Holy Cross Magazine - Spring 2018 - Volume 52 Issue 2

Page 1

SPRING T WO THOUSAND EIGHTEEN

VOLUME FIFTY-TWO / NUMBER TWO

M

A

G

A

Z

I

N

E

J.D. POWER DRIVES EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING A $3 million gift from the 1953 alumnus and market research icon expands real-world opportunities for students, delivering a competitive edge for the road ahead.

a ls o Cantor Gallery’s unique new teaching tools • Project 351 founder Carolyn Casey ’87 • New football coach Bob Chesney • SPUD turns 50


FROM THE PRESIDENT

Giving Generously of Spirit

W

hile the calendar suggests that it is spring, it takes an act of Faith to believe it here in Worcester these days! A series of Nor’easters have brought us significant wind and rain, and over 30

H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

inches of snow, but the appearance of a few hardy daffodils reaching out of the snow along the southern wall of the Hogan Center hint at new life to come. I’m sure it is a sign of my age, but time seems to move faster and faster for me these days. In less than two months, we will be celebrating the graduation of the class of 2018, and another group of Holy Cross alums will leave Mount St. James to serve in the world in a wide variety of ways. We will certainly miss them, but at the same time will soon marvel at

their impact on the world. Over the past several weeks, I have attended a number of alumni events on the West Coast, and this year we invited accepted students and their parents to join us. How impressed I was with the generosity of spirit I witnessed as our alums reached out to these still discerning students to give to them a sense of the educational experience that has shaped these alums’ lives. The sense of welcome and the promise of future support from our alums should help them to discern their future as Holy Cross Crusaders.


Fr. Boroughs speaks during the Multifaith Community Prayer Service in Mary Chapel at the start of the spring semester.

What is most evident among our alums is the way that their education and formation have integrated mind, body and spirit, and fed their passion to make a positive difference in the world. As students, they were not only deeply engaged and challenged intellectually, but they also participated in SPUD, enjoyed summer internships, studied abroad, joined Alternate Spring Break service trips and enjoyed performing on stage or on the athletic field. And as young alums, they served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, the Peace Corps, Teach

tom rettig

for America and many other volunteer opportunities. In our alumni community, students and their parents see the impact of a highly committed and engaged community of professionals who not only attend alumni events, but will be there in the years ahead to support our students and their fellow alumni. In one translation of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says: “The gift you have been given, give as a gift.� That is the spirit of Holy Cross that has animated and motivated our alumni for

generations to support those who follow them, and clearly continues today. As you enjoy this issue of Holy Cross Magazine, you will see this spirit be demonstrated once again. Enjoy the Season of Easter that brings us all new life.

Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J.

President

G I V I N G G E N E R O U S L Y O FF RSOPMI RTI H T E/ PF RR EOSMI DTEHNET P/ ROE PS EI DN EI N G T / 1


HOLY CROSS MAGAZINE

SPRING 2018 / VOLUME FIFTY-TWO / NUMBER TWO

New Holy Cross head football coach Bob Chesney (in long-sleeved black T-shirt) trains with members of his team at the Indoor Practice Facility inside the Luth Athletic Complex.

50

22 36 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRING 2018

42 P H OTO S B Y R O B C A R L I N ( PA G E 5 0 ) / TO M R E T T I G ( PA G E 4 2 ) / D A N V A I L L A N CO U RT ( PA G E 3 6 ) / C H A R L E S D A V I D P H OTO G R A P H Y ( PA G E 2 2 )


HC M TEA M

BRIDGET CAMPOLETTANO ’10 Editorial Director

|

MELISSA SHAW Managing Editor

|

STEPHEN ALBANO Art Director / Designer

H O LY C R O SS M AGA Z I N E (USPS 0138-860) is published quarterly by College Marketing and Communications at the College of the Holy Cross. Address all correspondence to the editor at: One College Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01610-2395. Periodicals postage paid at Worcester and additional mailing points.

TA B LE OF CON TE NTS

1 2 4 5

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

6 Campus Notebook 6 Snapshot 8 Spotlight 9 On The Hill 14 Faculty & Staff 14 Creative Spaces 16 Headliners 20 Syllabus 22 Feature Stories 22 Any Major To Any Career A $3 million gift from J.D. “Dave” Power III ’53 and family drives an expansion of on- and offcampus experiential learning opportunities. 36 Leading the Next Generation of

Dreamers and Doers Deep Holy Cross roots and a desire to serve inspired Carolyn Casey ’87 to create the Massachusetts-wide youth-driven service nonprofit, Project 351.

54 Alumni News 54 Mystery Photo 56 HCAA News 59 Alumni News 64 SPUD Celebrates 50 Years of Students Serving Worcester The College’s largest student-run service organization continues to expand and impact Worcester residents, just as much as the undergraduates who volunteer.

42 Preserving a Legacy, Educating the Future A gift of more than 700 works from the family of American artist Robert Beauchamp has turned the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery into a unique classroom and teaching tool.

66 68 70 72 74 78 80

50 Sports 50 Leading by Example Meet Holy Cross’ new head football coach, Bob Chesney. 52 Malcolm Miller ’15 Makes NBA Debut Former Crusader forward is the first Holy Cross basketball player to appear in the NBA in 37 years.

COVER P HOTO

Book Notes The Power of One In Your Own Words The Profile Class Notes Milestones In Memoriam

88 Artifact The Next Issue Ask More How To Reach Us

CONTACT US A $3 million gift from J.D. “Dave” Power III ’53 and family is expanding experiential learning opportunities for first through senior year students. Read more about the gift and how it will impact the student experience, as well as the programs and tools it supports, beginning on Page 22.

POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO Holy Cross Magazine One College Street Worcester, MA 01610-2395

PHONE

508-793-2419 FAX

508-793-2385 E-MAIL

hcmag@holycross.edu CIRCULATION

44,402

PHOTO BY TOM RETTIG

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


EDITOR’S NOTE

Exploring Aspirations Through Pursuit of Passions

T

hink of the last time you followed a passion to see where it led. It could be as simple as starting a new hobby you felt you didn’t have the time/ talent/dedication for to something as radical as a career change in a new state or country. I bet there was some trepidation before that initial step, followed by a surge of energy and excitement while in the midst of the undertaking, and then probably a desire to talk about this new path once it felt a little more comfortable, a reflection on where you were and how you got there. For Holy Cross students, that experience is unfolding on a daily basis. Each new pursuit – joining a trial team, pitching a research project, applying for an internship – is a step on that same journey: Identify the goal you’re going to pursue, determine how best to take the first step, actually do it (!) and then, at some point, reflect on the choices you’ve made and what you’ve learned from them to inform your next step. These ventures are just a few examples of the College’s experiential learning opportunities for students. Rather than filling their time collecting resume bullet points that make them “interesting,”

they’re applying real passion and energy to these endeavors, beginning to build the foundation of the person they will become for the world. That energy and enthusiasm is applied, of course, to their studies. But you also can hear it in their voices when they talk about the internship they had in New York or the research project they’ve been working on. As they get closer to graduation, you can catch echoes of these experiences as they begin talking about their future plans and reflect on what’s been important to them. In this issue, we highlight a number of experiential learning opportunities here at the College, many of which are now supported by a $3 million gift from the J.D. “Dave” Power III ’53 family, which funds the J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World. Many of the programs that make up the J.D. Power Center have always been a part of the fabric of the student experience on campus (and I’d wager that many of you reading participated in some of them), but this new structure helps students identify the opportunity that’s best for them — ones they may not even be aware of — while also helping trace the connection to their academic interests and future career aspirations.

As we were putting together the issue, the integration of experiential learning opportunities on campus into a life of purpose for our alumni also shone through. You’ll read about Carolyn Casey ’87, who was so driven to create positive change that she literally drove across the country to better understand how she might do that. Mary Iafelice ’11, our Profile subject, founded humble ventures, which supports economically underserved entrepreneurs as they build successful partnerships; she drew upon values and principles built inside and outside of the classroom to shape her approach. Finally, reading about Patrick E. Clancy ’68 and the other founding students of SPUD, it’s clear that the goals they had in mind 50 years ago are still being lived out by students on campus today, even as SPUD continues to impact its founders in their own lives. I hope that as you read the stories in this issue, you’ll see the echoes of your own student experience here on campus, whether that was one year, 20 years or 50 years ago, and find new ways to be inspired to pursue new opportunities in your own life. ■

Bridget Campolettano ’10

Editorial Director

Errata In “Help Us Tell The Story” (Page 97, winter issue), the photo caption misidentified the person sporting the class ring. Wearing the class ring of his grandfather George B. Moran 1906 was Charles A. Polachi Jr. ’75 (photo by Neala Polachi ’07). ■

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

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

4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

EMAIL hcmag@holycross.edu FAX (508) 793-2385 FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @holycrossmag


WHO WE ARE

BRIDGET CAMPOLETTANO ’10

MELISSA SHAW

STEPHEN ALBANO

TOM RETTIG

joined the College Marketing and Communications office in 2013, and has been seeking out new and unique stories about the Holy Cross community to tell since day one. She recently added a new title to her résumé, “Mom,” and so far thinks it’s her best title yet (but that might be the sleep deprivation talking).

hopes you enjoy this issue, her first since joining Team HCM in January (and only 26 behind Stephen). After studying journalism at the University of Maine, she wrote, edited and managed daily and weekly newspapers, as well as magazines covering everything from computer networking to parenting. Melissa is grateful for the warm welcome she’s received from the Holy Cross community.

has been a part of the HCM team for more than six and a half years – with this being his 27th issue. He earned his degree in studio art at Clark University. He cannot wait to start playing tennis and having the sun stick around longer with each day. He would also like to congratulate his sister, Laura, and his new brother-in-law, Tim, on their marriage.

joined the College Marketing and Communications office after working as a photojournalist for 15 years for newspapers and magazines in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and Ohio. A true New Englander, Tom enjoys the “country life” in Connecticut with his family.

Editorial Director

Managing Editor

Art Director / Designer

Photographer / Videographer

CONTRIBUTORS

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

8

9

17

WRITERS 1 CHRISTOPHER AMENTA ’06 lives, works and writes in and around Boston. Beginning on Page 22, you can read Chris’ feature detailing the many experiential learning opportunities available at Holy Cross and how a gift from the family of J.D. “Dave” Power III ’53 will expand them even further. 2 KATHLEEN DOUGHERTY ’18 is an English major with a concentration in creative writing from Pearl River, New York, and the magazine’s spring intern. Kathleen intends to pursue a career in the media or communications industries postgraduation. In this issue, she contributed to Campus Notebook and Cross Notes. 3 DAVID DRIVER is a freelance writer in Maryland who has covered the Patriot League and college basketball for nearly 25 years. In this issue, David talks to Malcolm Miller ’15 about his NBA debut on Page 52. 4 LORI FERGUSON is a freelance writer with a soft spot for education and art. She enjoys writing on arts, lifestyle, health and wellness topics. In this issue, she wrote about Mary Iafelice ’11 on Page 72. 5 BENJAMIN GLEISSER profiled new Holy Cross head football coach Bob Chesney on Page 50 in this issue. 6 DAVE GREENSLIT spent 32 years as a writer and editor for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. In retirement, he works as a freelance writer, when he’s not backpacking on the Appalachian Trail or hiking and skiing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In this issue, he profiles Carolyn Casey ’87 and her organization, Project 351, on Page 36. 7 LUKE LAPEAN ’19 is a history major and anthropology minor with a peace and conflict studies concentration from Shaftsbury, Vermont. He reflects on his Summer Ministry Internship experience for this issue’s In Your Own Words on Page 70. 8 MAURA SULLIVAN HILL is a freelance writer and editor based in Chicago — and an alum of Team HCM who is thrilled to still appear in the pages of the magazine. She writes for higher education clients including Loyola University Chicago, University of San Francisco and University of Scranton, as well as the alumni magazine of her alma mater, Notre Dame. Beginning on Page 42, she wrote about a gift of 700+ works from the family of the late artist Robert Beauchamp and how they will be used as unique teaching tools on campus. 9 MAEVE SWEENEY ’18 is Holy Cross’ spring intern for the newsroom and magazine. An English major from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Maeve plans to pursue a career in political communication and journalism. In this issue, her work includes pieces on the 50th anniversary of SPUD on Page 64 and Professor Lee Oser’s latest novel on Page 19. 10 REBECCA (TESSITORE) SMITH ’99 and 11 KIMBERLY (OSBORNE) STALEY ’99 are longtime contributors to Holy Cross Magazine — and even longer-time friends. Former roommates in Loyola, they’ve come a long way from washing dishes in Kimball, now writing, editing and proofreading marketing and fundraising communications at their freelance writing firm, SmithWriting. In this issue, Rebecca and Kim wrote In Memoriam and Book Notes, and also served as our copy editors. 12 JANE CARLTON is the staff writer for College Marketing and Communications. She studied creative writing at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and loves a good poem. In this issue, Jane interviewed the College’s newly tenured professors on Page 16 and covered the campus visit of New York Times best-selling author Roxane Gay on Page 8. 13 EVANGELIA STEFANAKOS ’14 is the managing editor for digital content in College Marketing and Communications. She studied English and art history at Holy Cross and is a steadfast advocate of the Oxford comma. Her work appears in the Campus Notebook and Faculty/Staff section in this issue. PHOTOGRAPHERS 14 AUSTIN BOSWORTH ’18 is a political science major, intern photographer and editorial assistant for College Marketing and Communications, and a captain for men’s club lacrosse. 15 ROB CARLIN is a commercial photographer in Massachusetts. He has been working professionally for 13 years. Rob enjoys time with his family when not working. 16 DAN VAILLANCOURT graduated from the Hallmark Institute of Photography in 1995 and has been photographing professionally for 20 years. He feels blessed to make a living doing something fun. You’ll see Dan’s photos throughout this issue. CAMPUS CONTRIBUTORS 17 THE HOLY CROSS ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS TEAM collects, preserves, arranges and describes records of permanent value from the College’s founding in 1843 to the present. Made up of Mark Savolis ’77, archivist, Sarah Campbell, assistant archivist, and Hannah Kolesar, archival assistant, this team is an invaluable resource for HCM — we couldn’t put together an issue without their historical research and context, as well as the access to archival images and objects.

CONTRIBUTORS

/

WHO WE ARE

/

EDITOR’S NOTE

/

5


CAMPUS NOTEBOOK

HIGH ATOP THE HILL A cross is hung on the facade of the now nearly complete Luth Athletic Complex. Twenty-two feet tall, 11 feet wide and backlit in a variety of


6 Snapshot • 8 Spotlight • 9 On The Hill

tom rettig

colors, at night the cross can be seen for miles around, thanks to its perch on Mount St. James.

SNAPSHOT / CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 7


SPOTLIGHT

Best-selling Author, Social Commentator Roxane Gay Electrifies in Unity Week Keynote B Y J A N E C A R LT O N Oftentimes, when you’re marginalized, you’re highly visible and also highly invisible; people look right through you, but they also see you. This is a willful act, to both see somebody and pretend that they’re invisible. There’s a lot of intention in that.” That’s what Roxane Gay told a standing-room-only Hogan Ballroom audience of 500

students, faculty and staff during her March visit, the keynote event of the Student Government Association’s annual Unity Week. Through the hourlong, wide-ranging conversation, facilitated by Greta Kenney, director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Gay touched on current social justice issues, the nuances of privilege, the importance of teaching about mental and sexual health and the difficult process of writing her recent

8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

memoir, “Hunger.” In one anecdote, the New York Times bestselling author and social commentator mentioned to students that when it comes to social justice, people often think they can only deal with one problem at a time. “It’s important to think about intersectionality, which is an unwieldy word for a very simple concept — the idea that we are more than just any one thing,” she said. “We’re

not just women, we also have sexuality, gender identities, class backgrounds — and all of these things shape who we are.” Talking about the blockbuster success of the recent Marvel Comics film “Black Panther,” Gay pointed out one troubling question reporters kept asking her prior to the movie’s release. “Reporters would ask, ‘So, what would this have meant to you as a child growing up

austin bosworth


ON THE HILL to finally have a black hero?’ There’s so much assumption in there,” she said. “I had black heroes growing up. I was born in ’74 — it wasn’t the olden days. I have two parents and I’m Haitian, so I have a lot of heroes. So the idea that black people were just sitting around waiting for heroes is just shortsighted and absurd.” Whether talking with Kenney or taking questions from students, the “Bad Feminist” author approached each answer in a style for which she is widely known — insightful, relatable and with a biting sense of humor.

That ability interested Tess Andrekus ’18, Student Government Association diversity officer, who was in charge of finding a keynote speaker for the culmination of Unity Week. “My goal was to bridge the gap between people on campus who are really aware and involved in these issues and people who aren’t,” she said. “How Roxane talks about pop culture encompasses everyone, and she brings a lot of justice and cultural critique and feminism and all these different themes into play.” ■

tom rettig

Gay’s ties to pop culture — being the first black woman writer for Marvel Comics, showing her intense love of Beyoncé (“Why Jay-Z?” is the first question she’d ask if given the opportunity to meet her hero) and interacting on her popular social media channels — ground deeply complex issues such as race, sexuality and identity, and make them relatable to a wide audience.

Campus Unites with Multifaith Community Prayer

F

or the seventh year in a row, the Holy Cross community kicked off the spring semester by coming together at the Multifaith Community Prayer. The overflowing Mary Chapel served as a gathering space for students, faculty and staff to celebrate the diversity of faith traditions practiced on campus, and the values and commitments shared among them. After an acknowledgment of the breadth of faiths present in the chapel — from Unitarian Universalism to Agnosticism to Orthodox

Christianity — invited religious leaders from the Worcester community and Holy Cross students offered readings and hymns from sacred texts of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity. Whether surrounded by chanting in Arabic, Sanskrit or Hebrew, the community joined together in solidarity and commonality. “The global reach of our respective traditions reminds us that we are also citizens of the world,” said Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., president, who presided over the service. “Clearly our world needs our active

presence and engagement and service in this time of global upheaval, war and suffering, and in this season of national division and acrimony and social unrest in our own country. How important it is, then, that we come together to recognize our unique perspectives on the meaning and purpose of our lives before God and with each other. How important it is that we reach out to each other with respect and love.” The event was organized by the Office of the College Chaplains, Student Government Association, Office of Mission and the Office of the President. ■

ON THE HILL / SPOTLIGHT / CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 9


ON THE HILL

Holy Cross Makes 12th ‘Jeopardy!’ Appearance

H

oly Cross and Glenn Tropf ’89 were mentioned on Jeopardy!’s Jan. 11 episode, listed under the category “College Hoops.” The $200 clue: “In 1988, Glenn Tropf of Holy Cross set a single-season record by making 63.4% of these long shots,” referring to the men’s basketball record for 3-pointers. According to the J! Archive website, the College was last referenced in July 2016 (“This ‘royal’ color represents the teams of the College of the Holy Cross”) and first mentioned in February 1990 (“This religious order runs 28 colleges in the U.S. including St. Louis U., Holy Cross & Georgetown U”). ■

College Keeps Crusader Moniker

H

oly Cross will keep its Crusader moniker, but gradually phase out all knight-related imagery as a way to best align with the school’s definition and vision of our identity as Holy Cross Crusaders. In February, following a discernment process in which feedback was gathered from students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members, the board of trustees voted to continue using the Crusader moniker. “The literal definition of the word, ‘one who is marked by the cross of Christ,’ was appropriate for our

institution’s Jesuit and Catholic intellectual and spiritual tradition,” said John Mahoney ’73, chair of the board of trustees, and Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., tom rettig president, in an email to the Holy Cross community in February. “Our students, faculty, staff and alumni have continued in that tradition, and through their work and lives have defined what it means to be a Holy Cross Crusader: We are crusaders for human rights, social justice, and care for the environment; for respect for different perspectives, cultures, traditions, and identities; and for service in the world, especially to the underserved and vulnerable.” Following the board’s decision, the administration was charged with assessing all visual representations of the Crusader to ensure they meet that definition. “Upon reflection on this contemporary definition,

it is clear that our current visual representations of the Crusader do not align with this understanding,” Mahoney and Fr. Boroughs said when sharing the results of that assessment in March. “For some, knight imagery alone could convey nobility, chivalry and bravery. However, the visual depiction of a knight, in conjunction with the moniker Crusader, inevitably ties us directly to the reality of the religious wars and the violence of the Crusades. This imagery stands in contrast to our stated values.” Under the direction of the board of trustees and the president, the College will use the interlocking HC on a shield, currently the secondary athletics logo, as the primary marker for all athletic teams, uniforms and advertising. The costumed mascot will be retired. “These conversations aren’t easy, but they are necessary,” Mahoney and Fr. Boroughs said. “We are hopeful we have all emerged with an even stronger sense of who we are and what we stand for, and that you all remain as proud as we are to be a part of the Holy Cross community.” ■

JA N UA RY INSIDE NONPROFIT CAREERS The Center for

rob carlin

Career Development hosted the 12th-annual Non-Profit Careers Conference, in which students were introduced to a range of diverse nonprofit career options. The program was taught by Holy Cross alumni, faculty and staff working within nonprofit or public service settings, ranging from international to local.

10 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

tom rettig


Black Student Union Fashion Show Turns 20

T

he Black Student Union Fashion Show celebrated two milestones at this year’s sellout event: its 20th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the Black Student Union. Founded in 1998 by Cheryl Yiadom ’02, the BSU Fashion Show is a popular annual draw. This year was no exception, with students filling seats

from the floor to the rafters at Worcester’s Mechanics Hall. To honor the BSU’s 50th anniversary, students modeled designs in five color-themed categories — white, black, red, brown and gold — each representing facets of the organization’s history on campus. White: Symbolized the campus during the integration of black

men led by the efforts of Fr. Brooks and the establishment of the BSU in 1968. Black: Symbolized black power and the need for the establishment of the BSU to protect black students on campus, as well as the small black female presence on campus after the admission of women in 1972. Red: Demonstrated the sacrifice, unity and love of past black students on campus who laid the foundation for black unity, love and community. Brown: Showed the diversity of

students of color who emerged after the BSU, which allowed them to claim their space on campus with the establishment of other multicultural student organizations. Gold: Channeled the golden jubilee — 50 years of the BSU at Holy Cross. Additional performances during the show included the Belmont AME Zion Youth Choir singing the Black National Anthem, a performance of “Black Man Rising” and performances from Rhythm Nation Steppaz, Fusion and R.O.O.T.S. ■

F EBR UA RY

««

MUSIC AND MATHEMATICS The Grammy Award-winning Silkroad ensemble continued its three-year residency on Mount St. James, returning to campus for a public performance, as well as in-class student workshops. Silkroad musicians are participating in classes and other experiential art-making opportunities to encourage students to explore the intersection between music and other subjects, such as mathematics.

EXPLORING MASS MEDIA Curated by Caroline Fleming ’18, Caroline MacLachlan ’19 and Melody Lin ’18, the exhibition, “Fanning the Flames of Revolution: Print Culture of the Reformation,” commemorated the movement’s 500th anniversary and showcased how it — and the invention of the printing press — gave birth to mass media. The student curators scanned books, visited exhibits and contacted museums worldwide for content.

ON THE HILL / CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 11


ON THE HILL

tom rettig

tom rettig

Holy Cross Ranked Fourth-Best Catholic College in U.S. by Wall Street Journal

T

he Wall Street Journal has named Holy Cross one of the nation’s top Catholic colleges, placing it fourth in the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings. The WSJ/THE College Rankings constitute a comparative assessment of more than 1,000 universities and colleges in the nation. The assessment is based on 14 individual performance indicators designed to answer the questions that matter the most to students and their families. The overall ranking is made up of four categories: graduate outcomes, academic resources, student engagement and

environment, as a measure of diversity in the student body and faculty. In a separate survey, the College also placed fourth in the United States in alumni participation in giving, according to a recent analysis in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, based on an annual survey by the Council for Aid to Education. Over the years, Holy Cross has built a proud tradition of annual giving. In 2017, for the 11th consecutive year, alumni gave at a rate of 50 percent or more, based on Holy Cross methodology also commonly used at colleges across the country to rate alumni giving participation. ■

College Among Top Undergraduate Fulbright Producers

H

oly Cross is once again a top producer of Fulbright students, according to a recent report compiled by The Chronicle of Higher Education. Fourteen students have been awarded Fulbright grants this year from 55 applicants. The College was fourth on the list of undergraduate institutions, joined in the top five by fellow New England institutions Bates College, Williams College, Bowdoin College and Amherst College. Sponsored by the U.S.

State Department, the Fulbright Program is widely recognized as the most prestigious international exchange program in the world. Since 2005, the College has produced a total of 93 Fulbright scholars and has consistently been among the nation’s top producers of Fulbright students at the undergraduate level, according to data submitted by the Institute of International Education. Holy Cross is well on its way to the top of the list next year, with 69 applicants and 16 semifinalists for 2018-19. ■

MARCH COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER ANNOUNCED Michele Norris (left), famed NPR journalist and founder of The Race Card Project, will deliver the 2018 Holy Cross commencement address on May 25. David P. Ryan, M.D., ’88 (middle), an authority in the research and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, Ellen S. Dunlap (right), a central figure in preserving our nation’s history through the American Antiquarian Society, and Norris will receive honorary degrees.

1 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

rob carlin


austin bosworth

Over $13,000 Awarded in Annual ‘Shark Tank’ Competition

S

ix Holy Cross students received more than $13,000 in prize money to fund everything from a go-to-dorm electronics repair service to a company that hires refugees living in Worcester to create neckwear. Based on the popular television show, the sixth-annual event featured students delivering short pitches on their proposed goods or services to a panel of “sharks”: Daniel Klinghard, professor of political science and director of the J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World, Stacy Chin ’12, founder and CEO of HydroGlide Coatings, and Tyler Scionti ’15, product expert for HubSpot.

The People’s Choice Award was given to Hawar Haddadi ’19 and Michael Lyons ’19, who pitched Device Doctors, a goto-dorm repair service for electronics, receiving $100.

Christina Nee ’19, who pitched Top Banana, a solution for discarded bananas that never make it to market, was awarded $1,140 in seed funding.

The Ignite Fund prize, in the amount of $2,500 and given to students who seek to “set the world on fire” with solutions to the world’s needs, was awarded to Brad Ross ’18 for Scopum, an electronic net that covers the goals of sports like lacrosse and hockey to deliver real-time

player performance during practice.

The Venture Fund was awarded to both Dillon Carmichael ’18 for Redefining Black Masculinity, an online outreach platform addressing and shaping the public perception of black masculinity in America, and Riley Benner ’20 for Phoenix Haberdashery, an enterprise working with refugees living in Worcester to create neckwear and helping them build a new life. Benner and Carmichael each received $5,000 to continue the growth of their businesses, and both are using the money to build brand awareness and increase outreach and production. This year’s competition was organized by Ja-Naé Duane, Holy Cross’ entrepreneur-in-residence and lecturer, best-selling author and serial entrepreneur. ■

(above) Shark Tank Competition winners pose with the sharks, as well as with the event coordinators, Ja-Naé Duane, lecturer and entrepreneur-in-residence, and Professor David Chu, director of entrepreneurial studies and prebusiness advisor. (Back from left): Richard Palazzese ’18, Riley Benner ’20, Tyler Scionti ’15, Hawar Haddadi ’19, Professor Daniel Klinghard. (Front from left): Chu, Stacy Chin ’12, Brad Ross ’18, Christina Nee ’19, Dillon Carmichael ’18 and Duane.

LEGENDARY LECTURER Choreographer Bill T. Jones visited classes following his public lecture, “An Evening with Bill T. Jones.” A 2010 Kennedy Center Honors recipient and two-time Tony Award winner, Jones was on campus as part of a creative residency with members of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, in partnership with the dance program of the Department of Theatre.

SCIENCE SUCCESS More than 150 area high school girls and 200 undergraduate students participated in Holy Cross’ second-annual Women in Science Day. The one-day event presented an opportunity for youth and undergraduates to engage with successful female professionals in a variety of science fields through interactive lab demonstrations, alumnae panels, inspiring speakers and a networking session.

ON THE HILL / CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 13


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

“This space and the creative play within blurs boundaries between my artistic practice, renovation projects and mom-life. Material investigations, assemblage and form take shape here — my process paralleling the curiosity and wonder I witness in my son. Every ‘thing’ is a work in progress; always with potential. Every ‘action’ is a learning moment. My home is my studio. My studio is my home.”

AMY ARCHAMBAULT REMBY ʼ08 | visual arts lecturer and Millard Studio supervisor | home art studio | Simsbury, Connecticut


14 Creative Spaces • 16 Headliners • 20 Syllabus

tom rettig

WORKING ON INSTALLATIONS WITH HER SON, JACKSON

C R E AT I V E S PA C E S / FA C U LT Y & S TA F F / 1 5


HEADLINERS beer style is wild ale — beers that are spontaneously fermented and usually taste tart/sour. But for breweries, right now, I’d drink anything from Proclamation in Warwick, Rhode Island. André Isaacs ’05, of the chemistry department, earned a B.A. in chemistry from Holy Cross and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. He has a U.S. patent issued for “Compounds and Methods for the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer,” and his work has been published in the peer-reviewed Tetrahedron Letters, Chemical Research in Toxicology, Organic Letters and Synthetic Letters. He has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2012.

Six Holy Cross Faculty Members Receive Tenure BY JA N E C A R LT O N

S

ix Holy Cross faculty members in a diverse range of fields have been promoted to associate professor with tenure. From measuring the sociology of risk to creating the first-ever Digital Transgender Archive, these professors are pushing intellectual and academic boundaries. Daina Cheyenne Harvey, of the sociology and anthropology department, earned a B.B.A. in finance and a double B.A. in philosophy and economics from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. in sociology from the University of

Houston and a Ph.D. in sociology from Rutgers University. His research focuses on the sociology of risk, social disruption, social suffering and the environmental precariat. He has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2012. what are you working on now? I’m working on four books: one on environmental citizenship, using the long-term aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as a case study; one with Assistant Professor of Sociology Ellis Jones on craft beer in New England; another book, edited by Ellis and me, on the micro-geographies of beer with a few other folks; and an edited volume with Associate Professor of Sociology Melissa Weiner and colleagues on internal colonialism and the appropriation of wealth from non-white communities. you've done significant research on craft beer and the environment. what's your favorite craft beer and why? That’s really tough because after interviewing the brewers you know their story and their beliefs, why they’re making beer the way they are, and you want to root for them. My favorite

16 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

what are you working on now? My research program aims to develop new methods to rapidly access complex molecules that are of interest to the synthetic community, specifically those of biological relevance. Currently, my research group is working on developing a method to synthesize beta-lactams — an important structure in several classes of antibiotics — in a bid to address antimicrobial resistance, one of the major public health concerns of the current century. what's it like to teach at your alma mater? It has been the most rewarding experience returning to Holy Cross as a faculty member. Every time I walk down a hall for the first time since I graduated, the memories come flowing back. Being a graduate has allowed me to bond with my students as we have shared experiences, even though we're over a decade apart, and a shared future as alumni. Working with faculty and staff who've mentored me has also been extremely rewarding. Justin McAlister, of the biology department, earned a B.S. in biology from the University of Richmond, a M.S. in

tom rettig


biological sciences from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research interests include marine larval and invertebrate biology, phenotype and life history evolution, and ecotoxicology. He has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2012. what are you working on now? I'm currently working on several research collaborations that broadly seek to understand the physiology, ecology and evolution of marine invertebrates and their larvae. For a landlocked institution like Holy Cross, these collaborations allow me to keep my feet "wet," so to speak. when and where did your marine interests begin? My grandfather was an avid fisherman, and we would catch bait by encircling small "fry" (minnows) and squid with a long 50-foot net, one end of which I held onto while standing on the shoreline. My favorite part was always when we'd pull the net out of the water and then examine what we had caught. I was fascinated by the organisms, their different shapes and colors, and wanted to know who they were and how they went about their lives. K.J. Rawson, of the English department, earned a B.A. in English literature from Cornell University, a M.A. in English literature from the University of Colorado Boulder and a Ph.D. in composition and cultural rhetoric from Syracuse University. His research interests include composition, rhetoric, digital media, feminist and queer theory and LGBT studies. He has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2012. what are you working on now? The focus of my current work continues to be on the Digital Transgender Archive (DTA), and I am developing some scholarship based on materials in the collection. It’s wonderful to be in a place where I can now begin to study all of the amazing materials that are in the archive.

where did the idea for creating the digital transgender archive come from? why do we need such a publicly available database? I began the DTA after I personally struggled to find primary source documents related to transgender history. Once I learned from archivists and other researchers that this was a widespread problem, I began to develop a research tool to make transgender history more accessible. The DTA helps to educate those interested in transgender experiences throughout history and begins to address the sensationalizing coverage of transgender people in popular media. The project aims to elevate popular discourse related to transgender phenomena and allow for more accurate, nuanced and complex accounts of transgender lives. Aaron Seider, of the classics department, earned an A.B. in classics from Brown University and a Ph.D. in classics from the University of Chicago. He also studied at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome and the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. His research and teaching interests include Latin literature, constructions of memory in Roman culture, and gender in the ancient world and its modern reception. He has been with Holy Cross since 2010. what are you working on now? My current project focuses on the relationship between gender and grief in Roman culture. I'm interested in exploring how men reacted to personal trauma, particularly given Roman society's expectations for emotional restraint. It's been exciting to discuss this topic with students in the classroom, where we've used modern reactions to loss (such as the Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Worcester) to reflect on our own and the ancients’ responses to trauma. why should students study classics? There are so many reasons! When we

explore Greece and Rome, we study societies both similar to and different from our own. The chance to discuss ancient thoughts about politics or the environment, for instance, prompts us to reflect on our own beliefs today. Moreover, I'm amazed by the imagination and rigor that characterize our students’ investigations of antiquity, and it's been singularly impressive to see our graduates carry this attitude onward in fields like law, politics, medicine, business and education. Kevin Walsh, of the mathematics and computer science department, earned a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in computer science from Cornell University. He has published multiple software packages, including software for conducting cloud computing research and teaching computer architecture. He has been a member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2012. what are you working on now? My research focuses on the intersection of computer security and computer systems. For example, my most recent work with colleagues at Google and Northeastern University looks at how we can build more trustworthy software in cloud computing environments. Aside from my research, I am also working to improve software for teaching computer architecture. the tech world changes in a nanosecond — what’s your view on how drastically the field is changing? are more students gravitating toward computer science than even five years ago? In many ways, computer science as a field hasn’t changed much at all. But students need to understand and take control of the direction that technology is moving, otherwise someone else will. I’m glad to see that since I joined the faculty at Holy Cross, we have doubled the number of sections for most computer science courses, tripled the number of majors, doubled the number of minors and overall enrollment in computer science courses has more than doubled. ■

H E A D L I N E R S / FA C U LT Y & S TA F F / 17


HEADLINERS

Not ’Til I've Had My Coffee: How Caffeine Culture Is Affecting Kids

E

B Y E VA N G E L I A S T E FA N A K O S ’ 1 4

veryone drinks coffee — what's the big deal? When "everyone" includes adolescents, Alison Bryant Ludden, associate professor of psychology, says there's reason for concern. Her interest in studying caffeine use in adolescents was piqued while conducting field work in schools. "One of the things I started to notice was that adolescents were talking about caffeine use in the same way they talk about other substances, like alcohol use, for example — as a way for connecting with peers, a way of self-medicating to help you relax or to help you chill out with your friends. But instead of alcohol," she explains, "they were talking about caffeine." In the past 15 years, with the introduction of energy drinks and the rise of coffee shops, the consumption of caffeine has become more and more popular among adolescents. While the physiological effects of these beverages are worrisome (energy drinks and coffee beverages

contain five, sometimes up to 10, times the amount of caffeine found in a can of Coke), Ludden's focus is on understanding the behavioral choices made around the substance. Through her focus group interviews and survey research with high school students, Ludden has seen that drinking caffeine is a way for kids to feel cool, connect with their friends and show their independence and social status. "This expands the notion of caffeine as just being something that adolescents are drinking for the stimulant effects," she says. "It has a bit of that edginess, of being something that not everyone has access to and of risk-taking if parents were to find out." Companies have picked up on this interest and are reinforcing it through advertising specifically targeting kids: Energy drinks like Monster or Rockstar sponsor sporting events that are popular among adolescents, while coffee companies use flavors such as Oreo, Reese's or chocolate to make

1 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

their products appealing to a younger clientele. Ludden also heard students saying they "needed caffeine to get through the day" or "to function." This language, she explains, is likely picked up at home or from the adults around them, and is particularly concerning. "During times of change and stress, common in adolescence, kids are establishing patterns of adaptation," Ludden says. "If they begin to rely upon caffeine as their way of getting through the day, those health behaviors become more established. We also have to worry about kids consuming more and more caffeine without realizing how much they're consuming, and then forming addictions to caffeine, having withdrawal effects and needing caffeine. In both instances, addiction pathways are being activated. "If you're establishing a habit of selfmedication and a habit of socializing using substances that are taboo, those patterns suggest that caffeine could be a gateway drug,” she continues. “There is correlational research to suggest that kids who use caffeine are more likely to use other substances. So why is this an issue with adolescents? Because behaviors you form in adolescence stick with you." ■


Professor Challenges Literary Norms in New Catholic Novel BY MAEVE SWEENEY ’18 You write about what you know,” says Lee Oser, professor of English, about writing his newest novel, "Oregon Confetti" (Wiseblood Books, 2017). As a former musician in Portland, a professor of English and a committed Roman Catholic, Oser combines his knowledge of the Portland art scene, literary techniques and Catholic doctrine to reintroduce the Catholic novel to contemporary audiences. “Oregon Confetti" challenges conceptions of success and happiness as “semi-honest” main character Devin Adams is confronted by his friend

photos by tom rettig

John Sun, a renowned artist, bearing a mysterious baby. The two embark on a life-or-death adventure to reveal the meaning of life, love and friendship in absurd and unexpected ways. Making use of a combination of literary genres, "Oregon Confetti" is considered a satire, a detective novel and a Catholic novel simultaneously. The novel’s Catholic presence is often subtle and other times overt, as Oser incorporates a wise Jesuit professor who offers spiritual advice to the book's protagonist throughout his journey — a nod to Oser's connection with Jesuit institutions. He includes Catholic influences in the novel while, he says, “not sticking so neatly to clearly distinguished genres of writing. "I want to be held to the same standard from both Catholic and non-Catholic points of view,” he adds. R. Clifton Spargo, author of “Beautiful Fools: The Last Affair of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald,” calls the book "a post-secular fable for people who don’t want to be cynics any longer. In witty, energetic prose, Oser takes on easy

American cultural pieties and pushes his characters (despite themselves) to believe in something ultimate that can’t be ironized out of existence." “What we’re talking about here is human dignity," Oser explains in an interview with Crisis Magazine, "and that’s a Catholic conversation. I like it, I feel at home in it.” "Oregon Confetti" has received acclaim from top Catholic literary outlets, including Crisis Magazine and Commonweal Magazine, which featured "Oregon Confetti" on their "Top Books of 2017." "Antic, absurdist, comic, and Catholic, this ribald novel grows out of the Evelyn Waugh and John Kennedy Toole tradition," writes Commonweal Magazine. "But I also heard echoes of Auden. Like him, Oser finds theology in two unlikely genres: the picaresque and the detective novel." “Oregon Confetti” is Oser’s third novel. Other works include novels “The Oracles Fell Silent” and “Out of What Chaos” and three works of literary criticism. ■

H E A D L I N E R S / FA C U LT Y & S TA F F / 1 9


SYLLABUS Ja-Naé Duane oversees a brainstorming session. She wants students to understand that entrepreneurship is a way of thinking — not an endeavor exclusive to the business world.

Entrepreneurship with Ja-Naé Duane, entrepreneur-in-residence and lecturer B Y E VA N G E L I A S T E FA N A K O S ' 1 4 Why are all the good ideas already taken?" The rhetorical — and exasperated — question came from a senior during a three-minute brainstorm in which students in Holy Cross' new Entrepreneurship course were asked to create a list of nagging everyday problems. Broken up into smaller groups, the students dug into

each other's lists — which included everything from the difficulty of finding vegan food to the expensiveness of textbooks — doing quick Google searches to see whether another company had already run with the idea or building off each other to come up with something more unique. "Find the connective tissue," Ja-Naé Duane, entrepreneurin-residence and the course's lecturer, challenged the class. "What major themes or similar pain points do you see among your ideas?"

2 0 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

The collaborative exercise, a staple feature of this firsttime course, aimed to parse out what larger topics students want to explore through entrepreneurial ventures that will serve as the semester's culminating project. Exercises like these help the students connect areas that they are passionate about with the opportunity to turn it into a venture or even find a sustainable business model. Overall, the course aims to give students a foundation to understand how and why businesses are started and the role that entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs play in today's global economy. The course then dives deeper into the entrepreneurial

mindset, challenging students to experience firsthand the steps involved in developing a successful business idea through the creation of their own. Whether creating a product to help lacrosse players shoot more accurately or solving common issues faced while traveling, students learn to identify and anticipate the common challenges entrepreneurs experience and how to make decisions with incomplete information in environments characterized by rapid change and chronic resource scarcity. Duane emphasizes that entrepreneurship, while complex, is a manageable process, and the lessons

tom rettig


Course Catalog CISS 110 Entrepreneurship P ROFE SS O R Ja-Naé Duane DE PA RT M EN T Center for Interdisciplinary Studies DE SC RI PT IO N This course provides a foundation for understanding how and why businesses are started by identifying and exploring the discreet steps involved in transforming an often unrefined idea into a clearly articulated business model before developing a launch plan designed to get it into the market as quickly and inexpensively as possible. The focus of the course is on the creation of new ventures, the ways they come into being and the factors associated with their success. ME E TI N G T IM ES Tuesday, Thursday | 9:30-10:45 a.m. C L A SSR O O M Stein 216 RE QUI R ED R EA D IN G • "The Startup Equation" by Steven Fisher and Ja-Naé Duane, 2015 • Additional readings by entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, communications experts A SSI G N M EN TS • "Challenges" that ask students to create plans addressing an issue faced by an organization • Creation of a new venture to present as final semester project • Class participation GRADES Group projects, peer reviews, participation

learned can be applied in virtually any organizational setting.

PRE RE Q U ISIT E S None, open to all students ABO U T T HE PRO FE SS O R Ja-Naé Duane is the entrepreneur-in-residence and a lecturer in the Ciocca Office of Entrepreneurial Studies. An award-winning innovator with over 20 years of experience, Duane has aimed to make life better for as many people as possible by focusing on revolutionary ideas and developing programs that impact our world. Currently, she is the co-founder of The Revolution Factory, a global network that enables innovation ecosystems in corporations, governments and universities. The author of the best-seller “The Startup Equation” and “How to Start Your Business with $100,” Duane excels at advising startups because she understands from personal experience what it means to be a social entrepreneur. Over the years, her work has caught the attention of The Associated Press, NPR, Classical Singer Magazine, The Boston Globe and Businessweek. Duane is an angel investor and advisor for a number of startups, including Singularity University. Duane has been integral in introducing new entrepreneurial programming at Holy Cross, including the creation of the NYC Startup experience for students during spring break and a summer course on social entrepreneurship. Duane has also launched a mentoring program for entrepreneurial students, worked with Career Development to provide more startup opportunities for students and collaborated with SaderSandbox and the Ignite Fund to provide more funding for student ventures.

"A lot of the skills that students will learn throughout the semester are skills students will need within a larger corporation. The future of work and those skills are changing, so employees need to learn how to be flexible, to have lean thinking, and to know how to test their projects, hypotheses or campaigns so that they're saving the company money, and they can be more efficient." Duane pushes students to start building these skills from day one. "I run the class like I run a venture," she says, giving students frequent opportunities for co-creation. The course is also project-driven, allowing students to analyze successful and failed ventures from an academic perspective, while also participating in exercises, or "challenges," that are more practical and application-based. While there is no shortage of ideas in this course, Duane is more concerned with students walking away understanding entrepreneurship as a way of thinking and an

attitude, dispelling the notion that entrepreneurship belongs exclusively to the business world. "What political economist Schumpeter called 'creative destruction' is really the essence of entrepreneurship," Duane says. "So, to me, to consider entrepreneurship just business is no longer valid. "What isn't clear to a lot of people is the connection between entrepreneurship and liberal arts," she adds, explaining it came as no surprise that there was so much interest in the course, which drew students from a wide range of academic backgrounds. "As someone with a fine arts background," Duane shares, "it's important to help students harness their creativity, the way they thoroughly think through the context of a problem and really look at all of the elements, not only just financial, but social, economic and the impact on the world. That 360-degree lens is the essence of any liberal arts education. This approach, reflected in entrepreneurship, helps students find where the connections are between their major, skills and the life that they want to lead." ■

E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P / S Y L L A B U S / FA C U LT Y & S TA F F / 2 1



any major to any career $3 million gift from the J.D. Power III ’53 family grows experiential learning, real-world opportunities for students BY CHRISTOPHER A M E N TA ’ 0 6

I

n 1965, McCulloch Motors engineered industrial-grade chainsaws — the choice of professional loggers — that were purported to last 200-plus hours in operation and that, unfortunately, nobody wanted to buy. Beleaguered, the company engaged Marplan Market Research consultant J.D. “Dave” Power III ’53, P93 to diagnose the problem. Power took the question to the customer and learned that most people only use a chainsaw once or twice a year; they wanted something light, simple, reliable and relatively quiet. Power went before McCulloch executives and urged them to redesign their products with the customer in mind. The company listened. Then they offered Power a job. A short time later, Power and his wife, Julie, founded the market research ►

tom rettig

A N Y M A J O R CTHOA ANNG YE M CAK RER ER S / 23


firm J.D. Power and Associates at the kitchen table in their home on Kenrose Circle in Calabasas, California. Over the next five decades, the company applied the lessons of the McCulloch study and developed a reputation for delivering thoughtful, independent insights that championed the voice of the customer. One of their most well-known influences has been on the auto industry, where Power helped an inward-looking industry transform into one that places customers at the pinnacle of importance. J.D. Power and Associates would come to embody principles that its founder honed as an undergraduate at Holy Cross: Listen, think critically and, when it’s time to speak, speak the truth. In January 2018, the Power family’s Kenrose Kitchen Table Foundation gifted $3 million to Holy Cross to support the Center for Liberal Arts in the World,

(top, left) The Purple Patcher senior portrait of James David Power III ’53 (above and left) These ads for McCulloch chainsaws date only eight years apart. The top, from 1959, advertises two models, “weighing only 28 lbs. and 31 lbs.” The bottom ad, from 1967 — two years after Power first met with McCulloch representatives — highlights what Power learned consumers wanted: a simple, lighter chainsaw. The ad focuses on the weight of the product, now weighing less than half of the previous model.

2 4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018


“Students should be able to select any major, supplement that major with an internship or other applied experiences and mentoring from professionals on and off campus in order to prepare themselves to be successful in whatever they are called to do in the world.” — MARGARET FREIJE, provost and dean of the college

reflection the core of experiential learning

BY D A N I E L K L I N G H A R D, which since 2016 has provided students with experiential learning opportunities on and off campus. In recognition of the gift, the center has been renamed the J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World. The gift will enable the College to enhance and significantly expand experiential learning, allowing students to integrate academics with opportunities — internships, student research, and communityand project-based learning — to apply their Holy Cross education in the real world. While approximately 60 percent of Holy Cross students already participate in experiential learning, the foundation’s gift will accelerate the College’s efforts to increase and expand opportunities and engage all students in real-world experience that will enhance their liberal arts education. ►

tom rettig

Director of the J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World and Professor of Political Science

T

he philosopher John Dewey wrote that “every experience is a moving force.” Dewey was not Jesuit-educated, but this captures something about Ignatian pedagogy. Jesuit educators begin with students’ experiences and encourage intentional reflection on these experiences to help students choose the best action to take in the future. Reflection is then about choosing actions for which students’ experience suits them, a way of moving from experience to future action. This is central to Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises. The Exercises were created to help Jesuits and laypersons alike discern their calling in life; to, as Rev. Paul Harman, S.J.,

puts it, “go inward in order to go outward.” In particular, they guide students to attend to their internal experience. In doing so, they learn what kinds of activities excite and invigorate them, and which exhaust and discourage. Once students discern the positive aspects of their experience, they might choose to embrace them, avoiding roles that lead to negative experiences. It is often the case, however, that students find themselves chained down by extraneous commitments that prevent them from rejecting the negative. This is why Ignatian spirituality seeks to inculcate a sense of indifference to everything that distracts them from their core inner calling — the place where they can have the most impact on a world in need of their service. At Holy Cross, we place reflection at the center of experiential learning. We encourage students to trust their sense of vocational discernment and to become indifferent to what is extraneous. This is how they can be moved to take action that makes a difference in the world. ■

REFLECTION / ANY MAJOR TO ANY CAREER / 25


“J.D. Power’s story is perfect for what we’re trying to do. It really captures a lot of what we’re trying to instill in students: Trust your expertise, be entrepreneurial, try to live a life of integrity, try to speak for those who can’t.” — DANIEL KLINGHARD, director, j.d. power center (above) J.D. “Dave” Power III ’53 (center) and family, (left to right) Jonathan Power, Mary Power, Susan (Power) Curtin ’93 and Jamey Power. (left) Although J.D. Power and Associates awards quality throughout all industries, the company’s highest honor is perhaps best-known in relation to the auto industry.

“We grew up being instilled with the values of the Jesuit education, that classical education, and the importance of the liberal arts,” says Jamey Power, Power’s eldest son and former senior vice president at J.D. Power and

Associates. “It’s so deeply woven into who we are and also into the company.” “We’re always thrilled and amazed and very proud of what Holy Cross students, graduates and alumni are, how they

26 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

think and how they present themselves,” adds daughter Susan Power Curtin ’93. “Look not just at our father’s career and vision and how he carried his education through, but at other alums, as well. Time and time again, you get ►

charles david photography


Loren Cass, dean of experiential learning and student success, says the goal is clear: 100% student participation in real-world experiences that will chart a path toward a career.

learning by doing

a key part of the holy cross experience

L

oren Cass, Holy Cross dean of experiential learning and student success, has a goal for students: Get involved early.

In this newly established role, Cass oversees no shortage of opportunities for students. In addition to the J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World, Cass is responsible for helming everything from academic, career development and advising programs to study abroad, curricular and cocurricular programs, such as health professions, and more. “We’re trying to connect students to the experiences that are going to be the most relevant to them,” he says. “Our goal is to try to get every student engaged, to try to get them to understand the full range of opportunities that are available, to coordinate better across our programs and to really meet our students where they are.” Support from Bob and Mickey Atchinson

tom rettig

P05, 07 and the Power family has helped create opportunities for every student on Mount St. James. Part of a recent $2 million gift from the Atchinson family will support a career exploration structure that provides resources and tools to aid students’ career discernment, first through senior year. Included in those tools are Gallup’s CliftonStrengths for Students, an assessment tool that helps students identify their strengths in order to best utilize their talents and explore careers based on their skill sets, and E-Portfolios, a digitized portfolio of student work and skills that can be presented to prospective employers. The Power and Atchinson families have a long history of helping the College shape its vision of experiential learning and career preparation. The Atchinsons saw firsthand the benefits of internship experience through their son’s Holy Cross experience. In 2007, they established a fund to provide financial support for students who intern at nonprofit agencies. Similarly, the Power family created the J.D. Power Worcester Internship Fund to support students interning in the Greater Worcester area. “Get out there. Try these things out,” Cass says of the College’s myriad experiential learning offerings. “See what you like; explore your passions and abilities. Hopefully, these experiences

will allow our students to chart a path toward the lives of meaning and purpose that we desire for them. We’re really talking about cultural change: Experiential learning should be a part of every student experience at Holy Cross.” Cass expects 100 percent participation in experiential learning programs, up from about 60 percent this year, which, if achieved, will push students into new challenges. “There are going to be failures,” he says. “But we want to speed the process up. We want students experiencing more in their first year so they have more time and more information to pursue appropriate experiential learning opportunities in subsequent years.” And, in Cass’ estimation, any setbacks are temporary and worth the potential upside. He’s seen students return to campus after an internship or a semester away completely transformed. “Their outlook on life is different,” he says. “Their understanding of their education and how their education connects to what they want to do is different. It’s pretty amazing to see the changes in students when they engage in some of these opportunities; they have the potential to be life transforming.” ■ —­Christopher Amenta ’06

LEARNING BY DOING / ANY MAJOR TO ANY CAREER / 27


to know these people that go on to do great things and become leaders in their industries. I think part of the motivation for this gift was to get that story out there: There is a case for the liberal arts, and we can help complement that with the center.” Margaret Freije, provost and dean of the College, articulates a simple vision: “Any student can go from any major to any career.” Holy Cross, she says, has long nurtured the sort of critical thinking that gives students an advantage in the workplace. However, employers now demand graduates who can do the job from day one. In response, she wanted to create programs that would provide practical capabilities to supplement the liberal arts curriculum and drew inspiration from the College’s Health Professions Advising Office.

Summer research projects deliver real-world experience. (top) Christian Ramsoomair ’18 works with chemistry Professor Ken Mills on “Influence of Pressure on Pab and Pho Splicing and Cleavage Capabilities.” (bottom left) Carly Priest ’18 and Emily Breakell ’17 work with history Professor Stephanie Yuhl at the Worcester Historical Museum. (bottom right) A.J. Wells ’18 works with senior lecturer in classics Rev. Edward Vodoklys, S.J. on “Discovering William Peter Weaver’s Journey Across 19th Century.”

“Health — premed — is not a major,” Freije notes. At Holy Cross, students take a series of prerequisite courses. They’re guided toward internships or lab work to supplement academics with experiences, and throughout the process they receive mentorship from advisors, many of whom work in the industry. Premed students can select any major and still finish with the credits and experience needed for admission into medical school. In fact, over the past decade, more than 80 percent of Holy Cross graduates who apply get into at least one medical school each year, twice the national average.

2 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

“That’s the model that I want to try to expand,” Freije says. “Students should be able to select any major, supplement that major with an internship or other applied experiences and mentoring from professionals on and off campus in order to prepare themselves to be successful in whatever they are called to do in the world.” This led to the 2016 creation of the Center for Liberal Arts in the World, which drew together the College’s existing experiential learning opportunities under one umbrella. The following year, Freije appointed political science Professor ►

all photos by tom rettig


ignite fund a spark for student projects

D

ecorations from yesterday’s Valentine’s party — red and white streamers, stuffed bears, paper hearts and flowers — still hung from the walls of The Beebop in Boston when a manager came from behind the bar to offer Nate Chung ’18 a paid gig. Chung, who’d just played an open mic set with his band, The Nate Chung Project, went fumbling through his pockets for the group’s business cards. “Take two,” he says, giving the manager their information. That the transaction seemed almost pat — play a set, score a gig — belied all the work that had preceded it: hours rehearsing, nights in the studio, months of writing, years of study and a lifetime of

passion. Even getting to Boston had been a squeaker. “Frank and I,” Chung says, speaking of drummer, Frank Dwyer ’19, “got out of class at 3:15. We were here parked on Newbury Street by 4:30, tried to set up as fast as possible, and then we just started playing.” In 2017, Chung, a political science major with an Asian studies minor, received an Ignite Fund grant for $1,444 to help pay studio fees to write, record and release his band’s album “Dreaming.” Chung always wanted to make music, and when he toured campus as a high school junior (then a recruit for varsity lacrosse), his guide introduced him to Toby Mountain, music department lecturer and music studios director. The Grammy Awardwinning Mountain, whose mastering credits include everyone from The Beach Boys and David Bowie to Arlo Guthrie and Alison Krauss, has since supported

Nate Chung '18 works with music department lecturer Toby Mountain in Brooks Recording Studio.

Chung’s talent by working with him and bandmates Dwyer, Zach Sowerby ’19, Sean Horan ’18 and Casey Dawson ’18 (also a producer and creative partner) to write, record and master the songs that would become the album. The effort had the group in Brooks Recording Studio at every spare moment. “I was in there between classes, at night,” Chung says. “Hours and hours and hours and hours.” The Nate Chung Project released “Dreaming” in 2017 with eight original tracks. This spring, he renewed his application for independent study to write and record new music. To date, the Ignite Fund has sponsored about 25 projects, (continued on Page 31)

IGNITE FUND / ANY MAJOR TO ANY CAREER / 29


Daniel Klinghard as director to help the College realize her vision. The newly renamed J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World now comprises a series of avenues students can pursue:

• The Washington and New York Semester programs, for which students complete academic internships and significant thesis projects •

The Weiss Summer Research

“We’re always thrilled and amazed and very proud of what Holy Cross students, graduates and alumni are, how they think and how they present themselves ... Time and time again, you get to know these people that go on to do great things and become leaders in their industries.” — SUSAN POWER CURTIN ’93 Program, offering undergraduate summer research opportunities in a variety of disciplines

(top) Tran Cao ’19 interns at South Worcester Neighborhood Improvement Corporation. (above) Peter Favorito ’20 interns for Boston City Councilor Matt O’Malley at Boston City Hall.

3 0 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

• The Donelan Office of CommunityBased Learning, which connects academic classes with service opportunities in the Worcester area •

Trial teams, including the Mock ►

tom rettig


(continued from Page 29) each of which can receive up to $5,000; most receive around $2,500. Students apply, then pitch their ideas to Daniel Klinghard, director of the J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World. “We're trying to nurture them so that they succeed,” Klinghard says of the application process, “not filter them out so they don't get our money.” Some projects are group efforts, like Engage. Educate. Empower (E3) by Ryan Kingsley ’17 and Sean Teebagy ’17, which provides school supplies for elementary students in Worcester. Others, like the work of Fatima Oseida ’20 in the community gardens, aim to improve campus. Some students shape ideas specifically for the program, and others, like Dillon Carmichael ’18, creator of Redefining Black Masculinity, begin more organically.

“The Ignite Fund wasn't something that was necessarily on my radar from the jump,” Carmichael says. “It was something that Michelle Rosa [assistant director, Office of Multicultural Education] pointed me toward.” Carmichael launched his project in summer 2017 after his grandmother passed. He became interested in his Guyanese heritage and began staging conversations with cousins, brothers and friends in which he asked: What does it mean to be a black man? How do you feel society defines black men? Carmichael recorded their answers and edited the footage into episodes — each about 10 minutes long — organized around themes, such as “Black Thoughts” and “Limited Expressions.” He distributes segments via his website (soulsofblackmen.com) and social

Dillon Carmichael ’18 unbuttons his dress shirt to reveal the first merchandise for Redefining Black Masculinity, his project that aims to make a difference in the lives of young black males. In addition to an Ignite Fund grant, Carmichael, pictured above with J.D. Power Center Director Daniel Klinghard, also won a large prize to fund his work at the College’s recent “Shark Tank” Competition.

austin bosworth

media feeds. When Carmichael learned of the Ignite Fund, he applied for and received a grant, which helped him secure equipment and resources to edit his films. Carmichael has interviewed more than 50 people, many of whom speak candidly about their experiences growing up — the men who shaped their ideas about masculinity and how they hope to transcend any limitations these ideas might impose. Though the project, at the moment, focuses on young black men, he’s eager to explore different perspectives. “I worked on interviewing my cousin, who's a woman,” he notes. The Ignite Fund has helped Carmichael, Chung and others build projects that will impact a broader audience. For Carmichael, a parallel exists between what he’s offered the men in his films and what he’s received from the fund. “Even if only one person sees it or one person hears it,” Carmichael says, “to be listened to is very important to people.” ■ —­Christopher Amenta ’06

IGNITE FUND / ANY MAJOR TO ANY CAREER / 31


trial teams deliver professional competitive advantage in all fields

O

n July 16, 2017, Charley Waters saw everything. Waters witnessed Kerry BellLeon — the victim — argue with a known drug dealer at around 10:30 p.m., before entering the Jaywood Building through the back door. Later, Waters witnessed a person matching the description of the defendant access that same entrance. Later still, Waters watched an unidentified individual leave the building, then toss something into a dumpster behind the Jaywood, before running off. There, Detective Nichols located the pistol, which connects the defendant to the crime.

(above) Hugh O’Neill ’18 and Vasco Chavez-Molina ’18 work on a survey of headwater streams of the Connecticut watershed in Dover, Vermont, during summer research.

Trial and Mediation teams, supported by a generous endowment from Agnes Williams, and the Hon. Joseph F. Greene Jr. ’51, P81, 84 Moot Court Program, for students interested in developing reasoning and debate skills

• The newly formed Ignite Fund, which awards grants for entrepreneurial student projects designed to provide solutions to real-world problems “I think our dad’s history — the breadth of experiential learning he had growing up in Worcester, from his paper route to working as a contractor digging ditches for electrical lines — all those experiences add up,” Curtin notes. “The hands-on opportunities outside the classroom complement the academic experience and are now an

expectation of an undergraduate program.” “We’re constantly asking students to think about how what they’re learning in the classroom is actually experienced in the real world and then to bring that realworld experience back into the classroom,” Klinghard says. For example, internships in Washington, D.C., and New York City are supplemented with weekly academic seminars that examine the day-to-day working environment through relevant scholarship. Community-Based Learning programs begin as early as first year and connect academics to civic engagement through student service in city organizations such as the Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center and Worcester Public Schools Adult Learning Center. And the ►

3 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

It’s an open-and-shut case for the prosecution, led by Mock Trial cocaptains Ajit Bhullar ’18 and Jessica Russo ’19 — except the whole story is hearsay. Founded in 1997, and endowed by a generous gift from Agnes N. Williams, Mock Trial is one of three competitive trial teams at the College, along with The Hon. Joseph F. Greene Jr. ’51, P81, 84 Moot Court Program (2003) — recently endowed by Michael Greene ’84, a member of the Board of Trustees, in honor of and named after his father, a retired New Jersey Superior Court Judge — and the Mediation team (2014). All three are now under the auspices of the J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World and provide students with opportunities to hone skills that deliver a professional edge regardless of whether participants pursue a law career, according to Mock Trial coach and attorney Ed McDermott ’79, P10, 13. “Experiential learning in a courtroom setting provides our students yet another advantage over their peers elsewhere: practice in a professional

tom rettig


Mock Trial team members prepare for the American Mock Trial Association’s Regional Tournament.

setting in which they compete against the nation’s most elite schools and most talented students,” explains McDermott, who also coaches the Mediation team. “Our students leave the College ready for success in any industry, especially the many fulfilling and badly needed professions that require skills in writing, speech, persuasion and team effort.” Attorney and Moot Court team coach John O’Donnell ’04 says students who participate in Moot competition are given a unique opportunity to enhance their communication, reasoning, organization and public speaking prowess. “By studying both sides of a legal dispute, students are forced to consider the pros and cons of a specific argument,” he says. “And by presenting their arguments to a panel of judges who can ask questions and interact with the students, the students develop the critical skill of effective communication by answering questions directly and thoroughly in order to become more effective advocates.” Through the reading of case law and development of arguments, Moot Court students learn to distill complex legal

darwin contreras

positions into simple arguments that can be understood in a 10-minute oral argument. Students work in pairs, and O’Donnell notes the program this year is fielding its largest turnout ever — 13 teams. The inclusion of the popular Moot, Mock and Mediation programs under the J.D. Power Center could expand the teams’ appeal even further, McDermott says. “Students that might otherwise say, ‘You know what, I got that email from the prelaw society about some info session for Mock. I’m not going to law school, so I’m not going to go.’ But now, as part of the J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World, they’ll look at it twice and say, ‘Maybe oratorical skills and critical analytical skills may be a good idea to look into,’” he notes. Interested students are guided to the programs that best suit them. Mock participants, who must argue trial cases, might possess a disposition that differs from the those who thrive in Moot (for appellate cases) or Mediation (resolving disputes outside of court). The Moot and Mediation teams have each placed as high as 2nd in national tournaments as recently as 2016. Earlier this year, the American Moot Court Association ranked Holy Cross as the seventh strongest program in the nation. Mock teams finished first in 2003 at

the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) Regional Tournament and have competed at AMTA Nationals several times (2001, 2003, 2004, 2014-17). “Hearsay,” states co-captain Bhullar during a Saturday practice in Stein Hall. “Detective Nichols was not at the scene of the murder, the attempted murder. Any information that you’ve accumulated at the scene of the crime could get the same objection.” McDermott, playing judge for the afternoon practice, challenged the team to find work-arounds, which proved critical as the students built their case around the timeline the detective created, one now deemed potentially inadmissible. It was time to put practice into action, think on their feet and maneuver the facts at hand as best they could to keep their argument sound. “Almost as soon as our students begin their academic careers at Holy Cross, especially in the Montserrat program, they hone their oral and written persuasion abilities by building on native talents and developing new ones,” McDermott explains. “Therefore, our students can pivot their arguments to adjust to any pace or style on the fly during trials. In short, polish, preparation and professionalism distinguish Holy Cross and set us apart from the crowd.” ■ —­Christopher Amenta ’06

MOOT COURT PROGR AM / ANY MAJOR TO ANY CAREER / 33


Ignite Fund provides resources for student-designed, studentimplemented projects that put classroom knowledge into action by doing good work for and in the world. Every J.D. Power Center program is designed to reinforce the Ignatian pedagogy that is the backbone of a Holy Cross education. The end goal, according to Klinghard, is to get students to think about how to create lives of personal and professional impact. “You start with the experience that students have had,” Klinghard says. “You get them to reflect on that experience

Freije says graduates will be empowered by a “confident humility.” She wants to send students out into the world understanding “what they’re capable of doing, while still acknowledging that there’s more to know, there’s more to do, there’s more to learn,” she notes. In many ways, the J.D. Power Center encourages students to embrace the example of its namesake. “The center seemed like a really natural and great way for us to honor our parents’ legacy,” Curtin says. “Both our father and mother were the founders of this company,

“We grew up being instilled with the values of the Jesuit education, that classical education, and the importance of the liberal arts. It’s so deeply woven into who we are and also into the company.”— JAMEY POWER, former senior vice president at j.d. power and associates

and from that reflection, make the choice of the best course of action to take next, which leads to the next experience.” While nearly two-thirds of Holy Cross students participated in at least one program offered through the J.D. Power Center this year, Klinghard wants to see this figure increase. He envisions a scaffolding effect: Students try programs early and often, talk about their work, present research, and engage with classmates and roommates, then more students participate. The cycle perpetuates, resulting in graduates who are fully ready to realize their potential in their careers and lives.

and we’re obviously very proud of the brand and how the name really stands for quality and integrity. We saw an exponential opportunity here, where naming this center would hopefully not just impact current and future students, but also help enhance the visibility of the programming for the College.” “J.D. Power’s story is perfect for what we’re trying to do,” Klinghard says. “It really captures a lot of what we’re trying to instill in students: Trust your expertise, be entrepreneurial, try to live a life of integrity, try to speak for those who can’t.” ■

3 4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

students find alumni and experience in

washington, d.c., and new york

T

he memorabilia on the 44th floor of the News Corp. Building — Emmy statues, the red and black costume of Marvel Comics character Deadpool, even a life-sized stuffed dog in a full body cast (a prop from the film “There’s Something About Mary”) — represent content to Martha Datlen ’09. On a Tuesday afternoon, Datlen explained to Holy Cross New York Semester Program students that as an associate director at Fox Networks Group, she sells such content to media buyers, publishers and advertisers. The presentation had been arranged by New York Semester Program Director Alison Mangiero, who each week recruits New York alumni to explain where they work, how they got there and what they do. That week, Datlen co-hosted students with Jillian Chudwick ’13, supervisor of video investment at integrated communications agency OMD, and talked about the media landscape: new and traditional platforms, content publishers and producers, programmatic buying and other ad tech, RFPs, integrated budgets and cross-channel strategies. Students in their professional best — slacks and ties, skirts and blazers — listened and munched on pizza and, as they arose, asked questions: How do you sell to a new client? Who’s responsible for writing an RFP? What does it mean that Disney has acquired Fox? Earlier in the month, students heard from alumni at Inherent Group, which invests in socially sustainable ventures, and also from hedge fund Eminence Capital. The next week, they would spend four consecutive evenings meeting with alumni who work in the entrepreneurial space: founders of startups, marketers and coders. The goal of these sessions, and the program overall, is to help students understand how to build meaningful careers.


“Business can be a noble endeavor,” Mangiero says. “You can be and should be a sort of intellectual business leader. The way to do that is to continue doing what you basically have done the whole time you were at Holy Cross: You constantly have to be reading, and you have to be a student of the world.” The New York Semester Program, founded in 2016, drew inspiration from its counterpart in Washington, D.C., which has been offered by the College since 1971. As with Washington, accepted students receive housing — in Arlington for those in the capital, Brooklyn for the New Yorkers — guidance finding and selecting internships, and ongoing mentorship from Mangiero and her colleague, Washington Semester Program Director Gary DeAngelis. Students take weekly academic seminars to supplement the internships

they attend four days a week. They receive lectures from notable alumni, such as political commentator Chris Matthews ’67 and Save the Children President Mark Shriver ’86. At the end of the semester, students submit capstone projects. In New York, they present on a topic related to their internships to Mangiero and to a board of alumni who work in a related industry; in Washington, they write, finalize and defend theses on public policy as it relates to what they learned that semester. “This is very much at the level of a master’s thesis. It’s 45 to 50 pages from each student,” DeAngelis says. “It gives students the opportunity to spend a whole semester really diving into some pretty serious research.” This year in New York, students who study English, finance and political

(clockwise from top left) New York Semester students tour NBC studios. English major Audrey Holmes ’19, a digital intern for NBC Nightly News, poses with anchor Lester Holt. Brenna Kent ’18 (third from left), a political science major, interns at the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C. with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). Economics major Cheng-En Wu ’19 at his desk in New York.

science have internships with organizations such as Blackrock, NBC and Cambridge Insurance Advisors. Kara Cuzzone ’19, an anthropology major, was drawn to a semester away for the opportunities New York offers. “I was interested in publishing,” she says, and landed an internship at Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazines. “I assist all of the different editors — transcribing interviews, doing research.” And, of course, students respond to the allure of New York City, which was on full display that Tuesday evening as Datlen concluded her talk with a tour of Fox Networks. The group explored the space that, in addition to showcasing film and television memorabilia, boasted a coffee shop and a bird’s-eye view as the sky turned pink on an unseasonably warm afternoon. Datlen thanked the group for coming, and the students, in turn, thanked her for her time and advice as they called the elevator to catch the subway. They had work in the morning. ■ —­ Christopher Amenta ’06

WASHINGTON, D.C. AND NEW YORK / ANY MAJOR TO ANY CAREER / 35


Carolyn Casey ’ 87 welcomes Project 351 ambassadors, alumni and guests at the organization’s annual Launch Day kickoff at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in January 2018.

Carolyn Casey ’87 lights a spark of leadership and unity across every Massachusetts city and town via the youth-driven service nonprofit, Project 351 B Y D AV E GREENSLIT

3 6 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018


A

fter eight years in a corporate job, Carolyn Casey ’87 needed some time. Time to observe. Time to reflect on social justice. Time to think about how best to serve. So she decided to drive cross-country, west to east, visiting civil rights monuments, doing volunteer work and gaining inspiration from those on the front lines.

It was on that road trip that Casey had an idea: tapping the energy and potential of young people to promote service and unity in their communities and across Massachusetts. That idea became Project 351, a nonprofit that enlists one eighth-grader from each of the state’s 351 cities and towns for a year of leadership training and service.

Casey spent time on a Native American reservation in Arizona, visiting new mothers with her sister, Kathleen Casey, M.D., ’84; helped build a home with Habitat for Humanity in Mississippi; pulled 24-hour shifts in a domestic violence shelter and worked in a food bank in Alabama; and pitched in on a playground project in Georgia.

Now in its eighth year, Project 351 has trained more than 3,000 eighth-graders — called “ambassadors” — who have tackled issues from hunger to hurricane relief and, in all likelihood, put them on a lifelong path of helping others.

“It was a really beautiful experience of seeing our country and loving America with all its bumps and faults and challenges,” she recalls.

“We’re building this generation of dreamers and doers who put community and compassion and courage first, and who respect and celebrate the differences around them,” says Casey, founder and executive director.

Mount St. James roots run deep Since graduating from Holy Cross in 1987 with a degree in English and earning a master’s in public administration at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Casey has held positions in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. She worked as an aide to a Massachusetts legislator, promoting the state’s Education Reform Act, served as director of national affairs for the educational nonprofit City Year and was senior director of corporate responsibility at outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland, in addition to lending her expertise as a consultant to Boston nonprofits and corporations.

dan vaillancourt

The common thread in each organization has been that they are driven to make positive change, and Casey attributes her commitment to such work to her family and her Holy Cross roots. Growing up in Taunton, Massachusetts, her family station wagon was known around town for the license plate HC ’52, in recognition of her dad’s loyalty to his alma mater. The Casey family was often on campus for her dad’s homecoming weekends and football and basketball games. She says it’s impossible to separate her family from the College. Her late father, Bill ’52; sister, Kathleen ’84; brothers, Joe ’85 and Mike ’90; and late sister-in-law, Neilie ’90, all graduated from Holy Cross, as did a number of cousins. And although a graduate of Newton College of the Sacred Heart, her mother Maryjane’s love for Holy Cross and the Jesuit tradition reinforced Casey’s every instinct. When the time arrived to select a college, her school of choice was never really in doubt. “I just kept coming back to Holy Cross,” Casey says. “The college, the campus,

tom rettig

L E A D I N G T H E N E CX H T AGNEGNEEMR AA KT EI OR N S / 37


(above) The Casey family has a long history at Holy Cross, from father William ’52, to his children (from left), Kathleen ’84, Joseph ’85, Carolyn ’87 and Michael ’90. Carolyn’s SUV bears her Dad’s license plate, “HC ’52.” (opposite top) Project 351 Launch Day attendees (including Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, Lauren Baker and Carolyn’s sister-in-law, journalist Lisa Hughes) get pumped up at the Kennedy Library before heading off to service projects across the city of Boston. (opposite left) Prominently displayed, values are the foundation of Project 351’s leadership development model and community. (opposite right) Members of the Alumni Leadership Council introduce their Service Hero teams.

the community and the mission spoke to me.” The Jesuit emphasis on values, responsibility for others and a rigorous liberal arts education proved the perfect combination. “I knew I would be challenged and nurtured and enriched academically,” Casey says. She calls the community of friends she made at Holy Cross the school’s greatest gift. A large, loyal group with diverse pursuits in life, the friends have stayed in touch and remain there for each other after three decades. And that’s something not unique to her circle of friends or her class, as Casey would learn when tragedy struck her family.

DEVELOPING UNSUNG HEROES Project 351 was supposed to be a oneday event to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2011 and mark the second inauguration of former Gov. Deval Patrick, who liked the idea of instilling a love of community and service in young people. On what has since become known as Launch Day, eighth-graders from across the state gathered in Boston to discuss issues important to their communities,

fanned out across the city for highimpact service work and reflected on what they had learned and the value of service. As Casey tells it, Patrick sensed right away that Project 351 would not be oneand-done. “‘You know, this isn’t going to end at the end of the day,’” she recalls him saying during that inaugural Launch Day. Patrick was right. Upon returning from the community projects, the eighthgraders wondered what would be next now that they had been called to serve. Their passion and enthusiasm turned Project 351 into a yearlong annual initiative. “We have a 12-month program, which is about developing the courage, the compassion and the capability to lead change as a community builder and civic leader,” Casey says. The ambassadors are chosen by their school districts, drawing on Project 351 guidelines. Casey says the program seeks diverse, unsung heroes and quiet leaders, students who demonstrate kindness, volunteer at their house of worship, serve as a Scout or in 4-H or, perhaps, act as head of household. The goal is to elevate the young person’s innate goodness by teaching them “when you serve, you lead.”

3 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

Patrick says the ambassadors are a deserving bunch: “The athletes, the scholars, the artists, the student government types — they all get recognized in middle schools. The ones who make acts of kindness a centerpiece of their lives don’t so much. Project 351 is about honoring them and their service leadership.” Students participate in the program from the last half of eighth grade through the first half of ninth grade, though many stay on as alumni leaders, mentoring those who follow. According to Casey, the program focuses on eighth-graders because they are young enough to be open and idealistic, but old enough to embrace the skills and confidence to carry out the Project 351 mission. At this critical stage in the ambassadors’ development of identity and priorities, Project 351 strengthens the values of civic responsibility and compassionate leadership. Over the year, ambassadors attend two unity events. The first is January’s Launch Day, convened first by Patrick and now by Gov. Charlie Baker, which celebrates the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and includes service at Boston area organizations followed by a youth town meeting. The second is a Leadership Reunion in the spring with leadership workshops, speakers, service,


mentorship by Project 351 alumni and a Peace and Unity Walk for the Martin W. Richard Foundation, which honors the 8-year-old Dorchester boy killed in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. With training and mentorship by Project 351, ambassadors lead three statewide service initiatives: a spring clothing drive to benefit children served by the nonprofit Cradles to Crayons; a “9.11 Tribute Service” to honor and remember those lost in the terrorist attacks and Fallen Heroes, which includes writing letters of gratitude and creating 1,000 “care packages” for troops overseas and veterans served by the New England Center for Homeless Veterans; and a fall campaign to end hunger, which raises awareness and collects food and donations for hometown food pantries. George Fox and Denelis Acosta were Project 351 ambassadors who now serve on the organization’s Alumni Leadership

dan vaillancourt

Council. Both say the program, and Casey, have inspired them to step up and help others. Fox, a junior at Beverly High School, has organized a number of projects in his school and community, most recently one to benefit victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

about issues and topics including gender identity and black history. As of February, she was still deciding upon her choice for college and long-term career goals, “but I do know I want to make a difference. I want to be someone like Carolyn Casey,” Acosta says.

“I’m just trying to make a little bit of a dent,” he says of the need on the island, which struggles to recover months after the September 2017 storm. “My ambassador year was really the first stepping stone in developing myself as a leader in so many different ways — in the community, building the confidence to be a leader in sports and in my school, really helping me to shape the rest of my life.”

Fox also praised Casey for her leadership by example, availability for texts or calls and treatment of ambassadors as peers: “Whatever I choose to do in my future, I can hopefully take the same dedication Carolyn has for 351.”

Acosta is a Lynn English High School senior who has started a discussion group at Girls Inc. called Woke Women, which brings women together to talk

Many partnering organizations benefit from Project 351, including Wonderfund, a tiny nonprofit that helps kids served by the Massachusetts Department of

IN SERVICE TO CHILDREN

L E A D IN G T HE NE X T G ENER AT I O N O F D R E A MER S A ND D O ER S / 3 9


(above) Alumni Leadership Council member Noor Al-saad of Quincy greets arriving buses on Launch Day. (right) Ambassadors serve at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School in Dorchester.

Children and Families (DCF). Last year, Massachusetts first lady Lauren Baker began making Wonderfund her priority project, using her skills and the visibility of the governor’s office to improve the lives of children facing traumatic situations, abuse and neglect. (At Launch Day 2018, Project 351 honored her as one of 45 Service Heroes — a designation that elevates diverse role models of service through a named team of ambassadors. Teams learn leadership lessons from their “service hero” and dedicate their year of service to them.) Wonderfund’s precursor began 20 years ago with the goals of raising money and buying holiday gifts for foster children, but has since been broadened and relaunched to serve more children involved with DCF. At times, children in emergency situations are removed from their homes and transported to a safe place, taking nothing with them but the clothes they are wearing. Project 351 ambassadors help outfit and comfort these traumatized children

by assembling emergency packs that contain a teddy bear or stuffed animal, pajamas, socks, underwear and other necessary items. At this year’s Launch Day, Baker served alongside ambassadors as they created more than 1,000 packs and messages of hope and welcome for families relocating to Massachusetts after the devastating hurricanes in Puerto Rico. Baker says she draws inspiration from Casey and Project 351 in her work at Wonderfund: “She’s a force. I learn from her every time we speak. Everything that Carolyn does and everything that Project 351 does oozes their core values of gratitude, humility and compassion.” Says Patrick, “Carolyn Casey not only runs the program, but embodies its spirit.” Baker calls Project 351 a unique effort that could serve as a model for the nation, helping build stronger communities and states. “It will snowball into something really valuable for our country,” she says.

4 0 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

The first lady half-jokes that one way to get the ball rolling is to capitalize on Holy Cross’ vast network of talented alumni. “Holy Cross could save the world,” she laughs.

THE HOLY CROSS CONNECTION Holy Cross has hosted several Project 351 events over the years, and a number of the school’s alumni, including Casey’s siblings, have been involved with the organization. The school’s mission and that of the nonprofit dovetail nicely. “Holy Cross is about service,” says Jamie Hoag ’98, the College’s director of government and community relations. “It’s a strong part of our mission statement. That’s what Project 351 is about.”


(above) New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Gov. Baker join Casey to recognize outstanding alumni at the 2017 Leadership Reunion at Gillette Stadium. (left) Launch Day team building sparks friendships and understanding.

Former deputy chief legal counsel and ethics adviser to Patrick, Hoag chairs a committee that annually nominates exemplary Project 351 alumni to the Kraft family (of New England Patriots fame) for selection as a $20,000 Myra H. Kraft Giving Back Scholarship honoree. The scholarship highlights the scale and scope of alumni who have used Project 351 as a liftoff for creating and leading their own service and community initiatives. Casey, with her knowledge of the ambassadors and enthusiasm for their efforts, does not make the job any easier, Hoag jokes. “She’s like a loving mother to all of the ambassadors,” he says. “They benefit by her example. I can’t think of a better role model for them.” Ellie Miller Hall ’11, a member of Patrick’s staff who recently took a position with the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, volunteered at the first Project 351 Launch Day and has been involved ever since, most recently in charge of the organization’s Alumni Leadership Council. “Project 351 is the closest thing for me to be able to connect to our mission of men and women for others,” Hall says. “There’s no greater example than Carolyn. So much of what Project 351

dan vaillancourt

is today is because of her hard work and her vision and her leadership, but she really just shares her gratitude with everyone else. She always thanks everyone for making it happen.”

REFLECTION AND INSPIRATION As all-consuming as running Project 351 might be, Casey makes time for other pursuits. She co-founded a monthly gathering of women who lead nonprofits, meetings that she calls “a learning lab” for listening and working together on common goals. She’s a runner who has completed three marathons (two Boston, one New York), but is quick to add she sticks to shorter distances these days. Other passions include yoga, traveling, reading, mentoring and volunteering, politics, and supporting the local sports teams. “My greatest joy is time with my friends and family, especially my three nieces — Riley, Leighton and Tatum — and nephew, Dylan,” she says. “They are the heart of my hearts and consistently teach me about what/who matters most and to find joy in every moment.” Casey draws strength and inspiration from her family and from the Holy

Cross community. Initially, she was reluctant to share a personal story that demonstrates the power of support from her alma mater and how it figured in the conception of Project 351. Casey’s sister-in-law, Neilie (Heffernan) Casey ’90, wife of her brother Mike, was among those killed in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. Neilie Casey was aboard one of the hijacked Boston planes flown into the World Trade Center and was one of seven Holy Cross alumni killed that day. It was a devastating loss for the Casey and Heffernan families, and she says the Holy Cross faith leaders and community responded with love, compassion and messages of hope. “What an overwhelming demonstration of love and community that was,” Casey says, still emotional about its impact more than 16 years later. Her family’s experience helped shape her decision to form Project 351. “Part of Project 351 is born from that recognition that community is enduring and is a source of hope and courage and strength,” she says. “And that’s what we try to instill in our eighth-graders — you are hope and courage and strength.” ■

L E A D IN G T HE NE X T G ENER AT I O N O F D R E A MER S A ND D O ER S / 4 1


4 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018


Roger Hankins (right), director of Holy Cross’ Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery, hangs the signage, Tim Johnson, exhibitions preparator, adjusts lights, and Maurice A. Géracht, professor of English and Stephen J. Prior Professor of Humanities, walks through the recent exhibit, “Robert Beauchamp: Four Decades of Works on Paper.” This photo is interspersed with detail shots of Beauchamp’s acclaimed expressionist style.

PRESERVING A LEGACY, EDUCATING THE FUTURE Gift of 700+ works by renowned American expressionist Robert Beauchamp turns Cantor Gallery into a unique classroom and teaching tool B Y M A U R A S U L L I VA N H I L L

R

oger Hankins makes his way to the studio on Bethuen Street in Manhattan’s West Village every six months or so. Behind the pale-yellow concrete exterior and brass and glass doors, dozens of painted canvases lie vertically on racks, some as large as five feet across. Hundreds more drawings and sketches, stored in flat file drawers and portfolios, fill the space, along with a worktable in the center of the room.

“Bee-chum”), who was renowned for his paintings and drawings from the 1950s until his death in 1995.

The canvases and papers are alive with shapes, people, animals and objects, all drawn with the sharp lines, flattened forms and distorted imagery typical of the expressionist art movement.

His widow, Nadine Valenti Beauchamp, also an artist, maintains this studio space for her own painting, as well as to store her husband’s legacy, a sizeable portion of which has become a permanent part of the fine art collection at Holy Cross.

The artist is acclaimed expressionist Robert Beauchamp (pronounced

tom rettig

Beauchamp lived and worked in this Manhattan studio, and also spent time in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Major galleries in both locations and across the United States exhibited his work during his life, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim in New York, as well as galleries in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Hankins, the director of

P R E S E R V I N G A L E G A C Y , E D U C A T I CNHG ATNHGEE M F UA TK U ERS E / 43


(left) Robert Beauchamp in his studio, c. 1980. (above) Nadine Valenti Beauchamp and Roger Hankins in the studio of NVB, New York, January 2018.

Holy Cross’ Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery, has been making visits to Valenti Beauchamp and the studio since the early 2000s, when Holy Cross Professor of English and Stephen J. Prior Professor of Humanities Maurice A. Géracht first introduced them. Géracht, an avid fan and collector of Beauchamp’s work, is a close friend of Valenti Beauchamp and knew she was thinking about which institution would be best for housing her husband’s valuable artwork. Géracht was convinced Holy Cross was the place. Over the course of a decade, Hankins visited the studio more than a dozen times, immersing himself in Beauchamp’s work and techniques, with Valenti

Beauchamp as his guide. “Over the number of years I went there, it was a process of educating myself about his work and also understanding the ways in which we at Holy Cross could relate to the collection and how it could best serve the College,” Hankins says. At that same time, Valenti Beauchamp was focused on preserving the art for future generations of art students and scholars. She wants his work to be used as a teaching tool and put on display in exhibits — rather than stored in some dark university or museum archives — as Beauchamp himself was an art teacher.

4 4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

The more time Hankins spent in Beauchamp’s studio, the more he, too, was certain that Holy Cross was the best home for this art. “It became really apparent to me, while looking through the drawings with Nadine, that there was an awful lot of material that was extremely useful in a pedagogical way. So I pitched the idea to both Nadine and the College administration to house and archive these valuable materials,” Hankins says. “This is material that could really be used by our art students and others, to learn from in a very direct way.” Hankins proposed the idea — with Géracht’s rousing endorsement — around

photos courtesy of nadine valenti beauchamp / tim johnson


(top left) Maurice A. Géracht, professor of English and Stephen J. Prior Professor of Humanities, in his office surrounded by several of his personal Beauchamp pieces, was instrumental in the donation of the collection to the College. (top right) Students study Beauchamp drawings in the hallways outside the Cantor Gallery. (below) Students in Visual Arts lecturer Leslie Schomp’s Drawing Fundamentals class sketch some of Beauchamp’s works on paper, a collection of more than 700 pieces now residing at Holy Cross.

Stephanie Yuhl, professor of history and director of Montserrat, works with students in Professor Andrea Borghini’s course about the philosophy of food and justice on their formal debate skills. Acquisition of oral communication skills is an essential goal of Montserrat courses.

2012, and Valenti Beauchamp began the process of cataloguing and organizing all of her husband’s work. By 2016, she had donated more than 700 of her husband’s works on paper to Holy Cross and the Cantor Art Gallery, making it the largest art donation in the history of the College. Géracht also contributed 100 of his own personal Beauchamp works. Some of these pieces have never been displayed publicly, and the generous donation doubled the size of the gallery’s fine art collection. Although there were a few drawings

photos by tom rettig

already in the collection, this donation represents the first substantial gift of drawings to the Cantor collection since the gallery was founded. From January to March 2018, a portion of this monumental gift was on display at the Cantor Art Gallery in “Robert Beauchamp: Four Decades of Works on Paper.” It took several years for the donation to come to fruition because Valenti Beauchamp needed time to categorize and organize the drawings, grouping

them by decade in some cases and style in others. But this also gave Hankins an unprecedented opportunity to be involved in this process and select the drawings that would be most useful for the College. “This is a pretty unique situation, because most large collection institutions would not have the time to devote to doing this kind of forensic work on a single artist’s collection,” Hankins says. “Their resources are generally stretched to cover a lot of research. But this is Holy Cross and the Cantor Art Gallery, and we work

PR E S ER V IN G A L EG AC Y, ED U C AT IN G T HE F U T UR E / 4 5


(above) A Beauchamp self-portrait, “Artist in His Studio,” hangs inside the entrance to Stein Hall. (left) Untitled, c. 1970s, powdered graphite wash, litho crayon, graphite, 30” x 26.” (below) Untitled, 1977, ink, powdered graphite wash, litho crayon, graphite, 24” x 18” is shown on a middle grey background with Kodak Color Control Patches at the top and bottom of the piece so that the drawing, when photographed, is captured as close as it would appear in person.


hard to bring important exhibitions to the College, our students and faculty. We often tackle projects that are seemingly impossible for a small college gallery with a staff of two people. When working with Nadine, I could devote more attention and time when it wouldn’t conflict with our academic year exhibition schedule; the summer months generally worked best to organize the details and logistics of this substantial gift of art.” Valenti Beauchamp, with the assistance of a graduate art student, took on the bulk of the organizational work, and Hankins calls her “the real heroine” of that process. “She is very self-sacrificing in terms of trying to preserve the legacy of Robert Beauchamp’s work and what he did,” Hankins says. “The Cantor staff and our faculty see how important these pieces are as teaching tools, so it works for the mission of the gallery and for what Nadine wishes for her husband’s collection,” Géracht adds. “It’s a win-win all around.” The College’s Cantor Art Gallery was established in 1983 and presents four to five original and loan exhibitions every year in the 1,800-square-foot gallery space. The gallery also plays host to receptions, guest lectures, readings and student presentations throughout the academic year, serving as a hub of art appreciation for all facets of the Holy Cross community.

persistence of his discipline over and over again,” Hankins says. “When we selected the pieces for the show, we wanted to have as many pieces as possible so that visitors get a sense of the sheer volume of both Beauchamp’s output of drawings and the volume of the resource that we have here on campus now. I can’t do a show with 700 drawings in it, but this is a peek into the riches in the entire collection.” The collection spans from the early 1960s to Beauchamp’s death in 1995, and includes drawings of humans, animals and objects, all done in his signature expressionist style. Expressionism was a movement in the early 20th century wherein artists distorted the image of reality in their work in order to evoke emotions in the viewer and convey their own inner feelings or ideas. Another Beauchamp piece is on display in Stein Hall, a self-portrait painting called “Artist in His Studio” (opposite, top). “A traditional subject, the treatment is anything but conventional,” Géracht writes of this painting in his scholarly article, “Robert Beauchamp (1923-1995): Self-Portraits.” “The struggle to affirm his and our humanity, as well as his questioning of its course, lie at the center of Beauchamp’s work, and especially so in his late portraits ...

One of the goals for the Beauchamp exhibition was to emphasize the processes an artist uses when creating art.

“Large round dark blue eyes stare out unblinking; one red and one yellow pupil ... The artist holds the oversize palette flat against his body, like a shield, at once presenting it ready for progressive action and active defense … It is a dense world of accreted colors and personal images in which the lyrical and the threatening, the comic and the tragic, despair and joy, the silly and the serious, order and the absurd, co-exist not as separate entities alongside one another, but which reverberate in the very same paint speckles, slashes, splotches, saturated hue and drips, as well as drawn images which make for the painterly surface.”

“Dedicated practice is what made his work exceptional, and that’s what these drawings represent — you can see

While that painting is on public display in Stein, storing multiple large canvas paintings is another story. The storage

“Visual art is not exclusive for art students. A gallery like ours exists to introduce people to the art-making process and creativity. We develop exhibitions in very complex ways that tell a wellrounded story,” Hankins says. “It’s more than, ‘Here’s a work of art with a short description.’”

tom rettig

space for the Cantor’s collection is modest, and it was most practical for the paper drawings — as opposed to any canvas paintings — to be part of the collection. Where some might see the space issue as a limitation, Hankins sees the benefit in focusing on a representative selection of Beauchamp’s drawings, as opposed to a few paintings on stretched canvas.

STUDYING THE PROCESS For art students, the Beauchamp collection is an unparalleled opportunity to study the progress of a piece of art, from beginning sketches to final product, Hankins says. “It is very rare for students to have an opportunity to see how an artist thinks. By having 100 drawings of a similar portrait, you really have an opportunity to see just how he arrived at certain pieces,” Hankins says. “You can see some of the earlier stages, the different variations, how he developed a particular way of doing a portrait. “That is why this collection makes so much sense in an educational setting, as opposed to stored in a museum vault and only occasionally selected for an exhibition,” he adds. “This gives us an opportunity to really have the drawings out and be able to teach from them, and repeat that frequently for various faculty and students, because good drawings often have a timeless quality about them.” Leslie Schomp, a lecturer in the visual arts department since 2000, was a cocurator of the exhibition of Beauchamp’s work, and relished the opportunity for her drawing students to learn from the artist’s techniques. She took her classes to the exhibit and also worked with Hankins to schedule separate visits to the Cantor Gallery to look at Beauchamp pieces that were not on display. Hankins frequently hosts art classes and other academic departments in the gallery, selecting pieces from the collection’s storage area for student viewing. He says it is a completely different way to interact with art, compared to seeing it on a wall,

PR E S ER V IN G A L EG AC Y, ED U C AT IN G T HE F U T UR E / 47


behind glass and in a frame. Schomp and her students studied Beauchamp’s drawing techniques, including how he used layout, negative space, lines and color to convey mood and emotion. Since Beauchamp was an expressionist, they also discussed the movement and gestures of the drawings’

No matter which aspect of his technique they were studying, Schomp made sure that students saw the process of creating the piece and the hard work that goes into making art.

“We are able to see where he was really successful and where he was working toward that success. Magic is not some instant thing that just IT IS VERY RARE FOR STUDENTS TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO happens,” SEE HOW AN ARTIST THINKS. BY HAVING 100 DRAWINGS OF she says. A SIMILAR PORTRAIT, YOU REALLY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO “I really believe, SEE JUST HOW HE ARRIVED AT CERTAIN PIECES. YOU CAN SEE from SOME OF THE EARLIER STAGES, THE DIFFERENT VARIATIONS, looking HOW HE DEVELOPED A PARTICULAR WAY OF DOING A PORTRAIT. at this huge body — Roger Hankins, director of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery of work, that he subjects, asking each other: What about worked really hard to get this magic. It the subject is expressive? What action are took an incredible amount of work ethic, they taking, and what mood or emotion commitment and trying it again and again. does that convey? In respect to the students, that can be taught. That can be shown.” Claudia Davila ’20, a student in Schomp’s Intermediate Drawing class, visited the Lily Ryan ’21 got that message when Beauchamp exhibit multiple times. On she visited the Beauchamp exhibit with each visit, she found herself captivated by Schomp’s Intermediate Drawing class. a drawing of a bicycle. “I thought it was very interesting how “I saw the bicycle drawing three different some of his experimental drawings and times, and at first, I thought it was falling sketches became the pieces of artwork to the right. It seemed static,” says Davila, displayed in the gallery,” says Ryan, who a psychology major with an art minor is from Scituate, Massachusetts, and from Lima, Peru. “The second time, I undecided on a major. “They weren’t clean noticed that it had paint splattered to the and structured, as final pieces are, but left and that the bicycle was tilted, making they became his final pieces because he it seem like it was rolling down a hill at embraced the rawness of his work [during an angle. I realized that since I looked at the process].” the drawing on several different days, I paid more attention to what I didn’t know Beauchamp himself would most likely be than what I already did. Beauchamp’s thrilled to hear that this is what students drawings showed me how there is always are taking away from his work. Hankins a different way to look at things and says Beauchamp worked at his craft, interpret them.” diligently going to his studio every day and putting in hours’ worth of work, churning Schomp’s classes also explored the out as many as 300 drawings a week at different drawing materials Beauchamp some points in his career. used — he experimented with charcoal, pencils, colored pencils, even mineral Beauchamp also frequently sketched spirits and graphite — and what effect author portraits of the likes of Irish author these materials had on the texture of the Samuel Beckett and English writers drawing. Joseph Conrad and Virginia Woolf. He also

4 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

often drew characters from James Joyce stories. Géracht and his fellow English faculty members plan on utilizing the many author and book character portraits in the Beauchamp collection, examining the drawings in relation to the text of these authors. “Through his art, one of the things Beauchamp does is to examine the continuum in the human condition — in both facing the dark side of the human condition as well as the joy — within the same drawing or painting,” Géracht says. “People like Beckett, Conrad, Woolf and Joyce did that as well, in their writing.” Down the road, the Cantor Art Gallery will have a larger, more robust storage space in the new gallery location in the Center for the Arts and Creativity, one of the projects of the Become More campaign. There’s a chance that some of Beauchamp’s large canvas paintings could find a permanent home on Mount St. James, but at the very least, there will be a resource room directly connected to the gallery where students, faculty and scholars can visit and immerse themselves in the artist’s work. “Now is the right time for this show — and for Beauchamp’s work to come to campus — because of the environment we have here, with all kinds of arts programs taking place and interacting with one another,” Hankins says. “There is much more awareness about the arts on campus, and this is another great thing that the Cantor Gallery can offer the campus.” Hankins, along with Paula Rosenblum, the gallery’s assistant director for communications and operations, always emphasize service to the College community in their work. Their willingness to go above and beyond — coupled with Valenti Beauchamp’s generosity — made this historic gift to the College possible. “You could not want a greater, more passionate, more meticulous, more talented director of gallery than Roger,” Géracht says. “He is the crème de la crème. We are so lucky to have him. He and Paula do an incredible job — exhibition after exhibition, they are the top.” ■


THE CANTOR ART GALLERY’S PERMANENT FINE ART COLLECTION

T

he Robert Beauchamp works on paper are part of the nearly 2,000 pieces of fine art that make up the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery’s permanent collection. Comprised entirely of donated pieces, thanks to the generosity of alumni, parents and friends of the College, Director Roger Hankins says it is a substantial collection, given the relatively small size of the gallery and accompanying storage space. “They are works by artists that are well-documented and had successful careers. They have a place in art history

and historical significance,” Hankins says. “Like Beauchamp’s works on paper, all the pieces in the collection are meant to be instructive for our students.” The collection’s pillars include the Beauchamp works on paper, 10 sculptures by renowned French sculptor Auguste Rodin, donated by Iris and B. Gerald Cantor and the foundation bearing their names, and more than 100 textiles from Indonesia and Southeast Asia, donated by Anne and John Summerfield. Hankins says the gallery’s Southeast Asian textile

collection contains rare woven examples from Sumatra, Java, Bali Flores, Kalimantan and Sarawak, and other islands in Indonesia not often found in college collections other than large collections such as those in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College or the Yale University Art Gallery. Among other notable works in the collection are sculptures by Chaim Gross, Peter Grippe, Robert Wlerick and Robert Goodnough; photographs by Marilyn Bridges, Paul Caponigro and Ralph Gibson from a gift by James ’65 and Judith Beale Jr.; a large-scale woodblock, screen print and collage by Roy Litchenstein, a gift of Franklin Klaine Jr. ’63; several Robert Rauschenberg prints donated by Charles Tebo ’61; and two largescale paintings by Robert

(left) ​Auguste Rodin, French, (1840 - 1917), Open Right Hand, n.d., bronze, 4 14” x 2’ x 1 3/4”, 1982.07; (middle) Auguste Rodin, French, (1840 - 1917), Bust of Young Balzac, 1891, bronze, 17” x 16” x 9 1/4”, 1982.1; (right) Auguste Rodin, French, (1840 - 1917), Bust of St. John the Baptist, c. 1878, bronze, 21” x 15 3/4” x 11 3/4”, 1982.13

frank e. graham

Goodnough. Many other wonderful gifts of art have come to the collection in recent years, which are too numerous to list. There are also pieces created by members of the College’s visual arts faculty, including Michael Beatty, Cristi Rinklin, Leslie Schomp and Susan Schmidt. Selected pieces from the permanent collection are on display across campus, including administrative offices, several academic departments and public spaces in Smith Hall, Stein Hall and others, as well as indoors and outside. “We keep moving objects from storage out into the public and have been doing it consistently for a number of years now,” Hankins says. “It whets your appetite and reminds the community that yes, indeed, we do have a nice collection here.” ■

PR E S ER V IN G A L EG AC Y, ED U C AT IN G T HE F U T UR E / 4 9


S P OORRTTSS

Leading by Example New head football coach Bob Chesney is looking for more than just great athletes BY BENJAMIN GLEISSER

N

ew Holy Cross head football coach Bob Chesney arrived at Mount St. James as a winner. After guiding Assumption College’s football squad to three NCAA Division II tournament appearances and winning two Northeast-10 Conference Championships in five years, the fivetime Coach of the Year joined Holy Cross in December and hit the ground running. His first job: Work the phones and

recruit athletes. “We’re looking for great football players, but we’re also looking for great people,” Chesney says. “I don’t want our athletes to be the best at just one thing, I want them to be the best at everything they do and have a strong belief in community. That ties into the mission of Holy Cross: men and women for others.” Darwin Breaux, men’s golf coach at Pennsylvania’s Dickinson College, Chesney’s alma mater, says Chesney should have no trouble finding the type of athlete he seeks. “He’s a good recruiter,” notes Breaux, who was formerly Dickinson’s head football coach and recruited Chesney as a defensive back in the mid-1990s. “He was a terrific student-athlete, a personable guy and a tough, hard-nosed, blue-collar player who knew how to play

5 0 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

the game — the kind of player who leads by example.” Born into a football family — his father, Robert, coached high school football — Chesney became a student of the game at a young age. “I was 5 years old when I put on my first helmet and shoulder pads and went to my first full-contact practice, and I remember not knowing a whole lot about anything having to do with football,” Chesney recalls. “Even though my father was a football coach and I was around it a lot, I didn’t know how plays were called, and I felt a little stressed about it. “The coach told me, ‘Don’t worry about it. Just go home and spend some time with your Dad, and you’ll be fine by tomorrow.’ And the next day, I had the whole playbook down.”

ROB CARLIN


New Holy Cross football coach Bob Chesney talks with players during a recent conditioning session at the Indoor Practice Facility inside the Luth Athletic Complex.

Raised in Kulpmont, Pennsylvania, Chesney began accompanying his father to practices and games. He played practically every position in high school and graduated from Dickinson in 2000 with a B.A. in religion — an interesting choice for someone who wanted to make coaching football his career. “I enjoyed studying world religions, and seeing the similarities across all religions was fascinating,” he says. “Religion is history with a purpose. It’s why our communities were settled, why our wars were fought and how we live today.” After graduation, Chesney secured an assistant coaching position at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. That led to coaching jobs at King’s College (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania), Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore) and Salve Regina University (Newport, Rhode Island), his first stint as a head coach.

Salve Regina had eight consecutive losing seasons before Chesney was picked to lead the program. Over the course of his three-year tenure, he posted a 23-9 record, and the Seahawks’ defense consistently ranked among the league and Division III national leaders. He performed the same magic at Worcester's Assumption College, a school that saw five losing seasons before Chesney led the squad to five winning seasons and turned it into a Division II powerhouse.

important for a team with individuals from many backgrounds to show unity.”

“What I’ve learned over my coaching career is players care more about your connection to them than how great of a football coach you might be,” he says. “When you connect with people, you give yourself a chance to have them buy into your program and what you’re trying to accomplish. When the connection doesn’t exist, it doesn’t matter how great a football coach you are, a lot of people don’t want to play for you.”

Q&A with BOB CHESNEY

Another key ingredient for success is creating motivation, Chesney adds.

what nfl team do you follow?

“Players are motivated when they feel they have a direct effect on the outcome of a game,” he notes. “When each person feels their job is important, they become self-motivated, and they realize they’re not playing for me, they’re playing for their teammates, for their school, for their families and for their community.” Community is important to Chesney, who lives in Worcester with his wife, Andrea, daughters, Lyla and Hudson, and son, Bo. While at Assumption, his team logged more than 500 hours of community service with groups such as Habitat for Humanity, Friendly House, Team Impact and St. John’s Food Pantry, aiding populations — youth, seniors and the underserved — that Chesney believes need it the most. “When you’re in a position of power like our players are, and younger individuals in town are looking up to you, it’s very important to give back,” he says. “It’s also

Chesney says Holy Cross fans will see an exciting brand of football this fall. “They’ll see a team that pays attention to all the little details, a team that cares a lot about each other and a lot about all the little things that go into winning football games,” he says. “And I hope they see a team that’s having fun on the field and loves being there.”

what’s your favorite football movie? "Rudy." It’s the story of an underdog, the story of grit and determination and will. The word “quit” isn’t in his vocabulary. It’s a pretty cool thing to believe you can do anything at all costs and be that passionate about something. A lot of people go through life being very comfortable about being average and never testing themselves.

The ironic thing is when you’re a college football coach, you don’t spend much time watching NFL games, or even college football games. You spend all your time watching your team. When I was a kid, I liked Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins.

who in sports history, alive or dead, would you like to meet? I’m a big Muhammad Ali fan. I respect what he accomplished in his life and the confidence he had in himself. He had that confidence long before he was dubbed “The Greatest.” What he did for so many different people and so many different cultures is really something remarkable.

do you have any pregame superstitions for luck? Too many to even begin to count. I’ve worn the same sneakers, socks and shirt for I don’t know how many years now. It’s one of those things that when something works, it’s hard to change. But they only get worn on game days. ■

LEADING BY EXAMPLE / SPORTS / 51


SPORTS

Malcolm Miller ’15 Makes NBA Debut Former Holy Cross forward is the first Crusader to appear in an NBA contest since 1981 BY D AV I D D R I V E R

52 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018


A

fter playing last season in Germany, Malcolm Miller ’15 overcame an ankle injury, signed with the Toronto Raptors and has become the first Holy Cross basketball player in 37 years to make his NBA debut.

December when he got the news he was getting called up to the pros.

Last fall, Miller was signed by Toronto to a two-way contract, which effectively allows teams to have 17-man rosters with two players in hybrid situations. Players on two-way contracts must have three or fewer years of experience and can float between the developmental G League and the NBA for up to 45 days. Toronto’s G League team, Raptors 905, is based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

Miller made his NBA debut Dec. 20 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and played five minutes with two assists, becoming the first Holy Cross product to appear in an NBA contest since Garrett "Garry" Witts ’81 of the Washington Bullets during the 1981-82 season.

Miller began the season with Raptors 905, averaging 26.8 minutes and 12.3 points per contest in his first 27 games. He was traveling with the team in late

Malcolm Miller ʼ15 of the Toronto Raptors poses for a portrait during Media Day on Sept. 25, 2017, at the BioSteel Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada RON TURENNE

“The next thing I know, they called,” the 6-foot-7 forward says of the Toronto front office. “I hopped on a plane and met the Raptors.”

“It is definitely an honor,” says Miller, who turned 25 on March 6, from his suburban Toronto apartment. “Not many people from the Patriot League or other mid-major programs are able to make it to that level. It was nice to get into the game. I had played against some of those guys in the G League before.” Three days later, he played three minutes at home against the Philadelphia 76ers. Miller, who scored 1,013 points in his career at Holy Cross, then scored the first six points of his career as he made two shots from 3-point range on Jan. 11 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Miller later made his first NBA career start against the Charlotte Hornets on March 4. “The dream is always you want to be an NBA player. I was happy to get that done,” Miller says. Raptors head coach Dwane Casey has been impressed by Miller, who played four years for the Crusaders. “He is an NBA shooter,” Casey said before a game in Washington, D.C., against the Wizards. “He played in the Cleveland game and came in and knocked in a couple of buckets. I am very impressed with his shooting. He needs to get a lot stronger and take the hits and bumps of the NBA, but shooting will not be one of his problems.” Miller was a standout at Gaithersburg High in Maryland, a suburb of the nation’s

capital, but did not get a lot of attention from major Division I college programs. Milan Brown, former Crusaders head coach, went to Howard University in Washington, D.C., and learned about Miller from a friend, James Lee, who was officiating AAU games in the region. “I had just gotten to Holy Cross, and James called me. He said [Miller] fits your academic profile,” says Brown, now an assistant coach at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. “I saw him play at a tourney in West Virginia.” By the time Miller was a sophomore at Holy Cross, Brown says he knew Miller had the potential to go pro. “The sky is the limit if you are willing to work,” Brown told him. “His junior year was very good. He had some tremendous highlight film plays.” Miller ended his Holy Cross career with 532 rebounds, 164 assists and 143 blocked shots, the latter of which ranks third in all-time program history. He graduated in 2015 with a degree in philosophy and played for the Boston Celtics Summer League team. He later joined the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics’ G League squad, before going to Germany for the 2016-17 season. There he played with Alba Berlin, one of the top clubs in Germany, and also took part in EuroCup games. “Going to Berlin was a great experience for me,” he says. “It helped me grow up as a person and a ballplayer. I broke my wrist and missed a few games. Germany was a pretty physical league. Many of the European leagues aren’t as athletic as the NBA.” Brown, his former coach, says he sent Miller a text once he got called up to the NBA. “I told you so,” Brown wrote, remembering their conversation when Miller was a sophomore on Mount St. James. According to Brown, Miller replied, “You are right coach, you are right.” ■

MALCOLM MILLER MAKES NBA DEBUT / SPORTS / 53


ALUMNI NEWS

Mystery Photo Strike up the band! But where? And when? Do you recognize this band of marching musicians on the move? Let us know at hcmag@holycross.edu!

5 4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

54 Mystery Photo • 56 HCAA News •


59 Alumni News • 66 Book Notes • 68 The Power of One • 70 In Your Own Words • 72 The Profile • 74 Class Notes • 78 Milestones • 80 In Memoriam

editor's note No one was able to identify the Mystery Photo in the Winter 2018 issue. But it's not too late! Let us know if you recognize anyone in the crowd at that football game!

MYSTERY PHOTO / ALUMNI NEWS / 55


HCAA NEWS community service projects together. While we are nestled between the two events, I wanted to take this opportunity to explain why I love Holy Cross. I love Holy Cross because Holy Cross cares!

A Message from Brian

A

s this note arrives, we are in between two of our alma mater’s newest traditions:

• Our day of giving, and • Holy Cross Cares Day, a time for alumni to gather locally and perform

Is it cheesy? Without a doubt! Might this be an oversimplification? Of course! I stand by its simplicity. I love Holy Cross because our community cares. We are men and women for and with others. We care about our alma mater, one another and our world. A Holy Cross education exposes us to an everincreasing and evolving need — as well as the peace

and glory — to be for others, as well as ourselves. While how we are with and for others (by person, life stage and geographic location) varies, we consistently and constantly find a way to live our mission. We enter careers that enable us to: • Care for and cure the sick. • Fight for those in need. • Impart knowledge. • Strengthen communities. • Create opportunities for others. • Support our alma mater with time, talent and/or treasure. Let’s not forget we also: • Join the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, the Peace Corps and/or Teach for America. • Donate clothing, food or money to hurricane and/or earthquake relief. • Run, walk or ride in races of various distance for important causes. • Defend our own child’s right to equal access.

I HCAA Committees and Metro NYC Regional Club Partner with JoyJ Initiative 5 6 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

• Foster children and animals as our own. • Care for our aging elders (parents, grandparents, etc.). Oh, yes, we also: • Greet those who pass by us. • Hold the door for those behind us. I love Holy Cross because Holy Cross cares ... because we care ... because you care. Thanks for all the ways you care and for all the ways you provide more reasons to love Holy Cross. P.S. If you are interested in learning more about HCAA’s upcoming Holy Cross Cares Day events, please visit holycross.edu/hccares. ■ Thank you, Brian P. Duggan '96 email bduggan.817@hotmail.com twitter @BPDuggan instagram @BPDuggan817

n December, the HCAA Spirituality and Young Alumni committees, along with the Metro New York City regional club, partnered with the JoyJ Initiative, an organization that provides essential support to local homeless populations through direct outreach programs. More than 70 alumni, family and friends gathered at Blessed Sacrament Church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side to make 174 comfort bags that included useful items such as a hat, gloves, a sandwich and a McDonald's gift card. Volunteers then went out to various areas of Manhattan and distributed the bags directly to homeless men and women on the streets, and in many cases, had impactful conversations and made meaningful connections with those they met. ■


nominated for director by a petition containing the signatures of 20 alumni with the executive secretary no later than May 1."

HCAA Board Nominations Announced

T

he Holy Cross Alumni Association has announced the names of those nominated to serve as officers and members of its board of directors. Kristyn M. Dyer ’94 has been re-appointed executive secretary. Alumni Association bylaws do not require yearly nomination to these offices. Nominations were selected in accordance with Alumni Association bylaws, which allow for no more than 13 alumni to be chosen annually for three-year terms: 10 from class year 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: “Any member of the Alumni Association may be

Any HCAA member who would like to be so nominated should submit a petition to Kristyn Dyer by May 1, 2018. If any petition is received, a ballot will appear in an issue of Holy Cross Magazine so alumni can vote for the candidate(s) nominated by petition. To view all HCAA board of directors candidates, go to holycross.edu/alumni/ crusadersconnect/hcaa.

Brian P. Duggan ’96

pr e side n t Laura Cutone Godwin ’96

vice pr e side n t Margaret O’Rourke Granados ’88

vice pr e side n t PRESIDENT-ELECT Michael H. Shanahan ’78, P10 Mike Shanahan has served on the HCAA board of directors since 1993 and as treasurer since 1997. He has chaired the HCAA Summer Fellowship Committee since 1994 and has been a member of the Budget & Finance and Executive committees since 1997. Since 1984, Shanahan has served as a co-chair for the class of 1978 and is a past president and treasurer of the Holy Cross Club of Greater Boston. Additionally, he is a member of the President’s Council and a past recipient of the In Hoc Signo Award. His service extends beyond Holy Cross with current and former roles as a trustee of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, director of the Agganis Foundation, a trustee of St. John’s Preparatory School and president of the Harvard Club of Boston. Shanahan is managing partner of Egan-Managed Capital and resides in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He and his wife, Mary, have four Jesuit-educated children, including Elizabeth Shanahan ’10. ■

Michael H. Shanahan ’78

t r e asur e r Kristyn M. Dyer ’94

e xe cut ive se cr e ta ry

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

The Holy Cross Alumni Association (HCAA) supports alma mater in its Catholic, Jesuit mission by bringing together the diverse talents, experience and knowledge of Holy Cross alumni. We accomplish this by engaging alumni for life through our reunions, regional clubs, community outreach and intellectual and spiritual formation programs. By these means, we nurture our love for and dedication to Holy Cross, its students and its alumni as men and women for others. ■

HCA A NEWS / ALUMNI NEWS / 57


CEDRIC DEAN

HCAA NEWS

HCAA Crossroads | City Spotlight Series

Minneapolis-St. Paul

I

f you've never been to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), our resident Crusaders will convince you it's a must-visit. This issue's City Spotlight is a hidden gem that our alums say is America’s cleanest urban area. Minneapolis has 22 lakes within the city limits and more nearby. No wonder our alumni rave about clean air and clean water, and insist that walking and biking are the best ways to see the cities. MSP is the largest urban region along the Mississippi River. These cities may be twins, but they certainly aren't identical. “[State capital] St. Paul is boring and likes it that way. Downtown Minneapolis is bustling and fun, especially near First Avenue. That is where I would stay in a hotel,” says one alum. “If you go the Airbnb route, look at Northeast or neighborhoods around the lakes [Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet],” advises another Crusader. Holy Cross graduates say the area is great because it is the perfect mix of an up-and-coming technological city — with companies such as Target, Best Buy and General Mills, and hospitals like

the Mayo Clinic and Abbott Northwestern Hospital — and a small town feel where people are nice and make you feel at home. "People say 'good morning' and 'thank you.' They ask how you are doing, and they actually mean it. There is a special feeling of community," says one contented Crusader. The area is "uber-athletic" with great choices for sporting events. In St. Paul, alumni are watching the NHL’s Minnesota Wild in the winter and the St. Paul Saints (independent baseball) in the summer. The Minnesota Twins (MLB) and the Minnesota Vikings (NFL) round out the area’s professional teams. And Minneapolis hosted Super Bowl LII in February! Another Crusader shares, "St. Paul is sometimes called the westernmost 'eastern' city, featuring older neighborhoods with homes built by railroad, mining and logging tycoons, historic capitol and cathedral buildings, and families that have remained in the area for generations. Minneapolis is called the easternmost 'western' city: established later by the grain and milling

5 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

industry, less enamored with tradition, younger in spirit, constantly evolving and featuring thriving contemporary art, theater and music communities." Adding to the vibe, there are many colleges and universities located in MSP, including the University of Minnesota, University of St. Thomas, Carleton College and Macalester College. As for food, our alums have dozens of recommendations, from the Juicy Lucy burger to outstanding French cuisine. Alumnus Bill Kozlak '58 and his family own the highly rated Jax Café, a Minneapolis steak house with an eclectic menu and Sunday brunch. Now run by Bill's son, the fourth generation, Jax has a trout stream from which you can net your own trout and have it prepared. "It's the freshest fish dinner in town — the fish is still swimming when you order it," Bill says. Our alums say you must experience the Mall of America. It is a tourist attraction unto itself with an indoor amusement park, 520 stores and thousands of employees. Finally, the State Fair in late August is a great classic celebration of Minnesota and a tradition not to be missed. ■

Up next in our City Spotlight Series – Denver! Brought to you by the HCAA Communications Committee.


ALUMNI NEWS

Gleason Honored with Regional Clubs Volunteer Award

Spotlight On

Holy Cross Club of Virginia

F

ounded just six years ago, the Holy Cross Club of Virginia has quickly emerged as one of the most active groups within the Holy Cross regional clubs network. Serving more than 450 alumni, parents and friends, the club extends across a wide area, from Richmond to the Tidewater region of southeastern Virginia (a distance of more than 100 miles). An active group, it organizes nearly one event each quarter, ranging from food tours of historic Richmond to Holy Cross Cares Day service projects in Norfolk to Christmas parties in Williamsburg. The club keeps a strong

connection to Holy Cross Athletics: It hosted the Holy Cross baseball team during a 2016 spring series at the College of William & Mary and organizes regular watch parties whenever Holy Cross basketball teams are on national TV. The club also encourages its members to take advantage of cultural opportunities in the area by organizing gatherings around Grand Illumination in Colonial Williamsburg and the York River Maritime Heritage Festival in Yorktown. Year-round residents and occasional visitors are always welcome at club events. There's something for everyone in the Old Dominion! ■

(top) Maureen Egan ’83, owner of Real Richmond Food Tours, leads club members on a recent walking tour of the capital city's sights, sounds and flavors. (middle) The club gathers for its annual Christmas luncheon in Williamsburg, December 2017. (bottom) Alumni and families take part in a Holy Cross Cares Day service event at the Norfolk Ronald McDonald House.

T

he Holy Cross Alumni Association has announced the 2018 recipient of its Regional Clubs Volunteer Award, which recognizes outstanding service to alma mater through the Holy Cross Regional Clubs Program. Francis X. "Frank" Gleason, M.D., ’71, P00 has been an active and influential member of the Holy Cross Club of Virginia since its creation in 2012. The club is indebted to his commitment, collaborative spirit and leadership, all of which have had an influence on the club's programming and communication efforts to engage multiple

generations of Virginia alumni and friends. Frank is the club's founding member, currently serving as its president and lead musician (he and son Brian comprise the club's official band, Fiddler's Green, which specializes in Irish and American tunes in the pub tradition). His enthusiasm and encouragement to test ideas for new alumni events and programs, coupled with an exceptional team of dedicated club volunteers, have been a winning combination. Through his involvement and service, Frank continues to keep the Holy Cross spirit alive and well throughout much of the Old Dominion. A member of the HCAA board of directors and a class reunion volunteer, Frank majored in chemistry at Holy Cross. Retired from the practice of medicine, he lives in Williamsburg, Virginia, with his wife, Patrice. They are the proud parents of Cara '00, Sean and Brian, and immensely enjoy their seven grandchildren. ■

HCA A NEWS / ALUMNI NEWS / 59


ALUMNI NEWS JOHN BUCKINGHAM

Home Is Where The Heart Is

M

ore than 85

divisions across campus,

reception for all alumni

alumni serve

such as Academic Affairs,

employees at Campion

Holy Cross as

Advancement, Athletics

House, a fun opportunity

faculty, staff

and Student Affairs. On

to connect with colleagues

and administrators,

Feb. 8, the Office of Alumni

and share some Holy Cross

representing various

Relations hosted a casual

camaraderie. ■

(first row, left to right) Kristyn Dyer ’94 (Advancement); Isabelle Jenkins ’10 (Community-Based Learning); Tom Cadigan ’02 (Advancement); Trish Haylon ’83 (Advancement) (second row, left to right) Rachelle Beaudoin ’04 (Visual Arts); Julie Draczynski ’99 (Career Development); Maura Sweeney ’07 (Career Development); Rev. James Hayes, S.J. ’72 (College Chaplains); Rev. Joseph Bruce, S.J. ’73 (Archives); Ellen Keohane ’83 (Information Technology) (third row, left to right) Amy Remby ’08 (Visual Arts); Roseann Fitzgerald ’78 (Advancement); Lisa Villa ’90 (Library); Maggie Bramley ’98 (Advancement); Emily Davis ’99 (College Chaplains); Christian Santillo ’06 (Marketing & Communications) (fourth row, left to right) Pete Zona ’14 (Advancement); James Doyle ’96 (Biology); Anna Doyle ’96 (Biology); Mark Savolis ’77 (Archives); Karen Reilly ’77 (Library); Sara Port ’02 (Advancement); Rebecca Blackwell ’16 (Marketing & Communications); Rev. William Campbell, S.J. ’87 (Mission).

SPUD Celebrates 50 Years at a SPUD site occurred in the middle of the night during my freshman year, sitting at the Abby’s House kitchen table with another woman and her newborn, a premature baby who was struggling with respiratory issues,” says SPUD intern Carly Priest ’18. “We were both 19, both bright young women, but at

very different stages in our lives. In moments like these, SPUD becomes more than a weekly program commitment — it becomes Abby’s House, and moments of profound connection fostered through mutual respect and quiet conversations.” “The lasting effect of our work

6 0 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

(continued from Page 65) is on a more personal level — transforming Holy Cross students' perspectives on the city that they live in and its people — and vice versa — is a powerful part of SPUD’s impact,” Kelly explains. At SPUD’s core lies the potential for teachable moments about life, service

and compassion for others. Clancy understood in 1968, and he understands now that students are grappling with the meaning of their SPUD experience — and thinking about where their values should take them beyond their Holy Cross education. “That’s what happened to me 50 years ago,” he says. That’s the enormously important impact.” ■ ­— Maeve Sweeney ’18


SAVE THE DATES KENNETH LEE

Holy Cross Weekend june 15–17, 2018 S AV E TH E DAT E

Alumni Travel: Croatia oct. 7–14, 2018 S AV E THE DAT E

Alumni, parents and friends are invited to admire the diverse scenery and experience the vibrant cultural heritage of Croatia, a trove of historic cities, pristine parkland and miles of

The Holy Cross LGBTQ Alumni Network

sun-drenched Adriatic coastline! Our eight-day tour

invites all alumni, spouses, partners and

includes round-trip airfare from Boston; six nights

friends to reconnect, relax and enjoy the beauty

hotel accommodations; three dinners, including a

and festivities of Provincetown, Massachusetts.

special farmhouse dinner; Ston oyster and Peljesac

Join us for organized gatherings at the Crown & Anchor

wine tasting; daily breakfast; luxury motor coach and tour manager.

Inn, plus shows, concerts and other exciting Ptown entertainment!

Learn more and view a webinar at holycross.edu/croatia

Visit alumni.holycross.edu/capeweekend for more details and to register. All are welcome!

$3,599 PER PERSON/DOUBLE OCCUPANCY

Black Student Union 50th Anniversary Celebration S AV E THE DAT E

We invite you to join us in celebrating the legacy and future of the BSU, its past and current members, and everyone and everything that this extraordinary organization has

inspired at the College and beyond. More information to be shared soon.

friday, nov. 9 – sunday, nov. 11, 2018

ALUMNI NEWS / 61


ALUMNI NEWS P H OTO S BY M AT T W R I G H T

Winter Homecoming 2018

F

rom hot chocolate to Bob Cousy bobbleheads, Fools on the Hill to hoops at the Hart Center, Winter Homecoming had something for everyone. The annual event provided alumni with an opportunity to reconnect and reminisce. Current legacy students celebrated their Holy Cross families at a special luncheon with their alumni parent(s), while others networked with alumni during career-related sessions. Enjoy photos from the exciting weekend and save the date for Fall Homecoming on Sept. 29, 2018. â–

6 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018


COME HOME TO THE HILL

REUNION 2018 JUNE 1–3

Classes of 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013

JUNE 8–10

Classes of 1953, 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988 and Purple Knights

W W W. H O L Y C R O S S . E D U / A L U M N I / R E U N I O N

ALUMNI NEWS / 63


ALUMNI NEWS ROB CARLIN

TOM RETTIG

TOM RETTIG

SPUD Celebrates 50 Years of Students Serving Worcester

D

issatisfied with the status quo and seeking more agency in uncertain times, Holy Cross students decided to put their Jesuit education to use in 1968 by establishing a student-run service organization, one that has since exploded in scope throughout the city of Worcester and is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. Student Programs for Urban Development, better known as SPUD, was founded out of a desire to connect with Worcester residents in light of the major events disrupting

the American landscape in 1968: mounting resistance against the Vietnam War, increased participation among youth during the Civil Rights Movement and the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy. SPUD founder Patrick E. Clancy ’68 and other Holy Cross students recognized the need to serve their neighbors and set out to establish a student-led volunteer organization. To attract participants, Clancy created a brochure that listed six volunteer sites throughout the city and a quote by

6 4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

French poet Paul Claudel: “Youth was not made for pleasure, but for heroism.” "I probably read that quote in a theology or philosophy class," recalls Clancy, who used it as a call to action for students. “We were aspiring to heroic acts; that was sort of the spirit of the times.” The SPUD spirit of dedication to others is reflected in the oft-repeated Jesuit ideal, "Men and women for and with others." And, surprisingly, SPUD predates the adoption of this motto on campus. “It’s noteworthy that students at Holy Cross were already living this out concretely before the Jesuits had fully articulated education for justice as the primary aim of Jesuit higher education,” says Martin Kelly, associate

chaplain and current SPUD faculty adviser. “Students paved the way for building the volunteer capacity to significantly impact local neighborhoods and address the immediate needs of the underprivileged in Worcester.” The first year SPUD was launched, there were six service locations staffed by 40 Holy Cross students and 60 students from other Worcester colleges and universities. Today, SPUD sends 530 student volunteers to more than 40 sites across Worcester and is run exclusively through Holy Cross. Students have been visiting some of the sites — which have become program staples — for decades, such as the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, the Mustard Seed Catholic Worker and Abby’s House.


While the Chaplains' Office became affiliated with SPUD around the year 2000, the organization's success over five decades is a testament to the continued leadership and initiative shown by students. The SPUD Recruitment Fair, an event during which students can sign up to volunteer, draws hundreds of students each September, many of whom feel called to action by the current state of affairs in the city and nation. It is divided into clusters that offer a variety of service opportunities: youth mentoring, afterschool and educational opportunities, poverty and hunger, and health care and the elderly. The fair attracts so many participants that students must sign up for a 15-minute time slot to attend, and many arrive early to get a good spot in line.

“SPUD is the part of my week that gives me that opportunity to focus my attention, energy and thoughts on Worcester, on the place I call home. Holy Cross is extremely social justice oriented in its teachings and coursework, and SPUD has allowed me to take those lessons and put them to action,” says SPUD intern Daniela Fazio ’18. Remaining up to date with the needs of those in Worcester, SPUD has expanded to engage those within the growing immigrant and refugee communities, including a partnership with the African Community Education Program (ACE) and the Worcester Refugee Assistance Program (WRAP). ACE serves middle and high school-aged African refugees, whereas WRAP serves Burmese refugees. Both SPUD sites encourage volunteers

to aid refugees in gaining access to available resources, assimilating to American culture and completing their education. “The SPUD program and Holy Cross have been an integral part of Worcester Refugee Assistance Project's success in several ways,” says WRAP Executive Director Lesa McWalters. “SPUD volunteers have worked closely with the Burmese refugee children and youth by helping with homework, reading to children and relating to children and youth of all ages through fun and educational programs. Their donations, both monetary and in-kind, have helped WRAP maintain educational support and mentorship for children and youth, and have inspired youth who are considering higher education in the future. Volunteers in the

SPUD program have initiated several discussions and panels on campus that have included speakers from the WRAP board and community, which help promote the awareness of refugees living in the Worcester community. We at WRAP are eternally grateful for the dedication and support of the SPUD program.” Not only does SPUD’s work significantly impact the local community, but it also has a reciprocal impact on Holy Cross students. At Abby's House, an organization that serves the needs of low-income and battered women and their children, these mutually influential relationships have been fostered for more than 40 years. “The most profound moment I’ve had (continued on Page 60)

ALUMNI NEWS / 65


BOOK NOTES

From Our Alumni Authors The Rain in Portugal: Poems By Billy Collins ’63 Random House

New York Times bestseller “The Rain in Portugal” is former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins’ 12th collection of poetry, comprised of nearly 50 new poems exploring such topics as travel, art, cats, dogs, love, death and nature. With his characteristic wit, playfulness and irony, Collins — called “America’s favorite poet” by The Wall Street Journal — entertains and engages the reader in this clever yet accessible treasury of poems. WHAT OTHERS SAY

“This new collection shows [Collins] at his finest. … Certain to please his large readership and a good place for readers new to Collins to begin.”— Library Journal

The Amazing Baseball Adventure:

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

Ballpark Wonders from the Bushes to the Show By Josh Pahigian ’96

nothing in which Pahigian can't find some intrinsic beauty, particularly when it's associated with a ballpark."

In his latest baseball travel book, “The Amazing Ballpark Adventure,” Pahigian describes 100-plus ballpark wonders — features that make ballparks special. From Fenway Park’s Green Monster (Boston Red Sox) to the Exploding Scoreboard at U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox) to the Cable Car at AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants), Pahigian explores the history of these unique features and their effect on the game, while also providing readers with eye-catching photos and interesting facts.

— LA Daily News columnist Tom Hoffarth on Inside SoCal, Amazon.com

Lyons Press

WHAT OTHERS SAY

"It's possible that no one has squeezed more fun and passion over the last two decades from baseballrelated cross-country trips than Pahigian ... We've come to understand there may be

6 6 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

The Year in Haiku:

A Journey through the Seasons and their Holidays By Trish Gannon ’87 Horse Creek Publishing

This collection by Trish Gannon takes readers of all ages through the year, featuring haiku inspired by 35 different holidays. As standalone poems or paired with stunning photographs taken by the author, the haiku offer glimpses of our annual celebrations, with tribute to the places they hold within our cultures and calendars. WHAT OTHERS SAY

“'The Year in Haiku' is a delightful trip through the year's holidays, offering

beautiful, thought-provoking connections between the holidays and the natural world. The author brings depth, artfulness and rich meaning to each poem with her carefully chosen words.”

– reader review, Amazon.com

“Honest” John Kelly, Truth or Satire

By Hugh J. Kelly ’56

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform In “‘Honest’ John Kelly, Truth or Satire,” author Hugh Kelly presents an account of the life and times of his ancestor, one of the 19th century's most powerful and colorful politicians. Known as the “boss” of Tammany Hall, New York City's Democratic stronghold, during the late 1800s, prominent political leader John Kelly proudly bore the nickname "Honest”; but was this moniker truth or satire? In this work, the author presents evidence on both sides of the debate,


leaving the reader to decide. WHAT OTHERS SAY

“If you've ever wondered about the struggles of Irish Catholics in the 1800s, and why the move to politics was necessary to improve the lives of the masses, then this book is for you. The writing style, formatting, and clever use of pictures flow together seamlessly, and keep the reader interested at all times.” – reader review,

Amazon.com

Comeback!

Tom Brady’s Two Year Mission to Overcome Deflategate By Vin Femia ’72

accusations. Femia takes a close look at the Deflategate investigation, the subsequent court rulings and appeals, and the Patriots’ remarkable 2016–2017 season, during which quarterback Tom Brady served a four-game suspension — and ultimately went on to win Super Bowl LI. WHAT OTHERS SAY

“Sports fans will revel in this true tale of drama, controversy and determination. ‘Comeback!’ goes beyond the headlines to bring to life the story behind the New England Patriots’ 2015 and 2017 Super Bowl wins.” — Samantha Stone,

author of “Unleash Possible”

Chandler House Press, Inc. In “Comeback!” Femia explores the highly publicized “Deflategate” controversy — when the New England Patriots were accused of using under-inflated footballs in their AFC Championship win against the Indianapolis Colts on their way to the 2015 Super Bowl — and the Patriots’ response to these

Motherest

By Kristen Iskandrian ’99 Twelve

Called a “defining book of 2017” by The Wall Street Journal, “Motherest” introduces the reader to Agnes, a college student in the early 1990s caught between the broken home

she leaves behind and the wilderness of campus life. What she needs most is her mother, who has seemingly disappeared, and her brother, who left the family tragically a few years prior. As Agnes falls into new romance, mines female friendships for intimacy and struggles to find her footing, she writes letters to her mother, both to conjure a closeness they never had and to try to translate her experiences to herself. When she finds out she is pregnant, Agnes begins to contend with what it means to be a mother and, in some ways, what it means to be your own mother. WHAT OTHERS SAY

"...[A] touching, delightful, and satisfying novel about motherhood." – Publishers

Weekly (Best Books of 2017)

Frackin’ Lives:

Sequel to Twisted Vines By Art Maurer ’62 CreateSpace Independent

Publishing Platform A sequel to Maurer’s first novel, “Twisted Vines,” “Frackin’ Lives” examines the struggles of a couple and their deepening relationship. The pair hopes to quietly establish a winery in New York’s Finger Lakes region and perhaps even get married. But life intrudes — relatives, neighbors, hydrofracking, gun violence and more. Struggles threaten, joy runs deep, challenges demand undivided attention, and carefully made plans are disrupted, leaving the reader to wonder: Can the couple prevail? WHAT OTHERS SAY

“The characters were vivid, the setting elegantly described. This story of young love is rich in the complexities brought about through culture and environment, but like all well-written sagas, it has the reader cheering for what is right and who is right.” – reader review, Amazon.com ■

BOOK NOTES / ALUMNI NEWS / 67


THE POWER OF ONE

Young alumni are a vital part of the Holy Cross family. They stay connected and pay it forward as consistent donors and dedicated, passionate volunteers. Through their devotion and support, Holy Cross has reached new heights.

JR BUTLER Ęź08

6 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018


name

zone because of the nature of a liberal arts education, I don’t know if I could have done it.

JR Butler ’08 hometown Marlboro, Massachusetts what he did at holy cross

“I find gratification in giving back to the college that helped propel me and taught me values that allow me to focus on being better every single day, not just for myself, but for those around me.”

“I played varsity hockey freshman and sophomore years, and was part of the Holy Cross team that finished eighth in the country in 2006. Junior and senior years, I worked offcampus at One Eleven Chop House and helped manage college nights at various bars and restaurants. After I stopped playing hockey, my parents made it clear that I needed to help cover as much of the college cost as I could, and I was focused on working.” how holy cross affected his life “Holy Cross helped transform me from a self-centered and inwardfocused clueless teenager into a mature and outwardly focused adult, with a lot more selfawareness, as well as empathy for those around me. The mission of being a person for others has largely affected the way I live. When I have the opportunity to grow spiritually, intellectually and socially, I focus on making sure that I am sharing those opportunities, lessons learned and skills — not just with loved ones, but with people I meet, whether in helping others find sobriety like I did, coaching youth hockey in South Boston or helping young people in the workplace over the years.” the working life “I took a risk several years ago and left a comfortable role at an established large company to join a much smaller startup. Without the courage and confidence I gained at Holy Cross, spending so much time outside of my comfort

“I’m a vice president of sales at a software company headquartered in Boston. We’ve grown from 50 people to 500 in the past four years and seen our valuation grow tenfold in that same period. It’s been exciting, and we are close to a successful exit. I have big plans for the next period that are largely driven by Holy Cross’ Jesuit mission and my experience in sobriety.” memorable holy cross moments “Beating Minnesota in the NCAA regional my sophomore year was fun! My most memorable professor was Fr. Reboli. His passion for his subject (art history), and the enjoyment he clearly derived from teaching it, became a model for me. I knew I wanted to get into something for my career that I loved the way Fr. Reboli loved art history.” why he believes in holy cross “The mission has never changed. I think it’s incredibly important in the ever-evolving world we live in today that the mission of living for others is spread as broadly as possible.” why he gives to holy cross “I give because people before me gave, affording me opportunities. Much like I find gratification in teaching a newly minted employee how to run a meeting, or a young hockey player the importance of fitness and nutrition, or someone struggling with addiction a perspective on how to look at their challenges, I find gratification in giving back to the college that helped propel me and taught me values that allow me to focus on being better every single day, not just for myself, but for those around me.” ■

DAN VAILLANCOURT

THE POWER OF ONE / ALUMNI NEWS / 69


IN YOUR OWN WORDS

Direction and Inspiration A reflection on the impact of a Summer Ministry Internship

BY LUKE LAPEAN ’19

was reading the countless daily emails Holy Cross students receive when I stumbled across one inviting me to apply for a Summer Ministry Internship through the Chaplains’ Office. Then in my sophomore year, I hadn’t given any thought to applying for an internship. And I certainly didn’t see myself doing one last

I filled out the application, went through the interview process and was notified that I had been accepted into the program. Now all I had to do was find my site, which could be any faith-based organization that was not my home parish. Granted, there aren’t that many faith-based organizations near my home of which I’m not aware, but that’s what

I

summer — I thought internships were something only juniors did. However, what was immediately appealing was the fact that finding my internship site was up to me, which meant that I could stay local. That mattered, as hailing from a tiny town in southwestern Vermont, there aren’t too many internship opportunities — in any field — near my home.

70 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

TOM RETTIG


ministered to all three, despite being based at a fourth. Jeff was more than willing for me to intern, because as parish life director he basically performs all of the non-sacramental duties of a parish priest.

Luke Lapean '19 in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Google is for. I quickly learned there were several parishes right across the border in upstate New York, including one named Holy Cross. If that wasn’t a sign, then I didn’t know what was. I reached out to Jeff Peck, parish life director for the Battenkill Catholic Cluster, of which Holy Cross is a part. Since the cluster consisted of relatively small parishes, I would split my time between St. Patrick’s, Holy Cross and Immaculate Conception. These parishes were linked because the same priest

Soon after finals ended, I began my ministry. The upstate New York towns I covered were very rural, in many cases farming communities or old factory towns that had not rebounded since the factories left. At all three parishes, people were thrilled to see a college student involved in church ministry. As a result of the small staff sizes in all three locations (at one I doubled the staff — from one to two), I performed various tasks such as teaching Vacation Bible School; making Communion calls to the homebound; setting up and maintaining the myParish app; catching bats that had gotten into the belfry; assisting at funerals; presiding at funeral services; performing interments; assisting in setting up and executing a parish census; cooking community dinners; performing nearly every liturgical role other than priest; helping to facilitate book discussions; helping organize liturgical objects (deciding what needed to be buried and what could be kept); learning how to deal with insurance companies; learning about parish cash flow; and helping with the paperwork needed for the annulment process. But simply listing the tasks I performed (as varied and interesting as they were) fails to capture the relationships I built with the people with whom I worked and with those to whom I ministered. I visited dozens of homebound elderly who were thrilled to have someone to talk to, and my role as a Eucharistic minister gave them the confidence to talk about their doubts, fears and hopes. This gave me an incredible sense of responsibility; these people barely knew me, yet because of my position they felt comfortable confiding their feelings to me, and this drove me to do my best to live up to what they expected me to be. This sense of responsibility was only enhanced when I was called upon to assist at the school associated with

Immaculate Conception. As funny as it was when the kids thought that I was really old, I was in a position in which my actions and words would have a direct influence on their behavior and lives. I was lucky enough to work with amazing people who provided me direction and inspired me to do my best. As I mentioned before, Jeff Peck was parish life director and the person with whom I worked most closely. He taught me what needed to be done, what should be done, how to deal with the politics that are present in any institution — especially one in a small town — and how to handle it all with faith and grace. Our views on church doctrine and liturgy were very similar, which made for smooth sailing. At the end of the summer, I looked back at my initial interview and remembered that Jeff kept asking me if I would be OK working with a lay parish director. Not only was I OK with it, but I also learned far more from him than from anyone else I ever worked with — lay or ordained — in any function of ministry. At St. Patrick’s, I visited many of the homebound with Sister Augusta Ann Burgess, or as we called her, Sister Gussie. Sister Gussie is a remarkable woman who devotes herself to caring for others. Whenever I went with her to visit one of “her people,” I could feel the love that she had for them and they reciprocated in kind. Even though she’s in her 80s, Sister Gussie shows no signs of slowing down (at one point, she was teaching me about smartphones). At St. Patrick’s, I also worked with Mary Rosmus, director of faith formation, who taught me how to plan a class and talk about religion with families who were not necessarily “churched” — both essential to my overall ministry. This internship accomplished its goal in that it exposed me to numerous forms of ministry and allowed me to explore and deepen my interest. The moral of my story for fellow students: Open every school email you get — you never know when there might be one that will help you find direction for your life. ■

IN YOUR OWN WORDS / ALUMNI NEWS / 71


THE PROFILE

Mary Iafelice '11 addresses students at the Holy Cross Non-Profit Careers Conference in January.

Backing the Underserved Named to Forbes 2018 ‘30 Under 30,’ Mary Iafelice ’11 co-founds venture capital firm to fund women, minority BY LO R I F E R G U S O N and military veteran entrepreneurs

I

f anyone’s surprised that a philosophy degree could lead to a career in venture capital, it’s Mary Iafelice ’11.

“When I graduated from Holy Cross with my degree in philosophy, I thought I was going to stay in academia,” Iafelice confesses, “but then shortly

7 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

after graduation, I eloped. Suddenly, I found myself living in North Carolina with my new husband — a Marine — and no job.” It took Iafelice seven months to find part-time employment, a development that reset her expectations. “It was a frustrating and humbling experience,” she says.

ROB CARLIN


Things have changed considerably since then. Today, Iafelice is the co-founder of humble ventures, a venture capital firm that helps economically underserved entrepreneurs — women, minorities and military veterans — leverage internal and external partnerships to get their ideas to market. Since launching in July 2016, the company has helped 25 startups raise more than $4 million in venture capital funding and achieve almost $1 million in revenue. In early January, Iafelice was recognized as one of the 2018 Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ in the Social Entrepreneurship category. “Receiving that award was a shock,” she says, “but I’m so grateful. Being recognized for my work, into which I pour my heart and soul, was of course amazing, but the recognition has also opened up incredible opportunities for me and for the people I work with, which is the most important thing. “My journey to this spot was a bit of a circuitous route,” Iafelice continues with a soft laugh. “I loved studying philosophy at Holy Cross — the faculty is incredible. Professor Lawrence and Professor Manoussakis were especially influential; they taught me how to think and gave me a true appreciation of the insights that deep analysis can provide. When you can spend three hours discussing one sentence, you realize it’s more about how you’re learning than what you’re learning.” Iafelice says her stint as director of Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD) also provided insights that inform her work to this day: “I saw that many of the problems plaguing underserved communities are the result of lack of economic opportunities.” And when Iafelice entered the workforce, she realized much could be done. Her time as operations manager and then managing director with Bunker Labs — a national nonprofit committed to educating transitioning service members and veterans as they seek to launch their entrepreneurial

ventures — cemented her resolve. Realizing that opportunities to “do well while doing good” were legion, Iafelice joined forces with Ajit Verghese, Harry Alford and Ray Crowell to form the venture capital firm humble ventures. “We realized that there were opportunities to take the programs we had created to a much bigger audience,” she says. The firm’s aim is simple: to support entrepreneurs who are working to solve problems within their communities. “There are many leaders within local communities who have great ideas, but they’re often ignored by venture capitalists,” she says. The humble ventures team is empathetic to their struggles, Iafelice continues, but that doesn’t mean they’re a soft touch. “We are looking for entrepreneurs who have the ability to be coachable — we don’t want big egos,” she notes. “We ask three tough questions of every startup: ‘Are you solving a problem that can be solved? Is the problem worth solving? Can your solution be monetized?’” Humble ventures is one of a growing number of venture capital firms investing in underserved populations, Iafelice acknowledges, yet she maintains much work remains to be done. “Last year, 2 percent of all venture capital went to women and less than 1 percent went to founders of color,” she notes. Iafelice remains committed to doing her part to move the needle. In January, she returned to Holy Cross to give a presentation at the Non-Profit Careers Conference, speaking on the “Business Side of Non-Profits.” “I’m grateful to Professor Chu for inviting me to speak and share what I’ve learned,” Iafelice says. “I view my time at Holy Cross as one of the Top 5 achievements of my life, not only in what I learned, but also in the mindset that I shaped there. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to give back.”

FIVE QUESTIONS

with MARY IAFELICE ’11

What’s the most important quality for an entrepreneur to possess? Resilience. There are lots of ups and downs in the entrepreneurial journey, and usually more downs. It’s important to stay calm and maintain a steady mindset, even when the wheels are coming off the bus.

What’s the most common mistake you see entrepreneurs make? They focus too much on their solution, rather than on the problem at hand. One of the biggest dangers for an entrepreneur is building a product that no one wants or needs. You’ve got to keep the end user in mind at all times.

How would you describe your approach to investing in philosophical terms? I always ask myself two questions: Is this problem worth solving? Is this the right time and the right team to take the solution to market?

You’ve stated that you enjoy employing empathy to help underserved entrepreneurs. How would you respond to those who say that empathy and venture capitalism are antithetical? I’d tell them they’re wrong. Empathy is at the core of my success. Without empathy — for entrepreneurs and for the populations they’re serving — I could easily become sidetracked by the challenges we encounter and the problems we’re working to solve.

What’s the most surprising startup idea you’ve seen? One of our entrepreneurs is a woman in her 60s from Savannah, Georgia, so right away you see she’s not your typical entrepreneur — she’s a woman, she’s not a millennial and she’s not from a hot area of the country for startups. But she came up with a great idea for a business. It’s a telehealth company called Corstrata, and it provides wound care management to patients who can’t easily access wound care specialists. It’s a terrific idea, and it’s meeting a vital community need. ■

THE PROFILE / ALUMNI NEWS / 73


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.

1942

1948

established a general medical practice

the Japanese language program at

in Rochester and served families

the University of Michigan, where

Hon. Paul V.

for 45 years. He is survived by four

he obtained his BBA and MBA. He

Daniel W. Sullivan,

Mullaney, of

daughters; two sons; four sons-in-

is survived by his granddaughter,

of Carolina, North

Worcester, died on

law; one daughter-in-law; one son’s

Madeleine M. LaRue '14.

Carolina, died on

Nov. 1, 2017, at 97.

partner; eight grandchildren; his

After graduating

nephew, Joseph A. Drago '76; and his

Lawrence W. Tighe

from Holy Cross, he enlisted in the

in-law, Irene M. Drago '78. He was

Lawrence W. “Bert” Tighe, of Sudbury,

Cross as a member of the class of 1945

U.S. Marine Corps and later joined

predeceased by his wife of 65 years,

Massachusetts, died on Oct. 5, 2017,

and was a member of the Navy V-12

the Marine Reserves. He graduated

Edna; one brother, George A. Smith '51;

at 92. Mr. Tighe received his master’s

program. His alumni relatives include

with honors from Boston College

and one sister.

degree in history from Boston College.

his son, James F. Sullivan '72; his

He taught high school history in

son-in-law, William E. Walsh Jr. '70;

Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. He

and his grandsons, James F. Sullivan

was later employed by a waterworks

Jr. '02, John P. Walsh '06 and Brian W. Walsh '01.

Hon. Paul V. Mullaney

Law School and practiced at the law firm Ceaty, Ceaty, McCarthy & Donnelly in Worcester. He served

1946

James C. Ferrucci, M.D.

Daniel W. Sullivan

Nov. 22, 2017, at 94. He entered Holy

on the Worcester City Council from

James C. “Jim”

supply house in Sudbury, before

1960-1967 and as acting mayor of

Ferrucci, M.D.,

starting his own company, Ti-SALES,

Worcester from 1963-1965; he was

of Milton,

Inc., where he worked for 50 years.

then appointed judge in the Dudley

Massachusetts, died

He served in the U.S. Navy. Mr.

Ralph A. Celone

(Massachusetts) District Court. He

on Dec. 1, 2017, at 92.

Tighe studied history at Holy Cross

Ralph A. Celone, of Bristol, Rhode

1949

was an active Holy Cross alumnus

Dr. Ferrucci attended Tufts Medical

and participated in ROTC; he was a

Island, died on Oct. 10, 2017, at 92. Mr.

and was the recipient of the College’s

School and practiced general surgery

member of the O’Callahan Society and

Celone received his master’s degree

In Hoc Signo Award in 2001. He

for 63 years. He was an instructor of

was affiliated with Naval ROTC. He is

in history from Boston University.

supported Holy Cross as a class agent

anatomy and surgery at Tufts Medical

survived by three sons; one daughter-

He taught English and history in the

and member of the 1843 Society. He

School, an instructor of surgery at the

in-law; one son’s companion; and two

Bristol Public Schools for 32 years. A

served as the Alumni Board director

Chelsea Naval Hospital and surgical

granddaughters. He was predeceased

history major at Holy Cross, he was

and on the Alumni Board Senate and

instructor at Boston University

by his wife of 68 years, Edna.

a member of the football team and

In Hoc Signo Committee; he was a

Medical School. He was a captain

member of the Holy Cross Lawyers

in the U.S. Air Force Surgical Corps

Sanford Weinert, M.D.

Association and O’Callahan Society.

during the Korean War. He supported

Sanford Weinert, M.D., of Worcester,

survived by one brother; one sister-

He is survived by five daughters, four

Holy Cross as a class agent and a

died on Dec. 13, 2017, at 92. Also

in-law; and many nieces, nephews and

sons, including Paul A. Mullaney ’76,

regional club career counselor. He

a graduate of Boston College, Dr.

cousins. He was predeceased by two

and their spouses; 19 grandchildren;

is survived by three sons, including

Weinert served as a lieutenant

sisters and two brothers.

and his nephew, James M. McCann Jr.

John G. Ferrucci '78; four daughters,

commander in the U.S. Navy during

’74. He was predeceased by his wife

including Joanne P. Sullivan '79 and

World War II; he then served in the

Carroll A. Gouger

of 62 years, Sallie McDermott; two

Ellen F. McKenna '83; four sons-in-

Naval Reserve and was a recipient

Carroll A. “Pete” Gouger, of West

brothers; one sister; and his in-law,

law, including Stephen W. McKenna,

of the Presidential Unit Citation. He

Barnstable, Massachusetts, died on

James M. McCann ’50.

D.M.D., '83; two daughters-in-law; 18

received a master's degree in biology

Aug. 21, 2017, at 94. Mr. Gouger served

grandchildren; two granddaughters-

from Harvard University and a medical

in the U.S. Army Air Corps during

in-law; and one great-grandchild. He

degree at Chicago Medical School. Dr.

World War II; he spent 15 months as a

was predeceased by his wife of over

Weinert was a urologist in Worcester

POW in Germany. He earned a degree

Alexander C. “Alex” Smith, M.D., of

64 years, Margaret Mary; his parents;

for over 35 years, first in private

in accounting from Bentley College and

Rochester, New Hampshire, died on

and his brother, Richard J. Ferrucci ’51.

practice and then at the Fallon Clinic.

worked for many years at Burroughs

He is survived by three daughters;

Corp. in New Haven, Connecticut. He

one son-in-law; one daughter’s

later served as a systems analyst in

1945

Alexander C. Smith, M.D. Dec. 3, 2017, at 94. Dr. Smith earned

participated in the 12th Annual Orange Bowl Classic in 1946. Mr. Celone is

his Doctor of Medicine degree from

Roger L. LaRue

Columbia University's College of

Roger L. LaRue, of Sevierville,

partner; three grandchildren; three

the banking and hospital accounting

Physicians and Surgeons. He served

Tennessee, died on Nov. 15, 2017, at 93.

step-grandchildren; two sisters-in-

sectors. Mr. Gouger is survived by

in the U.S. Navy during World War II;

A first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Mr.

law; one sister-in-law’s husband; and

two sons; two daughters-in-law;

he was commissioned as lieutenant

LaRue served in the Southwest Pacific

many nephews and nieces. He was

three grandchildren; and four great-

junior grade and served as a corpsman

and, later, in the U.S. Army Reserves.

predeceased by his wife, Simone; two

grandchildren. He was predeceased by

at the Chelsea Naval Hospital. He

He was enrolled by the Army in

brothers; and one sister.

his wife of over 70 years, Eleanor.

8 0 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018


John J. Sullivan

admissions advisor and class agent.

Sr. '71; a large extended family; and

in the real estate department of John

John J. Sullivan,

He is survived by his wife of 62 years,

many friends. He was predeceased by

Hancock. He served in the U.S. Army.

of Springfield,

Claire; five daughters; three sons; and

his wife, Anna; one son, Leo T. Hinkley

Mr. Casey played football at Holy

Massachusetts, died

30 grandchildren.

III '75; and one sister.

Cross and was a member of the Purple

Richard C. Gottlick

Robert L. Hoy

on Nov. 1, 2017, at 90. Mr. Sullivan earned

Key Society. He supported the College as a class agent and member of the

his M.A. at American International

Richard C. “Dick”

Robert L. “Bob”

1843 Society; he was also a member of

College and his Ed.D. at UMass

Gottlick, of

Hoy, of Milton,

the Holy Cross Lawyers Association.

Amherst. He served in the U.S. Navy

Westfield, New

Massachusetts, died

Mr. Casey is survived by three sons;

in the Pacific Theater. Mr. Sullivan

Jersey, died on

on Sept. 30, 2017, at

two daughters, including Ann C. Rose

graduated from Holy Cross cum

Oct. 21, 2017, at

92. Mr. Hoy earned

’88; two sons-in-law; one daughter-in-

laude. He is survived by two brothers,

88. Mr. Gottlick graduated with a

his J.D. from Boston University and

law; 12 grandchildren, including Anna

Thomas B. Sullivan ’51 and Robert M.

Master of Science degree from Steven

worked at his father’s law firm. He later

P. Criscitiello ’19; one great-grandson;

Sullivan, M.D., ’55.

Institute of Technology. He worked for

opened his own law office in Milton.

and his nephew, Brian E. Hurley ’72.

Johnson and Johnson headquarters

He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as

He was predeceased by his wife, Joan.

as a data processing manager for

an airplane mechanic in Virginia. Mr.

1950

Cosmo D. Bitetti

John J. Kealy, D.D.S.

most of his career. He served three

Hoy was a member of the Holy Cross

Cosmo D. “Cos”

years in the U.S. Army. Mr. Gottlick

Lawyers Association. He is survived

John J. “Jack” Kealy,

Bitetti, of New Hope,

studied physics at Holy Cross and

by six children and their spouses; 17

D.D.S., of Miami

Pennsylvania, died

participated in the Marching Band

grandchildren, including Michael J.

Shores, Florida,

on Sept. 24, 2017, at

and Orchestra; he was a member of

Hoy ’14; 23 great-grandchildren; and

died on Sept. 28,

93. Mr. Bitetti was

the HOIAH Marching Band Alumni.

many nieces, nephews and friends.

co-founder of an electronics firm in

He is survived by four sons; four

He was predeceased by his wife of 64

graduated from the Georgetown

Long Island, New York. He served

daughters; four sons-in-law; two

years, Margaret.

University School of Dentistry and

in the U.S. Army during World War

daughters-in-law; 22 grandchildren;

II. He majored in physics at Holy

three great-grandchildren; two sisters;

Cross and graduated cum laude. Mr.

and numerous relatives and friends.

John H. McGaulley,

Army. Dr. Kealy studied premed at

Bitetti is survived by six daughters

He was predeceased by his wife, Mary

of Plattsburgh, New

Holy Cross and graduated cum laude.

and their families, including 16

Joan; one son; and his parents.

York, died on Nov.

He served the College as a class agent.

26, 2017, at 88. Mr.

He is survived by his wife, Marcella;

McGaulley studied

one brother; one sister-in-law; one

grandchildren, and many friends. He was predeceased by his wife, Joan.

2017, at 87. Dr. Kealy

practiced dentistry in Miami for over

John H. McGaulley

Leo T. Hinkley Jr.

53 years. He was a captain in the U.S.

Leo T. Hinkley

Greek at Holy Cross and earned an

sister; one son, one daughter; one

Jr., of Braintree,

MBA from Columbia University. He

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

John A. “Jack”

Massachusetts,

served as an auditor in the U.S. Army

three grandchildren; one stepson, two

Butler, of Potomac,

formerly of Quechee,

and later opened an accounting

stepdaughters; two stepsons-in-law;

Maryland, died

Vermont, West

practice, where he worked as a CPA

and one step-granddaughter. He was

John A. Butler

on Dec. 9, 2017, at

Hartford, Connecticut, and Wilbraham,

until his retirement. He is survived

predeceased by one sister and one

90. At Holy Cross,

Massachusetts, died on Nov. 26, 2017.

by his wife of 65 years, Nancy; three

stepdaughter.

Mr. Butler majored in physics and

An economics major at Holy Cross,

daughters; one son-in-law; eight

was awarded the Strain Gold Medal

Mr. Hinkley earned his master’s

grandchildren; one grandson-in-law;

(philosophy essay). A graduate of

degree from Stanford University.

two great-grandchildren; his ward;

Joseph P. O'Malley

Massachusetts Maritime Academy,

He served in the U.S. Army during

and many nieces and nephews. He

Sr., M.D., of Bethesda,

he served in the Merchant Marine

World War II, where he was awarded

was predeceased by one daughter and

Maryland, died on

and U.S. Navy during the Korean

several decorations and citations,

one sister.

Dec. 12, 2017, at 87.

War. He worked for 35 years at IBM

including the Purple Heart. He was a

in marketing and education. He is

vice president for the EMHART Corp.

survived by his wife of nearly 57

A member of the President’s Council

years, Elinor; five children, including

at Holy Cross, he also supported the

Nicholas P. Albanese

Christopher A. Butler '91, and their

College as an admissions advisor,

Nicholas P.

from Harvard Medical School, he

spouses; and seven grandchildren.

class agent and member of the class

Albanese died

worked for the National Institutes

He was predeceased by his brother,

reunion committee. He is survived

Edmund J. Butler '44.

by six children, including Mary A.

Cedric H. Frederickson

Blanchette '81 and Michael F. Hinkley

Joseph P. O'Malley Sr., M.D.

A biology major at

1951

Holy Cross, Dr. O’Malley was active in the Knights of Columbus; he graduated magna cum laude. After graduating

on Aug. 24, 1999.

of Health as a commissioned officer of the U.S. Public Health Service.

John M. Casey Jr.

Following that, he worked for the

'86; three sons-in-law, including

John M. “Jack”

American Red Cross and, then, the

Cedric H.

Brian W. Blanchette, M.D., '81; one

Casey Jr., of

American Tissue Services of the

Frederickson, of

sister; two brothers; 12 grandchildren,

Hingham,

American Red Cross. He supported the

Cincinnati, died on

including Kevin L. Blanchette '14 and

Massachusetts, died

College as a class agent. He is survived

Oct. 18, 2017. Mr.

Allison E. Hartman '13; seven great-

on Nov. 1, 2017, at

by his wife of 64 years, Elaine; three

Frederickson served

grandchildren; several godchildren;

89. Mr. Casey earned his law degree

sons; one daughter and her husband;

in the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence

nieces and nephews, including Richard

from Boston College Law School and

one granddaughter and her husband;

Corps. He served the College as an

D. Cantalini '77 and James C. Cantalini

worked for 22 years as an attorney

his niece, Elaine C. Fazekas '83; and his

IN MEMORIAM / ALUMNI NEWS / 81


IN MEMORIAM nephew, Paul G. Feloney Jr. '85. He was

long teaching career at the University

a partner in both firms for more than

'77 and Kristen Sloan Maccini '82,

predeceased by two sons.

of Notre Dame and the Indiana

50 years. Mr. Gill held a number of

and their spouses, including Robert

University School of Medicine, where

public service positions in New York

J. Maccini '81; 17 grandchildren; four

he served as dean of the South Bend

City and served in several government

great-grandchildren; and one sister.

Paul R. Rousseau,

branch for 13 years. Mr. O’Malley

positions for former New York Gov.

of New Bedford,

supported Holy Cross Athletics and

George Pataki. An author and speaker,

Massachusetts, died

served as a class agent. He is survived

Mr. Gill was a member of the Holy

on Oct. 19, 2017, at

by his wife of 63 years, Helen; seven

Cross Lawyers Association and the

Pokar Chandiram

89. Mr. Rousseau

children and their spouses; and 14

Holy Cross Leadership Council of New

Chatani, of Jamaica,

was a graduate of the Gemological

grandchildren. He was predeceased by

York Dinner Committee; he was a New

died on Dec. 1,

Institute of America and was a certified

one grandson.

York Leadership Council honoree. He

2017. A business

Paul R. Rousseau

gemologist appraiser accredited by the American Gem Society. He was co-owner of LaFrance Jewelers in

1954

Pokar Chandiram Chatani

administration

is survived by his wife, Jacqueline;

1953

Michael J. Biety

one daughter; two sons; one son-in-

major at Holy Cross, Mr. Chatani

law; one daughter-in-law; and three

supported the College as a member

grandchildren.

of the career advisor network. He is

New Bedford. Mr. Rousseau served in

Michael J. “Mike”

the U.S. Army Medical Corps during

Biety, of Broomfield,

the Korean War. He is survived by his

Colorado, died on

wife, Anita; two daughters; one son;

Oct. 20, 2017, at 87.

James A. “Jim”

Mr. Biety studied

O’Malley, D.D.S., of

one son-in-law; four grandsons; three

James A. O’Malley, D.D.S.

survived by his wife, Sati, and his son, Anup C. Chatani '81.

Robert E. Cornelia Jr.

granddaughters; two granddaughters-

English at Holy Cross and graduated

Little Silver, New

Robert E. Cornelia

in-law; one grandson-in-law; two

cum laude. He participated in ROTC,

Jersey, formerly

Jr., of Columbia,

great-granddaughters; and many

was a member of the O’Callahan

of Vero Beach,

South Carolina,

nieces and nephews.

Society and was affiliated with

Florida, died on Oct. 24, 2017, at 86.

Naval ROTC. He is survived by six

Dr. O’Malley graduated from the

children and their spouses; and nine

University of Pennsylvania School

Cornelia earned a master’s degree

grandchildren.

of Dental Medicine and had a dental

from New York University and served

practice in Allenhurst, New Jersey.

as president of AT&T's Nassau Metals

He served as a captain in the U.S.

Telecommunications. He was a U.S.

John H. Wittig John H. Wittig, of Taunton, Massachusetts,

William D. Brusstar Jr.

died on Nov. 7, 2017, at 84. Mr.

died on Nov. 20,

William D. Brusstar

Air Force. Dr. O’Malley served the

Army veteran. At Holy Cross, he

2017, at 88. A cum

Jr., of Rochester

College as an admissions advisor. He

participated in cross country and

laude graduate of Holy Cross, Mr.

Hills, Michigan,

is survived by his wife of 50 years,

track. He is survived by his wife,

Wittig earned his master’s degree

died on June 14,

Ann; two daughters, one son and their

Barbara-Jay; two sons; one daughter;

from Bridgewater State University. He

2017, at 86. Mr.

spouses; one sister and her husband;

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

taught French and Latin at Taunton

Brusstar retired from General Motors

10 grandchildren; two sisters-in-law

two grandsons; two granddaughters;

High School. He served in the U.S.

as an attorney, and he was in the U.S.

and their husbands; and many nieces

one great-granddaughter; one sister-

Army during the Korean War. He

Army JAG Corps. He studied history

and nephews. He was predeceased by

in-law; one goddaughter; one stepson

is survived by his wife, Judith; two

and political science at Holy Cross

his parents and stepmother.

and his wife; one stepdaughter and

sons; one daughter-in-law; and two

and graduated cum laude. He was a

grandchildren. He was predeceased by

member of the Holy Cross Lawyers

one sister.

Association. Mr. Brusstar is survived

James M. Sloan III,

by his wife of 59 years, Suzanne; five

of Tiverton, Rhode

sons; one daughter; five daughters-

Island, died on

in-law; 10 grandchildren; one

Dec. 14, 2017, at 87.

John A. Hall, of

John F. “Jack”

granddaughter-in-law; one sister; and

A hockey player

Lakeland, Florida,

O'Malley, of South

one brother-in-law.

1952

John F. O'Malley Bend, Indiana, died on Nov. 13, 2017, at

James F. Gill Jr.

James M. Sloan III

her husband; and a host of nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents and one brother.

John A. Hall

at Holy Cross, Mr. Sloan served in

died on May 10,

the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence

2017, at 85. Mr. Hall

Corps. He earned his law degree

studied political

James F. Gill Jr., of

from Boston University and worked

science at Holy Cross and graduated

Mr. O’Malley studied biology and

Rockville Centre,

at the Providence law firm Gardner,

cum laude. He was a member of the

played basketball. He later received

New York, died on

Sawyer, Cottam & Gates (later Gardner,

career advisor network. He is survived

his M.Ed. from Worcester State

Oct. 27, 2017, at 86.

Sawyer, Gates & Sloan) for 55 years.

by his wife, Gwen.

College and his M.S. and Ph.D. in

Mr. Gill graduated

He was general counsel to the Rhode

86. At Holy Cross,

John A. Wickstrom

anatomy from Creighton University.

from Fordham Law School, after which

Island Builders Association (RIBA)

A lifelong educator, he served his

he was commissioned as a second

for 53 years and real estate counsel

John A. Wickstrom,

country as a second lieutenant while

lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps and

to the Roman Catholic Diocese

of Worcester and

teaching the military's medical service

served as a legal officer at Quantico,

of Providence. He supported the

Dunedin, Florida,

personnel. Following his service, he

Virginia, before serving as an assistant

College as a member of the reunion

died on Nov. 3, 2017,

taught in Massachusetts at Grafton Jr.

district attorney of New York County.

gift committee and the Holy Cross

High School, Worcester’s North High

He then joined the law firm of

Lawyers Association. He is survived by

earned his Juris Doctor from Boston

School, Worcester Junior College and

Robinson Silverman and Pearce, which

his wife of 63 years, Alice; six children,

University and had a long and

St. Vincent Hospital. He later had a

later became Bryan Cave; he served as

including Maryalice Sloan-Howitt

distinguished legal career. He practiced

8 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

at 85. Mr. Wickstrom


law as a civil trial lawyer with the law firm Tashjian, Simsarian & Wickstrom, and later with Wickstrom Morse, LLP. Mr. Wickstrom served the College as a class agent; he was a member of President’s Council, the Holy Cross Lawyers Association and the Varsity Club. He is survived by four daughters and three sons, including Timothy P. Wickstrom ’80 and Mark P. Wickstrom ’90; three sons-in-law; three daughters-in-law; one daughter’s partner; 23 grandchildren; one sister; one brother, Robert F. Wickstrom ’59; one sister-in-law; one brother-in-law; and his companion, Kathryn Roberts.

1955

A. Graham Miller A. Graham Miller, of Mountainside, New Jersey, died on Nov. 18, 1990. Mr. Miller participated in cross country and track at Holy Cross and was a member of the 1843 Society. He is survived by his son. His brother was the late E. Eugene Miller ’63.

Thomas J. Mollen Sr. Thomas J. “Tom”

holy cross remembers philosophy professor and former department chair, 1961-1991

Clyde Pax P78, 80, 81, 84 (1928-2017)

influential teachers,” says James

him and to which he responded so

M. Kee, professor emeritus of

faithfully all his life. Clyde Pax was

English. “To countless students

a philosopher’s philosopher and

he was a Socrates who awakened

also a man of deep faith.”

in them a knowledge of their ignorance and kindled in them a

After retiring in 1991, he continued

loving pursuit of wisdom. Many of

his writing and began his artistic

them went on to earn doctorates in

career as a painter, mounting an

philosophy and pursue academic

exhibition of his work, “Faces and

Mollen Sr., of

Clyde Pax, Ph.D.,

careers themselves. On the

Other Showings,” at Worcester

Endwell, New

of Charlottesville,

occasion of Clyde’s retirement,

Public Library.

York, died on Nov.

Virginia, died

many returned to Holy Cross and

24, 2017, at 83.

on Oct. 27, 2017,

organized an academic conference

“Painting is an attempt to see, and

at 89. Professor

in his honor.”

so is philosophy,” he told Holy

After graduating from Holy Cross with a degree in economics, Mr.

Pax was born on March 20, 1928,

Mollen served in the U.S. Navy. He

on the family farm near New

Generations of students valued

are concerned with questions of

later attended New York University

Weston, Ohio. After receiving

Professor Pax’s ability to help

perception.”

and worked for Hornblower and

his undergraduate degree at

them appreciate the importance

Weeks Investment Firm in New

the University of Notre Dame

of the study of philosophy to the

He is survived by his wife of 64

York. He returned to his hometown

in Indiana, he earned a master's

ways they might live their lives.

years, Ann; six children, including

of Binghamton, New York, to run

degree in philosophy at St. Louis

Colleagues treasured his wisdom

Mary Pax Lenney, Ph.D. ’78, Paul

his family business as president

University and returned to Notre

and generosity: participating in

H. Pax, Ph.D. ’80, Maggie A. Pax

of Mollen Transfer and Storage

Dame to complete his doctorate.

colloquia, serving on countless

’81 and Anne F. Pax ’84; son-in-

committees and chairing the

law John Paul Lenney ’77; and six

philosophy department.

grandchildren, including Anna C.

Company. After retirement, he began

Cross Magazine in 1999. “Both

another career as president of GM

Professor Pax was a distinguished

Broadcasting, Inc. and was owner of

member of the philosophy

the local radio station Magic 101.7.

department for 30 years, from

“Clyde was a dear, dear friend to

Mr. Mollen participated in ROTC at

1961 until his retirement in 1991 as

me and many other colleagues,”

Prior to Professor Pax’s passing,

Holy Cross; he was a member of the

professor emeritus. He received

Kee says. “He was the most

Mr. Lenney established the

O’Callahan Society and was affiliated

the Sears-Roebuck Foundation

thoughtful person I have ever

Clyde Pax Scholarship Fund in

with Naval ROTC. An admissions

Teaching Excellence and Campus

known. He lived in what he called

honor of Professor Pax’s role as

advisor and class agent, he was

Leadership Award in 1991, and

‘the interrogative mode,’ always

a transformative educator. To

actively involved with the Holy Cross

was the author of “An Existential

facing and wrestling with the

contribute, please contact Jennifer

Alumni Association. He is survived

Approach to God” and many

next question that arose and

DiFranco ’99, leadership giving

by his wife of 52 years, Patricia; one

articles.

confronted him. Those fortunate

officer, by phone at (508) 793-2246

enough to be Clyde’s friends

or by email at jdifranc@holycross.

daughter; two sons, including Thomas

Lenney ’19.

J. Mollen Jr., M.D., '91; one son-in-

“For more than 30 years, Clyde

caught a glimpse of the divine

edu. To make a gift online, visit

law; two daughters-in-law; nine

was one of Holy Cross’ most

intellectual light that lived within

www.holycross.edu/hcm/pax. ■

IN MEMORIAM / ALUMNI NEWS / 83


IN MEMORIAM grandchildren; and several nieces and

Fitton Society, Leadership Council

his godchild. He was predeceased by

Boston University and the University

nephews. He was predeceased by two

of New York, President’s Council

two brothers and one sister.

of Notre Dame, where he earned his

sisters and two brothers.

and Varsity Club. He was also an admissions advisor, class agent and

1956

Francis C. Berry

reunion gift chair. Mr. Murphy served

Ph.D. He taught at Gonzaga University,

1957

Richard E. Seagrave

Loyola University, Central Connecticut State University and, after retirement,

on the following: Advisory Board,

Richard E. “Dick”

Naugatuck and Middlesex community

Campaign Regional Committee

Seagrave, of Sun

colleges. He worked as a sales represen-

Francis C. Berry,

– Metro New York, Holy Cross

City Center, Florida,

tative in various fields and for 18 years

of Sun Valley,

Lawyers Association and reunion

died on Sept. 8,

at Grolier Educational (now Scholastic).

gift committee. He was honored with

2017, at 81. Mr.

He is survived by his wife of 40 years,

California, died on Aug. 17, 2016.

the College’s Sanctae Crucis Award

Seagrave received his master’s degree

Mary; one sister; three sisters-in-law;

in 2006. He is survived by his wife

in hospital administration from George

one brother-in-law; two nephews;

John S. “Jack”

of 52 years, Barbara; two sons; one

Washington University. He was a U.S.

one niece-in-law; two nieces; two

Llewellyn Jr., of

daughter-in-law; five grandchildren;

Army veteran. Mr. Seagrave studied

nephews-in-law; several grandnephews

Topsfield, formerly

five brothers, including Robert G.

biology and philosophy at Holy Cross

and grandnieces; one cousin; and good

of Hingham,

Murphy ’64 and Richard K. Murphy

and participated in the College Choir;

friends, Daniel Valente and Vita and

Massachusetts, died

’55; two sisters; and many nieces and

he served as a class agent and member

Anne Marie Gray. He was predeceased

on Nov. 30, 2017, at 82. An economics

nephews, including Anne M. Parker

of the career advisor network. He is

by his parents; one brother; two broth-

major at Holy Cross, Mr. Llewellyn

’90, Thomas K. Murphy Jr. ’73, Michael

survived by his wife of almost 50 years,

ers-in-law; and two sisters-in-law.

earned his master's degree in business

J. Murphy ’77, Joseph M. Petri ’76

Margaret “Peggy”; two daughters;

administration from Harvard

and Peter L. Murphy ’75. He was

one son-in-law; one daughter’s

University. He was president and CEO

predeceased by his parents; one sister;

fiancé and family; five grandchildren;

John T.

of Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. for 15

one brother, Thomas K. Murphy ’50;

one brother and his wife; and many

Harrington, M.D.,

years. He participated in ROTC at Holy

and his in-law, James C. Petri ’50.

family members and friends. He was

of West Roxbury,

predeceased by one brother.

Massachusetts, and

John S. Llewellyn Jr.

Cross and served in the U.S. Marine Corps as an artillery captain. He later

John P. Shannon

Anthony R. Stringer

John T. Harrington, M.D.

the Hummocks,

supported the College as a member

John P. Shannon,

of the O’Callahan Society and was

of Oceanside,

Anthony R. Stringer,

Oct. 31, 2017, at 80. A world-renowned

affiliated with Naval ROTC; he was

California, died

of Cleveland, died

kidney doctor, Dr. Harrington

also a member of the career advisor

on Sept. 14, 2017.

on Oct. 28, 2017,

graduated from Yale University

network. He is survived by his wife of

Mr. Shannon

at 82. Mr. Stringer

School of Medicine; he received

graduated from

postgraduate training in nephrology at

Portsmouth, Rhode Island, died on

55 years, Mary Martha; five children,

had a 30-year career in wholesale

including Mary M. “Missy” White '86,

marketing and later served 35 years

Loyola University of Chicago and

Tufts Medical Center. Dr. Harrington’s

and their spouses; nine grandchildren;

as a marriage family therapist. He

Cleveland Marshall Law School, and

career spanned several decades and

and his brother, David R. Llewellyn '59.

majored in sociology, philosophy,

was a partner at the law firm Stringer,

included such roles as chief of general

He was predeceased by his brother,

religious studies and world religions

Stringer and Gasior. He served as

medicine at Tufts Medical Center,

Thomas P. Llewellyn '63.

at Holy Cross. He was a member of

an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

chair of medicine at Newton-Wellesley

the football team, and participated

He participated in ROTC, Sodality

Hospital and professor of medicine

in the College Choir and Glee Club.

and football at Holy Cross. He was

at Tufts University; he later served as

William O. “Bill”

Mr. Shannon was a member of the

a member of the O’Callahan Society

dean of the medical school at Tufts

Murphy, of Norwalk,

1843 Society. He is survived by his

and Holy Cross Lawyers Association,

University. He studied classics and

Connecticut, died

wife of 40 years, Janet; three sons,

and was affiliated with Naval ROTC.

premed at Holy Cross, and graduated

on Oct. 6, 2017, at

one daughter and their spouses;

Mr. Stringer is survived by two sons;

magna cum laude. He served as

82. Mr. Murphy

10 grandchildren; and two great-

one daughter; one adopted son; one

a regional club career counselor,

attended Columbia University Law

grandchildren. He was predeceased by

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

supported Holy Cross cheerleading

School and worked for Simpson

one daughter.

grandchildren; his companion, Mary

and was a member of President’s

McManamon; two brothers, including

Council. He was honored with the

Michael J. Stringer ’64; one sister; and

College’s Sanctae Crucis Award in

William O. Murphy

Thacher & Bartlett for 35 years, 25 years as partner. Following his

Robert A. Sweeney

retirement, he received his Master

Robert A. Sweeney,

his nephew, Kevin M. Gallagher ’07.

2007. Dr. Harrington is survived by

of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity

of Worcester, died on

He was predeceased by his wife, Carol;

his wife of 57 years, Gertrude “Trudy”;

School and became an ordained

Dec. 4, 2017, at 84. A

one son; and one brother.

four sons, including Timothy J.

deacon, serving at St. Joseph’s Church

cum laude graduate

in Norwalk. He served in the U.S. Air

of Holy Cross, Mr.

Harrington ’94; three daughters, Ann

1958

Remi G. Dubuque

E. Murphy ’88, Kathleen H. Clark ’84

Force. Mr. Murphy studied political

Sweeney earned a master's degree in

science at Holy Cross and graduated

education at Boston State Teacher's

Remi G. “Ray”

Becker ’83; 21 grandchildren, including

cum laude. He was a member of the

College. He was a teacher at the Hub-

Dubuque, of

Rose Harrington Murphy ’18; two

football and lacrosse teams, and he

bardston Center School for 34 years,

Southington, Con-

brothers, Hon. Edward F. Harrington

was involved in the Crusader and

where he taught in grades four through

necticut, died on

’55 and Daniel T. Harrington, M.D., ’60;

Purple Key Society. He served the

eight. He served in the U.S. Army. He is

Dec. 14, 2017, at 82.

and his niece, Anne E. Harrington ’95.

College as a member of the following:

survived by one sister; one brother; and

After graduating cum laude from Holy

He was predeceased by his mother

Cornerstone Society, Fenwick Society,

several nephews and nieces, including

Cross, Mr. Dubuque graduated from

and his father, John J. Harrington ’28.

8 4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

and Gertrude “Trudy” Harrington


William B. McManus

veteran, Mr. Clark graduated from

J. Richard MacMurray

team. He is survived by his wife of

William B. “Bud”

the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in

J. Richard

34 years, Ingeborg; one son and his

McManus, of Holden,

Monterey, California; he retired as a

MacMurray, of Long

wife, Laureen Marie McGourty '92;

Massachusetts, died

captain after 24 years of service as a

Beach, New York,

one daughter and her husband; four

on Dec. 6, 2017, at 81.

Supply Corps officer. He later worked

and Delray Beach,

grandchildren; two stepsons; step-

At Holy Cross, Mr.

for General Dynamics, Martin Marietta

Florida, died on Nov.

grandchildren; one sister; one brother;

McManus majored in economics and

and Lockheed Martin. He is survived

2, 2017, at 79. Mr. MacMurray received a

and many nephews and nieces. He

participated in ROTC. He served in the

by his wife, Linda; five children and

law degree from Brooklyn Law School

was predeceased by one stepdaughter;

U.S. Navy and had a 30-year career

their spouses; two sisters and their

and established a solo practice in Long

two brothers; and two sisters.

at IBM in sales before beginning his

spouses; 10 grandchildren; his beloved

Beach; he taught business law as an

second career at McManus Associates

spaniel, Sadie; extended family; and

adjunct professor at Molloy College. He

Real Estate in Holden, where he worked

many friends. He was predeceased by

supported Holy Cross as a class agent

for 15 years. He supported the College

his parents; and two brothers.

and was a member of the Holy Cross

Anthony M. Guerrera,

Lawyers Association. He is survived

of Stratford,

by his family and friends, including his

Connecticut, died on

son, Patrick A. MacMurray '87.

Nov. 18, 2017, at 79. A

as an active member of the alumni association, serving as GAA president and

Vincent F. Garrity Jr.

1960

Anthony M. Guerrera

alumni board director, as well as on the

Vincent F. “Vince”

Alumni Board Senate, athletic council,

Garrity Jr., of Bala

Student Alumni Association and GAA

Cynwyd, Penn-

council of past presidents. He was a

sylvania, died on

Florence J. “Flory”

with Owens, Schine and Nicola, Mr.

member of the following committees:

Dec. 18, 2017, at 80.

McCarthy Jr.,

Guerrera graduated from the UConn

practicing attorney

Florence J. McCarthy Jr.

for over 53 years, most recently

alumni executive, alumni scholar-

An English major at Holy Cross, Mr.

of Falmouth,

School of Law and earned a master's

ship, Bishop Healy, book prize, budget

Garrity participated in cross country

Massachusetts, died

degree in taxation from NYU. He was

& finance, class reunion, continuing

and track, and was a member of the

on Dec. 10, 2017, at

a member of the Holy Cross Lawyers

education, GAA study, In Hoc Signo,

Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society;

80. An English major at Holy Cross,

Association. He is survived by his wife

nominations & elections, regional clubs

he graduated cum laude. He served

Mr. McCarthy became a member of

of 53 years, Joan; one son and his wife;

association, reunion gift, senior recep-

in the U.S. Army. He earned his LL.B.

President’s Council and the 1843

one daughter and her husband; five

tion, special needs, summer fellowship

from Harvard Law School and was an

Society. He was also a class agent and

grandchildren; two sisters and their

and winter homecoming. He was also a

attorney with Duane Morris in Phila-

supported the football program. He

husbands; one brother-in-law; and

member of the President’s Council and

delphia for the entirety of career. Later,

is survived by his wife of 57 years,

several nieces and nephews. He was

supported men’s basketball. He was a

he taught as an adjunct and visiting

Louise; six children, including Hon.

predeceased by two sisters.

member of the O’Callahan Society and

professor of business law, particularly

Maura K. McCarthy '87 and Kevin

affiliated with Naval ROTC. Former

mergers and acquisitions, at several

F. McCarthy '83; six grandchildren,

class agent, class chair and class secre-

law schools, including Temple Univer-

including Colleen F. Naber '18; three

Robert G. Dougherty

tary, Mr. McManus received the alumni

sity, University of Pennsylvania, Cor-

sisters; many nieces and nephews,

Holy Cross learned of the passing of

association’s highest honor, the In Hoc

nell University, University of Virginia,

including Paul J. Lynch '84, Daniel T.

Robert G. Dougherty. He graduated

Signo Award, in 1998. He is survived by

Penn State Dickinson Law and Eotvos

O'Conor '90, Coleen M. Lynch '95, Mary

from Holy Cross cum laude. His

his wife, Sharon; two daughters, includ-

Lorand University Faculty of Law in

Lynch Supple '82 and Edward L. Supple

alumni relatives include one brother,

ing Marcy M. Vandale '87, one son and

Budapest, Hungary. He was a member

'13; and his brother-in-law, Capt.

Bernard J. Dougherty '67; one niece,

their spouses; eight grandchildren; one

of the Holy Cross Lawyers Association

Hugh F. Lynch, USN (Ret) '60. He was

Regina Dougherty Hall '82, and her

nephew and his wife; and many cousins.

and a class agent. He is survived by his

predeceased by his cousins, Clare M.

husband, Timothy J. Hall ’82; and one

He was predeceased by one brother.

wife of 52 years, Maryellen; two sons,

Fenton '79 and Edward R. McCarthy '52.

nephew, Thomas G. Dougherty ’84.

David H. O’Connell

including Christopher G. Garrity '92; two daughters; one son-in-law; one

1961

His brother was the late Thomas M.

Francis C. McGourty

Dougherty Jr. '58.

David H. O’Connell,

daughter-in-law; three grandchildren;

Francis C. McGourty,

of Wauwatosa,

one brother; and one sister.

of Worcester, died

Wisconsin, died on Sept. 25, 2012.

Raymond P. Grenier Raymond P. “Ray”

Mr. O’Connell

Robert C. Scanlan

on Nov. 10, 2017, at

Robert C. Scanlan,

80. Mr. McGourty

of Franklin Lakes,

earned his master's

New Jersey, died on

participated in ROTC at Holy Cross.

Grenier, of Hartford,

degree in journalism from the

He was a member of the O’Callahan

Wisconsin, died on

University of Wisconsin. He enlisted in

Society and was affiliated with Naval

Nov. 8, 2017, at 80.

the U.S. Army and completed Officer

degree in English and philosophy at

Mr. Grenier gradu-

Dec. 5, 2017, at 77. Mr. Scanlan earned his

Candidate School at West Point. He

Holy Cross, where he also participated

ated from Holy Cross cum laude; he

served in Germany, served two tours

in swimming. He retired as a captain of

served in the U.S. Air Force. He is

in Vietnam and taught at the United

the Franklin Lakes Police Department

survived by his wife, Sonia; two sons;

States Military Academy at West

after serving 30 years on the force. He

two daughters; 13 grandchildren; six

Point, where he also served as head

was also a funeral director for Scanlan

Capt. Paul D. Clark,

great-grandchildren; four brothers;

of the public relations department. At

Funeral Homes of Paterson and Frank-

USN (Ret), of

seven sisters; and other relatives and

Holy Cross, he participated in cross

lin Lakes. He is survived by his wife,

Collinsville, Illinois,

friends, including his nephew, Patrick

country and golf, and was involved in

Donna; two sons, two daughters and

died on Nov. 1, 2017,

R. O'Konis '16. He was predeceased by

Worcester House (day students); he

their spouses; and five grandchildren.

at 79. A U.S. Navy

six siblings.

later supported the men’s basketball

He was predeceased by his parents.

ROTC. He is survived by his wife, Carol.

1959

Capt. Paul D. Clark, USN (Ret)

IN MEMORIAM / ALUMNI NEWS / 85


IN MEMORIAM 1962

James M. King

numerous decorations. Mr. Byrne then

years, Marcia; one daughter and her

James M. “Jim” King,

spent 15 years as a pilot with American

husband; one grandson; three sisters

John J. “Jack”

of Arcata, California,

Airlines. He studied sociology at Holy

and their husbands; and many nieces

Kelliher, D.M.D., of

died on Nov. 11, 2017,

Cross and was a member of the hockey

and nephews. He was predeceased by

Peabody, formerly of

at 74. A psychol-

team. He was a member of the career

one son.

Melrose, Massachu-

ogy major at Holy

advisor network and Varsity Club. Mr.

John J. Kelliher, D.M.D.

1970

Cross, Mr. King earned his Doctor of

Byrne is survived by his partner, Nancy

2017. Dr. Kelliher graduated from Tufts

Jurisprudence degree from Santa Clara

Lester; three brothers, including Philip

Fred S. McChesney

University School of Dental Medicine.

University. He established an office in

M. Byrne ’62; two sisters-in-law; four

Fred S. McChesney, of Washington,

He joined the U.S. Navy and was sta-

Santa Cruz, where he practiced law for

nephews, one niece and their spouses;

D.C., and Miami, died on Oct. 12, 2017,

tioned as the base dentist at the Marine

over 40 years, specializing in workers'

10 grandnephews and grandnieces;

at 68. Mr. McChesney earned his J.D.

Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North

compensation and employment law. He

and many cousins, including Robert

from the University of Miami and his

Carolina. He later opened and operated

enlisted as a reserve officer and served

M. Byrne Jr. ’73. He was predeceased

Ph.D. in economics from the University

a dental practice in Melrose, where he

as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He

by his wife, Eileen; his father, Philip

of Virginia. He practiced law in Wash-

served families for almost 40 years. Dr.

supported the College as an admissions

R. Byrne ’35; one sister; and his uncle,

ington, D.C., and later served as the

Kelliher is survived by his wife of 51

advisor and as a member of the Holy

Robert M. Byrne ’41.

associate director for policy and evalu-

years, Susan; two sons, one daughter

Cross Lawyers Association. He is sur-

and their spouses; six grandchildren;

vived by his wife, Sharon; two stepsons;

and many relatives and friends.

one daughter-in-law; five grandchil-

setts, died on Nov. 12,

1963

E. Eugene Miller E. Eugene “Gene” Miller, of

ation at the Federal Trade Commission.

1968

John R. Gavigan

In addition to writing numerous books, articles and scholarly works, he also

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

John R. “Jack”

served 35 years as a professor of law

law; three cousins; and many friends.

Gavigan, of Beach

and economics at Northwestern, Cor-

Haven, New Jersey,

nell, Emory and University of Miami.

died on Nov. 28, 2017,

Mr. McChesney studied history at Holy

at 73. An English

Cross and graduated magna cum laude.

1966

James I. Kittredge

Washington, D.C.,

James I. “Jim”

major at Holy Cross, Mr. Gavigan is

He was a member of the Holy Cross

died on Aug. 25, 2017.

Kittredge, of

survived by his wife, Lenore; one son;

Lawyers Association and supported

Mr. Miller was a

Providence, Rhode

two daughters and their husbands;

the men’s crew team. He is survived

classics major at Holy Cross. He was a

Island, died on

four grandchildren; and many cousins

by his father, Robert W. McChesney

member of the 1843 Society and career

Oct. 20, 2017, at

and friends. He was predeceased by

Jr. ’48; two daughters; two sons; one

his parents; two brothers; and one son.

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

advisor network; he supported the

73. Mr. Kittredge earned his M.A. in

football team. Mr. Miller is survived by

English from Bucknell University.

his nephew. He was predeceased by his

He completed doctoral studies in

brother, A. Graham Miller ’55.

English at Brown University. He taught

Richard E. “Rick”

three sisters; three brothers-in-law;

at several local colleges, including

Rappoli, of

one sister-in-law; and 13 nieces and

UMass-Dartmouth, Brown University

Cambridge and

nephews. He was predeceased by his

and Providence College, and was an

Rockport, formerly

wife, Sheila, and his mother.

Francis E. “Frank”

adjunct professor of English at Rhode

of Belmont,

Cangemi, M.D., of

Island College for nearly 30 years.

Massachusetts, died on Oct. 27,

Ridgewood, New

He also worked in library services

2017, at 71. Mr. Rappoli spent his

James A. Murray

Jersey, died on Sept.

at Brown University. Mr. Kittredge is

career as a reporter and editor for

James A. “Jim” Murray, of Holyoke,

29, 2017, at 74. Dr.

survived by his wife, Joan Dagle; one

the Malden Evening News and its

Massachusetts, died on Aug. 15, 2013,

Cangemi earned his medical degree

daughter; one grandson; one sister;

sister newspaper, the Medford Daily

at 63. Mr. Murray played football

from New York Medical College and

one niece; one nephew; and two great-

Mercury. He is survived by three

at Holy Cross and later attended

specialized in ophthalmology. He served

nephews.

brothers; one sister-in-law; two sisters;

Suffolk Law School. He served as city

two brothers-in-law; three nieces; one

counselor for the city of Springfield,

nephew; one nephew-in-law; and two

Massachusetts. He is survived by

great-nephews. He was predeceased

two brothers, including Francis D.

by one brother and one sister.

Murray, M.D., '80; two sisters-in-law;

1965

Francis E. Cangemi, M.D.

as an ophthalmic surgeon in his private practice, Vitreo-Retinal Associates of New Jersey; he later joined Retinal

1967

Matthew P. Byrne

Consultants and was on staff at Clara

Matthew P.

Maass Medical Center and The Valley

“Matt” Byrne, of

Hospital. Dr. Cangemi studied premed

Norwell, formerly

at Holy Cross and was captain of

of Marshfield,

the golf team. He was a member of

Boston and Milton,

President’s Council and the Varsity

Richard E. Rappoli

grandsons; three brothers, including Rev. Robert W. McChesney, S.J. ’71;

1972

two sisters; one brother-in-law; and

1969

Richard J. Ryter, M.D.

several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by three brothers and one

Richard J. “Dick”

brother-in-law. His father was the late

Massachusetts, died on Oct. 18, 2017,

Ryter, M.D., of

Martin B. Murray, M.D., '33.

Club. He is survived by his wife of 37

at 73. Mr. Byrne received his Master of

Cranston and Green

years, Janet; one daughter; one stepson;

Education degree from the University

Hill, Rhode Island,

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

of Massachusetts and Master of

died on Nov. 13, 2017.

four grandchildren; and three brothers,

Business Administration from Boston

A magna cum laude graduate of Holy

John F. Hannaway,

including Paul J. Cangemi, M.D., ’68 and

University. He served as a captain in

Cross, Dr. Ryter also graduated from

of Baltimore, died

Charles P. Cangemi ’67, three sisters and

the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam

Cornell University Medical College. He

on Oct. 17, 2017. Mr.

their families. He was predeceased by

War; he later rejoined the Air Force,

established a private practice in Rhode

Hannaway received

his parents and one sister.

served a total of 10 years and received

Island. He is survived by his wife of 37

his J.D. from George

8 6 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

1973

John F. Hannaway


Washington University Law School

by several alumni relatives, including

at her barn, Great Road Farm. She

’44; Kevin P. Connell 63; Mary K.

and worked at the Maryland Office

his brother, Michael F. Hinkley ’86;

supported the College as a member of

Donovan, widow of Raymond E.

of the Public Defender. After many

sister, Mary A. Blanchette ’81; brother-

the Fitton Society, President’s Council

Donovan ’51 and mother of Rev.

years as a public defender, he entered

in-law, Brian W. Blanchette, M.D., ’81;

and Parents Leadership Circle. Mrs.

Kevin G. Donovan ’83; Rita Elie,

private practice and served as a trial

niece, Allison E. Hartman ’13; nephew,

Nawn is survived by her husband of

mother of Lynne Myers of financial

attorney for more than 15 years. Mr.

Kevin L. Blanchette ’14; and cousins,

26 years, James W. Nawn Jr. '87; three

aid and grandmother of Jennifer

Hannaway studied political science

James C. Cantalini Sr. ’71 and Richard

sons, including James W. Nawn III '16;

Myers ’14; Sean R. Fontenay, father

at the College and was a member of

D. Cantalini ’77. His father was the late

two brothers, John O. Figge '91 and

of Madeleine Fontenay ’21; Joseph

the Holy Cross Lawyers Association.

Leo T. Hinkley Jr. ’50.

Michael J. Figge '93, and their wives,

P. Froio, father of Anthony A. Froio

including Lisa Kiernan Figge '91; three

’86 and grandfather of Emilia Froio

sisters, including Mary Figge Power

’16 and Anthony Froio ’19; Michael

'83, and their husbands, including

and Suzanne Goldsmith, parents

He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Lavinia; one daughter; one son; and two sisters. He was predeceased by

1981

Carolyn K. Howard

two brothers and his cousin, David L.

Carolyn K. Howard,

John F. Power '80; her mother, Patricia;

of Kathleen Goldsmith Griffin ’88,

Broderick ’73.

of Concord, New

and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins,

in-laws of James L. Griffin Jr. ’87 and

Hampshire, died on

nieces and nephews. Her father was

grandparents of Catherine B. Griffin

Sept. 21, 2017. Mrs.

the late John K. Figge '59.

’18 and Elizabeth T. Griffin ’21; Joyce

1974

Brian R. Forts

Howard received

Grampetro-Forrester, mother of

1989

Brian R. Forts, of Holden,

her Ph.D. at the University of New

Massachusetts, died on Nov. 12, 2017,

Hampshire. She studied chemistry at

at 65. Mr. Forts studied political

Holy Cross and was a member of the

David M. Banach,

N. Greisch ’72 and grandmother of

science at Holy Cross and earned a

crew team; she also participated in

of Lawrenceville,

Sarah White ’99; Louis H. Hamel Jr.

Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from

the Cross & Crucible and Worcester

New Jersey,

55; Liz Angell Ireton, sister of Richard

Syracuse University Law School. He

House. She later served the College as

formerly of Auburn,

Angell ’63 and wife of Thomas Ireton

co-formed the law firm of Bennett

an admissions advisor and class agent.

Massachusetts,

’63; Thomas F. Jessop, father of

and Forts, where he practiced law

She is survived by her husband of 33

died on Oct. 3, 2017, at 50. Mr. Banach

Thomas F. Jessop Jr. ’88, father-in-

until his death. At Holy Cross, he

years, David E. “Dave” Howard ’82; one

received his Master of Science in

law of Catherine A. Jessop ’89 and

played lacrosse, served as chairman

daughter and her friend; one son and

mathematics from the University of

grandfather of Patrick Jessop ’20;

of the Political Science Advisory

his friend; one son and his wife; her

Chicago and pursued doctoral studies

Eugene Kaczmakczyk of dining

Committee, was a Resident Advisor

father; one brother and his wife; one

at the University of Michigan, Ann

services; Rev. Kenneth G. Loftus, S.J.

and a member of the Student

sister; two nieces; and one nephew.

Arbor. He worked for the Educational

74, nephew of the late Thomas M.

Government Council; he was also

She was predeceased by her mother.

Testing Service in Princeton, New

Loftus ’50; Brian J. Melfie, partner

Jersey, where he was the executive

of T. Michael Dumphy ’80; Carol

director of College Board programs.

A. Mullowney, widow of James T.F.

Mr. Banach studied mathematics at

Mullowney ’61; Doris W. Murphy,

involved in WCHC radio station. Mr. Forts stayed connected to the College as a member of the career advisor

1988

James L. Miller Jr.

Christina Guittar of dining services;

David M. Banach

Eileen A. Greisch, mother of Richard

network, class reunion committee,

James L. “Big

Holy Cross and graduated summa cum

mother of Timothy Raymond Murphy

class reunion gift committee and

Jim” Miller Jr., of

laude. He was a member of the Alpha

’72, mother-in-law of the late Stephen

Holy Cross Lawyers Association. He

Worcester, died

Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society and Phi

Durand 76 and grandmother of

was also an admissions advisor, class

on Sept. 23, 2017,

Beta Kappa National Honor Society;

Michael C. Binder ’04; Eleanor V.

agent and class chair. He supported

at 51. Mr. Miller

he was the recipient of the Gertrude

Nawn, mother of James W. Nawn Jr.

the football and men’s and women’s

taught history and law as well as

McBrien Mathematics Prize and the

’87, mother-in-law of the late Ann

basketball teams, as well as the

coached track and field and football

Holy Cross Club of Worcester Prize. He

Figge Nawn '88, grandmother of

Holy Cross Fund Scholarship. He

at Worcester’s South High School for

is survived by his mother; one brother,

James W. Nawn III ’16, sister of James

is survived by his wife of 36 years,

over 20 years. He majored in sociology

Archbishop Michael W. Banach ’84;

L. Hughes Jr. ’54 and aunt of Kimberly

Carla; two sons; one daughter; one

and played football at Holy Cross. He

one uncle; and many cousins. He was

Hughes Floutsakos ’86 and Patricia

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

was a member of the Black Student

predeceased by his father.

L. Hughes ’88; Vivian B. O’Donnell,

parents; one sister and her husband;

Union and Varsity Club. Mr. Miller is

one brother, Jeffrey B. Forts '81, and

survived by his father; two sisters; two

FRIENDS

and grandmother of Matt O’Donnell

his wife, Patricia H. Forts '81; four

nieces; and two nephews.

Joan G. Albertson, mother of Sean

’95; Josephine M. Picone, widow of

Albertson ’87, mother-in-law of

Angelo J. Picone ’46 and mother of

Peggy Flaherty Albertson ’87 and

Joseph Picone ’78 and James Picone

granddaughters; several nephews, nieces and cousins; and his best

Ann Figge Nawn

mother of Timothy O’Donnell ’68

friends, Nicola Viapiano and Harvey

Ann Figge Nawn,

grandmother of Meagan Albertson

’80; Ann M. Power, daughter of the

Gannon. He was predeceased by his

of Skillman, New

’20; Nicholas E. Argento Sr., father

late James D. Power Jr. ’20, sister of

sister and an infant granddaughter.

Jersey, died on Nov.

of Nicholas E. Argento Jr. ’83; Ellen

James David Power III ’53 and John

8, 2017, at 51. After

M. Armstrong, mother of Mark K.

S. Power ’69, aunt of Susan Power

completing her

Armstrong ’71 and Mary A. Armstrong

Curtin ’93 and great-aunt of James

theatre degree at Holy Cross, Mrs.

’87; Max A. Beatty, father of Michael

D. Power V ’14; Daniel A. Seelman 70,

Leo T. Hinkley III, of

Nawn received her master's degree

Beatty of visual arts; Ann Cahill,

son of the late Alvin G. Seelman ’34;

Clinton, Connecticut,

in social work from Bryn Mawr

mother of Claire Cahill ’19; Victor

William Vesey, father of Alicia Vesey

died with his wife

University. A social worker and avid

L. Cangelosi, M.D., father of Victor

’20; Ruth Wilson, wife of Francis M.

on Sept. 22, 2017. Mr.

horsewoman, she combined her skills

L. Cangelosi ’83; Palmina F. Cawley,

Wilson, M.D., ’52 and mother of Ann

Hinkley is survived

to found an equine therapy program

widow of Thomas J. Cawley Jr.

Wilson Green ’83 ■

1975

Leo T. Hinkley III

IN MEMORIAM / ALUMNI NEWS / 87


ARTIFACT

Time for a Mystery

W

hile the most prominent timepiece on Mount St. James sits high above campus atop O’Kane Hall, its older sibling has stood guard in its shadow on nearby Commencement Terrace for a century. Or so we thought. The more digging we did, the hazier the story became — but let’s start at the beginning. The 14-foot-tall clock’s exact origins are a mystery. Under the December 1916 headline, “The New Clock,” The Purple reported “a large timepiece set up lately opposite the O’Kane Building. There it stands, an encourager to the industrious, a monitor to the lazy, a monument for all to

contemplate.” No record or official name exists in regards to the clock’s origins, but a 1979 feature photo in the Evening Gazette appears to contradict a 1916 arrival. The photo caption noted the clock “was given to the College more than 60 years ago in memory of members of the Class of ’17 who died in World War I.” Research does show that the clock received at least a few significant improvements over the course of the 20th century. In April 1934, The Alumnus noted the often-incorrect timepiece received a major upgrade: “Instead of being wound with a key the size of an auto crank, it is now driven electrically by grace of the Worcester Electric Light Co., and if the time is out of

8 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ SPRIN G 2018

joint, campus can do what the American public have been doing for several years — blame the engineer.” According to the same article, the stopped clock was apparently a favorite excuse for some on The Hill: “Recently someone decided to look into the matter with the results that the clock has taken on a new lease of life, much to the chagrin of those suffering from the far-famed malady diagnosed by Father Wheeler as ‘alibiitis.’” The clock next appears in print in 1979, when it was out of commission for two months for an “overhaul and facelift,” according to the Gazette. Today, the clock standing on Commencement Terrace looks significantly different than that photographed

in a 1937 edition of The Tomahawk (the oldest photo we could find). It currently bears a plaque stating it’s a gift from the class of 1984, as well as the engraving “Electric Time, Medfield, Mass.” on its base. A February 1984 article in The Crusader, “Seniors will present clock as gift,” reported: “The class of 1984 will give a clock for the plaza area outside of the new science building, matching ones outside of Hogan and Carlin.” If the class gift clock was slated for that location, why does the one on Commencement Terrace bear the plaque? This all begs the question: Is the clock opposite O’Kane the original? And, if not, what happened to it? ■ Do you know the answer? Email us at hcmag@holycross.edu and help us solve this mystery!

The Commencement Terrace clock today (left); in 1979 (middle); in 1937 (right).


HOW TO REACH US

THE NEXT ISSUE

MAIL

LOOK FOR THE SUMMER ISSUE IN MID J U LY

Holy Cross Magazine One College Street Worcester, MA 01610

EMAIL

hcmag@holycross.edu

PHONE

508-793-2419

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @holycrossmag

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) Person 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) In 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.

Celebrating 175 Years

O

n June 21, 1843, Holy Cross was founded. We kick off the dodransbicentennial celebration by looking at the College’s rich history and its compelling future. There are thousands of objects in Holy Cross’ history: We ’ll share the 43 that tell it best. Also: The Jesuits have been the College’s backbone since Day One; see how the Ignatian charism is at work on today’s campus.

A LS O Two years in the making: We’ll take you inside the highly anticipated opening of the Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex.

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) Please 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.

ARTIFACT / THE NEX T ISSUE / ASK MORE / HOW TO RE ACH US


HOLY CROSS MAGAZINE

|

ONE COLLEGE STREET

|

WORCESTER, MA

|

01610-2395

American expressionist Robert Beauchamp stands in his Manhattan studio circa 1980. A gift of more than 700 Beauchamp works to Holy Cross ushers in new opportunities for teaching and learning. Read more about the Beauchamp collection at Holy Cross in our feature on Page 42.

photos courtesy of nadine valenti beauchamp


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.