet reflection.

“The goals of the Chaplains’ Office haven’t changed this semester,” notes Marybeth Kearns-Barrett ’84, chaplain and director. “We are still focused on accompanying students as they attend to their relationship with God and as they build inclusive communities, growing in solidarity with one another and the people of Worcester.

We will continue to invite our community to slow down and be attentive to what is going on in our hearts and in the world around us.” ■

SPOTLIGHT / ON THE HILL / C AMPUS NOTEBOOK / 13

ON THE HILL

College Launches Hope + Access Campaign for Financial Aid With Landmark Gift

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oly Cross received a $23.5 million gift from the late Agnes Neill Williams, former member of the board of trustees – the largest estate gift in the history of the College. This gift kickstarted the launch of the Hope + Access Campaign for Financial Aid, which aims to raise $40 million for need-based financial aid between January 2021 and June 2022.

The goal of the 18-month effort is to ensure that all admitted students have the opportunity to attend Holy Cross regardless of financial need. The College is committed to meeting 100% of the demonstrated need of accepted students. Williams’ bequest will be used to match all new and increased annual gifts to the College in support of financial aid.

In making this gift, Williams (above, with granddaughter Adair Bender ’12) was inspired by her husband, the late Edward Bennett Williams ’41, a

nationally known trial lawyer. He was the only child of a department store floorwalker in Hartford, Connecticut.

When his father was laid off during the Great Depression, the vice principal of his high school helped him secure a scholarship at Holy Cross, a school he would not have been able to attend without the support of financial aid.

“My mother really believed in the Jesuit methodology of delivering higher education and that a good college education was the greatest gift that one could give a child,” says Ned Williams ’83, the couple’s son. “Ultimately, financial aid is one of the most powerful and long-lasting gifts because the hope is that these students will change the world, and change, in some way, Holy Cross’ future, just as when Holy Cross took a chance on my dad.”

A passionate supporter of student success and faculty excellence, Williams was intimately involved with Holy

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Cross over the past three decades.

She established the Edward Bennett Williams Fellows Program with a substantial gift to fund tenure-track faculty positions and created the Agnes N. Williams Fund Salary Initiative to enable the College to offer competitive faculty salaries. The Agnes N. Williams Fund Pre-Law Program, also created with a leadership gift, supports Holy Cross’ prelaw program, a particular interest as she and her husband practiced law.

“The significant challenges and upheaval of the past year have greatly reinforced the value of the formative education we offer at Holy Cross,” said Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., College president. “I am incredibly humbled by the Williams’ commitment to the College and to ensuring that every qualified student who has the opportunity to come to Mount St. James is able to do so.”

Volunteer co-chairs John Mullman ’82, Maura Doherty ’86, Kathleen Maggi ’91, Melisa Alves ’06 and Gary Acquah ’14 will help lead the campaign. ■

For more about Agnes Williams and the inspiration behind her philanthropy, read our story on Page 44.

New Recreation and Wellness Center Opens

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n March, Holy Cross opened its new state-of-the-art Joanne Chouinard-Luth Recreation and Wellness Center, nicknamed “The Jo.” The three-story, 52,000-squarefoot facility is home to all club and intramural sports, as well as recreation, fitness and wellness programming for students, faculty and staff.

Located at the upper campus College Street entrance on the site of the former Field House, the building houses sports courts, weight rooms, a golf simulator, three rooms for yoga, cycling and fitness, and a one-tenth-mile suspended jogging track overlooking Worcester.

It also is home to the College’s Office of Student Wellness Education, the

Worksite Wellness Office and the Office of Public Safety.

During this spring semester, its gymnasium is being used as the College’s COVID-19 testing space.

Construction of the $32.5 million building was made possible by a $40 million gift — the largest in College history — from John Luth ’74 and his wife, Joanne Chouinard-Luth, D.M.D., as part of the College’s record-breaking Become More campaign. A significant part of the donation, $25 million, was allocated toward the renovation and expansion of the Hart Center, now the Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex, which was dedicated in 2018.

The balance of the gift was used to fund The Jo. “I am grateful for the Luths’ generosity

and their commitment to enhancing the profile of well-being on campus, an important element of the Jesuit educational mission to educate the whole person,” said Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., College president. “The Jo will be an essential component to the health and wellness of the minds, bodies and spirits of not only students, but the entire Holy Cross community.”

The Jo is the third of four large capital projects funded by the 20132020 Become More campaign, which raised $420 million. It also funded construction of the expansion of the Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex, the Thomas P. Joyce ’59 Contemplative Center and the under-construction Prior Center for Performing Arts, scheduled to open in 2022. ■

For more images of The Jo, turn to Page 56.

ON THE HILL / CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 15

ON THE HILL

Holy Cross Ranks Second Nationally in Study Abroad Survey

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or the 12th year in a row, Holy Cross has been ranked among the top baccalaureate institutions in the United States for long-term study abroad participation by the Institute of International Education.

According to its latest report, 81 Holy Cross students studied abroad on long-term programs during the 2018-19 academic year.

Oliver de la Paz Receives NEA Creative Writing Fellowship

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liver de la Paz, associate professor of English, was awarded a $25,000 Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). De la Paz was selected from a pool of 1,601 eligible applicants.

This year’s poetry fellowships enable the 35 recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel and general career advancement. Fellows are selected through a highly competitive, anonymous process and are judged on the basis of artistic excellence of the work sample they provided.

“This is the biggest award I’ve received for being a writer, and even though it’s nice to be acknowledged, I understand that there’s still a lot of important work to do and people to reach with my writing and in the larger community,” de la Paz told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

He is the author of five collections of poetry: “Names Above Houses,” “Furious Lullaby,” “Requiem for the Orchard,” “Post Subject: A Fable” and “The Boy in the Labyrinth,” which was a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award in Poetry. He also co-edited “A Face to Meet the Faces: An Anthology of Contemporary Persona Poetry.”

A founding member, de la Paz serves as the co-chair of the Kundiman Advisory Board. He has received grants from the NEA, the Artist’s Trust and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and has been awarded two Pushcart Prizes. His work has been published in journals such as Poetry, American Poetry Review, Tin House, The Southern Review and Poetry Northwest.

Since 1967, the NEA has awarded more than 3,600 Creative Writing Fellowships totaling over $56 million. ■

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Holy Cross’ yearlong programs are a staple among the College’s study abroad offerings and allow students to engage in academic and cultural immersion in their host countries for a full academic year. The College offers 43 study abroad programs in 26 countries.

“Education is about transformation — about growing and expanding who you are as a person — and we contend that study abroad is the most transformative thing a student will do during her or his four years of college,” says Brittain Smith, study abroad director.

The national results were published in the 2020 Open Doors report, an annual report compiled by the Institute of International Education.

Founded in 1919, the institution is an independent nonprofit that receives funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. ■

Anne Croke ’20 Holliston, Massachusetts psychology and Spanish Emma DeFrancesco ’20 Slingerlands, New York Spanish and psychology Theresa Gervais ’20 Chelsea, Maine Spanish Elizabeth Hallahan ’20 Holden, Massachusetts history Nuryelis Herrera ’20 Methuen, Massachusetts psychology and Spanish Kathleen Kelsh ’20 Evanston, Illinois political science

Holy Cross’ Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi Earns National Award

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micron Epsilon, Holy Cross’ chapter of the national collegiate Hispanic honor society Sigma Delta Pi, has been named an Honor Chapter for its outstanding activities in 2019-20, an award bestowed to only 11 out of 627 chapters nationwide.

This marks the fourth time since 1997 that Holy Cross has received this distinction.

Co-chapter advisers Bridget Franco and Daniel Frost, associate professors of Spanish, and Rodrigo Fuentes, assistant professor of Spanish, as well as the 20 students involved in the society, were instrumental in earning this year’s recognition.

Each year, the 627 chapters

Alyssa Martinez ’20 Plainfield, Connecticut international studies

of Sigma Delta Pi are asked to submit an annual report detailing their activities and projects from the academic year. Based on these reports, the national executive committee chooses approximately 10 to 15 Honor Chapters annually. This recognition is based upon the caliber of chapter projects that reflect the Sigma Delta Pi mission of honoring excellence in the study of the Spanish language, contributing to cultural understanding and upholding the goals of the society.

HONORED STUDENTS INCLUDE:

Elena Miceli ’20 Exeter, Rhode Island Spanish

Jason Aldave ’20 West Hartford, Connecticut psychology

Sarah Mondo ’20 Hingham, Massachusetts political science

Megan Apostolides ’20 Greenwich, Connecticut international studies

Maegan Moriarty ’20 Old Lyme, Connecticut Spanish

Katherine Beckerman ’20 Duxbury, Massachusetts English

Marygrace Pier ’20 Sudbury, Massachusetts sociology and Spanish

Alessandro Campagna ’20 Bristol, Rhode Island Spanish

Shannon Quirk ’20 Kensington, Maryland economics

Founded at the University of California, Berkeley in 1919, Sigma Delta Pi is the largest foreign language honor society in existence. Sigma Delta Pi is one of 19 honor societies at Holy Cross.

Lisseth Chavez Cruz ’20 Falls Church, Virginia Spanish

Charles Ryan ’20 Duxbury, Massachusetts international studies

Sarah Christo ’20 Mansfield, Massachusetts economics

Mary Catherine Sebby ’20 Glenview, Illinois Spanish ■

ON THE HILL / C A MPUS NOTEB O OK / 17

FACULT Y & STAFF

A MASKED RETURN TO THE LAB Justin McAlister, associate professor of biology, and marine biology students at work in his lab in Swords Hall.

18 Creative Spaces • 20 Headliners • 24 Syllabus

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HEADLINERS

AVILA-BRONT

SCHOENBERGER

STAVELEY-O'CARROLL

Four Faculty Members Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure B Y N I C O L E TA J O R D A N

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hether researching 18thcentury British literature or economic fluctuations and asset pricing, Holy Cross faculty members are making significant, lasting impacts in their fields. Learn more about the four recently promoted faculty members from the departments of chemistry, English, and economics and accounting.

L. GABY AVILA-BRONT, chemistry L. Gaby Avila-Bront, of the chemistry department, earned a B.A. in chemistry from Columbia University, and an M.S. and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on the study of the chemical relationships between dissimilar molecules forming a molecular pattern on a surface. She has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2014.

What are you working on now?

My research seeks to understand the driving forces that determine how a mixture of different molecules bound to a surface forms a twodimensional pattern. Surfaces modified with molecular patterns find many applications such as chemical and physical sensors. Although these systems are widely studied, there is currently no way to predict what twodimensional patterns will form or what new properties of the surface will be observed when dissimilar molecules are deposited on a surface. The answers to these questions will provide scientists with unprecedented top-down control over surfaces modified with molecular patterns.

What emerging trends do you see on the horizon in your discipline?

In 2016, the Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded “for the design and synthesis of molecular machines.” Between this

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TORTORICE

achievement and the need for research on the COVID-19 virus, I believe that the future of my discipline will involve the combination of molecular surface sensors and molecular machines to combat or test for viruses.

MELISSA SCHOENBERGER, English

Melissa Schoenberger, of the English department, earned a B.A. in English and Spanish literatures from the University of Rochester, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in English literature from Boston University. Her research focuses on Restoration and 18th-century British literature. She has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2015.

What are you working on now?

I recently finished two essays, one on agricultural writing in England between 1650 and 1700, and another on a 20thcentury visual artist named Elizabeth Rivers, who used an 18th-century poem

by Christopher Smart in a fascinating series of engravings that she made during World War II. Now I'm working on a new book on long 18th-century poems that, in different ways, try to

make sense of challenging situations.

One, "The Dunciad" by Alexander Pope, has a lot to say about the importance of thinking well and the dangers of refusing to do so; another, "The Art of Preserving Health" by the poetphysician John Armstrong, offers advice on how to practice healthy habits, and pushes back against what we would call "quackery" and other forms of medical disinformation. The literature of the 18th century often helps us consider the most urgent questions of our time, and I'm looking forward to connecting these poems and others to conversations we're having now.

What emerging trends do you see on the horizon in your discipline?

The field of 18th-century studies has always fostered a broad range of topics, and every time I attend a conference or, these days, hop on a Zoom talk, I'm delighted by how this work continues to diversify and expand. In poetry studies, specifically, I've been interested in following both the geographical expansion of my colleagues' work and those projects that drill down into exciting new questions about poetic form, sound and linguistic history. The study of poetry gets wider and deeper every day, and the intensive attention it demands we pay to even minute aspects of language helps us better understand how and why people of various 18thcentury cultures wrote. The field is also very committed to pedagogy, and I'm inspired by colleagues near and far who engage their students in thinking critically about a period that set in motion both good and bad aspects of the world we're living in today.

OLENA STAVELEY-O’CARROLL, economics and accounting

Olena Staveley-O’Carroll, of the economics and accounting department, earned a B.A. in economics, mathematics and chemistry from Lakeland College (now Lakeland University), and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in economics from Georgetown University. Her research focuses on open economy macroeconomics, international capital movements and monetary policy. She

has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2015.

borders and, thereby, on international capital flows.

What are you working on now?

DANIEL TORTORICE,

Broadly defined, my research explores topics in international monetary economics and finance. More narrowly, my interests have coalesced around the issue of international risk sharing. How are country-specific economic shocks (financial crises, natural disasters or shifts in economic policies) transmitted across national borders? What market mechanisms can help nations to share the burdens of their economic fluctuations with other countries?

What is the optimal way in which governments (more specifically, central banks) can utilize these mechanisms to benefit their citizens? How should households structure their investment portfolios of internationally traded bonds and stocks to protect themselves from income and consumption volatility best? I believe finding answers to these questions can help governments (perhaps even in coordination with one another) to design policies that improve consumer welfare within and across nations.

What emerging trends do you see on the horizon in your discipline?

The Great Recession of 2007–2009 served to highlight a major weakness of the “mainstream” macroeconomic models used at the time: the lack of an explicitly and carefully modeled financial sector that links savers to borrowers. Answering this wake-up call, many researchers have been working on augmenting their models with financial intermediaries that not just simply transfer funds between lenders and borrowers but may have their own objectives (for example, profit maximization). In fact, one of my own research projects — still in very early stages — aims to introduce a multinational bank into a “standard” two-country model of consumer portfolio choice in order to examine the effect of national financial regulations (like the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act) on the choices the bank would make in transferring its clients’ money across

economics and accounting Daniel Tortorice, of the economics and accounting department, earned an S.B. in mathematics and economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an A.M. and a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. His research focuses on expectation formation, productivity, economic fluctuations and asset pricing. He has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2017.

What are you working on now?

With one of my colleagues in the economics department, we are trying to understand how the Federal Reserve can demonstrate to the public that they are insulated from political pressure. Central bank independence has been shown time and time again to be important for maintaining low levels of inflation and stable economic growth. Most governments, therefore, take a hands-off approach to monetary policy. But there are clear exceptions.

We wanted to know how this political pressure shapes interest rate policy and what a central bank can do to maintain its independence. It's a fascinating project that has required us to build a mathematical model of expectations formation and optimal interest rate policy.

What emerging trends do you see on the horizon in your discipline?

Economics has been revolutionized over the past 20 years through the incorporation of psychological biases in our models. One place where these biases have made less of an impact is in our theories of how people form expectations about the future. We're moving in the direction of a more realistic, empirically grounded view of how people think about the future and the mistakes we all make when trying to forecast. Potentially, it will change the way we think about how stock prices are determined, why economies go through booms and recessions, and the fundamental determinant of inflation. ■

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HEADLINERS

Holy Cross Driver Provides More Than Just a Ride for Student A quest for US citizenship forges an unforgettable bond

BY DANIELLA VOLLINGER

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osephine Kalondji ’23 (above left) applied for U.S. citizenship before she left for Holy Cross in fall 2019, but didn’t consider one detail.

“I had not thought about how I would make it to my appointments,” says the sophomore mathematics major from Dallas. Her appointments were scheduled to be held at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Application Support Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts, a two-hour roundtrip

from Mount St. James.

remembers with a smile.

Kalondji explored the option of taking a train followed by a taxi or Uber, but says she was relieved when Matthew Eggemeier, associate professor of religious studies and dean of the class of 2023, helped her arrange rides through the College’s transportation department.

“When I first met her, she was nervous and standoffish, as most students are since they don’t know us from Adam. But after a little while, she loosened up,” says Alfama, who has worked at Holy Cross for seven years. “Our job is to make students feel more comfortable first and then try to help them out. I try to be a sounding board and give them good advice. If they’re down, I tell them not to worry, things will get better.”

It was early in the morning as she waited outside the Hogan Campus Center for a Holy Cross driver to pick her up. “I was so nervous,” says Kalondji, who, along with her family, left the Congo to begin a new life in Mozambique before emigrating to the United States at age 12.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” she says.

“All I wanted to do was my homework and take a nap, but as soon as I got into the van, he started talking to me — which I actually truly appreciated.”

“He” was Tony Alfama (above right), one of the College’s part-time drivers. “He started talking about himself and his relationship with other students, and made me feel so welcomed and grateful to have somebody there,” Kalondji

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“Students will open up with a driver more than their own parents sometimes,” says Jerry Maday, transportation manager, “so it’s a good opportunity for drivers to share their wisdom and life experience.”

“Every single appointment I had was at least an hour away,” Kalondji notes.

“Tony would drive me there, wait for me and then take me back. Sometimes he would offer to buy food for me, just knowing how long these appointments were. On the drive he would talk about the benefits of being American. He would comfort me and tell me, ‘It’s worth it, you

can do this!’ And ‘I’m here next to you!’”

Alfama drove Kalondji to all of her appointments in Lawrence and would be the first person to greet her after she took her oath of citizenship. “[He] offered to be present at my ceremony, which was very meaningful to me because I learned so much from him,” she says.

“The day Josephine got her citizenship, she was a nervous wreck,” Alfama chuckles. “I told her to relax: ‘This is the greatest day of your life — you’re becoming a citizen!’” As the grandson of immigrants from Portugal and Italy, and a Vietnam War Marine Corps veteran, Alfama had an appreciation for Kalondji’s accomplishment: “I kept reinforcing that it’s going to be a great future for her in the greatest country.”

Kalondji took her oath of citizenship on Feb. 19, 2020, inside a large auditorium in Lawrence with hundreds of other new U.S. citizens. Although her family was back in Texas, Kalondji wasn’t alone: “I couldn’t see Tony, but he clapped for me. I didn’t feel anything until he came up to me and said, ‘Congratulations! You’re now an American!’ Seeing him made me feel the significance of what I had accomplished. I was truly grateful that I had this person who had dedicated all his time to help me.”

In late 2020, Maday received an email from Kalondji sharing the impact Alfama had on his passenger. “I will never forget him,” wrote Kalondji, who noted she voted in her first U.S. election in November 2020. “Never!”

Maday says it wasn’t the first time he had received such positive feedback about the College’s drivers. A professor once approached him to share that his student had written about a driver in an assignment focusing on the person who had impacted them most at Holy Cross. Notes Maday of his staff: “We practice the Jesuit principles of putting other people first and being a person for and with others.” ■

Philosophy’s Gouvêa Appointed to Tenure-Track Position

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ssistant Professor Devin Gouvêa was appointed to a tenure-track faculty position in the Holy Cross Department of Philosophy at the start of the 2020-21 academic year.

She earned a B.A. in biology and English from Williams College, an MPhil in history and philosophy of science from the University of Cambridge, as well as an M.A. in philosophy and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago’s Committee on Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science.

What excites you most about joining the faculty at Holy Cross?

I particularly enjoy the personal side of teaching: getting to know what motivates my students, what they care about and what brings them to my classes (even when that is mostly a desire to fulfill the philosophy requirement). I am grateful that Holy

Cross also values and encourages those relationships, and for its commitment to supporting students in moral and spiritual development, as well as intellectual growth. I am also very excited to join a philosophy department that wonderfully (and accurately) describes itself as "uniquely pluralistic." My own path to philosophy wound through several other disciplines, and I am particularly looking forward to developing existing collaborations with faculty in the sciences and building new ones.

How do your research interests influence the courses you teach?

My research in philosophy of science focuses on how biologists use flexible concepts to make sense of complex natural systems. Some of these concepts, for example, "gene" and "species," are very familiar ones, so the relevant philosophical literature is accessible even to students who are new to the field.

They are often surprised to find that biologists can learn a lot about something without being able to precisely define what it is. More generally, I aim to add more depth to students' existing image of what science is and how it works, so that they can better understand both its distinctive strengths and its characteristic limitations. ■

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SYLLABUS

geoff findlay denis kennedy

Pandemic Policy: The Science and Politics of COVID-19 with Geoff Findlay, associate professor of biology and Denis Kennedy, associate professor of political science

BY SANDRA GITTLEN

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early 30 students gathered on a March Zoom call to learn about the biological workings and political impact of a global pandemic, in today’s class, the HIV/AIDS virus. It’s nearly a year to the day since Gov. Charlie Baker locked down Massachusetts due to the COVID-19 outbreak, a milestone that is not lost on teaching team Geoff Findlay, associate professor of biology, and Denis Kennedy, associate professor of political science.

This new interdisciplinary course, Pandemic Policy: The Science and Politics

of COVID-19, is their way of helping students in real time grasp how global pandemics are impacted by an understanding of science and public policy.

“It’s been a rare opportunity to teach about pandemics during a pandemic,” Kennedy notes, adding the shared experience has made the enthusiasm among the students “palpable.”

Each topic is set up as a yin and yang: A disease is introduced by Findlay, who tracks its origins, pathology and treatments; then Kennedy walks through the political and public policy reaction.

Halfway through the semester, the class has covered the Black Death (bubonic plague), cholera and the so-called Spanish influenza. In today’s class, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is examined from a geographical point of view, focusing on how South Africa and the political and cultural climate of the 1980s and 1990s enabled the disease’s rapid spread.

Kennedy engages the class in a discussion about the role of race, exclusion and political power in battling HIV/AIDS in that region. For instance, as one student points out, government-enforced segregation and mass relocation policies created economic and health disparities, especially among women, an issue

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addressed by their required reading of Frank M. Snowden’s “Epidemics and Society.”

The team-taught course is the brainchild of Findlay, who developed the idea at the conclusion of his recent research sabbatical. He partnered with Kennedy, a friend and colleague since they arrived at Holy Cross in 2013, to teach students that “the most effective solutions for big problems like a global pandemic will require integrating approaches from different academic areas,” Findlay says.

Later in the course, students will study COVID-19 in detail and then, as a project, make recommendations for how different governments should respond.

“Policy choices in a pandemic can be informed by an understanding of the biology of the infectious agent and possible treatments,” Findlay says, adding that “scientists need to consider how their findings and recommendations will be heard by the public and policy makers, and tailor them accordingly without compromising scientific accuracy or integrity.”

The intersection between science and politics is what caught the attention of biology major Andrew Ludwig ’21. He has already learned that the two perspectives are inextricably linked and that “the

public and political responses to each disease are shaped by the pathogen itself.”

Course Catalog CISS 299 Pandemic Policy: The Science and Politics of COVID-19 PROFESSOR Geoff Findlay and Denis Kennedy DEPARTMENTS Biology and Political Science DESCRIPTION This course investigates the scientific and political factors that have shaped responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The professors establish the biological, historical and institutional context for pandemic response, tracing the development of epidemiology and public health mechanisms through cases including the Black Death (bubonic plague), cholera, the 1918 influenza pandemic, HIV/AIDS and Ebola. The course also addresses the evolution, sources of authority and impact of international cooperative mechanisms like the World Health Organization and nongovernmental organizations.

COVID-19 is then studied from a biological perspective, providing the class the scientific understanding to make recommendations about ideal public health guidelines. Those recommendations are then compared to responses pursued by national and international actors, and their implications for future pandemic response.

MEETING TIMES Tuesday and Thursday 3:15 PM - 4:30 PM CLASSROOM Zoom REQUIRED READING • “Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present,” Frank M. Snowden, Yale University Press, 2019

•

•

“Pandemics: A Very Short Introduction,” Christian W. McMillen, Oxford University Press, 2016 “Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come,” Richard Preston, Random House, 2019

ASSIGNMENTS • Readings • Group presentation and infographic introducing a biological cause of a major pandemic • Midterm exam • Short analysis paper on the country’s COVID-19 response • Individual research project on the politics or science of pandemics GRADES • Class attendance and participation • Quizzes • Midterm exam • Group project, individual project and short paper PREREQUISITES POLS 103 or POLS 102 or BIOL 161 or permission of the instructors ABOUT THE PROFESSORS Geoff Findlay, associate professor of biology, earned a B.A. in biology from Carleton College and a Ph.D. in genome sciences from the University of Washington. His research is in the area of evolutionary genetics, with a particular focus on the origins and functions of reproductive proteins. His lab is currently funded by a National Science Foundation CAREER award. He has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2013.

Denis Kennedy, associate professor of political science, earned a B.A. in international relations, political science, and French from Bucknell University and a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Minnesota. His publications have addressed topics including nonprofit governance and accountability, multilateral cooperation, and humanitarian imagery. He has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2013.

Eliza Caldwell ’22, a political science major, says she feels similarly and that she selected the course to learn more about “the potential that COVID-19 has to permanently alter life in the U.S.” She says she is most surprised so far by how much of a lasting effect historic global pandemics have had and how those effects are still visible today. “While these diseases might not threaten our lives like they once did, they still nonetheless are shaping them,” she notes.

Findlay expects this intertwining of biology and policy considerations to continue when the class examines COVID-19. For example, when discussing vaccines, topics will include how vaccines work biologically; what types of vaccines can be most effectively distributed in different countries; what mechanisms exist for getting vaccines to developing countries; and how, biologically and politically, wealthier countries benefit from helping developing countries gain access to vaccines.

“This class has taught me more about the coronavirus itself, where it comes from and what it does to the human body,” Caldwell says. “I feel like most of the population has neglected to learn more about the science of the coronavirus, but learning about the biology of the disease makes understanding the national security policies it begets so much clearer.”

Coronavirus may become an annually circulating threat, akin to how influenza now behaves, which will make it a topic for years to come and keep the class in demand, Findlay says. He hopes the class will “inspire colleagues to think creatively about other ideas for team-taught multidisciplinary classes.”

Adds Kennedy: “Geoff and I have been able to learn from each other and the class has certainly prompted me to reflect on things I’ve taken for granted, from assignment design to the concepts I introduce in class.” ■

S Y L L A B U S / FA C U LT Y & S TA F F / 2 5

Friends, family, colleagues and peers reflect on how Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., combined Jesuit values with practical leadership during his nine-year presidency that transformed Holy Cross for generations.

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Fr. Boroughs stands on the grounds of the Thomas P. Joyce ’59 Contemplative Center in West Boylston, Massachusetts. One of several landmark achievements of the Become More campaign, the center provides dedicated retreat space where students, alumni, faculty and staff can find rest and spiritual development.

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he presidents of all U.S. Jesuit colleges and universities get together for a meeting each year, a traditionally all-male gathering. But in 2014, Linda LeMura of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, joined their ranks as the first female layperson to serve as president of a Jesuit college or university in the United States.

She remembers being nervous at the beginning of that first meeting — until she met her peer from Holy Cross.

“His kindness is something I will never forget,” LeMura says. “I must have looked somewhat lost, not knowing where to sit, and he made it a point to place my name placard right next to his so that we could sit together. When he did that, I felt like I had an immediate friend who wanted me to feel like a member of the group.”

Friends, family, peers and colleagues say LeMura’s experience is not uncommon, and that sensitivity, inclusivity and care for others are hallmarks of the life and career of Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., and are the qualities that have enabled him to cultivate strong relationships and unite the Holy Cross community around his vision for the future of the College.

From physical spaces to intellectual and spiritual life, Fr. Boroughs, 71, has left an indelible impact during his nine years as president of the College of the Holy Cross, a post he began in January 2012 and will leave on June 30, 2021.

“Phil had all the many bona fides needed to be a successful president for Holy Cross — he’s a respected manager, a deft corporate developer, a dynamic public speaker, a humble priest and a talented academician,” says P. Kevin Condron ’67, P00, a longtime board member and board chair from 2008-2014. “What really set him apart is his style. He has an openness that allows everyone to feel included and to have their voice heard. He has a humble, easy way about him that helped him open up to Holy Cross and Holy Cross open up to him.”

What Fr. Boroughs accomplished during his tenure as Holy Cross’ 32nd president is distinctly measurable, such as $420 million raised during the College’s historic Become More campaign, yet also intangible.

AVANELL CHANG

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(above) Holy Cross’ new president is surrounded by students on his Inauguration Day, Sept. 14, 2012, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Clad in matching red shirts, clapping and cheering students lined the processional path from Hogan Campus Center to the Hart Center.

the PASTOR as PRESIDENT “There is a deep pastoral sense in Phil Boroughs,” says Rev. Paul F. Harman, S.J., the College’s inaugural vice president for mission.

Many who have worked with Fr. Boroughs over the years echo this statement, citing his ability to minister to the community as one of his greatest strengths.

“There’s an element of pastoral leadership [to Fr. Boroughs] that I love and enjoy. He is concerned for your physical, mental and emotional well-being, and your family members,” says Stanley Grayson ’72, who has served multiple terms on the board of trustees and worked closely with Fr. Boroughs. “I’d be curious about how many weddings or funerals of alumni and their family members he has attended over the past nine years. People take a great deal of comfort in his presence in good times and

bad times; and over these few years we’ve had a lot of both.”

When tragedy struck the Holy Cross community in January 2020 and a member of the women’s rowing team, Grace Rett ’22, was killed in a car accident while on a training trip in Florida, Fr. Boroughs immediately traveled to be with the team.

“At that moment, President Boroughs checked out and Fr. Phil Boroughs checked in,” says Rick Patterson ’80, current board chair. “He was on an airplane to go take care of students, coaches and families who were in need. And that’s all that mattered.”

This ability to be present for people and to cultivate deep personal relationships stems partially, of course, from Fr. Boroughs’ pastoral formation as a Jesuit priest. Sr.

(opposite, top to bottom) At Inauguration Day with former Georgetown colleagues (left to right) Jane Genster, Lauralyn Lee and Lisa Krim; with Marcus Blossom, director of intercollegiate Athletics, Sarah Petty, faculty Athletics representative and associate professor of chemistry, and Philomena Fitzgerald ’20, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee president and field hockey player; at the class of 2017 Commencement at the DCU Center in Worcester; at the 2014 announcement of the partnership between the city, the College and the Worcester Bravehearts, who play at Fitton Field: (left to right) Michael V. O’Brien, Worcester city manager, John W.S. Creedon Jr., Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) owner, Fr. Boroughs, Tim Murray, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce president, and Christopher Hall, FCBL commissioner.

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Fr. Boroughs is one of the most caring and considerate priests I’ve ever met.

During my time at Holy Cross, he made an effort to get to know me, and whenever we talked, I felt like he was listening thoughtfully to every word I said. I knew this to be true when Fr. Boroughs and I were both attending an admitted students event in California, a couple years after I graduated.

As I was getting my coat to leave, he stepped away from the others to ask how my Alzheimer’sridden grandfather was doing. That Fr. Boroughs remembered and took time to check in gave me comfort and consolation amidst what had been a difficult time for my family.”

WILL P E T E R S ’1 7 alumnus

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The College of the Holy Cross is a better institution now for the dedication and passion Fr. Boroughs brought to his role as president over the past nine years. His leadership has helped steer that institution through some of the most challenging moments in its history. Fr. Boroughs always had a keen interest in learning about the community, and as a result, the College and the city of Worcester have forged a strong partnership during his time here. In particular, the 2012 launch of the ‘Libby’ bookmobile, sponsored

by Holy Cross, has helped thousands of children and families throughout the city access the amazing collections at the Worcester Public Library. Fr. Boroughs will be missed, but I wish him well in all of his future endeavors.”

E DWARD M. AUGU S TU S JR . worcester city manager and former director of government and c ommunity relations at holy cross

Donna Markham, O.P., longtime friend, former colleague, and president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, recalls a time when one of his Georgetown colleagues fell ill with cancer.

“I watched how Phil sensitively accompanied her through her illness up to her death. For him, that accompaniment is such a natural response coming from a man whose entire life is grounded in the Gospel. I know this was no isolated pastoral act for Fr. Boroughs,” she says.

His sister, Pat Boroughs, notes that this ability is an innate gift, one he has cultivated since their youth, when he watched their parents develop close relationships at their parish, St. Francis of Assisi in Seahurst, Washington, south of Seattle.

All five Boroughs children — Pat, Ken, Phil, Shelagh and Mick — attended the parish school at St. Francis of Assisi, and their parents, Robert and Catherine, were active supporters and volunteers at the parish and in their greater Seattle community.

“Our parents established longtime, wonderful relationships with people in our parish, and Phil, too, has the natural gift that I see in all of us in our family — of establishing wonderful friendships,” says Pat, the oldest of the siblings. “Both our parents had strong faith. They were leaders in our parish and very involved in lots of volunteer ways. Our parents’ volunteer work and leadership has been picked up by all five of us in our own lives. With Phil, he is also an excellent listener.”

Much like a parish pastor listens to and ministers to his community, colleagues say Fr. Boroughs has done the same for Holy Cross, as well as for those he served previously as a faculty member and administrator at Jesuit schools, including Seattle University, Gonzaga University and Georgetown; when working with Jesuits in formation in the Oregon Province; and as a parish priest at St. Leo Church in Tacoma, Washington, and St. Therese Parish in Seattle.

“He has had experience as a pastor and it

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would not surprise me if that would be something he would be very comfortable doing again in the future,” Fr. Harman notes.

ONE TITLE, TWO ROLES Vowed religious who lead organizations may have one official job title, but the role is two-fold: overseeing the managerial and operational tasks as a president/ CEO and also ministering to the spiritual and emotional needs of the extended community as a priest or sister.

“It is a rare thing for a leader to possess equal amounts of administrative competence and pastoral sensitivity grounded in a life of prayer and dedication,” Sr. Markham says. “I believe it is this uncommon balance in Fr. Boroughs that has made him the wonderful leader he is at Holy Cross and throughout his life.”

Patterson describes Fr. Boroughs as a “careful listener”: “I have not been with a person who prepares so thoroughly for each and every moment that he’s with other people, whether it is leading a gathering or a speaking engagement or a board meeting.”

This thoroughness and attention to detail also date back to childhood, notes older brother, Ken. “Phil was always the student,” he recalls. “We would get home from St. Francis, get out of our uniforms, and I would head for the woods near our house. But Phil would get his homework done right away, before dinner. He was committed to his studies and developing his mind and his intellect.”

After joining the Jesuits as a novice in 1969, Fr. Boroughs studied at Gonzaga, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1973. Continuing his studies in tandem with years of the traditionally long formation of a Jesuit priest resulted in a Master of Divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago, a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California, and a Ph.D. in Christian spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.

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Fr. Boroughs is my pink bag.

My husband and I were fortunate to be able to experience an Ignatian pilgrimage with Fr. Boroughs and others. For the trip, I splurged on a happy, bright pink tote bag to carry around everything we might need throughout the days of our journey.

It was famous on the trip, as it could be seen by everyone, everywhere. But one day, it turned into something more.

Trying to gather our group in a crowded square, Father asked me to raise the pink bag high so everyone could see it and follow it to remain on the right path. It came to be a beacon to find our way.

Like that bag, Father guided us. Spiritually, of course; not only during the beautiful Masses and formal reflection discussions, but in informal discussions over dinners and wine — about the role of our religion in our marriages, about the

nature and simplicity of prayer. He guided us to coming together as a tight-knit community, through the Examen, through an architectural history of the life of St Ignatius and to the best gelato in Rome.

His leadership, of course, didn’t stop when we returned home or to campus.

Throughout his time here at Holy Cross, Father led us through amazing accomplishments in the capital campaign, beautiful new construction, through tragedy and unprecedented pandemic challenges.

He has been the guiding force to our Holy Cross community all these years, and we are so fortunate to have had this time with him.

As I stand before God at this moment in the day, for what am I grateful? I am grateful for my friendship with Fr. Boroughs, and I will miss him greatly.”

K I M STONE ’90 alumna

Ordained in 1978, he professed his final vows in 1986.

“I remember introducing him at a gathering at Hogan Campus Center shortly after he arrived, a chance to talk informally about himself,” Fr. Harman recalls. “It made a big impression on me because he said how happy and comfortable he is in being a Jesuit priest. I am always happy to hear a brother Jesuit speak of what gives them joy and energy, and that stayed with me.”

DECISIONS and DISCERNMENT Discernment, the Ignatian approach to decision-making and a key Jesuit practice, has been a cornerstone in Fr. Boroughs’ life. It is a principle he has embraced wholeheartedly throughout his priesthood up through leading a college in the 21st century. Over the course of his presidency, Holy Cross has faced a series of significant challenges and controversial issues, from micro — examining the College’s longtime moniker and mascot — to macro — leading the Holy Cross community through a

historic worldwide pandemic. At the heart of his decision-making, regardless of issue, colleagues say, is careful discernment and thoughtful direction, considering how a choice will impact everyone while trying to care for all involved or impacted.

“His practice of Ignatian discernment is a very real part of his life and how he lives it,” says Patterson, who has worked with Fr. Boroughs on several major decisions as board chair. “I’ve seen that clearly over the past two and a half years. To see all the work, the research he undertook personally, to see all the people he was in touch with to get a point of view; he would have a conversation about it, challenge people, be challenged, really talk about it. And then there were quiet periods, where he was praying and thinking.

“Some of these decisions took many months, and he was in no hurry,” Patterson continues. “He really just wanted to be thorough and be at peace with his decision.

I hadn’t had such a tangible experience with a person going through that kind of process on a matter so meaningfully.”

(opposite, top to bottom) Blessing a statue of St. Peter Faber in the Hogan Courtyard, August 2019; with board of trustees chair P. Kevin Condron ’67, P00 in March 2014; at 2018 Move-In Day with Emmett Clifford ’20, Mark Ebo ’20, Michele Murray, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, Joe Mattingly ’20 and Miles Alexander ’20; outside St. Joseph Memorial Chapel with His Eminence Seán Cardinal O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Boston, following the Mass celebrating Holy Cross’ 175th anniversary in September 2018. (above) With members of the Holy Cross Jesuit Community photographed in Ciampi Hall, August 2015.

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(above) Fr. Boroughs and family on the Kimball Quad on Inauguration Day 2012: (from left) Bernadette Fegan, Michael Fegan, Angelica Callahan, Hue Nhan, Kenneth Boroughs, Raymond McCabe, Maria Kinsella, Patricia Boroughs, Fr. Boroughs, Sharon Weeks, Brian Weeks, Shelagh Lustig, John Lustig, Caitlin Lustig, Sam Boroughs, Michael Boroughs, Eileen Wallace, Michael Wallace, Lesley Hayes and Margaret Pender. (opposite, top to bottom) At 2019 Reunion Picnic, with Bob Peck ’69 and his father, the late Ed Peck ’39; welcoming new students at Wheeler Hall on Move-In Day 2015; with Fordham University President Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., at the 2016 Ram-Crusader Cup in New York; in El Salvador in 2014, where he joined hundreds who gathered to honor the Jesuit priests murdered by members of the Salvadorian Army in 1989.

LeMura, president of Le Moyne, counts Fr. Boroughs as a confidant and supporter when she is faced with decision-making on her Jesuit campus.

“It was always clear to me that he was a student of history. He studied the origins and the original intention of the Crusader serving as a mascot. And he also studied the legacy of Fr. Mulledy in Jesuit history,” LeMura says, referencing the head of the Maryland province who in 1838 authorized the sale of enslaved persons owned by the Society of Jesus to pay off debts at Georgetown. Five years later, Fr. Mulledy became Holy Cross’ first president.

In September 2020, the College removed his name from a residence hall named for him in 1966.

“And, as any good professor would do, he shared the historical context of the issues and then, in a compelling way, shared the reasons to take a fresh look at these issues in the 21st century,” she notes. “He embodies this constant evolution of Jesuit education to keep the context fresh and cutting edge and relevant — not merely keeping the status quo for the sake of keeping the status quo.”

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Adds Sr. Markham: “I know Fr. Boroughs to be a man of deep faith. His grounding in Ignatian spirituality permeates everything he does. Discernment, prayer, practicality and a palpable compassion for those who are experiencing hardships of one sort or another have been characteristics I have long observed and admired in him.”

At Georgetown and Holy Cross, Fr. Boroughs led efforts to develop and endow spaces where students and faculty could engage in their own discernment, prayer and reflection. At Holy Cross, that drive resulted in the creation of the Thomas P. Joyce ’59 Contemplative Center, a 33,800-square-foot facility where students, faculty, staff and alumni can retreat for prayerful reflection and thought.

The first of four buildings funded by the record-breaking $420 million Become More campaign, the center opened in 2016, the realization of a long-held dream of the College, which lacked dedicated retreat space on campus. The $22 million facility is set atop 52 wooded acres overlooking the Wachusett Reservoir in West Boylston, Massachusetts, 15 minutes away from Mount St. James; the

I am honored and grateful to have been a student at Holy Cross under Fr. Boroughs’ leadership.

Throughout my four years at the College, I have been inspired by his faith and dedication to living our Jesuit identity. One of my favorite aspects of serving as an SGA copresident with Noah Sisk ’21 this year has been the conversations we have had with Father.

I appreciate the advice and wisdom Father has shared with me, along with all of the support he has provided our entire community throughout his time here, especially during these challenging times.”

V I C TORI A TA R A ’2 1 student government association c o-president

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I’ve been at Holy Cross since 1983, and I have to say that no president has done as much for the arts as Fr. Boroughs has – and for that I will be eternally grateful. His loyal attendance in Fenwick Theatre and Brooks Concert Hall has inspired our faculty and students to be and do better.

It is tough for me to imagine a performance without his presence. I do, however, feel obliged to let readers know that Fr. Boroughs has a secret: Ever since he started working with Diller Scofidio + Renfro on the Prior Center for Performing Arts, his taste in socks has changed — check out the wild colors on his feet!”

LYNN K RE MER P 2 3 professor, department of theatre, and the rev. john e. brooks, s.j., chair in the humanities

distance allows proximity to campus while also providing an opportunity to truly retreat into stillness and contemplation. Long home to a vigorous, active retreat program, the College sees nearly 25% of its student body participate in a retreat at the center during their years on campus, experiencing the same kind of discernment central to their president’s life.

CHAMPIONING INCLUSION and EQUALITY The values of inclusivity, diversity and equality are hallmarks of the Society of Jesus; Fr. Boroughs’ sister, Pat, saw him embrace these principles long before he joined the Jesuits.

“A sense of justice and sensitivity has been part of my brother’s life for a long time. When Phil was a junior at Seattle Prep, he was president of the Seattle Archdiocese CYO. They were looking for a venue for an event, and when Phil and a couple of others met with people at the Elks Club, they realized that Black people were not allowed. And so [they] made it known that they would not be holding their event at the Elks.”

At Holy Cross, Fr. Boroughs worked to increase diversity on the College’s board of trustees. When Grayson first served in the 1990s, he was the only Black trustee.

He returned to serve another term in 2016, at Fr. Boroughs’ request.

“Fr. Boroughs said to me, ‘I need you to help me build a board that is more reflective of the society we live in and, more importantly, the graduates we produce.’” Grayson recalls. “Now there are three African Americans and several Latinos on the board. It is a deliberate way of building diversity on the board and, more importantly, building a bench for future members.”

His commitment to diversity started at the top with the board of trustees and has been felt across all facets of campus life. In 2015, Fr. Boroughs created a new role in his administration: associate dean for diversity and inclusion and chief

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diversity officer, a cabinet-level position that four years later was elevated to associate provost for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). A focus on the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty and staff has remained a constant since 2015; over the past five years, 38% of the tenure-track faculty hires have self-identified as African American, Latino/a/x or Hispanic, Asian American or Native American, and 55% as women.

In early 2019, the College formed a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Planning Group, which developed a strategic plan for improving campus climate in those areas. Following the group’s report, Fr. Boroughs appointed a DEI Implementation Team, which issues reports on progress at the start of every semester. Last July, in response to the nationwide movement for racial justice, Fr. Boroughs announced a 40-point anti-racism action plan to promote dialogue and concrete initiatives to further the College’s anti-racism commitments.

Two months later, he announced the removal of Fr. Mulledy’s name from the former Brooks-Mulledy residence hall.

BECOMING MORE For a man who literally and figuratively changed the landscape of Holy Cross, it’s ironic that Fr. Boroughs had never stepped foot on Mount St. James before his first opportunity to serve the College.

It was 2008, four years before the start of his eventual presidency, when Fr. Boroughs, then vice president for mission and ministry at Georgetown University, joined the Holy Cross board of trustees sight unseen; he had never been to campus. He was a natural choice for the board, but before accepting, he called his friend Rev. John Endres, S.J., ’68.

“I said, ‘Please do it,’” Fr. Endres recalls. “And I think he was very pleased to be asked.”

Fr. Boroughs had first learned about the Jesuit college 3,100 miles east when he met Endres in the Jesuit novitiate in Sheridan, Oregon, in the late 1960s. Today, the campus he had never seen has been transformed under Fr. Boroughs’ leadership.

One year into his presidency, the College kicked off the boldest fundraising campaign in its then170-year history, Become More: Campaign for the Future of Holy Cross. With a $400 million goal, the campaign centered around the belief that a Holy Cross liberal arts education — one that develops mind, body, spirit and community — was more

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“

Over the past several months, I’ve been fortunate to be able to work with Fr. Boroughs on our response to the pandemic.

He has a gift in perceiving and being able to communicate perspectives, and for me, this empathy is what stood out from the onset. His understanding of the student perspective, how uniquely challenging these circumstances are for them at this time in their lives and also his sincere empathy for the staff who are working tirelessly to keep the College open and safe, is both grounding and reassuring, and has been a present force in difficult decision-making throughout the pandemic.”

DA V I D S H E TT LER director, c ovid operations

“

As the Jesuit superior, I appreciated the fact that Phil fully participated in the life of the Jesuit Community here at Holy Cross. Many presidents choose to live somewhat apart because of the heaviness of the office, demands of travel, etc.

Phil, on the other hand, was as present as his work allowed, and was especially caring and supportive of our staff, including taking on ‘humble tasks’ that the isolation of the coronavirus made necessary.

Thanks, Phil!”

RE V. JAM ES R. STOR MES , S. J. rector of the jesuit c ommunity

essential than ever in today’s world, and strove to raise funds that would strengthen every aspect of the College: academics, Athletics, mission, financial aid, students, community and more. With a length of seven years, the endeavor would stretch the majority of Fr. Boroughs’ tenure, exceed its fundraising goal and transform the College in ways that will impact generations.

“The vision of the campaign was so bold from a campus improvement perspective, and to see the way that Father was able to keep the focus on the broader vision, Become More, was remarkable,” says Anne Fink ’85 P17, a campaign co-chair. “Fr. Boroughs guided the work and the priorities, keeping the people who were working on it focused, and then also engaging all of the constituents who played such a role in the generosity involved in bringing these projects to life.”

The most visible results of the campaign can be found in the four buildings that resulted from Become More, three of which have literally changed the landscape of upper campus: the $95 million Hart Center at the Luth Athletic

Complex, which opened in 2018, renovating and expanding upon the aging Hart Center; the $32.5 million Joanne Chouinard-Luth Recreation and Wellness Center that, opening earlier this year, replaced the long-outdated Field House; and the $107 million Prior Center for Performing Arts, an 84,000-square-foot facility that will debut in 2022, providing a home for the fine and performing arts, as well as spaces and technology to support interdisciplinary creativity between the arts and other areas of study.

“It was never just about the buildings, but about mind, body, spirit and community,” notes Fink, who also chaired the board of trustees’ buildings and grounds committee during the campaign years. “The physical buildings were a way to manifest that and bring that to life. In a relatively short amount of time, the campus was transformed to ultimately benefit our students today and in the future as they prepare to impact the world around them.”

John Mahoney ’73, P13, P00, board of trustees chair from 2014-2018, says Fr. Boroughs has given Holy Cross students “the chance to be excellent in everything they do. He

(above) Fr. Boroughs gathers with local faith leaders at the annual Multifaith Community Prayer Service in January 2015. (opposite, top to bottom) At the 2016 Presidential Service Awards with Jake Medina ’16 and Jacqueline D. Peterson, former vice president for student affairs and dean of students; welcoming Annalisa Dow ’18 and her family at Move-In Day 2014; shaking hands with Geoffrey D. Findlay, associate professor of biology, at the 2013 Mass of the Holy Spirit; bestowing a blessing on Karina Camargo ’16 during Baccalaureate Mass.

AN UNCOMMON BAL ANCE / 3 5

was so broadly successful across all elements, from strengthening academic programs, to the whole mind, body, spirit.”

MAGIS and the FUTURE In a roundtable discussion with College administrators in fall 2014, Fr. Boroughs reflected on the role of the magis (a typical abbreviation of the Jesuits’ motto, Ad majorem Dei gloriam: “For the greater glory of God”) at Holy Cross, both at that time and in the future.

“It is really important that we understand the magis — or the more — implies that our education isn’t simply for ourselves,” Fr. Boroughs said. “It isn’t simply for our own educational community, either, but has a focus toward the other, toward the world around us, both being with others and serving with them and making a difference.”

The leadership that Fr. Boroughs brought to Holy Cross will be embodied not only by his nine years, but also in the thousands of students educated during his tenure, men and women for and with others inspired to live lives of personal and professional impact far beyond Mount St. James.

“He loves to serve young people. He sees the promise and potential in young people, and the student-faculty relationship excites him,” LeMura says. “When he would speak about the relationship between faculty and students at Holy Cross, it inspired people around him to want to get closer to Holy Cross. You knew that he was leading an incredible intellectual community that was inspired by Jesuit values. You could feel it, it was palpable.” ■

SAY FAREWELL TO FR. BOROUGHS Would you like to send Fr. Boroughs a farewell message? Send your thoughts to Holy Cross Magazine, One College St., P.O. Box PR, Worcester, MA 01610 or visit www.holycross.edu/boroughs.

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(above, top to bottom) With students and alumni at the Black Student Union 50th anniversary celebration weekend; with Greta Kenney, former director of the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, and Ameer Phillips ’17 at the 2016 Faces on the Hill event; at Move-In Day 2019; the 2020 topping off ceremony for the Prior Center for Performing Arts; the 2016 beam signing ceremony for the Luth Athletic Complex; and the 2015 groundbreaking for the Joyce Contemplative Center. (above right, top to bottom) In the President’s Office in Fenwick Hall; presenting an honorary degree to Theodore V. Wells Jr. ’72 in November 2018; at Move-In Day 2018 with Dana McManus ’16 (left) and Lena Nguyen Tran ’16; with his predecessor, Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J.; making Move-In Day rounds with Officer Gracie of the Department of Public Safety.

FI V E

QU E STI O N S WITH

F R . B O RO U G H S

When you think back on your tenure as president of the College, of what are you most proud? I am proud of so many aspects of Holy Cross, it’s hard to choose just one.

There are our extraordinarily bright and engaged students and our devoted faculty who, respectively, rise to the challenge of and deliver the exceptional academic programs for which the College is known. There is our hard-working staff, whose daily care and concern for us and our campus creates a home for our experience of community. I find joy in our extremely supportive and generous alumni and board members, who teamed to ensure that the Become More campaign was such a success. And I am grateful for my collaborative and hardworking executive team, which supports me in the strategic leadership of the College.

Comparing the Holy Cross of your 2012 arrival to the Holy Cross of 2021, where have you seen the greatest change or evolution? There has been a significant rise in women in leadership. For example, women currently comprise 75% of the executive team. Fifty percent of the College’s academic departments are chaired by women, as well as the Office of the College Chaplains, and Information and Technology Services, among many key departments and programs.

Reflective of our student body and our world at large, today we also see a greater diversity

among faculty and have placed a focus on critical diversity initiatives across all segments of the campus community. Clearly, we still have more work to do here.

Through major capital projects, our campus has evolved physically via the dynamic Prior Center for Performing Arts, the Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex for our varsity athletic teams, and the newly opened Joanne Chouinard-Luth Recreation and Wellness Center for the entire campus community.

And just 15 minutes away we have the spectacular Thomas P. Joyce ’59 Contemplative Center.

Increasing resources for financial aid has been a continued commitment and priority, most recently with our new Hope + Access Campaign for Financial Aid, which aims to raise $40 million for need-based financial aid, ensuring that the life-changing education that Holy Cross provides is available and accessible to all admitted students.

And we’ve seen significant growth in academic interdisciplinary programs and resources for career development, as well as programs to promote reflection, discernment and prayer.

What will you miss most about Holy Cross? I will miss the people of the College and our extraordinary sense of community; it is a spirit we experience in person, as well as in dispersion, as we have over the past year. I’ll miss

my Jesuit brothers: working, ministering and living with them in community at Ciampi Hall. I will miss engaging with our incredible alumni, both on campus and across the country, in person and virtually. Their love for Holy Cross, their generosity of time and talent, and their passion for sharing our mission around the world will be impossible to forget.

I’m also going to miss seeing the long-overdue development of Worcester, our home and community partner, which over the past several years has grown in myriad exciting ways.

While Worcester’s charm and opportunities may be news to those outside our region, I’ve long recognized it as the vibrant, dynamic and diverse city it is today.

Where is your favorite spot on campus or place that has significant meaning to you?

Saint Ignatius of Loyola Chapel in the Joyce Contemplative Center is amazingly beautiful; I experience a sense of awe every time that I enter that sacred space. And my office, Fenwick 119, with its historic wall carvings, is a favorite spot as well.

Starting July 1, you are on sabbatical for one year. What are you most looking forward to? Do you have any goals or plans for that time? I’m going to visit my siblings, cousins and their families, who primarily live on the West Coast of the U.S. and Canada, and those on my Dad’s side who reside in Scotland and England. I’m planning on spending time with the Jesuits and other old friends in my home province on the West Coast, and I am exploring an opportunity in Kenya for next spring, which will depend on the movement of the pandemic. ■

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH FR. BOROUGHS / AN UNCOMMON BAL ANCE / 3 7

ALICIA MOLT-WEST As special assistant to President Joe Biden

TAKES LESSONS FROM and House legislative affairs liaison,

GOLF, POLITICS AND Molt-West ’09 joins the new administration

THE JESUITS TO THE ready to listen, learn and put people first.

WHITE HOUSE

BY MARYBETH R E I L LY- M C G R E E N ’ 8 9

I was immunosuppressed. I was a wreck — so very sick — but I really wanted to see her.”

made me think: I can do this again. I can survive this cancer, and I can be a teacher again to kids like these.”

henever Alicia Molt-West ’09 returned home for the holidays after graduating from Holy Cross, she’d make a breakfast or lunch date with her former history professor and friend, Stephanie Yuhl.

During their lunch date, Molt-West presented Yuhl with a gift, a handsome journal. “It’s gonna make me cry to talk about it,” Yuhl says. “Alicia had contacted the classmates she’d met in a first-year class I’d taught. She’d told them I was sick. I don’t know how she found out.”

Yuhl remembers one particular visit in detail. It was 2013, and she was undergoing treatment for cancer: “I was in chemo; I had metastatic breast cancer.

I was totally bald — no hair, no eyebrows.

In the book were 15 letters to Yuhl from Alicia and her classmates: “These beautiful letters about the remarkable memories the students had in our time together,” Yuhl recalls. “And it just

That journal manifested and affirmed what Yuhl had often observed in her student: a depth of care, concern and compassion for others. Molt-West saw that class, that experience they’d shared, as a gift, Yuhl says. “And it gave me a lot of hope at a time that was really difficult for me. I almost died. Twice. It gave me hope in a time I was without hope.”

That’s the thing to know about Alicia Molt-West: She pays attention, Yuhl says. “Alicia shows up, she’s present. And she’s working as hard if not harder than

W

(opposite) Due to pandemic precautions, Molt-West takes her oath of office, administered virtually by President Joe Biden on Inauguration Day 2021, at home with her twin daughters on her lap. A framed photo of St. Joseph Memorial Chapel and Fenwick Hall can be seen on the wall in the background; President Biden walks along the White House colonnade in February 2021 en route to the Oval Office; the American flag flies at half staff above the White House on Feb. 22, 2021, in honor of the 500,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19.

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P H O T O S B Y S T E P H E N W E S T / A D A M S C H U LT Z / C H A N D L E R W E S T

A L I C I A M O LT- W E S T / 3 9

anyone else to do what’s right.”

Such a solid work ethic should serve Molt-West well in her new job: special assistant to President Joe Biden and House legislative affairs liaison.

“I can see her being not only accessible and absolutely expert in the areas she’s tasked with, but also a person who listens well and, so, can bring people together to talk through difficult questions or disagreements. And that is something that we absolutely need right now in Washington,” Yuhl says. “And Alicia in this position gives me hope. I have a lot of hope in her.”

HOLY CROSS ROOTS A native of Northbridge, Massachusetts, Molt-West entered Holy Cross with the intention of becoming an educator. Since high school, she’d had a deep interest in social justice and chose to major in history and the multidisciplinary program gender, sexuality, and women’s studies. In her roommate Jennifer Fraser ’09, Molt-West found a lifelong friend who shared her interest in justice — and most everything else. In their dorm room in Hanselman, the two created a whiteboard listing their many mutual interests: social justice holding the top spot. Lower on the list: a deep and abiding love for celebrating holidays and Buffalo wings, Fraser says with a grin. Both were a part of the First-Year

Program, a precursor of the Montserrat Program.

(above) Holy Cross longtime friends and roommates, MoltWest and Fraser through the years: (left to right) with Yuhl; in their Hanselman dorm room; in 2019. Notes Yuhl: “Alicia shows up, she’s present. And she’s working as hard if not harder than anyone else to do what’s right.”

“It was an opt-in program and had the reputation of being for nerds, but we loved it,” Fraser says. “I remember getting the letter in the mail telling me who my roommate was, and Alicia and I connecting on Facebook and Myspace.

I remember Move-In Day, walking into 318 Hanselman and meeting her; she hugged me right away and we were best friends from the second we met. We really clicked over social justice. We had both been involved in service work in high school and wanting to better learn how to make a difference in the world was one of the things we bonded over.”

Fraser and Molt-West were roommates throughout their years at Holy Cross and for seven years after in Washington, D.C. While at Holy Cross, Molt-West was deeply involved in Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD) and the College Democrats. A varsity athlete, she played golf for her father, the late Bob Molt, the longest-serving coach in College history, who retired after 41 years of coaching both the men’s and women’s golf teams, the latter from 2000-2013. In a 2017 interview with Holy Cross Magazine, Molt said his two proudest moments were receiving the prestigious Gordon McCullough Award from his New England Intercollegiate

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Golf Association peers in 2006 and coaching his daughter at the 2009 Big South Championship in Charleston, South Carolina.

Some of the most important lessons Molt-West learned from her dad’s coaching have direct application to politics, she says: “It’s actually shockingly easy to cheat in the game of golf. You can throw down another ball when no one is looking, for instance, but you don’t because, as my dad would say, golf is a game of integrity and about doing what’s right, regardless of who is looking or how the score ends up. Golf’s more about the confidence that comes with knowing you’ve done the right thing, regardless of the outcome.”

A PIVOT TO POLITICS Molt-West’s junior year marked her official entry into politics in an internship that had her working for a rising star in the Democratic Party. “I was in the Teacher Education Program for the first two years of college,” she says. “In 2007, Professor Stephanie Yuhl encouraged me to apply for the Washington Semester Program. I would not be in my current vocation if not for

Stephanie’s commitment to her students’ success. She always showed how much she cared about my growth. When people ask me how I got into politics, I tell them it started with Stephanie’s encouragement and that internship.”

“That internship” happened to be in the office of then-junior Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois. “I just have to thank my lucky stars. I’m not from Illinois; I didn’t have special connections,” Molt-West says.

“I had seen his speech at the DNC years before and thought highly of him, and that I’d love the opportunity to work for him.”

That experience changed her idea of what she might become, Molt-West says: “Just being able to walk to work every day, going into the Capitol and getting to see how everything gets done — it was just so meaningful to me. And it showed me that I could get involved in our government. I could have a place in all of this.”

(above) A member of the varsity women’s golf team, Molt-West found lessons from the sport applicable to life off the course; with her late father and longtime Holy Cross golf coach Bob Molt on her wedding day; Molt-West’s host family in El Salvador along with her friend, Anna; a mural in El Salvador.

Bookending the D.C. internship, and also pivotal in Molt-West’s academic and professional careers, were two immersion trips, one to El Salvador in 2006 and another to Kenya in 2009, both sponsored by the Office of the College Chaplains. The El Salvador trip was funded by an award given to Marybeth Kearns-Barrett ’84, chaplain and office director. Kearns-Barrett arranged to take Molt-West and a handful of other SPUD leaders to El Salvador to learn about how the Jesuits at the University of Central America understood the role of a university and scholarship as a social force. Their commitment to a faith that does justice led to the 1989 massacre of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her teenage daughter by members of the Salvadoran Army on the grounds of the Jesuit University of Central America.

The elite battalion had orders to kill Rev. Ignacio Ellacuría, S.J., an outspoken critic of the Salvadoran military. MoltWest impressed Kearns-Barrett with her attentiveness.

“Watching her interact with the people

A L I C I A M O LT- W E S T / 4 1

there and her humility, her real interest in hearing people’s stories, wanting to understand how people lived and what their struggles were, it all just really seemed to make a big impression on her,” Kearns-Barrett says. “She was listening for the ways structural inequities were impacting people’s lives. I think Alicia was always thinking about the bigger picture: Why is this happening, and how did we get this way?”

Molt-West says she believes that such immersion in the culture, specifically in its people’s stories, is how to begin to affect systemic change: “You have to see, hear and learn things firsthand from those who are being affected by policies.

Those experiences were very formative in my understanding of what it means to stand in solidarity with others while also providing a global context for what it means to create a just world.

“In both El Salvador and Kenya, you’re definitely experiencing great poverty, extreme poverty,” she says. “In Kenya, I believe we visited one of the largest slums on the entire continent, and to experience that makes you think of your own privilege while also prompting

(above) With her husband, Stephen, and their now 1-year-old twins, Charlotte and Grace; with Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin at her 2017 wedding; with the late Rep. John Lewis of Georgia and Pocan after a meeting on legislation.

you to question what different systems are in place that are hurting people.

And asking some of those broader questions helps lead you in the direction of figuring out what it is within a system that you’d like to affect.”

After graduation, Molt-West took a job as an advocate for victims of domestic violence in the D.C. courts. She then worked for U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore of Wisconsin for two years before taking a legislative aide position on the staff of Worcester’s congressman, U.S. Rep. James McGovern, for whom she had campaigned as a student. Molt-West worked for McGovern for two-and-ahalf years before taking a position with U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin.

In describing Molt-West, McGovern uses words like “extraordinary,” “brilliant” and “spectacular.” “Working on Capitol Hill, it’s not just about having an encyclopedic memory about every issue, but also being able to work well with other people and be responsive to other people,” McGovern says. “One of

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the issues she worked on — she initiated it — was helping to come up with the cost of training service dogs for veterans who were suffering from brain trauma injuries and dealing with post-traumatic stress. It’s expensive to train a service dog, and we knew there was a great need.

“So we established this grant program with the Department of Defense to help subsidize the cost of training these dogs,” he continues. “Alicia started that effort and now we have a grant program that is up and running, and is providing service dogs to countless veterans all over the country. Alicia is a great representative of the Jesuit values Holy Cross teaches.”

ON TO THE WHITE HOUSE As a part of President Biden’s legislative affairs team, Molt-West works to pass the president’s agenda in Congress. As House legislative affairs liaison, her focus is on issues of education and labor, science, space and technology.

(above) With President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden; with Rep. Lori Trahan of Massachusetts in the congresswoman’s Capitol Hill office on Jan. 6, 2021, just before the attack on the Capitol; at the Rose Garden on March 13, 2021, for the bill signing of the American Rescue Plan, legislation on which the Office of Legislative Affairs worked closely.

do. It’s probably rooted in the Jesuit tradition of social justice.”

NO ONE LEFT BEHIND She began her job in November 2020 while also wrapping up her duties as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan of Massachusetts, a position she’d held since 2019.

It’s a busy life on the job and at home — she and her husband, Stephen, are parents to 1-year-old twins, Charlotte and Grace — but the rewards are great and the experiences, singular, Molt-West says. While not at Biden’s inauguration ceremony — she was at the Capitol — Molt-West says she was able to appreciate the magnitude of the day. “On Inauguration Day, I made a very intentional effort to be present, to be focused on President Biden’s words, to truly listen to those inspiring words pertaining to unity and the president’s vision for our country, and I just let it soak in,” she says. “I truly feel I’ve found a vocation in my work.”

Of the nation’s second Catholic president, Molt-West says she is inspired by Biden’s kindheartedness,

decency and sincerity in urging the country to work toward unity: “President Biden means what he says when he says he wants to find common ground, and it’s very much a part of what I do day to day: reaching out to folks with different viewpoints than President Biden’s own and my own, to see how we can find that unity, that common ground.

“People have to be first in all that we do, and politics doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game where if I win, you lose,” she continues. “We can have different viewpoints. We can both believe we’re doing something for the good of the country, but we have different ways of arriving at it.”

As for her own strategy in moving the needle toward unity, Molt-West reiterates the object lessons her father taught her years earlier on the links: “In politics, all you have is your word and your integrity. I just come back to the idea that you have to be good in all you

Asked to share the sort of classic story about her friend that only an insider would know, Fraser looks thoughtful and takes a moment: “Alicia is a really magical combination of somebody who is a confident leader — efficient, strong and a go-getter — coupled with a deep sense of empathy. She has a beautiful balance of both.

“I have this memory of being at the bottom of Mount St. James where that little café, Culpeppers, is, and we were driving by there, and we saw an elderly man,” she remembers. “It was raining, and he was probably cold, and he was just standing there, and we were both, like, ‘What should we do?’ And Alicia pulled over and gave him the umbrella she had in her car. It’s a small example of who she is. She walks the walk, and she is in this work because she genuinely feels for people.

“She wants to make sure that all people are treated fairly and with compassion, that no one is left behind.” ■

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How Agnes Williams’ Passion for Holy Cross Will Change the Lives of Generations

BY MAU R A S U L L I VA N H I L L

Her $23.5 million gift funds transformational Hope + Access Campaign for Financial Aid

T

he late Agnes Williams P83 was the kind of matriarch who embraced anything her family members loved. With her granddaughter Adair Bender ’12, it was field hockey, Holy Cross and a postgraduate job at the Boston Red Sox. “I played on the club field hockey team at Holy Cross, and she would

call in to ask, ‘Are you still doing the 11 p.m. practice, or did you get a better time this week?’” Bender recalls. “One of the incredible things about my grandmother was that she really did make my passions her interests — and she did that for all of her grandkids.”

It was the same with Agnes’ husband of 28 years, the late Edward Bennett Williams ’41, P83, Hon. ’63, who loved

the law, sports and Holy Cross. After the couple were married in 1960, she supported Holy Cross as staunchly as if it were her own alma mater.

“The way that my grandmother lived was in the Holy Cross tradition, and it is interesting to think back now that she didn’t attend the College herself,” Bender says. “She spoke and acted in such a way that you felt like she was an alum of the school. She remained close to a lot of the community at Holy Cross throughout her life. Many of her friends and the people she spoke with on a frequent basis were affiliated with

Agnes Williams as a member of Georgetown University Law School’s class of 1954. While she didn’t attend Holy Cross, Williams was a longtime valued member of its community: “She spoke and acted in such a way that you felt like she was an alum of the school,” says granddaughter Adair Bender ’12.

AGNES WILLIAMS / 4 5

education, one that propelled him into a career as a preeminent trial attorney in the United States. Williams was the only child of a department store floor worker who was laid off during the Great Depression. “His parents couldn’t afford to send him to Holy Cross,” Ned Williams says. “He appreciated what the College did for him and he wanted to give back.”

Holy Cross; I think it was just part of her day-to-day life.”

After her passing in March 2020, Williams’ final gift to the College she loved was a $23.5 million bequest from her estate, the largest estate gift in Holy Cross history, which will be used to support the College’s new Hope + Access Campaign for Financial Aid. “Financial aid is something you don’t necessarily see or put a name on, but it really is one of the most powerful, long-lasting gifts one could make to

the College,” says Ned Williams ’83, Agnes’ son. “The hope is that students who come to Holy Cross as a result of more robust financial aid will change Holy Cross’ future and, in turn, change the world, like my father did after the College took a chance on him.”

Coming full circle Edward Bennett Williams needed a scholarship to attend Holy Cross, so it is fitting that his wife’s estate gift will now enable future financial aid recipients that same Holy Cross

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After Holy Cross, the elder Williams earned his law degree at Georgetown Law Center in Washington, D.C., on a full scholarship. He met Agnes when she worked for his law firm, after she graduated from Georgetown Law in its first class that included women.

Williams’ career as a trial lawyer was legendary, and he made his name defending Frank Sinatra, U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, crime boss Frank Costello and Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, among others.

Williams’ 1988 New York Times obituary cited his commitment to a person’s right to competent counsel: “In the courtroom, in his passion to see that his clients received every benefit of the Sixth Amendment guarantee of a defendant’s right to a fair trial, Mr. Williams found himself in sometimes diverse company, and more often than

(opposite) Williams working as a young lawyer in the law office of her future husband, Edward Bennett Williams ’41; the Williamses arrive for dinner aboard the USS United States. (above) Williams with client and Teamsters President James Hoffa at congressional organized crime hearings in Washington, D.C. Williams’ New York Times obituary noted his “passion to see that his clients received every benefit of the Sixth Amendment guarantee of a defendant’s right to a fair trial.”

not, he won his cases.”

my dad. However, she loved their time together visiting Holy Cross.”

He liked winning in the courtroom and on the football and baseball fields. An ardent sports fan, Williams was part owner of both the Washington Football Team and the Baltimore Orioles during his lifetime. Agnes Williams took over as owner of the Orioles for a time after his death, one of many times she tolerated sports out of love for her husband.

While visiting Holy Cross with her husband over the decades — Athletics events, board meeting visits and Ned’s student years on campus — Williams developed her own deep love for the school and its community.

“My father was far more interested in sports than Mom was,” Ned Williams recalls with a chuckle. “I have a picture of her, sitting ringside with my dad at Madison Square Garden, grimacing as Joe Frazier hit Muhammad Ali with a left hook. My mom attended countless sporting events just to spend time with

Her estate bequest is the latest in a long line of transformational gifts from her family to Holy Cross, all in support of student success and faculty excellence. Williams’ support of the College’s prelaw program has ensured that generations of students are prepared to pursue professional

The transformative nature of higher education

studies at law schools, as she and her husband did. She also established the Center for Writing and the Williams Faculty Fellows, which extends her support of faculty over the years through the Agnes N. Williams faculty endowed funds. In 2001, she and a number of close friends established the Edward Bennett Williams ’41 Scholarship.

“My mother believed in the transformative nature of higher education and how it can change the trajectory of one’s life,” Ned Williams says. “She really believed in the Jesuit methodology of delivering higher education and that a good college education was the greatest gift that one could give a child. Her hope with this bequest would simply be that, in some

AGNES WILLIAMS / 47

small way, Holy Cross students would be affected positively. She wanted Holy Cross to be affordable.”

Williams graduated from the College of New Rochelle, just outside New York City, before attending law school at Georgetown. She left a partnership at her husband’s law firm, Williams & Connolly, to raise their seven children, and they later had 15 grandchildren.

Bender says her grandmother instilled in her the values of faith and education.

“Those were constants throughout her life. She was extremely devout and curious, and I really do think it was her empathy and generosity that made her a truly remarkable person,”

Bender says. “She consistently brought her perspective, time and support to friends, family and organizations she was passionate about, including The Cross.”

In addition to her dedication to the College, where she served on the board of trustees, Williams was an active supporter of Georgetown University and Catholic Relief Services, as well as female congressional candidates.

Bender also remembered her grandmother as a great listener. “Every conversation I had with her, she was fully listening to me and intent on understanding my opinion and how I arrived there,” Bender says. “Even at a young age, she wanted to know what you were thinking.”

(left, top to bottom) A native Washingtonian, Williams interacted with many luminaries, including Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas ’71; Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts; former President Bill Clinton; the late James Cardinal Hickey, archbishop of Washington, D.C.; and former President Barack Obama. (above) With granddaughter Adair Bender ’12 following her graduation from Holy Cross.

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(above) Williams (center) at the 2008 dedication of the residence hall named in honor of her late husband, with, left to right, former College President Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J.; the late Rev. Bill Richardson, S.J., ’41, Edward Bennett Williams’ Holy Cross roommate; son Ned Williams ’83; and the late Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., ’49, the College’s 29th president.

A longstanding presence on The Hill Ned Williams’ Holy Cross roommate and rugby teammate, Brendan Swords ’83, has similar memories of Williams, whether it was during Parents’ Weekend in his student days or seeing her at weddings or at Mass in her later years.

“She was one of those people who was full of positive energy and very gracious,” Swords recalls. “Of course, [Mr. and Mrs. Williams] were both very accomplished people, but to me, the thing that is striking is that they were very down to earth. They always had time for you, gave you their full attention; they were always present in the moment with you.”

Since Edward Bennett Williams served on and chaired the Holy Cross Board of Trustees, he often visited campus for meetings when Ned and Brendan were students. “He was a great storyteller, and he had all these really amusing stories about politics and history and sports,” Swords says. “He was a riot.”

There was the time he took them out for steaks and beers, and the Parents’ Weekend where he joined in rousing renditions of Irish songs at the house where Ned and Brendan lived with six other roommates. No matter what they were doing, Swords says the family’s love of the College and its mission stood out.

“They passed that love of it on to their

children and grandchildren,” Swords says. “They were people who really cared about the next generation and deeply understood that a great faithbased education could change the trajectory of a child’s life.”

It changed the trajectory of Edward Bennett Williams’ life, and now this bequest from Agnes Williams will do the same for future generations.

Bender says her grandmother “believed in making sure that everyone has a voice at the table and everyone has access to a Holy Cross education.

The best and the brightest of students should not be held back because they don’t have the financial means to attend the school. She wanted to make sure that we’re bringing the most intelligent people, who are trying to make a difference in the world, to the table. While this is the grand gift that is getting the attention, her presence was a constant part of Holy Cross over the past 50 years.” ■

AGNES WILLIAMS / 4 9

Jinze Mi 羋金澤 ’23

Long-Term Occupancy Unable to travel home following the COVID-19 outbreak, students share what it was like living through a historic world event thousands of miles away from their families, all while residing on an empty Holy Cross campus

zicong (chris) li 李孜聪 ’21

claudia davila ’20

BY MEREDITH FIDROCKI

xinmeng (brenda) Duan 段昕萌 ’22 Jinze Mi ’23, Zicong (Chris) Li ’21, Claudia Davila ’20 and Xinmeng (Brenda) Duan ’22 were four of more than 60 international students who lived in Figge Hall — on a nearly empty Mount St. James — after the student body was sent home in mid-March 2020.

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N

early all Holy Cross alumni have experienced life on a bustling campus, from noisy, packed dining spaces to hilly paths teeming with foot traffic.

But when the pandemic forced students to return to their homes last March, a small group of mostly international students remained on The Hill for six months, experiencing a Holy Cross like no other in its long history. “[For international students,] there’s a lot of adjustment that goes on, even in a ‘normal year,’” says Christina (Tina) Bi Chen, assistant dean of international students. She notes that the culture shock that comes with living in a new environment can leave students feeling even farther from home: “It’s everything from ‘Can you get your favorite candy or your favorite comfort foods?’ to ‘When you look out your window, does it look like a completely alien place?’”

Chen, known as “Dean Tina” to students, says that despite the challenges, she sees international students thrive across all majors, programs and activities at Holy Cross — in many cases, while speaking their second language.

Last March, international students faced a new hurdle: daunting barriers to returning home, ranging from getting travel authorizations to navigating travel restrictions. “There is a lot to think about — you don’t just pack up and leave,” Chen says.

More than 60 international students were ultimately unable to make it home to their families, prompting Holy Cross to offer them the option of continuing their on-campus room and board — something Chen notes not all higher-ed institutions immediately offered at the time. She credits a team of “unsung heroes” from multiple College offices and divisions with making it all work, especially chef Linda Jesse and Neil Domina, assistant director of residential dining; Ed Coolbaugh, assistant dean of students and director of residence life and housing; and Ryan Grant, senior associate director of residence life and housing. Major transitional projects included moving students into two-bedroom apartments in Figge Hall, each with its own full kitchen, living room, dining area and bathroom; surveying students on their food preferences then converting Kimball Dining Hall into a fully stocked “grocery store” (pictured on Page 55); gathering rice cookers, pots and pans for use in the students’ kitchens; and much more.

By St. Patrick’s Day, Mount St. James, normally home to about 3,000 students and 1,000 employees, was empty, save for the students who would soon move to Figge, the Jesuit community, two construction crews and a handful of employees from departments such as public safety, dining services and facilities. It would remain that way for the next six months.

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Jinze Mi 羋金澤 ’23 Tientsin, China

history and art history double major, Asian studies minor In the early days of the pandemic, securing personal protective equipment was a scramble for everyone. As Holy Cross was waiting for its orders to arrive, Jinze Mi ’23 joined an effort to help. “I collaborated with Yue Wang, a Chinese graduate student leader at WPI, to get some supplies from New York and other states,” Mi shares. “We collected more than 1,000 masks, as well as alcohol hand washes and some medicine.”

They ultimately gathered enough to distribute not just to students but also to other members of the College

community. “Professor Ke Ren of the history department and his wife, Mimi Tang, drove through campus and distributed the supplies to me, and I then distributed all the supplies,” Mi recalls.

ingredients from the Kimball “grocery store,” Mi spent many evenings practicing his culinary skills. “I really appreciated the hard work of the Kimball team and Dean Tina,” he says.

Living on an empty campus, Mi found even more solitude in Figge, as he had an entire suite to himself. “I had no roommates, so I lived in a room that normally four people live in,” says Mi, who found playing classical music in the background helped fill the quiet.

Mi, who aspires to one day pursue a Ph.D. in early Chinese art and archaeology, stayed busy over the summer taking an online Japanese language course at Middlebury College and working as a research associate on the history department’s COVID Chronicles project, in which students documented oral stories from the pandemic.

The only first-year student in the research collective, Mi focused on capturing

“Before I came to the States, my mom taught me how to cook some food, both in the Chinese style and the Western style,” Mi says. Using fresh

52 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

the experiences of Chinese international students and says he’s “incredibly proud” of what the team was able to create.

A resident of Mount St. James since his arrival in August 2019, Mi says he’s most looking forward to seeing his parents and grandparents when he returns to China: “It’s been so long.”

What helps remind you of home? “I have a Chinese family seal. I learned how to write the ancient Chinese scripts and how to do the seal carving at a very young age under the direction of a renowned scholar in my home city. I keep it with me, and it reminds me of my family.”

Zicong (Chris) Li 李孜聪 ’21 Shanghai, China

philosophy major As the majority of students were returning to their families last March, Zicong (Chris) Li ’21 was moving into Figge. Settling in, he looked out his dorm room window and found an unexpected reminder of home.

“My room in Figge faced [the performing arts center construction], and I have exactly the same situation in my home in Shanghai — I have a construction site right outside my window,” Li says.

“Every morning, my dad makes himself a coffee and just looks at the construction site. He says you can see how the city develops and get a fresh start for your day.” So Li started doing the same thing every morning, thinking of his dad while watching building progress unfold day by day.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Li says he and his parents were worried when they heard that some international students in the United States were abruptly losing on-campus housing.

“This didn’t happen at all [at Holy Cross],” says Li, noting the College went above and beyond his expectations. “The situation was bad for everyone, but the school tried their best, especially Dean Tina — that’s why I’m so enthusiastic in helping her.”

Early last spring, when so much was changing — even hourly — Li and a few other students offered to act as communications liaisons for Chen, helping relay information back and forth to students in Figge and translating College updates for students’ families in China.

“Suddenly, students have to make frequent trips to the supermarket to buy supplies to prepare for the time coming.

All kinds of different needs fell on Dean Tina’s shoulders.

So to help her, we would basically make a list of what students needed and help each other out,” says Li, who also coordinated trips to the store as one of the only students on campus at the time with a driver’s license.

What was remarkable, Chen notes, was the way the students lived as men and women for and with others. Students didn’t just help each other — they also reached out to staff, says Chen, who recalls Li offering to share with Holy Cross maintenance staff the then-impossible-tofind face masks his parents had sent him. Thousands of miles away from their families amid a historic, ever-changing event, the students demonstrated that they have taken their Holy Cross education to heart, Chen says.

Li is quick to recognize the efforts of a caring staff: “I want to give a big appreciation to all of the Holy Cross staff: the workers in Kimball, all the residence maintenance staff, the public safety officers, health services. I saw them work seamlessly over the whole time; they were the people who were making everything work.”

What are you looking forward to when you return home? “A haircut! I haven’t had a haircut since I left home in January last year. I usually get my hair cut in Boston — I go to Chinatown, so I can speak Chinese with the person who gives me the haircut, which is nice. I’m looking forward to my haircut when I go home.”

L O N G -T E R M O C C U PA N C Y / 5 3

Claudia Davila ’20 Lima, Peru

psychology and art double major “I started running around campus every day,” says Claudia Davila ’20, about how she passed her time on the quiet campus. “I ran different routes every single time, so I never passed by the same places in the same order.

I tried to run around the entire campus to see if I could do it. In the beginning I was dying, but by the end, I was running around nonstop for an hour at a good pace, which was really nice.”

Following graduation in May, Davila planned to return to Peru and start her career, but the pandemic forced her to change course. “Here [in the U.S.] I feel like it’s very typical to move out [of your family’s house] as soon as you graduate from college, but that’s something I hadn’t planned on doing; I had planned on going home,” Davila says. “It’s very typical at home [in Peru] to live with our parents.”

Figuring out how to now navigate an unexpected job search in the U.S. was daunting at first.

“It’s definitely different applying for jobs in the U.S. than Peru, so it wasn’t like I could really ask my parents specifics,” Davila notes.

She says meeting with a career counselor from the Center for Career Development via Zoom

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to review her resume and learn interview tips was key: “That was a huge guide.” And Chen was there to help Davila navigate the visa and work authorization processes. “There were certain jobs that couldn’t take me because they didn’t accept students with the visa I was applying for,” Davila explains. “[Dean Tina] walked us through everything.”

Davila landed a job at the New England Center for Children as a teacher working with adults with autism and moved into her own apartment in nearby Framingham, Massachusetts: “Building my own life here, at least for a year, was something big.”

Years from now Davila says she’ll most remember how supported she felt during this time: “My friends’ parents were always asking if I needed anything. It’s really nice knowing I can turn around any corner and have someone there.”

What helped remind you of home? “I cooked a few typical Peruvian dishes from home for my friends. I made lomo saltado — it’s beef that’s sautéed with onion and tomatoes, and you serve it with french fries and white rice.

Usually people season it with soy sauce and other spices, but I tried to adapt and see what I could find.”

Xinmeng (Brenda) Duan 段昕萌 ’22 Dalian, China

psychology and religious studies double major With so few students on campus last year, most buildings were dark and dormant. Xinmeng (Brenda) Duan ’22 says she basically followed a “triangle” between the few buildings that were still open: Figge, Hogan Campus Center and Kimball.

The limited options pushed her to expand her routine.

“Everything was locked, so we had to discover new places on campus,” she says.

“My roommate and I had this habit of taking a walk after dinner.” One day, they

wandered up to the Athletics fields on upper campus for the first time. “[The view] is really, really pretty,” Duan says. “Around 9 p.m., you can see all the stars.”

and I’ve gotten to know them really well,” she says.

“We had a lot of fun playing Mahjong and sharing our stories and experiences together.”

For entertainment, a long tucked-away Mahjong game set brought hours of entertainment to Figge.

“An upperclassman passed it down to us two years ago. My roommates and I always had it, we just didn’t have enough people,” Duan says. She and friends began holding twice-weekly games within their Figge bubble.

“Because of this virus and not being able to go back, [my friends and I have] become a closer community,

Researching and making new recipes also kept Duan busy, as did taking frequent trips to Kimball to restock her kitchen: “It was literally like a grocery store! They had everything.” And when she wanted a taste of home, she picked up luosifen, a spicy noodle dish, from an Asian grocery store in Worcester.

Duan discovered that writing in a weekly reflection journal for a psychology course gave

her an outlet to process not only what she was learning in class but also her personal thoughts. “We were reading Sigmund Freud’s ‘Civilization and Its Discontents,’ and I thought it was relevant for the time. So I was reflecting on human nature and the nature of global crisis,” Duan says. “For my own spiritual and intellectual development, [writing] was really good.”

What are you looking forward to when you return home? “My parents’ cooking.

I’m the only child, so when I’m not home they cook one dish for a meal. When I’m home, they cook a lot. Their cooking is really good!” ■

L O N G -T E R M O C C U PA N C Y / 5 5

S PPOORRTTS S

H E L LO , J O ! A look inside the three-story, 52,000-square-foot new home for fitness and fun on Mount St. James, the Joanne Chouinard-Luth Recreation

56 Go Cross Go • 58 Crusader Life

avanell brock

and Wellness Center, which opened in March.

PHOTOS BY AVANELL CHANG

GO CROSS GO / S P O R T S / 5 7

S PU O SRATDSE R L I F E CR

Remembering Jack “The Shot” Foley ’62 Mens’ basketball record-holder remembered for his impact on the court, in Worcester and beyond. B Y B I L L D O Y L E

B

asketball has seen its share of great nicknames, from “Houdini of the Hardwood” Bob Cousy ’50 to Earvin “Magic” Johnson to Julius “Dr. J” Erving. But few have been as fitting as Jack “The Shot” Foley ’62, who owns Holy Cross records for averaging 33.3 points per game (ppg) as a senior in 1961-62 and 28.4 ppg across his threeyear career on Mount St. James. Foley died on Nov. 29, 2020, at age 81, after battling Parkinson’s disease for more than a decade.

“When he shot, he didn’t hit the rim, the ball would just swish through the net every time,” says teammate Bob Foley ’63 (no relation).

Pete O’Connor ’63, who also played two years with Foley, ranks him on the same sky-high level as a shooter as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.

A newspaper reporter nicknamed Foley “The Shot” when he starred at Worcester’s Assumption Prep. In a game against Holyoke Catholic, he sank seven consecutive jump shots, the last going in despite the fact it hit the side of the backboard.

5 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

His shot was unusual, but effective.

“Jackie was 6’5”,” says John Connors, M.D., ’61, who grew up with Foley and played with him at Assumption Prep and Holy Cross. “His jump shot came from an extended pair of hands straight up over his head.

So, in essence, he was almost like a 7-footer throwing up a jump shot.”

As a child, Foley began shooting over his head rather than in front of it when he played against his older and taller brother, Frank Foley Jr. ’59, who also played for the Crusaders.

Throughout his life, Foley enjoyed being called “The Shot,” according to his wife of 28 years, Gail Raney. “It was just part of him,” she says. “Whenever he would do something fresh or say something fresh, he would say, ‘Some people used to dot the O.’”

“HE JUST SHOT THE BALL AND SHOT THE BALL” While growing up, Foley was more interested in birdwatching and hunting snakes than playing basketball. Nevertheless, when his brother was a star senior at St. John’s High School, he tried out for the school’s freshmen

a basketball court. When the pair were 12, the Foleys and another friend, Billy Madaus, would hit golf balls in a fairway just before dusk at Green Hill Municipal Golf Course. One day, they decided to hit balls back and forth to each another so they wouldn’t have to chase after them.

team. His mother found out that he wasn’t going to make the team and she transferred him to Sacred Heart Academy. The following year, he enrolled at Assumption Prep and began to develop his game under the coaching of Charlie Bibaud.

“Everyone thinks people are gifted,” says Bob Foley, who played for St. Peter’s High against Foley and his Assumption Prep teams, “but Jackie was great because he just worked so hard. He played 10 or 11 hours a day up at Holland Rink. He just shot the ball and shot the ball.”

Bill Foley, also no relation, shot baskets with Foley at Holland Rink in Worcester from morning until dark and also played against him for St. John’s High and Boston College, both of which he captained. One day at Holland Rink, Foley purposely aimed his long jumpers a couple of feet wide of the basket so a strong wind would blow the ball toward it. Bill Foley kept feeding him the ball and watching in amazement as Foley curled in 29 in a row.

Bill Foley insists, however, that the best shot he ever saw Foley make wasn’t on

Unfortunately, Madaus accidentally hit Foley with a shot. Foley vowed to get his revenge and even though Madaus began running, he hit his moving target with a shot from 120 yards away.

“That was the greatest shot that Jack ‘The Shot’ ever made,” Bill Foley says.

“HE ALWAYS FIGURED OUT A WAY TO SCORE AND TO WIN” “I’ve been in the game for 70 years,” says Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Famer Togo Palazzi ’54, “and he’s the best shooter that I’ve ever seen.”

When Palazzi played for the Syracuse Nationals, he challenged Foley, then in high school, to a game of

one-on-one at Holland Rink.

“That son of a gun beat me three straight games,” Palazzi says. “I couldn’t get a shot.”

Working at Palazzi’s summer basketball camp helped develop Foley into the player who averaged 41.8 ppg as a senior at Assumption Prep, even though at the time there was no three-point shot.

“As soon as he got the ball in high school,” Bill Foley recalls, “the entire crowd would start chanting, ‘Shoot, shoot, shoot.’”

He was recruited by several major college programs but less than a month before the semester began, he chose Holy Cross, where his brother and father, Francis J. Foley ’26, also attended.

When Foley enrolled at Holy Cross, freshmen weren’t eligible to play varsity, so he led the freshmen team to a 17-2 record, averaging 32.6 ppg. His brother, Frank, was a senior for the Crusaders that year and remembers that Jack would practice with

REMEMBERING JACK “THE SHOT” FOLE Y / CRUS ADER LIFE / S P O R T S / 5 9

CRUSADER LIFE

wore numbers 31 and 33 as a freshman and sophomore).

“He was able to adjust,” says former teammate George Blaney ’61. “He had more box-and-ones and triangleand-twos thrown against him than anybody, ever, but he always figured out a way to score and to win. That’s what made him so good, his competitiveness.”

the varsity whenever the Crusaders were about to play a team with a prolific scorer.

“It was like a joke,” Frank recalls, “because they couldn’t stop him even though they were keying the defense on him.”

Foley averaged 24.6 ppg as a sophomore, 26.9 as a junior and a school-record 33.3 as a senior. For his varsity career, he averaged a school-record 28.4 ppg and 9.4 rebounds

while shooting 49.7%. He was voted third-team All-America as a sophomore, second team as a junior and first team as a senior.

University of Connecticut star John Pipczynski held Foley to 1 point in a Holy Cross road victory, but Foley earned his revenge. Just after Foley’s senior season, he combined with Palazzi, Bill Canavan ’62, and a few others to form a team that barnstormed throughout the region.

Foley registered the two highest-scoring games for a player in Holy Cross history, 55 points against Colgate as a sophomore and 56 against Connecticut as a senior. He was inducted into the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1971 and his No. 32 was retired in 2011 (he

When they were about to play a team that included Pipczynski, the newspapers wondered if he could stop Foley again. “Jackie scored 39 in the first half,” Canavan says. “He put Mr. Pipczynski in his place that time.”

Canavan remembers Foley finishing with 60+ points.

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Foley led the Crusaders to three appearances in the National Invitational Tournament and records of 20-6, 21-5 and 20-6. He was the first Crusader to score 2,000 points and his 2,185 career points still rank third in College history.

The Celtics selected Foley in the second round of the 1962 NBA Draft, when they were midway through their run of winning eight consecutive championships and had drafted John Havlicek in the first round. Foley played in only five games before he was sold to the Knicks. In 11 NBA career games, he averaged 4.8 ppg.

LIFE AFTER THE GAME Foley taught history in Worcester for 37 years, first at Burncoat Junior High School and then at South High School.

“He was very boisterous,” says wife, Gail, who also taught at South High. “He never looked at a note or a book. He rarely assigned things from books. He just

did all the notes up on the board.

He knew everything backward and forward.”

Foley coached boys’ basketball at Worcester Boys Trade and Quabbin Regional, and boys’ and girls’ basketball at South High, and also worked as a part-time police officer in his hometown of Barre, Massachusetts.

A nature lover and photographer, Foley and his wife drove to several national parks; he also enjoyed hiking to snake dens with his five children and friends.

Crusader teammate O’Connor remembers Foley bringing a caged boa constrictor into a bar.

They ordered food and Foley got the bartender to agree not to charge them if he could clear the bar in 5 minutes. He put the snake on the bar and the pair ate for free.

FOLLOW CRUSADER ATHLETICS ON SOCIAL @GOHOLYCROSS

Foley would catch timber rattlesnakes in the Berkshires and trade them for snakes from Brazil, Australia and other locales. He became such an authority on the species, he had the personal phone number of zoologist Marlin Perkins, host of the nationally televised wildlife show, “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.”

Parkinson’s robbed Foley of his ability to shoot baskets in his later years, but as therapy he dribbled a basketball with one hand while holding onto his walker with the other.

“He was just a very intelligent, quiet guy with a very unique sense of humor,” O’Connor says, “and we had many, many great times together. He was a terrific fellow.” ■

To read Foley’s obituary, turn to Page 90.

REMEMBERING JACK “THE SHOT” FOLE Y / CRUS ADER LIFE / S P O R T S / 6 1

ALUMNI NEWS

62 Mystery Photo • 64 HCAA News •

Mystery Photo

6 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

There’s no place like home, unless it’s your cozy home on Mount St. James, such as that seen here ... but where? Can you identify these Crusaders — or better yet — their residence hall and room number?

Help us solve this mystery; email hcmag@holycross.edu.

68 Creative Notes • 69 Solved Photos

• 70 Alumni News • 72 For and With Others • 76 Class Notes • 82 Milestones • 84 In Memoriam

MYSTERY PHOTO / ALUMNI NEWS / 63

HCAA NEWS spring 2020, but, as we all know, events intervened and we could not practice what we all believe to be our calling – helping others.

A Note From Mike

H

oly Cross Cares. We all know that. We’ve all experienced what it means to be part of a community of caring – a place where expectations are high and where JFK’s paraphrase of St. Luke, “For of those to whom much is given, much is required,” is reinforced in day-to-day life.

But, in the strange times we have all experienced over the past year, it is much harder to live that particular Gospel.

The Holy Cross Alumni Association had big plans for its annual Holy Cross Cares events at more than 60 sites in

Even though the limitations of COVID-19 still plague us, we’ve resolved to do something about that in 2021. With nearly 50 million Americans (and 15 million children) currently food insecure, and with homelessness, depression and public health issues looming larger than ever, the HCAA decided we couldn’t sit out another year. We had to find a way to continue the tradition of Holy Cross Cares.

With great support from the College’s Alumni Relations Office and the leadership of Tom Cadigan ’02, associate director of Alumni Relations, we are pleased to offer two COVID-friendly ways in which we can all pitch in and help those in need around us.

First, we have a program to combat loneliness and isolation among our senior Crusaders: “Crusader Correspondence,” in which alumni volunteers send a card or letter to one of about 700 Holy Cross graduates who are age 85 and older (classes of 19401956). Writers can share stories about the common bond we share as Crusaders to let these men know we are thinking of them. To join this effort, email tcadigan@ holycross.edu and he’ll send along two or

Engage With Holy Cross at Your Own Pace Podcast and Web series give access to alumni and campus community

W

ith most things being virtual these days, it’s easy to stay connected to Holy Cross while you’re on the go.

Check out these two offerings from the Alumni Relations Office:

6 4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

three names and addresses.

Second, we have organized a series of local and regional “self-paced” volunteer opportunities during the months of March and April where, working from home or with local charities in small groups, Holy Cross alumni can make a difference in their communities. These opportunities or suggestions range from local clothing or food drop-off drives, to gift card purchasing campaigns, to volunteer days at local food banks. We are keenly aware that gathering in groups as we have in the past is not practical at this time, but we have identified dozens of opportunities for people to come together virtually or via safe drop offs to help address the needs that are so great.

We have organized a growing list of 2021 Holy Cross Cares opportunities on a special website where you can see what might be happening in your region, see what others are doing and consider a suggestion as to how you might start a local, self-paced, grassroots activity of your own. Please go to http://alumni. holycross.edu/HolyCrossCares2021 and join us in showing just how much Holy Cross Cares.

Please stay well and keep on caring for each other. ■ Thank you, Michael H. Shanahan ’78, P10 mshanahan@egancapital.com

>> MISSION-DRIVEN PODCAST

hcalumni.libsyn.com Listen to conversations with alumni who are leveraging their HC education to make a meaningful difference in the world around them.

NEW episodes now available!

>> FIRST FRIDAYS WITH THE FATHERS WEB SERIES

alumni.holycross.edu/faith Connect with the faithful men — the Jesuits — who are living representatives of Holy Cross’ tradition and identity.

NEW episodes now available! ■

HCAA Board Nominations Announced

T

he Holy Cross Alumni Association has announced the names of those alumni nominated to serve as officers and members of its board of directors.

To view all of the HCAA board of directors candidates, go to holycross. edu/alumni/crusaders-connect/hcaa.

OFFICERS President (2021-2023) Laura Cutone Godwin ’96

Vice Presidents (2021-2022) Schone L. Malliet ’74 Jacqueline M. Rock ’02

Treasurer (2021-2022) Daniel D’Agata ’04

Executive Secretary (2021-2022) Kristyn M. Dyer ’94

Nominations for the board were selected in accordance with the Alumni Association’s bylaws, which allow for no more than 13 alumni to be chosen annually for three-year terms: 10 from classyear groupings, two representing regional clubs and one representing affinity groups. Although this slate of candidates represents the choices of the HCAA nominating committee, it should be noted that any member of the HCAA may be nominated in accordance with Article VII of the bylaws, as follows: “Any member of the Alumni Association may be nominated for director by a petition containing the signatures of 20 alumni with the executive secretary no later than May 1.” Any member of the HCAA who would like to be so nominated should submit a petition to Kristyn Dyer by May 1, 2021. If any petition should be received, a ballot will appear in an issue of Holy Cross Magazine so alumni can vote for the candidate(s) nominated by petition. ■

Despite the challenges of the past year, our Holy Cross community is still making a difference.

There are ways to get involved from your home, your car or safely distanced.

Learn more at http:// alumni.holycross.edu/ holycrosscares2021

Michael H. Shanahan ’78

pr e side n t Laura Cutone Godwin ’96

pr e side n t-e l ect Schone L. Malliet ’74

vice pr e sident Jacqueline M. Rock ’02

vice pr e sident Daniel D’Agata ’04

t r e asur e r Kristyn M. Dyer ’94

e xe cut ive se cretary

questions, comments and suggestions: hcaa@holycross.edu ( 508) 793- 241 8

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

HCAA NEWS

Bruehl ’02 Honored With Regional Clubs Volunteer Award he Holy Cross Alumni Association has announced the 2021 recipient of its Regional Clubs Volunteer Award, which recognizes outstanding service to alma mater through the Holy Cross Regional Clubs Program.

leadership, all of which have had an influence on its programming and communication efforts to engage multiple generations of NYC Crusaders.

Serving as the club’s co-president since 2017, Bruehl brings a spirit of warmth and creativity to everything she does – especially through her dedicated leadership of the club’s annual Christmas Party (one of its signature events). Her willingness to test ideas for new alumni programming and communication efforts, coupled with an exceptional team of dedicated club volunteers, have been a winning combination. Through her involvement and service, Bruehl continues to keep the Holy Cross spirit alive and well throughout the New York City region.

Erin Bruehl ’02 has been an active and influential member of the Holy Cross Club of Metro New York City for over a decade. The Club is indebted to her commitment, collaborative spirit and

A psychology major at Holy Cross, Bruehl is a regular participant in the College’s Women and Business Conference. She works as the director of communications at Current. ■

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Holy Cross Club of Metro New York City

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tretching across the five New York boroughs and points north, the Holy Cross Club of Metro New York City serves more than 3,000 alumni, parents and friends, making it one of the largest regional clubs in the Holy Cross network. A dynamic group since its founding in 1901, the club organizes regular events, ranging from faculty

lectures and tours to Holy Cross Cares service projects, to its traditional Christmas Party each holiday season.

The club maintains an active, engaging social media presence on Facebook (@HCCMetroNYC) and Instagram (@holycrossNYC), which has helped to build community and keep Crusaders together during the pandemic. Because of its location within the Tri-State area,

the club is always willing to collaborate with neighboring regional clubs, often organizing joint events with the HC Clubs of Long Island, New Jersey and Westchester County. The more Crusaders to connect with, the better!

Year-round and occasional visitors are always welcome at club events. There’s something for everyone in and around the Big Apple! ■

(from left) HISTORY: Club members gather in February 1949 at a swank banquet in Manhattan. / EDUCATION: Ed O’Donnell ’86, associate professor of history, leads a historical walking tour of the Brooklyn Bridge in June 2014. / SERVICE: Alumni volunteers take part in a 2017 Holy Cross Cares service event at Cornelia Connelly Center in Manhattan.

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2021 VIRTUAL REUNION WEEKENDS

HOLY CROSS WILL ALWAYS BE HOME JUNE 4-5 — CLASSES OF 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 JUNE 11-12 — CLASSES OF 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991

WWW.HOLYCROSS.EDU/ALUMNI/REUNION HCA A NEWS / REUNION 2021 / ALUMNI NEWS / 67

CREATIVE NOTES

From Our Creative Crusaders

BY R E B E C C A S M I T H ' 9 9 A N D K I M B E R LY S TA L E Y ' 9 9

The Vatican Conspiracy

The First Marco Venetti Thriller

By Peter Hogenkamp, M.D., ’86 Bookouture When beautiful Elena appears in his confessional for help, Jesuit priest Marco Venetti is determined to protect her and recover her kidnapped sister and daughter. Drawing on the violent past he has tried to forget, Marco assists Elena and, in so doing, uncovers a deadly terrorist attack planned on Vatican City. Accompanied by a CIA assassin, he must prevent a deadly weapon from falling into the wrong hands. Once more, he must confront his own darker nature and decide whether a man of God can justify going to war.

“An outstanding start to this series!” exclaims one Goodreads reviewer. “Grabs you on the first page and is powered by non-stop action and a taut, emotional narrative … A real page turner!”

A practicing physician, public speaker and author of medical fiction and thrillers, Dr. Hogenkamp lives in Vermont with his wife and four children.

The Life of My Choice

Tales of a Traveling Man

By Robert Emmet Morris, D.D.S., ’65 with contributions Independently published This is a story of some 50 years of travel and adventure that took the author around the world, living and working on four continents and

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bringing up a family of three.

It was a life of an expat, of an international health care worker willing to share his skills and knowledge with any and all in the developing world in order to make a more just society. And, according to the book, “In the end, much was achieved and much enjoyed — the life well lived!”

Interspersed with color photographs, newsclips and maps, “The Life of My Choice” contains vignettes of the author’s traveled life, written by himself and other contributors.

Dr. Morris has published many articles on international health and education in the developing world. He is a 2010 recipient of the College’s Sanctae Crucis Award.

How to Get a Sales Job

By John P. Davis ’08 How to Get a Sales Job LLC

Filled with best practices, reallife examples and anecdotes that will prepare you for any situation you encounter along the way, “How to Get a Sales Job” is a must-read for anyone in search of a new sales position. And, according to amazon.com: “Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned sales rep, having a repeatable process in place will give you an edge over other candidates and increase your likelihood of finding the right sales job.”

“One thing about people who know how to sell, they can always get a great job,” writes entrepreneur Mark Cuban. “No company has ever

succeeded without sales, and John Davis helps you find the right sales job and career.”

Davis earned his MBA from the University of Massachusetts and successfully transitioned from finance into sales. A resident of Toronto, he is a guest speaker for sales programs at universities across North America.

Victorian Hands

The Manual Turn in NineteenthCentury Body Studies Edited by Peter J. Capuano ’97 and Sue Zemka Ohio State University Press Casting new light on such well-known authors as George Eliot, Henry James and Oscar Wilde, this collection of essays explores the role of the hand as a nexus between culture and physical embodiment.

The contributors to this volume address a range of manual topics, including those related to religion, science, art history and more. Examining hands, language, materiality and agency, they employ their expertise as Victorianists to understand what hands have to tell us about the cultural preoccupations of the 19th century and how the unique conditions of Britain at the time shaped the modern emergence of our cultural relationship with our hands.

Associate professor at the University of Nebraska– Lincoln, Capuano is the author of “Changing Hands: Industry, Evolution, and the Reconfiguration of the Victorian Body.” ■

S O LV E D P H O T O S

The Dorm Room Was Clark and Other Solved Mysteries

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eaders went two-for-two in last issue’s Mystery Photos, beginning on Page 2 with some seasonal fun at a wintry Wheeler, a known year-round hijinks

hot spot.

Writes Terence Walsh ’79: “That is me leaning out of the top window in a white shirt, and that is my roommate Bob Knowles ’79 next to me.

The subjects of the Mystery Photo on Page 66 have been identified as the class of 1985 trio Lisa (Port) Vaillancourt, Bernadette (Murphy) Sheil, M.D., and Sheila (Murray) Connelly.

“The snowball throwers are, from left, Tom Coveney 80, Jim McNeill ’79 and Dan Whitney ’79. Directly below my room lived Scott Kumf ’79; I’m pretty sure that is him. Below that on the first floor lived Bobby Cummings ’80.

Snowball fights were fairly common, as was sledding on Kimball meal trays: snow, young kids, lots of camaraderie and some good-natured goofing off.”

“I know it is Clark; I believe the room was 411,” Connelly writes. “I do not remember this photo being taken.

It was my room and Lisa was my roommate. Eventually, I would move to another room on Clark IV … and Bernadette moved in with Lisa. Lisa and Bernadette and I are still friends; they both came to my wedding and we still exchange Christmas cards.” ■

C R E AT I V E N OT E S / S O LV ED P H OTOS / A LU M N I N E W S / 6 9

ALUMNI NEWS

Alumni Form Grassroots Anti-Racism Alliance

BY MARY CUNNINGHAM ’17

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n the wake of George Floyd’s murder last year and ensuing protests against police brutality across the United States, Maria Amendolia ’92 reached out to her classmate Fred Givens.

Her intention was clear: She didn’t want Givens, a Black man, to educate her; she just wanted to start a conversation. The pair pulled in fellow Holy Cross friends and gathered virtually to talk about what was unfolding throughout the country. The confluence of police violence, social and political unrest, and the pandemic set the stage for the dialogue. “It was kind of the perfect storm,” Givens says.

Following the conversation, Amendolia posted in the Holy Cross Class of 1992 Facebook group, sparking interest from fellow alumni, whom she invited to the next call. From there, the group has grown organically into what is now known as the Holy Cross Anti-Racism Alliance.

Consisting of more than 90 members across class years rooted in their Jesuit education and tradition, the group convenes each month to engage in dialogue, education and action. The alliance’s mission is to foster education through meaningful connections

and conversations about racial justice, to improve the experience of students of color on campus, and to promote a safe and supportive campus by eliminating barriers caused by systemic racism.

The meeting structure varies month-to-month: Sometimes the alliance will invite a guest speaker, at others they will bring a topic to the table and then break out into small groups to discuss in a more intimate setting. For the December 2020 meeting, Kona Khasu ’92 invited his friend Will Calhoun, drummer in the Black metal rock band Living Colour, to serve as a guest speaker.

During the call, Calhoun shared his experiences both growing up in the Bronx and traveling the world as a musician. On another call, the alliance invited AfricanAmerican members of the Class of 2020 to talk about their lived experiences at Holy Cross.

“I think that was a powerful moment that turned some eyes,” Givens says. The conversation with recent graduates was also an important conduit for shared learning across class years, adds Len deMontagnac ’92: “[They] are enlightening us as much as us being enlightened by

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each other.”

While the conversations may feel raw and uncomfortable at times, they are an important means to examine the experiences that people of color live every day in America. For many, the alliance is also a space to acknowledge their own complacency when it comes to issues of race and how they have benefitted from their white privilege.

“I think these conversations have created an opportunity for us to come to terms with the fact that racism is our problem as white people. It is not something for those who have been oppressed to solve,” Amendolia emphasizes. “As an example, during one of our recent calls, we posed questions to the group and asked: ‘How do you feel about your white privilege?

What does that mean to you? Are you willing to own that? And then what are you going to do with it to improve the situation in your neighborhood, your family, your country, our alma mater?’ All of those things.”

While the calls are a forum for education and dialogue, they are also intended to be a springboard to action.

The alliance wants to avoid becoming an echo chamber and instead translate what members learn into their everyday lives — whether it be in the workplace, with friends or at home.

“This group is using all of the information, the knowledge and the skills

you learn from academia to do something real about it,” Givens says. Beyond that, the group endeavors to heed what they’re hearing during these dialogues and take action to positively impact students of color at Holy Cross — an objective they have already moved toward on multiple fronts.

In December 2020, the group raised $10,000 in three weeks for the Bishop Healy Emergency Support Fund, which directly supports students of color at Holy Cross. The group has also assembled a list of alumni mentors — 15 people and growing — to serve as a resource for students of color who are in need of advice, support or simply a listening ear. This is particularly important for students who may be reticent to reach out to alumni or who don’t know what resources exist to help them with personal and professional development, organizers say.

A key denominator for the members is their desire to unite around their love for Holy Cross by living out the Jesuit charge of being “men and women for and with others.”

“I think the core of who we are, we reach back into Holy Cross,” deMontagnac says. “What motivates me with this group and a lot of my friends from Holy Cross, is there is an innate commitment to serve and promote justice across the board. There is a commitment to speaking out when you witness a false justice, when you

PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS witness something wrong.” By uniting alumni across class years and geographic locations, the alliance seeks to have a meaningful impact on students at Holy Cross and beyond.

“This alliance is a prime example of how our alumni continue to learn, grow and live the mission long after their graduation at Holy Cross,” says Amit Taneja, the College’s associate provost for diversity, equity and inclusion. “This group exemplifies how we are never too late to come to a difficult conversation and to seek ways to work across divides.”

Taneja says he is grateful for the work of the alumni in creating tangible support for today’s students: “More than anything else the alliance gives me hope that we can, in fact, address systemic racism together.”

Down the line, the group hopes to be more integrated in conversations about structural changes at the College and organize an on-campus student and alumni event when it’s safe to gather in person.

“This is organically done, and when we speak, we move, and we act. And it’s that spirit in which we operate that makes us so powerful,” says Phyllis Jones ’95. ■

For more information on participating in the Holy Cross Anti-Racism Alliance, email info@CHARA1843.com.

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Winter Homecoming 2021 Photo Contest Winners

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ongratulations to the winners of our Winter Homecoming Photo Contest: “Home is Where the Heart (Hart) Is.” Thank you to everyone who submitted photos of themselves with their loved ones on The Hill – we loved taking a walk down memory lane with you!

1 DAVID GOODMAN ’87 P21 “The picture is of myself and my daughter Liza Goodman ’21 on the Fenwick Theatre Stage. As I was, and she is, a theatre major, the Fenwick Stage is one of our favorite places on campus. It has been such a treat to see her tread the same boards I did so many years ago.”

2 SEAN O’NEIL ’76 P12, P09, P06, P02 “These pictures are from

January 1976 and were taken on the night of the Hart Center dedication. I covered the event as the photographer for the Purple Patcher. The first picture is of Father Hart at the dedication ceremony before the basketball game. The second photo is of me with my girlfriend, Cathy Lyons ’77, after the game. This was taken with my camera and back then 85% of our pictures were shot in black and white.

Cathy is now my wife of 41 years. We share four children (all Crusaders — Kelly ’02, Patrick ’06, Conor ’09 and Peter ’12) and two in-laws, Ali ’06 and Meghan ’10, and are blessed with seven grandchildren. Go Cross!”

3 SARA (JANECKO) MILONE

’04 AND MARK MILONE ’04

“This is a photo taken at the site of our first kiss when we were both juniors in 2002. We returned to Winter Homecoming in 2019 with our three young daughters, and our oldest, Madeleine, took the photo.”

4 KATIE VILLA ’20 “My sister, Elisabeth ’22, and I, along with our siblings, grew up coming to Holy Cross events, often sporting HC cheerleader outfits. The picture at top is from one of the employee picnics, probably summer 2007 or 2008. A few years ago, when the Athletics department was having a yard sale, my whole family got jerseys to correspond with their graduation years; I picked #20 and Elisabeth picked #22. We wore them for 2019 Fall Homecoming, and my sister and I decided to recreate the [earlier] picture.” ■

PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS / ALUMNI NEWS / 71

FOR AND WITH OTHERS

“I’m Just Showing Christ’s Love in a Small Region of The World” For 40+ years, Dick Withington, M.D., ’62 has been aiding those on land and on the water as a first responder in New York’s Thousand Islands

BY LORI FERGUSON

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t was January 2021 when the call came in: A man walking his dogs discovered two men unconscious on a nearby northern New York snowmobile trail, and they looked to be in bad shape. Dick Withington, M.D., ’62 was en route to the first exam in his current EMT recertification and responded on the fly: “I’m familiar with the area where they’d been found and knew it wasn’t easily accessible to the ambulance, so I headed in. Fortunately, after serving as a first responder all

these years, I’ve learned to always be prepared, so I had everything with me that I needed — a jackknife, a flashlight and a rescue sled.”

on skis during heavy winter conditions, and he did not remove his snowshoes from his car until age 80. He was the legend, I just try to follow his lead.

Once onsite, the 80-year-old orthopedic surgeon and longtime EMT helped to stabilize the men and get them on their way to the hospital, then continued on to his class. “It was a good evening.

They both survived, and while I was late arriving, I made it in time to complete my exam, although I didn’t do as well as I should have,” he confesses with a soft chuckle.

“My father was and is my spiritual guide,” he continues. “He wasn’t Catholic, but he was more Christian than anyone else I know. He died just short of his 105th birthday and led his household until his final days.”

It’s difficult to gin up much concern over Withington’s less-than-perfect score. After working as an EMT for more than 40 years and even longer as an orthopedic surgeon, it’s a safe bet that he’s forgotten more about the practice of medicine than many will ever know.

A LIFELONG PASSION Withington’s enthusiasm for medicine stretches back to childhood. His father, Lawrence, also a physician, was a beloved role model.

“He made house calls as an oldfashioned ‘country doctor,’” Withington says. “He was honored for making calls

7 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

Withington’s dedication to rescue work is likewise born of personal experience.

As a teenager, he and a group of friends were involved in a mountaineering accident that nearly cost him his life.

“I was terrified — in way over my head — and I had an epiphany,” he recalls. “I said to God, ‘If you can get me out of this mess, I will spend the rest of my life helping others.’ And He did, so I have.”

After majoring in biology at Holy Cross, Withington completed medical school at Columbia University and his orthopedic surgery residency at Dartmouth. He joined an orthopedic practice in northern New York’s Jefferson County, where supplemental shifts in the emergency room quickly revealed an additional outlet for his skills and interests. Studying patients as

Guard, law enforcement and other civil authorities. Being a first responder is never a solo endeavor; I just enjoy being part of the team.”

Area residents also play a key role: “We have the support of a wonderful community,” he enthuses. “Thanks to their generosity, we recently purchased a new fireboat, Last Chance, which rivals those found in major metropolitan areas. In fact, I believe our new boat may be the only licensed marine ambulance in the U.S.,” he notes proudly.

Whether he’s on the St. Lawrence River offering aid, trimming trees for neighbors or making friends with wildlife (“You are never closer to God than when a chickadee lands on your hand,” he notes), Dick Withington, M.D., ’62 finds joy in helping others.

they arrived in the hospital, Withington realized that the best outcomes sprang from the help people received between the time they were hurt and when they reached the hospital. He joined the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ efforts to lead courses in EMT certification and before long he was at the other end of the learning process.

“I sought my first EMT certification in 1971, shortly after becoming a doctor, and two years later, witnessed the passage of the EMS Services Development Act, which led to the development of a comprehensive Emergency Medical System (EMS) throughout the country,” he explains.

about the safety of his family and other island residents, Withington asked the local fire department whether it would be willing to modify its fireboat to accommodate EMS victims. The department agreed and worked with Withington to secure a $2,000 federal grant to retrofit the boat. They insisted, however, that if Withington were to have a say in how the funds were spent, he must become an active member of the fire department. He agreed, little knowing that he was embarking on a journey that would later lead to his recognition as Clayton’s Citizen of the Year and, perhaps, its longest-serving EMT.

A DIVERSE RESUMÉ In 1979, the Withington family moved to Clayton, New York, a tiny town on the state’s northern boundary, just a stone’s throw from Canada. They settled on Round Island, a member of the Thousand Islands chain that nestles in a 40-mile stretch of the St. Lawrence River on the U.S./Canada border.

Cognizant of their distance from fire and medical personnel and concerned

In the decades since, Withington has assisted with countless rescues in and around the Thousand Islands and helped to advance the EMS program in myriad ways. He remains a steadfast member and ardent promoter. “Given the distances and time involved, EMS in the wilderness setting requires training and experience,” he notes. “It is often necessary to involve the U.S. Coast

But Withington doesn’t content himself with rescue work. He also works as an amateur arborist, trimming trees for friends and neighbors in the area. “I still climb and do the rigging,” he notes.

“My orthopedic training proves handy when it comes to setting up traction and pulleys, and both skillsets fit in nicely with the technical aspects of rescue work.” He also maintains his master mariner license, which permits him to operate vessels up to 200 tons.

“I taught all three of my kids to boat when they were young, and now my eldest son is a Seaway pilot who takes ocean-going ships through the islands of the St. Lawrence Seaway,” he says.

“If there’s an emergency on the water, he’s often the first to know and I’m the second. We communicate and cooperate in incidents involving shipping, light-salvage, rescue and security.”

And whenever possible, Withington accompanies his son on salvage missions: “The Coast Guard likes knowing that there’s a second licensed captain on board, and the fact that I’m a doctor is icing on the cake.”

Despite this multitude of talents, Withington is exceedingly modest about his accomplishments. “The class of 1962 produced a number of high-quality physicians,” he demurs. “Tony Fauci, who’s pretty well known these days, is a friend. And Jim Murphy received the College’s Sanctae Crucis Award for his amazing work in Ghana. I’m just showing Christ’s love in a small region of the world because I thought people would appreciate it.” »»

FOR AND WITH OTHERS / ALUMNI NEWS / 73

While the work of first responder is hardly a solo endeavor of professionals, the role also requires the understanding of loved ones.

“I couldn’t have pursued this work without the support of my family,” he says. Emergencies, by their nature, can happen any time of the day or night, and they frequently pull one away from time with family.

For example, in the days before cell phones, he sank hours into establishing a radio network between rescuers in the field and hospital ER staff. “My wife thought I wasted a lot of time,” he concedes with a chuckle.

Thankfully, he observes, that aspect of the job has evolved. Now his cellphone is equipped with an app that alerts him to a crisis and sends him the accident site coordinates and directions.

And after more than four decades of service, it’s Withington’s face that many expect to see. “Oftentimes people phone me before they call 911, just to be sure that a full fireboat response is really necessary,” he admits. He laughingly remembers a call he received early one Sunday morning from a woman renting a home on one of the islands. “She told me that she had an emergency and needed my help. When I asked what was wrong, she told me her toilet was plugged and she needed a plumber at the house immediately. She said my name and number were posted on the refrigerator door with a note that said, ‘Call in case of emergency.’”

Withington acknowledges that after all these years, he’s become something of a fixture in the area.

“There’s a running joke in the community that if the refrigerator doesn’t have my name and number posted on the front, you know it’s brand new.”

After numerous winters spent alone at the head of Round Island with only his dogs for company — health concerns sent his late wife, Rosanne, to Florida’s more temperate climate each fall — Withington now winters

over on the mainland. It’s safer that way, he concedes with a tinge of regret in his voice. The series of dogs who kept watch over the family home with him during the long snowy months — Siberian Husky named Stormy, followed by black Lab, Bo, and finally a 130-pound black Lab, Tug — have all passed away, and the winters are long and hard.

Withington has also moved into more of an advisory position with the EMS team. “Nowadays, I focus more on supporting the rescuers on scene, sharing my knowledge and experience from the sidelines,” he explains. “I cherry pick the calls and respond based on need.” For example, he says, if the emergency is back in the woods, out on the ice or over on the islands, he gets involved.

“After more than 40 years working these woods and islands, I know the terrain and I’ve seen a lot, so I take part in the thinking and planning around the rescue to make sure everyone gets home safe.”

Asked why, at age 80, he still feels the need to respond at all, Withington pauses, then answers quietly. “I’m keeping my promise to God. When I answered that recent call about the two snowmobilers in distress, I was trudging through the snow, dragging a rescue board behind me, and I could feel my heart rate and blood pressure creeping up where they shouldn’t be. I thought, ‘Dick, this will probably catch up with you at some point.’ But what a great way to go!

“When my parents picked me up at graduation, my dad asked what I thought of the education I received at Holy Cross,” he continues. “I’ll never forget what I told him. I said, ‘They didn’t teach me how to earn a living, but they taught me how to live.’ Holy Cross gave me the opportunity, and it was up to me to take advantage of it.

And that’s what I’ve been trying to do every day since.” ■

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Crowley ’95 Turns LifeAltering Event Into Advocacy

BY SANDRA GITTLEN

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hristina L. (Mercogliano) Crowley ’95 was enjoying the last stop of a whirlwind family trip to New York City and was attending her second Broadway show of the day when she felt a sharp pain in her head, an involuntary clenching of her hand and a sudden loss of vision.

She tried to tell her sister, Theresa Mercogliano ’89, what was happening but couldn’t get the words out. Crowley was having a stroke, but didn’t realize it.

Fast forward three years and Crowley has turned that experience into advocacy as the 2021 chair of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Go Red for Women Boston campaign, which has the dual purpose of raising awareness about women’s heart health and serving as a catalyst for change to improve the lives of women around the world.

“I had no familiarity with stroke, so I didn’t react quickly,” Crowley says. She notes there are treatments that depend on diagnosis speed to potentially ward off the long-term stroke effects, such as hand numbness, face drooping and intermittent memory loss, all of which Crowley experiences. “I want to help other people not only know the signs of stroke, but also be able to advocate for themselves when seeking medical care.”

Nearly half of all U.S. adults have some form of cardiovascular disease, and heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. Heart disease and stroke cause 1 in 3 deaths among women each year – more than all cancers combined, according to the AHA, which notes that 80% of cardiac

FOR AND WITH OTHERS and stroke events may be prevented with education and action.

WISHING SHE KNEW Crowley delayed seeking immediate care and leaving the theatre because she didn’t want to ruin the evening for her family, including her daughter and niece. “We all had so much excitement about going to the show,” she says. “However, had I thought I was having a heart attack, I would have gone to the hospital sooner.”

When she did go to a New York ER later that night, she was initially diagnosed with a complex migraine. After being in the hospital for a week, later scans revealed telltale signs of a stroke and a hole in her heart — patent ovale formale, a congenital birth defect. She underwent surgery to close the hole and reduce the incidence of strokes, and took just two weeks off from her role as senior vice president at Dell Technologies. True to Crowley’s nature, as soon as she got out of the hospital she was back at work.

Once Crowley returned to the office, “I worked hard to make sure no one would know I had a stroke,” she says. However, intense headaches cut her workday short, sending the mom of three to bed early.

Her leaders, executive assistant and sales team all helped her deal with the aftereffects, including encouraging her to bow out of after-hours commitments early so she could get to sleep and ward off headaches. “I didn’t want special accommodations because I didn’t want to appear weak, but I guess I needed them and I was lucky that my team protected me,” she says.

It was through Dell philanthropy that Crowley crossed paths with the AHA. “I was on an AHA panel with a cardiologist, telling my story, and she kept underscoring what I said with, ‘Don’t

do that,’ as in ‘Don’t wait to go to the hospital’ and ‘Don’t rush back to work,’” she laughs. Soon after, the AHA asked her to be its 2021 Go Red for Women Boston chair. “[Until then,] I didn’t hear about women having heart attacks in my personal life and I wasn’t aware that heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 3 killers of women,” she says, calling the first days with the AHA “eye-opening.”

USING HER EXPERIENCE TO HELP OTHERS An economics/accounting major at Holy Cross, Crowley says she took the Jesuit spirit of “men and women for and with others” seriously, considering it an extension of what her parents taught her. While at Mount St. James, she participated in community outreach with Best Buddies and the Purple Key Society.

“We are expected as Catholics to take the blessings and talents we receive from God and bring them to others,” she says.

(Holy Cross is also where she also met husband, David Crowley ’93.)

Crowley also is helping the AHA deal with

the effects of the pandemic. Normally the organization would hold in-person classes to help families learn infant CPR. While that is not possible due to COVID-19 restrictions, Crowley is helping to raise money to send kits to parents so they can learn the life-saving skills at home.

Aside from AHA fundraising — the organization is a leading fundraiser for heart disease and stroke research — Crowley tapped Dell’s technology and business talent to create an AHA program to help young female students in Boston learn about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and careers. “This STEM program ties together my passions for community outreach and education of young women,” she notes.

For many, such a startling life event would make them pause, but Crowley is managing it a different way: “My life lesson from having a stroke wasn’t to slow down, it was being grateful for what I have and giving back.” ■

FOR AND WITH OTHERS / ALUMNI NEWS / 75

1 Blackwell ’16 and Loubier

Rebecca Blackwell ’16 and William Loubier were married on Sept. 27, 2020, at their home in Massachusetts.

2 Buonassisi ’12 and Mauthe ’11

Kristen Buonassisi ’12 and Brian Mauthe ’11 were married on Feb. 8, 2020, at St. Peter the Apostle Church in River Edge, New Jersey.

3 Trometter ’08 and Durfee ’09

Alyssa Trometter ’08 and Benjamin Durfee ’09 were married on Sept. 25, 2020, at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in San Diego.

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4 Dufault ’11 and Mansour

Chris Dufault ’11 and Iris Mansour were married on June 22, 2019, at St. Mary of the Annunciation in Danvers, Massachusetts.

5 Pfund ’12 and McKenna ’11

Amy Pfund ’12 and Ken McKenna ’11 were married on Oct. 12, 2019, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Tenafly, New Jersey.

6 Reynolds ’04 and Lazdowski ’01

Kate Reynolds ’04 and Paul M. Lazdowski ’01 were married on Nov. 2, 2019, at St. Mary’s Church in Charlestown, Massachusetts.

7 Baranowski ’15 and McGuinness ’15

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Kaitlyn Baranowski ’15 and Patrick McGuinness ’15 were married on June 6, 2020, at St. Pius X in Fairfield, Connecticut.

8 Zemsky ’11 and Janice

Marisa Zemsky ’11 and Brian Janice were married on Sept. 12, 2020, at St. Anthony Shrine Church in Nanuet, New York.

9 Driscoll ’78 and McElroy

Jennifer Driscoll ’78 and George McElroy were married on Aug. 29, 2020, at The Estate at Farrington Lake in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

7

8

9

10 Naku ’06 and Meaney

Kelly Naku ‘06 and Andrew Meaney were married on May 4, 2019, at Villanova University.

The wedding was celebrated by Rev. Timothy W. O’Brien, S.J., ‘06.

ed itor’s note

10

Did you get married during the pandemic?

Send us a photo (even if it is just you and your spouse or your wedding party)! If you’re planning a future celebration or reception with your fellow alumni, we’re happy to run that photo in a later issue, too. Email us at hcmag@holycross.edu

MILESTONES / ALUMNI NEWS / 83

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

Hon. Edward C. Peck Jr.

Natick, West Newton and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, died on Nov.

1952

Hampton Medical Group, where

John P. Feltch

he practiced medicine for almost

Hon. Edward C.

27, 2020, at 93. Mr. Healey served

John P. “Jack”

four decades. Dr. Medler is survived

“Ed” Peck Jr., of

in the U.S. Navy on the USS Avesion

Feltch, of Hobe

by his wife, Rosita; one daughter

West Springfield,

in the Atlantic Theater before

Sound, Florida,

and her husband; three sons; one

Massachusetts, died

graduating from Holy Cross, where

died on Sept. 28,

son’s partner; one son’s wife; two

on Nov. 20, 2020,

he was known as “Monk” and the

2020. Mr. Feltch

grandchildren; and one brother-

at 104. Mr. Peck attended Springfield

“Chesterfield man.” He then entered

studied economics at Holy Cross

in-law. He was predeceased by one

Junior College before graduating

executive training with Jordan

and played football; he was a

sister; and one brother, Donald P.

from Holy Cross and Harvard Law

Marsh in Boston before saving his

member of the Varsity Club and

Medler ’56. His alumni relatives also

School. He served overseas in the

family’s business and enjoying a long

Varsity Club Hall of Fame. He

include his nieces, Mary Medler

U.S. Army Air Force for three years.

career in residential and commercial

also served the College as a class

Viviano ’93 and Christine Medler

He practiced law for more than 30

real estate. Mr. Healey is survived

agent. He was a teacher, coach and

Ford ’87.

years before being appointed by

by his wife of 70 years, Ruth; one

guidance counselor in Stoneham,

then-Governor Michael Dukakis to

brother, Harry W. Healey Jr. ’56;

Massachusetts. Mr. Feltch is

serve as justice of Hampden County

two sons; two daughters-in-law;

survived by his wife, Patricia “Pat.”

Housing Court. In addition, he was

four grandchildren; and six great-

a member of the West Springfield

grandchildren. His alumni relatives

Planning Board and chair of the

also include his nieces and nephews:

Raymond F. Medler,

Democratic Town Committee, and

Elizabeth Healey ’80, Elizabeth T.

M.D., of East

he served as West Springfield Town

Puzzanghero ’79, Peter W. Healey ’80,

Hampton, New

Mr. Snyder studied English at

Counsel. He was founding chair of

Robert C. Healey ’81 and William R.

York, died on Oct.

Holy Cross and later supported

the Pioneer Valley Regional Planning

Healey ’82.

26, 2020, at 90.

the College as a member of the

Commission and later served as its treasurer; he also briefly served on the Massachusetts State Ballot

1950

John J. Donahue

Walter R. Snyder Jr. Walter R. Snyder Jr., of Southbridge,

Raymond F. Medler, M.D.

Massachusetts, died on Dec. 10, 2020, at 89.

Dr. Medler studied premed at Holy

Holy Cross Lawyers Association.

Cross and graduated cum laude; he

He also graduated from Boston

later supported the College as an

University Law School and was a

Commission. After retiring from the

John J. Donahue,

admissions advisor and member

U.S. Army veteran of the Korean

Housing Court, Mr. Peck worked

of Northborough,

of the career advisor network.

War, serving as special agent in the

in the District Court Department;

formerly of Paxton,

He attended medical school at

U.S. Counter-Intelligence Corps. He

he volunteered for a short time as

Massachusetts, died

New York University, Bellevue

was a self-employed attorney for

assistant clerk magistrate in the

on Nov. 22, 2020, at

and completed his internship and

many years and also served as the

Westfield District Court and served

95. After graduating from Holy Cross,

residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital

lawyer for the Southbridge Town

on the Board of Registrars of Voters

Mr. Donahue received his master’s

in Manhattan, where he specialized

Council. Mr. Snyder is survived by

for West Springfield. He supported

degree in English from Worcester

in internal medicine and served

one son, one daughter and their

the College as a class agent and

State College. He began his 37-year

as chief of cardiopulmonary

spouses; four sisters and their

member of the Holy Cross Lawyers

teaching career in the Worcester

diseases. He later was an instructor

spouses; four grandchildren; two

Association. Mr. Peck is survived by

Public Schools at Chandler Junior

at the State University of New

granddaughters’ companions; two

four sons, two daughters, and their

High School, where he taught

York’s Downstate Medical Center

great-grandchildren; and his former

spouses, partners and close friends;

English and Latin; he later taught

in Brooklyn and chief medical

spouses, Rita Domian and Yvonne

six grandchildren and their families,

English at Classical High School and

resident at Kings County Hospital.

Blouin.

including three great-grandchildren;

Doherty Memorial High School. Mr.

Dr. Medler then served as a flight

four cousins and their families; and

Donahue is survived by one son; two

surgeon for Pan American Airways,

11 nieces and nephews, including his

brothers, Paul F. Donahue ’54 and

conducting medical exams of pilots

G. Daniel M.

goddaughter. He was predeceased by

Robert E. Donahue ’70; one brother’s

and crew members and serving

Sweeny, of

his wife, Ruth; and one sister.

wife; and 14 nieces and nephews,

as an on-board physician; he was

Louisville,

including John F. Donahue ’80,

also called to Roosevelt Island to

Kentucky, died

Daniel G. Donahue, M.D., ’83, James

treat Cuban exiles following the

F. Donahue ’86, Mary D. Kuta ’82

Bay of Pigs invasion. He then joined

at 89. At Holy Cross, Mr. Sweeny

Robert C. “Bob”

and Anne M. Donahue ’95. He was

the medical practice of Thomas

participated in cross-country and

Healey, of Hingham,

predeceased by his wife of 57 years,

Spencer on the South Fork, before

track and was a member of the

formerly of

Mary.

becoming a partner in the East

Varsity Club. He was a chemistry

1949

Robert C. Healey

8 4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

G. Daniel M. Sweeny

on Sept. 23, 2020,

professor at Bellarmine University.

Arthur J. Frawley Jr.

grandchildren. He was predeceased

predeceased by his parents; one

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy;

Arthur J. Frawley

by his parents; his wife, Lillian; and

sister; and one sister-in-law.

four children; one daughter’s spouse;

Jr., of Lynnfield,

one brother.

five grandchildren; and two great-

Massachusetts,

grandchildren. He was predeceased

died on Nov. 6,

by one brother; and one child.

2020, at 88. At Holy

1955

William J. Jerome Jr.

Lt. David E. Isselhard,

William J. “Bill”

USNR (Ret.)

Cross, Mr. Frawley studied Greek

Jerome Jr., of

Lt. David E.

and premed and was a member of

Brunswick, New

Isselhard, USNR

the Glee Club. He later supported the

York, died on Oct.

(Ret.), of Walnut,

John A. Antonell,

College as an admissions advisor,

9, 2020, at 90.

D.D.S., of

class agent, regional club career

Mr. Jerome studied economics and

on Sept. 20, 2020. At Holy Cross,

Rhinebeck, New

counselor, and as a member of the

participated in cross-country and

Mr. Isselhard studied sociology

York, died on Nov.

career advisor network, Holy Cross

track at Holy Cross. He served in

and participated in ROTC. Later,

25, 2020, at 89.

Lawyers Association and Reunion

the U.S. Marine Corps during the

he supported the College as an

After graduating from Holy Cross,

Gift Committee. He also supported

Korean Conflict. Upon his honorable

admissions advisor and member

Dr. Antonell completed his graduate

the Holy Cross football, men’s

discharge, he worked at Wells and

of the O’Callahan Society and 1843

work at NYU’s College of Dentistry

basketball and women’s basketball

Coverly in Troy, New York, and

Society; he was affiliated with Naval

and joined the U.S. Navy, serving as

programs. A graduate of Boston

then began a 35-year career as a

ROTC. He is survived by his wife,

a lieutenant. He and his wife then

University Law School, Mr. Frawley

pharmaceutical salesman for Lederle

Susan.

established a dentistry practice

was an attorney in practice for over

Laboratories (Pfizer). Mr. Jerome is

in Rhinebeck and served families

50 years, serving as an assistant

survived by his wife, Maureen; five

throughout the area for over 40

district attorney in Massachusetts

children and their spouses; eight

George E.

years; he also served as a staff

and assistant register of probate in

grandchildren; and one niece and her

Thompson Jr.,

dentist for Ferncliff Nursing Home.

Essex County before joining private

spouse. He was predeceased by one

of Osterville,

Dr. Antonell is survived by seven

practice in probate and family law.

brother. His alumni relations include

Massachusetts, died

children and their families, including

He was also a U.S. Army veteran,

his father, the late William J. Jerome

seven grandchildren and three

in active duty and reserve. He is

’28; his cousin, Austin W. O’Toole

at 87. Mr. Thompson participated

great-grandchildren; and many

survived by one daughter and her

’58; and his late cousins, Jerome M.

in ROTC and graduated from Holy

nieces, nephews, extended family

husband; one son and his wife; six

O’Toole ’54 and Henry F. Jerome Jr.

Cross with a degree in economics. He

and friends. He was predeceased by

grandchildren; several nieces and

’51.

then earned an accounting degree

his wife, Dorothea.

nephews, including Timothy J.

1953

John A. Antonell, D.D.S.

William J. Brennan

Barrett ’87, Arthur F. Barrett ’84 and Julia Barrett Eslinger ’79; and several

California, died

George E. Thompson Jr.

on Dec. 16, 2020,

from Bentley College and served in

1954

the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant junior

James L. Hughes Jr.

grade. For over 30 years, he worked

William J. “Bill”

cousins. He was predeceased by his

James L. “Jim”

as an accountant and office manager

Brennan, of Poland,

wife of 63 years, Barbara Ann; one

Hughes Jr., of

for Hudson Light and Power. He

Ohio, died on Nov.

daughter; and one son.

Swampscott,

supported the College as a member

Massachusetts,

of the O’Callahan Society and he

died on Dec. 3,

was affiliated with Naval ROTC.

29, 2020, at 88.

After graduating

Thomas F. Hovey II

cum laude from Holy Cross, Mr.

Thomas F. “Tom”

2020, at 87. After graduating from

Mr. Thompson is survived by his

Brennan served in the U.S. Army

Hovey II, of

Holy Cross where he played football,

spouse of 64 years, Elizabeth; five

and earned a Master of Social Work

Richfield Springs,

Mr. Hughes began his career at

children and their spouses; nine

degree from Fordham University.

New York, died

Aetna Insurance Company before

grandchildren; and one grandchild’s

He began his career with the United

on Nov. 5, 2020,

launching and running the Hughes

spouse.

Way of Youngstown as a coordinator

at 91. Mr. Hovey studied physics at

Insurance Agency for 57 years. Active

of mental health programs. He

Holy Cross and was a member of the

in town politics, he served several

later served as a campaign/budget

Varsity Club. Upon graduating, he

terms on the Swampscott Housing

Richard C. Verrilli,

director, then Health and Welfare

enlisted in the U.S. Army and served

Authority. He supported the College

of Millbrook, New

Council director and campaign

during the Korean War. He worked

as a member of the Alumni Board

York, and Southern

manager before becoming the

on the NASA Space Capsule before

Senate and served as Alumni Board

Pines, North

organization’s president and CPO, a

working for the General Electric

director. A member of the Varsity

position he held until retirement. He

Company in Utica, New York, and

Club, he supported the Holy Cross

on Dec. 12, 2020, at 87. Mr. Verrilli

also served as a part-time instructor

later at Griffiss Air Force Base in

baseball and football programs; he

graduated from Holy Cross with a

at Youngstown State University

Rome, New York, as a civil engineer

was also the recipient of the Book

degree in marketing and served in the

for over 30 years in various

for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Prize. Mr. Hughes is survived by

U.S. Air Force as a jet pilot. He worked

departments, teaching classes that

For 10 years, he was the assistant golf

his wife of 58 years, Nancy “Nan”;

in business and was co-founder and

focused on community and social

coach at Hamilton College. Mr. Hovey

three daughters, including Kimberly

president of Friendly Auto Group in

services. Mr. Brennan is survived by

is survived by his companion of

Hughes Floutsakos ’86 and Patricia

Poughkeepsie, New York, for more

his wife, Lori; two daughters, three

many years, Beth “Polly” Zimpel; one

L. “Tricia” Hughes ’88; one son-

than 40 years. He is survived by

sons and their spouses; one sister; 12

son and his wife; one daughter; one

in-law; one daughter-in-law; two

his wife of 61 years, Donna; three

grandchildren; and one grandchild’s

sister and her husband; two nieces;

granddaughters; two sisters; and

daughters; five grandchildren; and

spouse.

two nephews; and Polly’s three

many nieces and nephews. He was

three siblings.

Richard C. Verrilli

Carolina, died

IN MEMORIAM / ALUMNI NEWS / 85

IN MEMORIAM 1956

James F. Duggan James F. “Jim” Duggan, of Middleboro, formerly of Quincy, Massachusetts, died on Oct. 2, 2020, at 86. Mr. Duggan studied accounting at Holy Cross and graduated cum laude; he later supported College Athletics.

He was a member of the ROTC program and was commissioned after graduation into the U.S. Air Force, where he attained the rank of captain. Former president and treasurer of Duggan Brothers North Quincy Garage Chevrolet Dealership, he continued in automobile sales, working for President’s Chevrolet, and then served as sales manager for South Shore Buick for 25 years before his retirement. Mr. Duggan is survived by four daughters, including

holy cross remembers 2010 honorary degree recipient

director, rector of the largest

Chaplains’ Office have used in our

Maureen S. Redmond ’79; four sons,

university community in the

work with students, in particular

including Michael G. Duggan ’82;

Rev. William A. Barry, S.J., 52, Hon. ’10 (1930–2020)

province and provincial of the

our retreat work,” says Meg Fox-

four daughters’ husbands; three

New England Province from 1991

Kelly ’99, associate chaplain and

sons’ wives; one son’s partner; 21

to 1997.

director of retreats. “Fr. Barry has

grandchildren, including Erin E.

an amazing way of guiding one

Redmond ’13, and their spouses; six

“When I first entered the Jesuits in

to not only ‘know’ about God, but

great-grandchildren; one sister-in-

1982, Fr. Barry was the provincial

to also experience God’s love and

law; one niece and her husband;

assistant in charge of the

tangible presence in the everyday.

one nephew; one grandniece; one grandnephew; and additional family

Rev. William A. Barry, S.J., 52,

formation of young Jesuits,” says

Hon. ’10 died on Dec. 18, 2020,

Rev. William Clark, S.J., associate

“For the past several years, I had

connections. He was predeceased by

at 90.

professor of religious studies.

the great privilege of meeting with

his wife of 63 years, Susan; and two

“I first encountered him as one

Fr. Barry for spiritual direction and

grandchildren. His father-in-law was

A native of Worcester, Fr. Barry

of my interviewers during my

conversation,” she continues. “His

the late Peter J. McGrath ’29.

grew up near Mount St. James and

entrance process. His welcome,

deep faith, humility and trust in

enrolled at the College in 1948 as

his careful listening and his warm

God were palpably present each

a commuter student. As a youth

encouragement of me as I wrestled

time we met, as was his witty sense

Francis J.

he entertained thoughts about

with some serious doubts, were

of humor and gentle spirit. He

“Frank” Kelly, of

becoming a diocesan priest, but

all key parts of my introduction

helped me to find God in the most

Ashland, formerly

after enrolling at Holy Cross, he

to the Jesuits. That influence has

ordinary of circumstances and

of Sudbury,

began contemplating entering the

continued over the years.”

experiences.”

Francis J. Kelly

Massachusetts, died on Oct. 2, 2020, at 85. At Holy

Society of Jesus. It was a decision he didn’t think he would have to

Fr. Barry was also a pioneer in the

Fr. Barry received a Licentiate

Cross, Mr. Kelly studied history

make until graduation, but once

revival of Ignatian spirituality and

in Sacred Theology from the

and participated in History Society,

he discovered he could join the

a prolific author of best sellers in

Weston Jesuit School of Theology,

Student Government Association and

Jesuits after his sophomore year,

that field. He was well known as

a Master of Arts from Fordham

intramural sports; he graduated cum

he left Holy Cross to join the

the founder and director of the

University, a Ph.D. in philosophy

laude. He later supported the College

novitiate in 1950.

Center for Religious Development

from the University of Michigan

as an admissions advisor, regional

in Cambridge, Massachusetts,

and a Ph.D. in theology from Anna

club career counselor and member of

One of the central figures in the

where he and colleagues trained

Maria College. He received an

the career advisor network. He was

New England Province and the

men and women from around the

honorary degree from Holy Cross

a veteran of the U.S. Army. Mr. Kelly

Jesuit apostolate in the United

world in spiritual direction.

in 2010.

earned an MSW from Boston College

2010, Fr. Barry was a professor

“For many years, the writing and

He is survived by one brother; two

and was a clinical social worker for

of psychology and religion, a

reflections of Fr. Barry have served

sisters; one brother-in-law; four

over 33 years. He is survived by five

tertian instructor, vice provincial

as resources, tools and guides that

nephews; two nieces; and his many

children, including Kevin S. Kelly ’84,

for formation, assistant novice

I and many of my colleagues in the

Jesuit brothers. ■

Kathleen M. Bates ’86 and Maura

Graduate School of Social Work

States and abroad from 1970 to

8 6 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

B. Kelly ’90, and their spouses; 10

and their families; three stepchildren

supported the College as a member of

Dec. 11, 2020, at 83. Mr. Dawson

grandchildren; one sister-in-law;

and their families; his first wife,

the Holy Cross Lawyers Association.

studied English at Holy Cross

several nieces and nephews; and

Patricia A. (Toombs) Carmody;

He also graduated from the U.S. Coast

and later supported the College

three great-grandchildren. He was

three brothers, one sister and their

Guard Officer Candidate School and

as an admissions advisor. He also

predeceased by his wife of 46 years,

families, including many nieces and

was commissioned an ensign. He

graduated from the New York

Marie; and one brother.

nephews; and 17 grandchildren. He

was assigned to several duty stations,

University Stern School of Business

was predeceased by two brothers;

among them as a member of the

and began his business career in

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

flight crew on the International Ice

sales at St. Regis Paper Company in

son-in-law.

Patrol out of Argentia, Newfoundland;

New York; he then spent the rest of

he remained a member of the U.S.

his career in the printing industry,

Coast Guard Reserve, attaining the

serving as CEO of World Color

Col. Edward C. Redican, USAF (Ret.) Col. Edward C. “Ned” Redican,

William F. Lynn

USAF (Ret.), of

William F.

rank of lieutenant commander. Mr.

Press, Inc. in Effingham, Illinois,

Burke, Virginia,

“Bill” Lynn, of

Crane received his Juris Doctorate

and Quebecor (USA) Inc. in Boston.

died on Nov. 27, 2020. Mr. Redican

Skaneateles, New

from the Boston University School of

In retirement, he served as board

studied political science at Holy

York, died on Nov.

Law and joined the legal department

member and advisor for several

Cross and was a member of the

11, 2020, at 86.

at State Mutual Life Insurance

printing companies. Mr. Dawson is

Chamber Singers and Debating

At Holy Cross, Mr. Lynn studied

Company in Worcester, where he

survived by three siblings and their

Society. He later supported the

history; he graduated cum laude.

focused on business and finance

families; two in-laws; five children,

College as a class agent and member

He later supported the College as a

law. He later joined John Hancock

including Kathleen “Kate” Dawson

of the career advisor network, Varsity

member of the Holy Cross Lawyers

Mutual Life Insurance in Boston,

Ayers, M.D., ’94, and their spouses;

Club and O’Callahan Society; he also

Association and Reunion Gift

where he specialized in the fields of

and 12 grandchildren. He was

supported the Holy Cross men’s

Committee. He earned his law degree

banking and investments. Mr. Crane

predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth

ice hockey program. After entering

from Syracuse University School of

is survived by his wife, Ruth; one son

“Beth”; two siblings; and one brother-

the U.S. Air Force, he received his

Law and practiced law in Syracuse

and his wife; two sisters; one sister’s

in-law, James A. Brett ’67.

Navigator Wings, became an air-

for over 60 years, many at his family

spouse; one brother and his spouse;

to-air refueling specialist, and flew

practice, Lynn Law Firm LLP. Mr.

and several nieces and nephews. He

missions in the Artic, Eastern Europe

Lynn is survived by his wife of 60

was predeceased by one brother-in-

Joseph R. “Joe”

and the then-Soviet Union; he later

years, Anne; two daughters, Theresa

law.

Shillinsky, of

volunteered for Vietnam in an Air

M. Lynn ’87 and Patricia A. Lynn-Ford

Commando Squadron. He taught

’82, and their spouses; four sons,

AFROTC at Notre Dame, and at

including Timothy M. Lynn ’93 and

William R.

the Pentagon, he served on the Air

Martin A. Lynn ’01, and their spouses;

“Bill” Daley, of

85. Mr. Shillinsky studied economics

Staff, JCS and in OSD. In retirement,

21 grandchildren; one grandchild’s

Shrewsbury,

at Holy Cross and owned a Rent-A-

he worked as a defense consultant

spouse; one sister; and many nieces,

Massachusetts,

Center store in Bristol, Connecticut,

and adjunct faculty lecturer at

nephews, friends and relations. He

died on Oct. 26,

for many years. He is survived by

Marymount. He was awarded the

was predeceased by one brother.

Cross for Heroism and Air, Defense Meritorious Service, AF Meritorious

Waterbury,

William R. Daley

Connecticut, died on Sept. 30, 2020, at

2020, at 84. At Holy Cross, Mr. Daley studied business administration and

Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying

1958

James D. Brock

Joseph R. Shillinsky

played golf; he was a member of the

many friends.

Edward N. Wilson

Varsity Club. Upon his graduation,

Edward N. Wilson,

Service and AF Commendation

James D. Brock, of

he held various positions, including

of Brooklyn, New

medals. Mr. Redican is survived by

Worcester, died on

plant manager, at the following

York, died on Oct.

his wife, Eleanor; four daughters

Oct. 3, 2020, at 84.

Massachusetts businesses: Colonial

24, 2020. At Holy

and their families, including two

Mr. Brock studied

Press in Clinton, Heffernan Press

grandchildren. His father was the late

history at Holy

in Worcester and Intercity Press in

studied history and participated in

Cross and later supported the College

Rockland. Following retirement, he

ROTC; he made the dean’s list. He

as a member of the 1843 Society. He

worked at Cyprian Keyes golf club

was a member of the Holy Cross

served in the U.S. Army and Army

in Boylston, Massachusetts, for 20

Lawyers Association and affiliated

Reserves. He was employed by the

years. Mr. Daley is survived by his

with Naval ROTC. He is survived by

Paul J. Carmody,

College for 25 years, where he worked

wife of 31 years, Susan; three sons;

his wife, Anne. His alumni relatives

of Worcester,

in the Mount Saint James Contract

one daughter and her fiancé; one

include his cousins, Anne B. Cardwell

died on Dec. 15,

Postal Station as clerk in charge. He

daughter-in-law; nine grandchildren;

’87 and Susan M. Cardwell Boehm ’81.

2020, at 85. Mr.

is survived by many cousins.

and two great-grandchildren. He was

James J. Redican, class of 1918.

1957

Paul J. Carmody

Carmody graduated from Holy Cross with a degree in

Edward J. Crane Jr.

predeceased by one son.

James A. Dawson

Cross, Mr. Wilson

1959

J. Stephen Fleischer

economics. He worked for many

Edward J. “Ted”

years as a salesman in the plastics

Crane Jr., of Hollis,

James A. “Jim”

Fleischer, of

industry; he later worked as a car

New Hampshire,

Dawson, of

Naples, Florida,

salesman at Lundgren Honda in

died on Dec. 11,

Mattapoisett,

died on Sept. 12,

Auburn, Massachusetts. He is

2020, at 84. Mr.

Massachusetts,

survived by his former wife, Barbara

Crane graduated from Holy Cross

A. (Corbin) Carmody; seven children

with a degree in economics; he later

formerly of New Canaan, Connecticut, died on

J. Stephen “Steve”

2020, at 82. At Holy Cross, Mr. Fleischer studied economics and participated in ROTC.

IN MEMORIAM / ALUMNI NEWS / 87

IN MEMORIAM He later supported the College as

service and contributions to the

friends. He was predeceased by one

his wife, Katie; four children and their

a class agent and a member of the

College. Mr. Kershaw is survived by

son; and one brother, Charles A.

spouses; two brothers; two sisters-

O’Callahan Society; he was affiliated

his wife of 56 years, Georgette; one

Adams ’67.

in-law; and nine grandchildren. He

with Naval ROTC. Mr. Fleischer

daughter, Michele A. Kershaw ’88;

served in the U.S. Navy as a junior

and one brother and sister-in-law. He

officer on the USS Putnam 757 before

was predeceased by his parents; and

T. Michael “Mike”

earning his Master of Divinity in

one brother.

Barry, of Alexandria,

Maryknoll, New York. After serving as a missionary in Guatemala, where

T. Michael Barry

Virginia, died

Philip M. Sliney

on Nov. 4, 2020,

was predeceased by one brother. His alumni relatives include his niece, Susan Killilea Coburn ’92.

1962

James O’Reilly Coleman Jr.

he worked as director of a literacy

Philip M. Sliney, of

program, he worked for Bank of

Mt. Pleasant, South

studied history at Holy Cross

James “Jim” O’Reilly Coleman

America as a vice president in

Carolina, formerly

and later earned a Master of Arts

Jr., of Boothbay

Venezuela, Miami, New York and San

of Needham

degree from Maryknoll University,

Harbor, Maine, died

Francisco. He is survived by his wife

and Chatham,

a master’s degree in history from

at 81. Mr. Barry

on Nov. 13, 2020, at

of almost 50 years, Regina; two sons;

Massachusetts, died on Dec. 4,

Columbia University and a law

80. Mr. Coleman studied history at

one grandson; and one niece, five

2020, at 82. Mr. Sliney graduated

degree from George Washington

Holy Cross and participated in the

nephews and their children. He was

from Holy Cross with a degree in

University Law School. His career

Outing Club. He worked for the A.W.

predeceased by two brothers, Charles

chemistry, and he received his MBA

included positions with the National

Chesterton Company in Stoneham,

H. Fleischer Jr. ’56 and Francis T.

from Northeastern University. He

Association of Broadcasters and

Massachusetts, for close to 50 years,

“Frank” Fleischer ’58.

had a long career in the marketing

the legal department of the MCI

retiring as vice president of North

field. He is survived by his wife of 59

Corporation. For the past 30 years,

America Sales. He supported the

years, Priscilla; one son, one daughter

he represented clients in cases

College as an admissions advisor,

and their spouses; two brothers, one

involving domestic relations matters

class agent and regional club career

John W. Kershaw,

sister and their spouses; and four

in the D.C. Superior Court’s Child

counselor; he was also a member of

of Jupiter,

grandchildren.

Abuse & Neglect Program. He was a

the 1843 Society, President’s Council,

member of the Holy Cross Lawyers

Reunion Gift Committee and career

Association. Mr. Barry is survived by

advisor network. Mr. Coleman is

Ronald C. Sullivan,

his wife, XiXi; and four siblings. He

survived by his wife, Nancy; four

Palm City, Florida, died on Nov. 22,

M.D., of Islip, New

was predeceased by his parents; and

children, including Christopher R.

2020, at 82. Mr. Kershaw studied

York, died on Oct.

his first wife, the former Margaret

Coleman ’00; four grandchildren;

political science at Holy Cross

17, 2020, at 82. Dr.

Sullivan.

and one brother, Daniel T. Coleman

and participated in ROTC. He also

Sullivan practiced

1960

John W. Kershaw

Florida, formerly of Barrington,

Ronald C. Sullivan, M.D.

Rhode Island, and

Joseph A. Jarzobski, M.D.

’66.

graduated from Boston College

medicine in his community for nearly

Law School and was a civil trial

50 years and served as lieutenant

Joseph A. “Dr. J”

lawyer, practicing in Providence,

commander and medical director of

Jarzobski, M.D., of

Richard A. “Dick”

Rhode Island, for 45 years; he was

the American Research Station at the

Omaha, Nebraska,

Flintoft, of South-

a fellow of the American College

Geographic South Pole. He supported

died on Nov. 19,

field, Massachu-

of Trial Lawyers. He served in the

Holy Cross as a class agent. He is

2020, at 80. Dr.

setts, died on Nov.

U.S. Navy for four years of active

survived by his wife, Nancy; four

Jarzobski studied premed at Holy

duty and continued to serve in the

children and their families, including

Cross and received his medical

Flintoft studied economics at Holy

Naval Reserves for many years. Mr.

eight grandchildren; and one brother

degree from Creighton University,

Cross and played lacrosse; he later

Kershaw was an active alumnus,

and his spouse.

specializing in cardiology for 53

supported the College as an admis-

years. He is survived by his wife of

sions advisor. He served in Vietnam

63 years, Geraldine “Jerry”; four

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

children; three children’s spouses;

was awarded the Vietnam Service

and four granddaughters. He was

Medal Bronze Star and Vietnam Air

predeceased by his parents.

Gallantry Medal. He then received his

serving as Alumni Board director and past president of the General Alumni Association (GAA), now the Holy Cross Alumni Association. In

1961

Lt. Cmdr. Albert M. Adams, USN (Ret.)

addition to the Alumni Board Senate,

Lt. Cmdr. Albert

he was a member of the Alumni

M. Adams, USN

Executive, Class Reunion, GAA Study

(Ret.), of Virginia

and In Hoc Signo committees. He

Beach, Virginia,

Peter J. Killilea

Richard A. Flintoft

21, 2020, at 80. Mr.

MBA from Columbia University and went on to become a vice president

Peter J. Killilea,

of asset management at JP Morgan;

also served as a class agent and

died on Oct. 29, 2020, at 81. Mr.

of North Andover,

he later served as president of Lynn

class chair, and was a member of the

Adams studied history at Holy

Massachusetts, died

Chase Designs and on its board of di-

1843 Society, President’s Council,

Cross and participated in ROTC;

on Oct. 20, 2020,

rectors. Mr. Flintoft is survived by his

GAA Council of Past Presidents,

he later supported the College as a

at 81. Mr. Killilea

wife of 22 years, Lynn; two sons, one

Holy Cross Lawyers Association

member of the O’Callahan Society

studied industrial relations at Holy

daughter and their spouses; and two

and O’Callahan Society. Affiliated

and was affiliated with Naval ROTC.

Cross and also received a degree

grandchildren. He was predeceased

with Naval ROTC and honored with

He served in the U.S. Navy for over

from Harvard University. He was an

by his mother; his father; and one

the Book Prize, he was recognized

20 years. Mr. Adams is survived

officer in the U.S. Air Force, where

brother. He was followed in death

as Crusader of the Year (regional)

by one daughter and her husband;

he specialized in logistics. He later

by one sister. His alumni relatives

and was the recipient of the In Hoc

one granddaughter; and numerous

worked for Digital Equipment Cor-

include his nephew, Christopher J.M.

Signo Award in 1986 for his longtime

extended family members and

poration. Mr. Killilea is survived by

Collings ’95.

8 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

Christmas parties, back before computerization, too, our registrar extraordinaire lured faculty to turn in their winter grades by setting a table with Christmas treats and Christmas punch,” Whall says. “Peals of laughter rang through the hallways of Fenwick 2.”

Ann Flynn, who came to Holy Cross in 1973 as the first woman psychologist in the Counseling Center, remembers Ms. Tosney with great affection. The friends commuted to campus together, jetting daily down Route 495.

“We got stopped a few times by the police, but we never got a ticket,” Flynn says.

“Officers seemed charmed

by Eileen’s sincerity about not realizing she was going 80 mph or so, although one officer who stopped us twice remembered her and seemed none too pleased that second time he stopped us.”

holy cross remembers registrar, 1970-1996

In the late 1970s, she served as chair

of the Holy Cross the best experience

Flynn, who remained in touch with

of the Committee on the Status of

possible for everyone.”

Ms. Tosney over the years, says

Eileen M. Tosney Hon. ’93 (1921–2020)

Women at Holy Cross, charged with

that when she thinks of her friend,

securing the well-being of female

“When I started my professional

the following words come to mind:

Holy Cross students.

career in the early 1980s, in the

“Loyalty, love of others, love of

summer after graduating from Holy

learning, forever young at heart and

Helen Whall, professor emerita of

Cross, there were very few women in

always people wise, ready to enjoy a

Eileen M. Tosney died on Dec. 27,

English, recalls Ms. Tosney was not

leadership positions at the College,”

good laugh and a nice glass of wine

2020, at 99.

just chair of that groundbreaking

remembers Ellen Keohane ’83, the

with friends.”

committee: “She and chaplain Sr.

College’s chief information officer.

A native of Lawrence, Massachusetts,

Anna Kane, S.S.J., ’74 called that

“Eileen Tosney was one of only two

Ms. Tosney was a member of the

Ms. Tosney graduated from

committee into being when such an

women directors. Eileen took interest

American Association of College

Emmanuel College cum laude with

entity was vital. Eileen insisted that

in my professional progress within

Registrars and Admissions Officers,

a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.

women be taken seriously.” Whall,

the IT department; she gave me a

and a member and past president

She received a Master of Arts from

also a committee member, calls Ms.

lot of support and guidance in our

of the New England Association of

Boston College in 1946 and began

Tosney “one of the most important

many conversations. As I now hold a

College Registrars and Admissions

work as registrar of the school’s

women ever to work at Holy Cross.

senior position at the College, I hope

Officers. She was a member and past

I can pay forward the mentoring to

director of the American Association

evening division and, later, became registrar for the Boston College

“When the first women arrived as

other women working at Holy Cross.

of University Administrators, which

School of Arts and Sciences.

faculty and students at Holy Cross,

I am grateful to have known Eileen

in 1984 created The Eileen M. Tosney

Eileen was the only woman in upper-

Tosney.”

Yearly Award for Professionalism.

The first woman registrar at Boston

level administration,” she continues.

College, Ms. Tosney left the school

“I was so lucky — my office was on

Whall remembers her colleague

in 1970 to become the first woman

the same floor as hers. She was an

and friend as “also exceptionally

registrar at Holy Cross, where she

extraordinary role model. Eileen

generous and good-willed. Back

She is survived by three nephews,

served until her retirement in 1996.

Tosney wanted to make the College

when colleges could have office

four nieces and their families. ■

Tosney received an honorary degree from Holy Cross in 1993.

IN MEMORIAM / ALUMNI NEWS / 89

IN MEMORIAM John E. Foley

one daughter; and many nieces and John E. “Jack”

nephews. He was predeceased by

or “The Shot”

one brother; and two sisters.

Foley, of Barre, Massachusetts, died on Nov.

1963

Joseph A. Flanagan, M.D.

29, 2020, at 81. Mr. Foley studied

Joseph A.

education at Holy Cross and played

Flanagan, M.D.,

basketball, setting records in total

of Middletown,

career points, highest point per

Connecticut, died

game average and highest scoring

on Nov. 15, 2020,

games — and earning All-America

at 78. Dr. Flanagan studied biology

honors three years in a row. Drafted

at Holy Cross and later supported

by the Boston Celtics in 1962, he

College Athletics. He also graduated

joined the team after completing his

from Georgetown Medical School

reserve service for the U.S. Coast

with honors and served in the U.S.

Guard; later in the season, he was

Army, reaching the rank of major.

traded to the Knicks. Mr. Foley then

After completing his pediatric

taught for 37 years in the Worcester

training at Grady Memorial

Public Schools at Burncoat Junior

Hospital in Atlanta and at Cincinnati

High School and South High School.

Children’s Hospital, he joined

He coached boys’ basketball at Boys

Middlesex Pediatrics in Middletown,

Trade, Quabbin Regional and South

where he practiced for 30 years. Dr.

high schools, and coached girls’

Flanagan was on staff at Middlesex

basketball at South High School; he

Hospital, served as chair of the

holy cross remembers superintendent of grounds, 1958-2010

recognized as an arboretum;

also worked as a part-time police

pediatric department, was a member

five years later, Mr. Long wrote

officer in Barre. A member of the

of the Medical Staff Council and

the “College of the Holy Cross

New England Basketball Hall of

was a mentor for UCONN medical

James D. Long Sr.

Campus Arboretum,” a 16-page

Fame, Mr. Foley was a member of

students. After retiring from private

detailed guide to the grounds’

the Holy Cross Varsity Club and Holy

practice, he was employed by DCTS

nearly 800 trees, shrubs and

Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame, and

and supported the opening of CJTS,

commemorative plantings.

he was honored with the Crusader

where he provided care for Long

of the Year Award. He is survived

Lane and CJTS teens; he also served

(1940-2021)

James D. “Jim” Long Sr., of Boylston, Massachusetts, died on

“Jim Long was a leader among

by his wife of 28 years, Gail Raney;

on the City of Middletown Board of

Jan. 31, 2021, at 80.

grounds superintendents

one brother, Francis J. Foley Jr. ’59,

Health and was a medical advisor

nationwide for many years,” says

and sister-in-law; five children of

for Gianelli Early Learning Center.

Mr. Long worked for Holy Cross

Ted Heywood, who succeeded

his first marriage and their families,

Dr. Flanagan is survived by his wife

for 53 years, retiring in 2010 as

Mr. Long as superintendent of

including six grandchildren and one

of 52 years, Elizabeth “Betty”; one

superintendent of grounds. He

grounds. “His unfailing efforts

great-granddaughter; and nieces,

daughter, Carrie Flanagan Milaccio

was featured in a 2008 Holy Cross

and professional dedication

including Karen J. Sullivan ’88, and

’91, one son and their spouses; four

Magazine story, “Arbor Studies,”

leading the grounds crew here

nephews. He was predeceased by

grandchildren; two sisters and their

which noted: “He likes to say that

at Holy Cross gained accolades

his father, Francis J. Foley, class of

spouses; one sister-in-law and her

he came for a summer job in 1958

from the men and women who

1926; his mother; one sister; and one

spouse; one brother-in-law; several

and stayed for good.”

understand the daily challenges

granddaughter.

nieces and nephews; and extended

involved in caring for campus

Richard J. Pentland

family.

Mr. Long first worked under Rev.

landscapes. Each day when we

Florance Gillis, S.J., grounds

go to work outdoors on the Holy

Richard J.

supervisor and professor of

Cross campus, we experience

Pentland, of

James E.

ethics, who the story noted

firsthand the landscaped

Worcester, died on

McGregor, of

insisted on professional education

environment he envisioned and

Nov. 23, 2020. Mr.

Decatur, Georgia,

and assigned Long homework and

then created. Jim’s work provides

Pentland studied

formerly of

reports to write. “We were still

vital support to the mission of

history and political science at Holy

cutting grass with sickles when I

educating students here at Holy

Cross and graduated cum laude. He

Massachusetts, died on June 7, 2020,

came,” Mr. Long told HCM.

Cross.”

also graduated from Boston College

at 79. Mr. McGregor graduated from

Law School and practiced law in

Holy Cross with a degree in modern

James E. McGregor

Foxborough,

Over the years, Mr. Long and his

Mr. Long is survived by his wife

the city of Worcester at Anderson

languages, and also earned degrees

crew were honored with many

of 60 years, Gloria; one son; one

& Pentland. His courtroom career

at Boston College and the University

national awards and features in

grandson; one granddaughter;

spanned more than 50 years, and

of Ottawa. He was a professor of

trade magazines for their care and

one great-granddaughter; one

he was actively involved in various

philosophy at Boston State College,

maintenance of the College’s 175

brother; three sisters; and many

legal committees and associations.

then Salem State College; he also

acres. In 1983, the College was

nieces and nephews. ■

Mr. Pentland is survived by one son;

established and ran an insulation

9 0 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

and solar company for many years.

Mr. McGregor is survived by his wife, Norma; his children, including Keith

two grandchildren.

Daniel A. Mullin

the College as a member of the 1843

Yankees Advisers LLC, with his eldest

Society and O’Callahan Society; he

son. Mr. McGraw is survived by his

was affiliated with Naval ROTC. He

wife, Karen; one daughter; three sons

M. McGregor ’97, and their families,

Daniel A. “Dan”

served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy

and their wives; five siblings and their

including nine grandchildren. He

Mullin, of Boston,

during the Vietnam War, flying fighter

spouses; 11 grandchildren; one great-

was predeceased by one son; one

and Provincetown,

jets aboard the USS Forrestal Aircraft

grandchild; in-laws; and many nieces,

grandchild; and one sister.

Massachusetts,

Carrier. After his military service, he

nephews, grandnieces and cousins.

died on Nov. 26,

was employed as the senior sales

He was predeceased by his father,

2020, at 78. Mr. Mullin studied history

consultant for the Texas Instruments

Joseph A. McGraw ’38; his mother;

Stephen W. “Steve”

at Holy Cross and later supported

Co. Mr. Abraham is survived by two

and one brother.

Shea Jr., of St. Paul,

the College as a class agent and

brothers; one sister; many nieces,

Minnesota, died on

member of President’s Council,

nephews, great-nieces and great-

Oct. 22, 2020, at 79.

Class Reunion Gift Committee,

nephews; and several cousins. He

David C. “Dave”

At Holy Cross, Mr.

Reunion Gift Committee and GLBTQ

was predeceased by one sister-in-law.

O’Connor, of

Stephen W. Shea Jr.

David C. O’Connor

West Boylston,

Shea studied economics and played

Alumni Network. After graduation,

lacrosse, football and basketball;

he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard

he was a member of the O’Callahan

and then began his career in real

Society and affiliated with Naval

estate with The Dolben Company,

Edwin C. “Ed”

died on Nov. 11, 2020, at 76. Mr.

ROTC. He served as a captain in the

where he worked for 25 years before

Lawrence, of

O’Connor studied English at Holy

U.S. Marine Corps before earning an

establishing Daniel A. Mullin &

Bedminster,

Cross before he received a master’s

MBA from Columbia University. He

Associates. Mr. Mullin is survived

Pennsylvania,

degree in education from Worcester

worked in business for five decades.

by one sister and her husband; one

died on Oct. 4,

State University. He continued his

Mr. Shea is survived by his wife of 50

sister-in-law and her partner; nine

2020, at 75. Mr. Lawrence studied

education while working and took

years, Gail; two sons; two daughters-

nieces and nephews; 15 great-

English at Holy Cross before earning

further graduate courses at Clark,

in-law; four grandchildren; three

nieces and great-nephews; and

his Master of Arts at Scranton

The Principals’ Center at Harvard

siblings; and many friends and

extended family and friends. He was

University, specializing in American

and UMass Amherst. He served for

acquaintances.

predeceased by his father, Daniel A.

literature. During his 39-year tenure

six years in the Massachusetts Army

Mullin, class of 1921; his mother; and

at Delaware Valley College (now

National Guard assigned to the

three brothers, including Robert C.

University), he taught literature,

181st Engineer Company and was

Mullin ’58.

ethics, philosophy, communications,

discharged with the rank of sergeant.

art, film and other courses; served

Mr. O’Connor served in the Worcester

as chair of the English department;

Public Schools for 35 years as both

1964

John J. Gallagher, M.D. John J. Gallagher, M.D., of Columbus,

Frank M. Reuter

1966

formerly of Holden,

Edwin C. Lawrence

Massachusetts,

North Carolina,

Frank M. Reuter, of

and was involved in accreditation of

an English teacher and administrator

died on Nov. 21,

Columbia, Missouri,

the college and the Honors Program,

at the following schools: Burncoat

2020. Dr. Gallagher

died on Nov. 17,

among other activities. He is survived

Junior High, Chandler Junior, Forest

studied biology at Holy Cross and

2020, at 77. Mr.

by his wife of 51 years, Clare; two

Grove, South High and North High.

also graduated from the Georgetown

Reuter graduated

sons and their families, including

He spent over 20 years officiating

University School of Medicine.

from Holy Cross with a degree in

four grandchildren; five siblings;

Central Massachusetts high school

He completed his internship and

English. A scholar of Old English,

and numerous nephews, nieces and

football games. Mr. O’Connor is

residency in internal medicine at

he taught others to appreciate the

extended family.

survived by his wife of 51 years,

Duke University before being drafted

history of language and was an

into the U.S. Public Health Service

editor of modern English, helping

in the Cardiopulmonary Laboratory

prison inmates publish their work.

Joseph A.

including Elizabeth A. O’Connor

at Staten Island. He then returned to

He was also involved in regional

“Joe” McGraw,

’95; one son’s wife; one daughter’s

Duke for his fellowship in cardiology

conservation and education efforts

of Wayland,

husband; one daughter’s companion;

and remained there as a faculty

near his family’s Ozark homestead.

Massachusetts, died

one sister; four grandchildren; and

member, becoming a pioneer in the

Mr. Reuter is survived by his wife,

on Dec. 10, 2020.

several nephews and nieces. He

world of cardiac electrophysiology

Mary; one daughter and her husband;

Mr. McGraw studied English at Holy

was predeceased by one brother, J.

and an internationally recognized

one son; one grandson; one sister;

Cross and pursued postgraduate

Timothy “Tim” O’Connor III ’62. His

analyst of complex arrhythmias.

and many relatives and friends. He

studies in business and finance at

alumni relatives also include his

Dr. Gallagher later became director

was predeceased by his parents.

Babson College and the University

father, the late John T. O’Connor ’31;

of Utah. After graduating from the

and his uncle, the late John E. Cahill,

College, he joined the U.S. Air Force,

M.D., ’27.

of electrophysiology at Carolinas Medical Center and Carolinas Heart Institute. He then joined Cardiology

1965

Gary M. Abraham

Deborah “Deb”; two sons, including

Joseph A. McGraw

Sean M. O’Connor ’92; two daughters,

serving for five years, rising to the

1967

Consultants in Spartanburg, South

Gary M. Abraham,

rank of captain and flying hundreds

Carolina, as an EP cardiologist for 12

of Utica, New

of combat missions as an F-4 jet

years before serving as a hospitalist

York, died on Nov.

fighter pilot during the Vietnam War;

John V. O’Neil,

and, later, internist with Spartanburg

5, 2020, at 77. Mr.

he twice earned the Distinguished

of Newington,

Regional Healthcare System. Dr.

Abraham studied

Flying Cross. He then had a career in

Connecticut, died

John V. O’Neil

Gallagher is survived by his wife,

chemistry and participated in ROTC

finance and investment, culminating

on Nov. 29, 2020.

Jane; four children; two sisters; and

at Holy Cross. He later supported

in the establishment of his firm,

Mr. O’Neil studied

IN MEMORIAM / ALUMNI NEWS / 91

IN MEMORIAM history at Holy Cross and had a

Fortier studied political science

Department in the Economic

She graduated from Holy Cross with

career in real estate development

and economics at Holy Cross

Development Administration and the

a degree in economics.

in the Boston area. He is survived

and participated in the College

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

by one sister, her husband and their

Republicans, ROTC and intramural

He later worked in private practice

children and grandchildren. His

sports. He was a businessman and

as well as served as team leader of a

father was the late Vincent D. O’Neil,

he later supported the College as

weekly homeless ministry program

Michael D. Paugh,

M.D., ’37.

a member of the 1843 Society. Mr.

at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the

of Richmond,

Fortier is survived by his wife,

Apostle in Washington, D.C., and most

Virginia, died on

Frances; one son and his wife; three

recently was ministry coordinator

Nov. 12, 2020, at 61.

sisters and their husbands; two

there. Mr. Walsh is survived by one

brothers; and one brother’s wife.

brother; two sisters; one niece; two

psychology and premed at Holy Cross

nephews; and many cousins.

and participated in Band; he later

1968

John P. Miller John P. Miller, of Clifton Park, New York, died on Oct. 3, 2020, at 73.

1971

Vincent J. Doyle Jr. Vincent J. “Vinny”

After graduating

1981

Michael D. Paugh

Mr. Paugh studied

supported the College as a member

1972

Thomas E. Gifford

of the career advisor network and HOIAH Marching Band Alumni. He

from Holy Cross, Mr. Miller earned

Doyle Jr., of Lavon,

Thomas E. Gifford,

earned an MPH in epidemiology and

a degree from Boston College Law

Texas, died on Nov.

of Elkhart,

biostatistics from UMASS-Amherst.

School. He practiced law in many

10, 2020. Mr. Doyle

Indiana, died on

He worked for Connell Neurosurgical

areas during his career, including

studied history

Sept. 26, 2020, at

and Leica Micro Systems before

70. Mr. Gifford

founding Paugh Surgical, Inc.,

working for the Dutchess County

at Holy Cross and played football

District Attorney’s Office, the United

and rugby; he was a member of the

attended Holy Cross on a baseball

where he served as president for

States Attorney’s Office in New

Varsity Club. After graduation, he

scholarship and earned his degree

23 years. Mr. Paugh is survived by

York and Philadelphia, and the NYS

briefly coached football at Kinkaid

in mathematics; he was a member

two daughters; one son-in-law; one

Attorney General’s Office in Albany;

High School. He then worked as a

of the Varsity Club. He worked as a

daughter’s fiancé; his former wife,

he also taught law at Russell Sage

scheduler and retired from Bechtel

salesman for Elixir Industries and

Deborah Sheehan-Paugh; one brother;

College. Mr. Miller served in the U.S.

after a long career there. Mr. Doyle

Atlantis Plastics, and later went on to

two sisters; one sister-in-law; one

Army 3rd Infantry Regiment during

is survived by his wife, Jacquelyn

retire from Superior Plastic Products

brother-in-law; and several nieces,

the Vietnam War. He supported the

“Jackie”; two sons and their spouses;

in Holland, Pennsylvania. Mr. Gifford

nephews and their families, including

College as a member of the Holy

two grandsons; three brothers,

is survived by one daughter, one son

grandnieces and grandnephews. He

Cross Lawyers Association. He is

two sisters and their spouses; one

and their spouses; two grandchildren;

was predeceased by his father; his

survived by his wife of 48 years,

sister-in-law and her spouse; and

one brother and his spouse; and

mother; and one brother.

Linda; two sons and their spouses;

many nieces and nephews. He was

numerous nieces and nephews. He

two daughters; four grandchildren;

predeceased by his first wife and

was predeceased by his parents; his

three siblings, including Michael

mother of his two sons, Sissy Luciano

wife, Mary; and four siblings.

C. Miller ’74; two brothers-in-law;

Doyle; his mother and father; one

two sisters-in-law; many cousins,

brother; and one aunt.

including Robert B. Dietz ’64 and Patrick A. Dietz, M.D., ’66; and many

James T. Walsh

nieces, nephews and friends.

1970

J. Dean Brannigan J. Dean Brannigan,

1982

Michele I. Frawley Michele I. Frawley,

1979

of Greenland, New

Daniel C. Bowman

Hampshire, died on

Daniel C. Bowman,

Sept. 18, 2020, at 59.

James T.

of Chelmsford,

“Jimmy” Walsh,

Massachusetts,

economics and drove the Zamboni

of Washington,

died on Nov. 5,

at the hockey rink at Holy Cross;

D.C., formerly

2020, at 63. At

she later supported the College as

of Scranton,

Ms. Frawley studied

Holy Cross, Mr. Bowman studied

an admissions advisor. She was a

of Wilbraham,

Pennsylvania, died on Dec. 7, 2020,

economics and played hockey; he

flight attendant for Delta Air Lines

Massachusetts, died

at 71. Mr. Walsh studied history at

was a member of the Varsity Club.

for 20 years. Ms. Frawley is survived

on Oct. 24, 2020, at

Holy Cross and was a member of the

He was employed with Digital of

by her partner of 15 years, Peter F.

71. At Holy Cross,

Honors Program and Alpha Sigma Nu

Marlboro, Massachusetts, and

Horan; her mother and best friend;

Mr. Brannigan studied history and

Jesuit Honor Society; he graduated

owned and operated Event Pro. He is

brothers and sisters; members of the

played lacrosse. He is survived by two

cum laude. As a student, he served as

survived by his fiancée, Robin Arons;

Horan family; and many nieces and

sons and their wives; two daughters;

a CCD teacher and resident assistant,

one daughter; two sons; one sister

nephews. She was predeceased by

and seven grandchildren. He was

and he participated in Student

and her spouse; two nieces; and three

her father; and one brother-in-law.

predeceased by his wife of 30 years,

Programs for Urban Development

nephews. He was predeceased by one

Linda. His alumni relatives include his

(SPUD); he later supported the

brother.

brother, John Brannigan, M.D., ’73.

College as a member of the career

Robert E. Fortier

advisor network and Holy Cross Lawyers Association. Mr. Walsh

1986

Robert A. Lue

1980

Cathleen Conway Del Polito

Robert A. “Rob” Lue, of Lowell,

Robert E. “Bob”

also graduated from Georgetown

Cathleen Conway

Massachusetts,

Fortier, of

University Law Center and he had

Del Polito, of

died on Nov. 11,

Colleyville, Texas,

a long career as an attorney in

Fairfax Station,

died on Nov. 7,

trademark and patent law; he was

Virginia, died on

Cross, Mr. Lue majored in religious

2018, at 70. Mr.

employed at the U.S. Commerce

Dec. 21, 2018, at 59.

studies and earned the Crompton

92 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

2020, at 56. At Holy

Gold Medal (science essay); he

Mr. Power continued

the World mourn the loss of our

graduated cum laude. He earned

to contribute to the

namesake and inspiration,” says

his Ph.D. in biology at Harvard

automotive industry,

Daniel Klinghard, J.D. Power Center

and joined the molecular and

as well as to three

director and professor of political

cellular biology faculty four years

books about his life and

science. “This visionary leader

later. His many roles at Harvard

company.

who transformed the automotive

include the following: director of

industry also transformed

life sciences education, professor

In 1997, the College

experiential learning at Holy Cross

of the practice in the Department

awarded Mr. Power with

through his legacy of generosity to

of Molecular and Cellular

an honorary Doctor

his alma mater. Over the years he

Biology, founding faculty director

of Humane Letters.

has touched the lives of countless

of HarvardX, faculty director of

He supported the

Holy Cross students, particularly

the Harvard Ed Portal, Richard

College as a member

through his funding of student

L. Menschel Faculty Director

of the Cornerstone

internships, research and special

of the Derek Bok Center for

Society, Board of

projects that have turned the

Teaching and Learning, UNESCO

Advisors, Reunion

ignition on hundreds of careers.”

Chair on Life Sciences and Social

Gift Committee,

Innovation, and faculty director

1843 Society and

Klinghard adds that for

and principal investigator of

President’s Council.

students, Mr. Power’s life

LabXchange. The former dean of

He was involved with

and accomplishments are an

Harvard Summer School and co-

the Ciocca Office for

aspirational story that “embodies

author of two biology textbooks,

Business, Ethics and

the best of a Holy Cross education.”

Mr. Lue worked extensively in the field of science visualization.

He is survived by his husband of almost 30 years, Alain Viel.

Marianne Merritt

holy cross remembers 1997 honorary degree recipient

James David Power III ’53, Hon. ’97 (1931–2021)

Marianne

Society.

“He was a mission-driven “Dave Power was a true visionary

entrepreneur who fearlessly

and a pioneer,” says Holy Cross

confronted uncertainty in the

President Rev. Philip L. Boroughs,

marketplace and persevered in

S.J. “His impact on the world is

adversity,” Klinghard notes. “He

unmistakable and shifted forever

was an advocate for the consumer,

Merritt, of

James David

how business is conducted around

as well as for the people he worked

Andover,

“Dave” Power

the globe. His love of Holy Cross,

with, building a company with a

Massachusetts,

III, of Westlake

and of his Worcester roots, is

collaborative environment that

died on Nov. 4,

Village, California,

evident in all he and his family

demanded professional excellence

formerly of

have done at Holy Cross. From

and the highest ethical standards.

2020, at 56. At Holy Cross, Mrs. Merritt studied French, political

Worcester, died on Jan. 23, 2021,

The Power Family Scholarship for

And though his name became

science and German; she was a

at 89.

students from Worcester County, to

synonymous with the highest

summer internships for Holy Cross

standards of quality, he always

member of the track team. She later supported the College’s crew

After graduating from Holy

students at Worcester businesses

remained ‘the humble guy from

programs and was also a member

Cross, Mr. Power entered the

and organizations, to the paradigm-

Worcester’ who took delighted

of the career advisor network and

U.S. Coast Guard, serving as an

shifting J.D. Power Center for

pride in having started a global

HOIAH Marching Band Alumni.

officer on a polar ice breaker, the

Liberal Arts in the World, Dave had

business at his kitchen table, with

She received her master’s degree

CGC Eastwind, in the Arctic and

at his heart the ability to discern

his family by his side. We believe

in early childhood education

Antarctic. He then earned his

how to make the greatest impact at

that we most completely honor his

at Lesley University before

MBA at the Wharton School at the

the right moment in time.”

embarking on her career as a

University of Pennsylvania and

teacher in the Andover Public

began his career as an auditor for

In 2018, Mr. Power’s family

School system. For 13 years

the tractor division of Ford Motor

foundation gifted the College $3

Mr. Power is survived by his wife,

she taught kindergarten at the

Company before joining McCann

million to support its newly formed

Joan; four children, including Susan

Bancroft, West and High Plain

Erickson’s research firm, Marplan.

J.D. Power Center for Liberal

Power Curtin ’93 and James D.

elementary schools; she then

Working from their kitchen, Mr.

Arts in the World, which expands

Power IV P14; two stepchildren and

transitioned to teaching English

Power and his wife, Julie, founded

experiential learning opportunities

their families; son-in-law Michael

as a Second Language, first at the

J.D. Power and Associates; the

for Holy Cross students. Through

J. Curtin ’91; 12 grandchildren,

High Plain/Wood Hill campus

influential marketing information

the center, hundreds of students

including James D. Power V ’14;

and later at South Elementary

firm was known for its independent

have integrated their academics

one brother, John S. Power ’69; two

School. She is survived by her

customer satisfaction surveys

with internships, student research

nieces; and one nephew. He was

husband of 31 years, Mark; one

of the automotive and other

and community- and project-based

predeceased by his first wife, Julie.

daughter and her husband and

product and service industries.

learning, applying their Jesuit

His alumni relatives also include

daughter; one sister and her

His family-run company gained

education in the real world.

his father, the late James D. Power

partner; and extended family and

recognition nationally and globally

friends. She was predeceased by

before he sold it to the McGraw-

“The faculty and staff of the J.D.

Aloysius F. Power, class of 1923; and

her brother; and her parents.

Hill Companies. In retirement,

Power Center for Liberal Arts in

his cousin, John A. Power ’67. ■

memory when we pass these values on to our students.”

Jr., class of 1920; his uncle, the late

IN MEMORIAM / ALUMNI NEWS / 93

IN MEMORIAM Thomas E. Murray

Committee and President’s Council.

FRIENDS

Thomas E.

He is survived by his wife, Marissa G.

Philip (Feliciano) Amatangelo, father of

“Tom” Murray, of

Frisina ’02; one daughter; his father and

Susan Amantagelo of world languages,

Elizabethtown,

his wife; his mother and her husband;

literatures, and cultures and father-in-

Pennsylvania, died

two brothers; and several in-laws,

law of Daniel Frost of Spanish; Andrew

on Nov. 19, 2020, at

aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and

S. “Doc” Anastasio, D.P.M., 51; Christine

godchildren.

K. Anderson, daughter of Stephen R.

56. Mr. Murray graduated from Holy Cross with a degree in biology and later supported the College as a member of the career advisor network. He earned

Anderson ’75 and Linda M. Anderson

2003

Melissa M. Garville

’76; Joan P. Baker, wife of Charlie Baker, associate professor emeritus of world

his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University

Melissa M. Garville,

languages, literatures, and cultures;

of Connecticut, where he specialized

of New York, died

Daryl Boylan, wife of the late Matthew P.

in limnology, the study of the science

on Nov. 26, 2020.

Boylan ’54; Valentina Bukatko, mother of

of lakes, streams and wetlands. He

Ms. Garville studied

Diane Bukatko of psychology; Josephine

joined the faculty at Elizabethtown

political science at

Bylinski, mother of Joseph H. Bylinski ’70

College as an assistant professor; he

Holy Cross, was a member of the Mock

and grandmother of Lauren K. McCarthy

later served as associate professor, full

Trial Team, and participated in Student

’00; Catherine Chave, wife of the late

professor and chair of the college’s

Programs for Urban Development

George Chave ’59, mother of Bill Chave ’90,

Department of Biology. He is survived

(SPUD), Rugby Club and Schola

mother-in-law of Colleen Wyse Chave ’90,

by two children; two sisters and their

Cantorum. She later supported the

grandmother of Will Chave ’20 and aunt

spouses; one brother-in-law and his

College as an admissions advisor and

of the late John Hanley ’88; Bernadette

spouse; his mother- and father-in-law;

member of the career advisor network.

DiGiovanni, wife of Joe DiGiovanni ’73

one nephew; and many cousins. He was

She was employed by BlackRock, a

and mother of Erin McAleer ’02; Gerard

predeceased by his wife, Debi.

financial planning and investment

Olry de Labry, father of Colette de Labry,

management company. Ms. Garville

Office of the General Council; Charlotte

is survived by her husband, David;

H. Donovan, wife of the late William T.

two daughters; her parents; and three

Donovan, M.D., ’50; Dolores Engustian,

Patrice “Tika” Halas,

brothers, including Gregory J. “Greg”

mother of Christine J. Engustian ’81;

of White Plains, New

Garville Jr. ’06.

May P. Gendron, wife of the late Edward

1987

Patrice Halas

York, died on Nov. 21, 2020, at 55. Mrs. Halas studied French

Gendron 49; Maria Guarnachelli, wife

2008

Elizabeth A. Wright

of the late John Guarnachelli ’58; Norma Ronning Hasselmann, stepmother of

and economics at Holy Cross and

Elizabeth A.

Cynthia Hooper of the history department;

played volleyball. She then completed

(Umphrey) Wright,

Barbara Hanley Hooper, mother of

her MBA at the University of Rhode

of Shrewsbury,

Cynthia Hooper of the history department;

Island and her career included banking,

formerly of Lowell,

Barbara F. Kallaugher, wife of the late

sports management and financial

Massachusetts, died

John M. Kallaugher ’49, mother of Gemma

planning. She also supported the

on Oct. 19, 2020, at 33. Ms. Wright

Cannon ’78 and sister of Thomas G. Flynn,

College as an admissions advisor and

studied psychology and premed at Holy

M.D., ’51, Terence P. Flynn 67, the late

member of the Varsity Club. Mrs. Halas

Cross before obtaining her master’s

Robert J. Flynn ’58 and the late William

is survived her husband, Wally; one

degree in international public health

E. Flynn, M.D., ’53; John J. “Jake” Kelliher

son; her mother; three stepchildren

from Boston University. She was

60; Marie-Christine Leon, wife of Hon.

and their spouses; one brother, two

employed as an administrative assistant

Richard Leon ’71; David Martinidez,

sisters and their spouses; and three

with her parents’ company, Thermo

husband of Rob Hymas ’02; Mary Kelly

grandchildren. She was predeceased by

Engineering, for eight years, and she

McDonald, wife of the late Hon. Francis M.

her father; and one brother.

worked with DoTerra Essential Oils as

McDonald ’53; Thomas Moriarty, father

an independent wellness advocate. More

of Joanne Aventuro ’87 and John Moriarty

recently, she had attended the Catherine

’92; Florence Ayieko Omondi, mother

Hinds Institute of Esthetics and was

of Andrew Omondi of the Chaplain’s

Douglas J.

working at Balance Spa. She was also

Office; Leona Phelan, mother of Sharon

“Doug” Frisina, of

the social media account manager for

(Phelan) Siegel ’87; Joseph P. Rhein and

Ridgewood, New

Kelleher & Sadowsky Associates, Inc.

Janet H. Rhein, parents of Nancy Baldiga

Jersey, died on Oct. 8,

in Worcester. Ms. Wright is survived by

of economics and accounting; Margaret

2020. At Holy Cross,

her mother and her partner; her brother,

Sifferlen, mother of Mary Sifferlen ’79

Mr. Frisina studied political science and

Mark S. Umphrey II, D.O., ’05, and his

and grandmother of Amanda Sifferlen ’17;

participated in student newspaper and

wife; one nephew and godson; one

Kathleen Sullivan, mother of Jane Sullivan

the Washington Semester Program;

niece; two grandmothers; several aunts,

Roberts ’76 and grandmother of Noreen

he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa

uncles and their spouses; many cousins;

M. Verini ’17; Donald D. Wright, father

(liberal arts). He later supported the

and many friends. She was predeceased

of Teresa (Wright) Amici ’84; Virginia

College as a member of the career

by one daughter; her father; two

Zelazny, mother of Jane Zelazny-Belz

advisor network, Reunion Gift

grandfathers; one aunt; and two uncles.

’83. ■

2002

Douglas J. Frisina

9 4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

ASK MORE

HOW TO REACH US

MAIL

Alumnae, We Need You

Holy Cross Magazine One College Street Worcester, MA 01610

ext year marks the 50th anniversary of co-education at Holy Cross, and we are already brainstorming ways to commemorate the milestone in these pages. Is there a story you

EMAIL

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would like us to pursue? Who are the unsung Holy Cross heroines we should honor? What stories have gone untold and should be shared today? We welcome all story ideas from you, the women who lived it.

Email hcmag@holycross.edu. ■

In Search of Odyssey Alumni

T

his fall marks the 25th anniversary of Odyssey at Holy Cross, and we want to celebrate. We would love to hear from program

alumni for an upcoming story.

What was the experience like, how did it kickstart your years on The Hill and, whether it’s been five years or 25, how do you look back on that week? Email hcmag@holycross.edu. ■

When Did the Pub Rats Caricatures Begin?

A

re you commemorated on the walls of The Pub via caricature?

Do you know how the tradition began and when?

We’re gathering information for a potential Pub Rats story, and we can’t find any concrete information on when the signature artwork first hung

on the walls. The earliest mention we can find is from a Senior Weekend brief in a 1989 Crusader, which notes: “Pub Rats gathered early, eager to be artistically preserved on The Pub walls by artist Neil Portnoy.”

Can you help us track down the origins of the caricatures?

Email hcmag@holycross.edu. ■

Did You Name Your Child Fenwick?

H

ave you continued your love for Holy Cross by naming your child after a location on campus

that held special significance to you? What about a dog named Iggy? Have you passed down the name of a family member who was also a Crusader? Email hcmag@holycross.edu. ■

hcmag@holycross.edu

PHONE

(508) 793-2419

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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.

CLASS NOTES

will only appear in the print version of the magazine, but may be submitted online at holycross.edu/classnotes.

MILESTONES SUBMISSIONS

will only appear in the print version of the magazine, and must meet all of the following requirements: 1) P erson submitting the photo must be a graduate of Holy Cross, and include his or her name, email and phone number for confirmation purposes. (For wedding photos, the person submitting must be part of the wedded couple.)

2) Only group photos of alumni and/or faculty will be accepted.

3) I n wedding photos, please identify the couple with first, last and maiden names, as well as class year. The date and location of the ceremony must accompany the photo.

4) Digital images must be hi-res (at least 1 MB in size, with a resolution of 300 dpi or larger).

Regular prints can be submitted, but will not be returned.

5) P lease include any required photographer credit. Note: Acquiring permission from professional photographers to print images is the sole responsibility of the submitter.

The editorial staff reserves the right to edit for content, accuracy and length, and cannot guarantee that items received will appear in the magazine. Publication of an item does not constitute endorsement by Holy Cross.

IN MEMORIAM / ASK MORE / HOW TO REACH US / 95

EXAMINE

Immigrant Youth Fight Many More Challenges Beyond Residency Status

BY MAURA TRACY ’15

A

s I sit down to meet with a young person for the first time to discuss their immigration case, I try to imagine what this experience must feel like for my client. I am a complete stranger asking them to open up to me about some of the most personal and painful details of their lives. I might be the first person to explain to them the complexities of the U.S. immigration system and what that means for their pursuit of lawful immigration status. At the same time, for an immigrant teenager in New York City, just like any other teenager, my clients are also navigating the discovery of who they want to be while balancing school, jobs and relationships. On top of all that,

we meet by video conference because the ongoing pandemic has forced us to shift to remote work.

Recognizing the complex needs and trauma histories of immigrant youth is central to my work as an Equal Justice Works Fellow at The Door’s Legal Services Center.

(The Door is a 49-year-old nonprofit that provides free confidential services for disconnected New York City youth.) Through my two-year fellowship project, I advocate for young people who are survivors of gender-based violence or trafficking.

I directly represent immigrant youth survivors pursuing various forms of humanitarian immigration relief, such as asylum and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. These cases provide lawful immigration status for refugees, including survivors of gender-based violence and children abused, abandoned or neglected by their parents. A key component of my fellowship project is developing this specialized legal practice area within a larger social service organization focused on holistic

9 6 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2021

youth development. I am committed to addressing the various other needs of my clients while working on their immigration cases because I know that their legal case is just one of many challenges they face.

I decided to pursue a fellowship following graduation from Fordham Law School in May 2020, so I could help immigrant youth, specifically survivors of gender-based violence. Since 2013, thousands of unaccompanied children have arrived in the U.S., fleeing violence, poverty and abuse. Sexual and genderbased violence are major factors for girls and LGBTQ youth fleeing Central America and other countries. Many young people arriving in the U.S. every year have survived some form of genderbased violence, including sex trafficking, domestic violence, rape and child abuse.

Immigration legal representation is critical to ensure these young people can remain safely in the U.S., especially Arthur “Art” Martin ’70, first president since children without such are five of themore Black likely Student followingback times toUnion, be deported the 1969 walkout of the majority of to danger. Yet, due to feelings of shame Black students at Holy Cross. or fear, as well as language barriers, immigrant survivors are often isolated and unrepresented. Changes in law and

PHOTO BY CLA78

policy over the past few years have also made it harder for survivors to obtain immigration relief.

Behind the striking numbers of children fleeing violence are individual stories of trauma. As a result, these young people require social services support beyond their legal case. I developed my fellowship project to address the unique needs of immigrant youth survivors with a trauma-informed and holistic approach to lawyering. In addition to providing legal representation, I simultaneously connect them to a variety of wraparound social services at The Door, including health care, mental health counseling and crisis assistance, education support and supportive housing.

My young clients already have made a huge impact on me as I have witnessed their resilience. For example, Diana (not her real name) is a young person I represent. She is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and was abandoned by her father at a very young age. At age 10, she immigrated from Ecuador to the United States hoping for a better life, but life in New York continued to be difficult.

After the pandemic hit, Diana lost her

PHOTO BY P_WEI

job and can no longer afford to attend college. However, she is now on a better trajectory since coming to The Door.

I worked with her to apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and we are now waiting for her to receive her green card. The social worker on my team introduced Diana to other resources at The Door, including the Adolescent Health Center, mental health counseling and a virtual health insurance clinic.

Legal permanent residency will provide Diana with many more opportunities in the United States. She is looking forward to re-enrolling in college to finish her degree and pursue her dream of becoming a social worker.

Over the past few months, working directly with young people like Diana, I have gained new insights about the many challenges facing these young immigrants. My clients struggle emotionally to cope with past abuse and adapt to a new language and school environment in New York. Many do not have the support of parents, and others have close family members who have fallen ill from COVID-19. All of my clients live in poverty, meaning that their immigration cases are not always their

most pressing concern. Some days I am completely overwhelmed by what my teenage clients are going through, and I am saddened that they have to navigate a legal system that forces them to relive their past trauma again and again.

However, despite these obstacles, I am encouraged on a daily basis by my clients. I am reminded of the resilience of young people. The youth I work with do not want to be defined by their past trauma. Instead, they are focused on achieving their goals in the United States.

They are not afraid to dream big and to have hope for a better future. Selflessly, so many of my teenage clients have career goals oriented toward helping others. Although they have endured so much hurt and pain in their lives, I am inspired by my clients’ abilities to still think beyond themselves. I am honored to play a small role in my clients’ journeys toward healing and growth in the United States. ■

Maura Tracy is an Equal Justice Works Fellow, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler LLP, at The Door, a comprehensive youth development organization in New York City.

I M M I G R A N T YO U T H F I G H T M A N Y M O R E C H A L L EN G E S B E YO N D R E S I D EN C Y S TAT US / E X A M I N E

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Students work out on the top floor of the newly opened Joanne Chouinard-Luth Recreation and Wellness Center, nicknamed “The Jo.” Located on the site of the former Field House, the facility opened for use in March. For more photos and news about The Jo, turn to Pages 15 and 56.

AVANELL CHANG