Holy Cross Magazine - Winter 2016 by College of the Holy Cross

WINTER T WO THOUSAND SIXTEEN

VOLUME FIFTY / NUMBER ONE

How Admissions Works at Holy Cross Today

FROM THE PRESIDENT

In response to the violence in Paris and around the world, Associate Chaplain and Director of Protestant and ALANA Ministries Rev. Virginia Coakley and College President Rev. Philip L. Boroughs led an Interfaith Prayer for Peace in Mary Chapel on Nov. 19.

H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 2016

The Way of Peace

uring this holy season of Christ’s birth, our deep desire for peace in our world once again is dramatically heightened by domestic and global violence and the displacement of millions of people around the world. In fact, these are not new realities. They are reflected in our seasonal Scripture readings as we listen to the story of the Holy Family’s journey to Bethlehem for the census and subsequent flight into Egypt to protect the life of their son. This year, as we reflect on these themes, I am both inspired and challenged by Pope Francis who, during his recent visit to the United States, reminded us that just as Jesus lovingly and willingly entered into the human condition to bring hope, those of us who are his disciples are invited to do the same, knowing that Jesus will be with us to strengthen our resolve and companion us on the way forward. On Page 72 of this issue of Holy Cross Magazine, you will discover how many of our students, faculty, staff and alumni were profoundly influenced by Pope Francis’ first trip to our country. I had the extraordinary experience of being present at the Holy Father’s address to the joint meeting of Congress, as a guest of Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern. Pope Francis’ humility and simplicity moved all of us present; and as he bravely spoke to us in heavily accented English, I was struck by the inscription carved into the marble wall above him, which proclaimed: “In God We Trust.” As the first religious figure ever to address a joint meeting of Congress, the challenge of that familiar phrase became clear. If we as a people are to respond to the crises in our nation and our world, we will need God’s help to sustain us in the daunting tasks ahead. But as Pope Francis reminded us, Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day, each in very challenging times in our country and in distinct ways, grounded his or her prophetic leadership with a profound reliance on divine support.

Pope Francis’ call to use our own power to heal the “open wounds” of a planet torn by hatred,

tom rettig

greed, poverty and pollution has stayed with me throughout the fall semester as our campus community, like many other colleges and universities, engaged in difficult conversations around diversity and inclusion, the impact of history on the present and our need to engage the needs of the global human family in a time of violence and terrorism. At Holy Cross, conversations like these help us to fulfill our mission to form leaders who will make a difference in our troubled world. Each year, I am deeply impressed by the energy, talent and deep desires of our new students who want to use their gifts and education to serve the human family. How these students come to join the Holy Cross community is the cover story of this edition of the magazine, beginning on Page 34. Here you will find described the admissions process at Holy Cross with a behind-the-scenes look at the host of yearround activities and initiatives that go into building a class of incoming students. In addition to admitting extraordinary students to Holy Cross, I am reminded of the words of Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., 29th Superior General of the Society of Jesus, who remarked, “The real measure of our Jesuit universities lies in who are students become.” In my travels for the College, I meet literally thousands of Holy Cross alumni whose lives, commitments and leadership embody the ongoing mission of the College. Each year, we honor a special group of them with the Sanctae Crucis Award, the highest non-degree honor the College bestows. The stories of this year’s honorees are told beginning on Page 54, and their interaction with our students invites these young people to discern who they might become, as well. In this troubled time, I hope that you and your families will find solace and hope in the message of Christmas; and, with courage, will discern creative ways of transforming our world. ■ Very truly yours,

Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J.

President

T H E W A Y OFFR PO EMA T CH E E/ PF RR EOSMI DTEHNET P/ ROE PS EI DN EI N G T / 1

HOLY CROSS MAGAZINE

WINTER TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN / VOLUME FIFTY / NUMBER ONE

Students and faculty from across disciplines collaborate in Holy Crossâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; CreateLab, an innovative teaching environment designed to encourage students to take risks in their academic exploration.

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PHOTOS BY TOM RETTIG (TOP) / ROB CARLIN (34) / SHANNON POWER (54) / ELLEN AND KAIL AH KORSH (90)

HC M TEA M

Ellen Ryder Executive Editor / Suzanne Morrissey Editor / Maura Sullivan Hill Assistant Editor / Stephen Albano 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. Periodicals postage paid at Worcester, Mass., and additional mailing points.

TA B LE OF CON TE NTS 1 From the President 2 Table of Contents 4 Dear HCM, 6 Editor’s Note 7 Holy Cross in the News 8 Campus Notebook and Snapshot 32 Syllabus

66 Ascending Robbie Carter ’17 scales Denali, the highest peak in North America, motivated by the lessons instilled through his Jesuit education at Holy Cross.

34 Inside Admissions An unpredecented, behind-the-scences look at Holy Cross admissions. You think you know, but you don’t. Follow writer Katharine Whittemore on her in-depth, yearlong journey through the process.

72 Papal Reflections Pope Francis’ September 2015 visit to the United States didn’t include a stop in Worcester, but his influence was still felt on Mount St. James, and by Crusaders nationwide. Reflections from alumni, faculty and staff in the months since, and reports on the Papal events on campus.

54 Sanctae Crucis Meet the 2015 recipients of the College’s highest non-degree honor for alumni: a doctor, a nonprofit leader, a media marketing executive, a high school principal and a minister. HCM had a conversation with each of them.

78 Mother Kimball Learn more about the storied history of Kimball Hall, reminisce about your favorite meals and remember beloved dining staff who made Kimball a home away from home.

HOLY C R OSS MAGAZ I NE O N L I NE

w e b e x c lu s i v e s

Our conversations with the 2015 Sanctae Crucis honorees continues in this Web Exclusive. Learn more about the interesting life paths and personal passions of these five alumni.

COVER P HOTO

90 50th Volume: Where Are They Now? Catch up with Elizabeth Sheehan ’82, whose work in Haiti was introduced in our Winter 2011 issue and is still going strong. And see how current student Caroline Tibbetts ’17 is also working with people in the recovering country. 96 Sports 98 Power of One 100 Alumni News and Mystery Photo 102 A Message from Kim and HCAA News 108 From Our Alumni Authors 114 Class Notes 118 Milestones 122 In Memoriam 128 Artifact/Next Issue

magazine.holycross.edu Kimball Hall has a long, storied history. And designer Stephen Albano has the archival images to prove it! See a photo gallery he created to accompany our feature, “Mother Kimball.”

CONTACT US HCM’s fall intern, Claire McMahon ’16, agreed to be our cover model, symbolically representing the transition hundreds of high school students make when they are accepted to Holy Cross and choose to “put on the purple.” Learn more about how the application process works for these high schoolers in our admissions feature.

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 43,786

PHOTO BY ROB CARLIN

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

DEAR HCM, room window, forgetting that it was screened. ■

working in Guatemala for 10 years with Catholic Relief Services and the U.N. peace-

Paul Spagnoli ’66

building mission, MINUGUA,

Chestnut Hill, Mass.

in support of community development, human rights and post-conflict institutional

Skeptical

strengthening, I can appreciate

Am I the only one to squint

what the group learned during

skeptically at the caption on

their short stay. While they went

the whiskey bottle and tobacco

to demonstrate solidarity with

tin on Page 88 of the Fall 2015

their Guatemalan hosts, their

issue (“Smoke Break,” Artifact)

most valuable lessons may

and wonder if the editors might

have been the importance of

be misdirecting guilt from the

accepting hospitality from those

worthy Catholic lads of 1923-24

less fortunate than oneself,

onto some worthy Catholic

the role that such acceptance

(stalwart, hard-working,

plays in promoting human

sober, thrifty, breadwinning)

development and a willingness

steamfitter who assured their

to listen and learn with humility.

warmth at worship? In the roaring ’20s? Erantne juvenes angelici? Dubito quin. ■

I’m also confident that they came away with an appreciation of the challenges facing non-

Rev. William J. O’Malley, S.J., ’53

profit development institutions

Bronx, N.Y.

(especially local ones), and how they deal with them. Truly, they

F R OM T HE E D ITOR

experienced caritas (love) in

Well, you might be right, Father!

action. I hope that some will be

“I always assumed that I, not Joe, had caused the blackout, using the (of course not permitted) electric frying pan and hot plate to cook canned corn beef hash and beans in my Clark room.”

Who knows what fellow stashed

moved to make international

those items in the Chapel. We

development and humanitarian

conjectured a workman because

affairs their career choice. ■

— Paul Spagnoli ’66 Chestnut Hill, Mass.

student in 1923-24 would quake

Kind Words Thank you for all of your excellent work on Holy Cross Magazine—it’s an impressive and important publication and you all do a wonderful job with it. ■ Giovanni R. D’Amico ’10

Page 74); but I always assumed that I, not Joe, had caused the blackout, using the (of course not permitted) electric frying pan and hot plate to cook canned corn beef hash and beans in my Clark room. Kimball food had gotten old by senior year!

Branford, Conn.

It Was Me! Greatly enjoyed the essay by my classmate, Joe Arnstein, in the Fall 2015 issue (“How I Caused the Blackout of 1965,”

I also recall the underclassman, a very tall basketball player who was mysteriously lodged with us seniors, who later that evening tried to celebrate the blackout by throwing a lighted firecracker through the men’s

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the items were revealed as today’s work crew unbolted an

John Wiater ’75

air duct behind the altar. And we

Chula Vista, Calif.

thought even the most brazen at the idea of being caught with

Class of 1943 Photo

his smokes and booze that close

I enjoyed the article about

to the altar.

Love in Action

George Merritt ’43 (“Serving with Grace,” Page 28, Summer 2015).

The photo on Page 32 (opposite, top) with Mr. Merritt and four

I congratulate writer Debra

of his classmates was taken

Steilen on “Love Is the

during school year 1940-41. I

Answer” (Page 52, Fall 2015)

am able to identify all students

and commend alma mater for

in the photo: From left to right,

offering select students an

they are Ned Hennessey ’43,

opportunity to experience Jesuit

George Calvelli, M.D. ’43, George

principles in action by becoming

Merritt, Tom Riedy Jr., M.D. ’43

intimately familiar with the lives

and Bob Ring, D.S.D. ’43.

and livelihoods of families in developing countries such as

My dad is George Calvelli. ■

Guatemala. Judanne Calvelli ’84 Having had the privilege of

Albuquerque, N.M.

Erratum In the Fall 2015 issue, we included “John P. Leddy ’61” on the List of Recent Deaths (Page 85). The name should be “Joseph P. Leddy, M.D. ’61.” Dr. Leddy’s cousin, Joseph E. (Jay) Devine ’73 alerted us to the error, sharing that

Joseph Leddy (above, from

the 1961 Purple Patcher) had a distinguished career as an orthopedic surgeon, and with his wife and lifelong friend Mary Jo, “left behind a magnificent and loving family. He was very proud of his Holy Cross roots. Indeed, I admired

Thank you to Judanne Calvelli ’84, who identified all the young men in this image that ran in our Summer 2015 issue (see “Class of 1943 Photo,” previous page).

Joe so much that it influenced my own thinking significantly about attending Holy Cross.” We apologize for the error and offer the Leddy family our condolences. ■

TELL US MORE WRITE

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

hcmag@holycross.edu FAX

(508) 793-2385 FOLLOW

@holycrossmag Letters to the editor are edited for space and content. Letters should not exceed 250 words and must include the writer’s full name, address, phone number, email and class year, if applicable.

HOLY CROSS ALUMNI MEET IN PHNOM PENH

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission to Cambodia launched the Family Care First Cambodia (FCFC) initiative this fall. FCFC is designed to keep Cambodian families together as well as find permanent family care for those Cambodian children who do not have families. USAID/Cambodia Deputy Mission Director Sean E. Callahan ’89, (center) and USAID/ Cambodia Director of the Office of Public Health and Education Sheri-Nouane (Johnson) DuncanJones ’91 (left), welcomed Kathleen (Keating) Strottman ’94, executive director of the Global Alliance of Children (right), to Phnom Penh for the kickoff event in November. Callahan noted that for this mini-reunion of Crusaders in Cambodia, he borrowed this petite Holy Cross banner from his 8-year-old daughter’s bedroom wall.

DEAR HCM, / 5

EDITOR’S NOTE

Celebrating a Magazine Milestone

Reaching the 50th volume milestone reminded me of all the interesting people and projects HCM has featured through the years. And, being a fan of “Where Are They Now?” stories myself, I thought we could update you on a story from our Magazine’s past in each issue of this 50th volume year. We kick off that series with public health expert Elizabeth Sheehan ’82 and her organization, Care 2 Communities (C2C). When we first wrote about C2C in the Winter 2011 issue, her nonprofit group—which converts metal shipping containers into medical clinics that can then be used in the developing world—was beginning its work in Haiti. Today, C2C has expanded its reach in Haiti and elsewhere in the world, bringing low-cost, high-quality health care to people for whom a doctor’s visit was once an out-of-reach luxury. Because celebrating our 50th volume also means looking forward, we’ve paired the update on C2C with a story of Caroline Tibbitts ’17, who, like Sheehan, felt compelled to be with the people of

as well. On Page 78, you will find a love letter of sorts to the building that has been the heart of campus life on Mount St. James for decades, written by former Kimball Captains Kimberly Staley ’99 and Rebecca Smith ’99. Many of you commented on how much you liked the photo of autumn leaves in the Fall issue that opened the Campus Notebook section. Designer Stephen Albano and Photographer Tom Rettig have created another seasonal photo spread for you (and you’ll see it when you turn the page). Special thanks to biology Professor Robert Bertin, who walks the campus with Stephen and Tom, providing proper plant identifications.

th VOLUME

Haiti and share her gifts. Read about these two Holy Cross women starting on Page 90. This issue is packed (and I really mean packed … at 128 pages this is the largest issue of Holy Cross Magazine ever published!) with stories of alumni living the Holy Cross mission, of students taking risks in new experiences and of faculty members offering top-flight scholarship in their fields of study. I hope you’ll enjoy reading about the five 2015 Sanctae Crucis honorees (Page 54) and a feature about how the campus community responded to—and continues to be inspired by—Pope Francis’ historic visit to the United States this fall. The cover feature brings you a look at the inner workings of the Holy Cross admissions office (Page 34). Director of Admissions Ann McDermott allowed HCM writer Katharine Whittemore to shadow her team for a full year as they went about the important work of finding students who could reach their greatest potential here on the Hill. I think it’s a safe bet to say that any alumnus or alumna reading this magazine has spent his or her fair share of time in Kimball Hall—and some of you have worked in that hallowed hall

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tom rettig

he Winter 2016 issue of Holy Cross Magazine marks its 50th volume. Volume 1, Number 1 was mailed to readers in September 1967, when the alumni publication was a newspaper called Crossroads. The plan at that time was to publish Crossroads monthly from September to June as a companion to the more features-driven Holy Cross Quarterly. These twin alumni publications, the “parents” of today’s magazine, continued in varying frequencies until the early 1990s, when then-editor Jack O’Connell ’81 ushered in the current format of Holy Cross Magazine. (By the way, one of the front-page stories of that very first issue encouraged readers to come back to campus for Homecoming ’67 and take a tour of the newly opened Hogan Campus Center, “tap tootsies” at the post-game band concert and “sup at the new campus center cafeteria.”)

And finally, I am very pleased to announce that Maura Sullivan Hill (left) has joined the Holy Cross Magazine team as our new Maura assistant Sullivan Hill editor. Maura, a 2011 graduate of Notre Dame, comes to us with a wealth of education and editorial experience, having worked at Ursuline Academy in Dedham, Mass., and Suffolk University in Boston. You’ll be seeing Maura’s work throughout this issue, and we could not be more excited that she is on board as we start the new year. ■ All the best from Mount St. James,

Suzanne Morrissey, editor hcmag@holycross.edu

H O LY C R O S S I N T H E N E W S

Quotes of Note

Faculty / Staff / Students / Alumni Making Headlines

1 “Strolling through the College of the Holy Cross’ meticulously landscaped 174-acre campus, a registered arboretum, one might forget that this small Catholic college is located in the one-time industrial heart of New England.”

1 From U.S. News & World Report’s “Central Massachusetts College Road Trip,” Sept. 24, 2015 holycross.edu/hcm/ roadtrip

2 “What the pope does in the United States will be more important than what he says. There are a lot of things he will say about capitalism and about wealth inequality, but many Americans and politicians have already made up their minds on these issues. What I would look for is a particular gesture, an unscripted act, that will move people.” 3 “Labor Day

reminds us that while we all are created equal, we also grow up to live in a society shaped by policies and laws that determine whether opportunities for success are focused on the great majority of citizens or merely the 1 percent.”

2 Holy Cross religious studies Professor Mathew Schmalz to the Associated Press, Sept. 23, 2015 holycross.edu/hcm/ francis 3 From history Professor Edward O’Donnell’s piece in Newsweek, “Why We Celebrate Labor Day Has Never Been More Relevant,” Sept. 9, 2015 holycross.edu/hcm/ laborday

4 “schools are much more like

4 From education Professor Jack Schneider’s piece in The Washington Post, “American schools are modeled after factories and treat students like widgets. Right? Wrong.” Oct. 10, 2015 holycross.edu/hcm/ school

5 “For each new role, Ms. Dowd

5 From the New York Times’ “Ann Dowd, a Late Arrival Worth the Wait,” Nov. 4, 2015 [Ann Dowd ’78 has recently appeared in HBO’s The Leftovers and True Detective, as well as the films Compliance and Our Brand Is Crisis.] holycross.edu/hcm/ anndowd ■

gardens than they are like factories…they are products of attention, devotion, and love. they are complex systems that demand our time and respond to our care.”

undertakes an examination of the script that is something between a forensic investigation and an archaeological dig. She works through the text again and again, pen and paper at the ready, examining and sifting, discovering and detecting. ‘What are the incontrovertible facts of this play?’ she asks herself.”

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CAMPUS NOTEBOOK

BRR BEAUTY Winter’s chill brings a new kind of beauty to campus: evergreens, berries and even the faded remnants of fall’s glory pop against coatings of crisp snow.

TOM RETTIG

Be sure to visit www.holycross.edu soon to see a video showcasing the splendor of the season on the Hill.

SNAPSHOT / CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 9

CAMPUS NOTEBOOK

Family Weekend 2015

“T

he highlight of Family Weekend was seeing campus so active all three days!” says Cathleen Doane, associate director of orientation and residence life in the College’s Office of Student Involvement. Each year, Doane and her colleagues create an atmosphere of fun,

spirit and togetherness for students and their loved ones during Family Weekend, held Oct. 23-25, 2015. With hundreds of parents, grandparents, siblings and other relatives registered to take part, the weekend provided a great chance to see and learn about life at Holy Cross. In addition to meals

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in Kimball Dining Hall and campus tours, families were invited to explore the Cantor Art Gallery, attend Mass or the InterDenominational Service of Praise and Worship and cheer at several home games throughout the weekend. The Hill was alive with the sound of music, too, with performances by the

Holy Cross College Choir & Chamber Singers in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel, the Jazz Ensemble in Crossroads and the Chamber Orchestra in Brooks Concert Hall. For the kids, Happenings on the Hoval—sponsored by the Purple Key Society— was the place to be for Halloween treats (the scent of fresh-

P HOTO S BY DAN VAI LL ANCOURT

made kettle corn wafted on the breeze), games and photo opps. Healy Hall hosted trick or treating for the littlest Family Weekend revelers in costume. The Bookstore did a brisk business as parents stopped by to see the latest Holy Cross gear and garb. ■ —Suzanne

ONLINE ONLY To get the full picture of Family Weekend, see all the smiles in an online photo gallery at holycross.edu/hcm/famphotos

Morrissey with Kelly Ethier

FA MILY WEEK END / C A MPUS NOTEB OOK / 11

CAMPUS NOTEBOOK

da n va ill a n cou rt

28 Seniors Inducted into Jesuit Honor Society

uring Family Weekend, 28 members of the Class of 2016 were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu (ASN), the Jesuit Honor Society, in Rehm Library. 2016 marks the 100th year of Alpha Sigma Nu internationally, and the 75th anniversary of the Holy Cross chapter. “It is a very prestigious society,” says Rev. John Gavin, S.J., moderator of the group and assistant professor of religious studies. “We aren’t just looking for the students with the highest GPAs, but those who fulfill the three main pillars of Alpha Sigma Nu: scholarship, service and loyalty to Jesuit values.” At Holy Cross, students in the top 15 percent of their class are eligible to apply, but spots are limited to no more than four percent of the senior class. The induction is also different from any other ceremony on campus: Students accepted a pin and certificate in front of family and friends as their biographies were read aloud by the ASN officers. Joseph Murphy ’16, vice president; Amanda

Snow ’16, president; Kira Niederhoffer ’16, secretary; and Alexander Khan ’16, treasure (above top left, from left), were all elected by their peers in the group. An array of the inductees’ achievements was on display, from early acceptance to medical school to writing for the New York Times to local service projects. The society also elects honorary members each year, chosen in recognition of their impact on the students. This year, the group honored Francisco Gago-Jover, Spanish professor and Dean of the Class of 2016, and Professor John Panteleimon Manoussakis of the philosophy department (above, left). When students are inducted into the society, they begin a lifelong affiliation with Alpha Sigma Nu. Snow represented Holy Cross at the annual conference for students and alumni in October 2015. “Going to the national conference at Marquette University in Milwaukee really made Alpha Sigma Nu come alive for me,”

she says. “There is this huge network of individuals across the country living the Jesuit mission and the kind of lives that we, as students in the Holy Cross chapter, want to be leading.” At the conference, five Holy Cross alumni were honored with the Magis Medal, an award established to commemorate the 100th anniversary by honoring 100 alumni for exceptional commitment to the values of ASN. Congratulations to: Raymond Carey ’48, former CEO of ADT Inc. and founder of the Carey Center for Democratic Capitalism; Jose Miguel Juarez ’09, coordinator and medical translator for SALUD Clinic and paramedic for Operation Safety Net in Pittsburgh; Jeff Reppucci ’14, co-founder/president of Students Helping Children Across Borders Inc. and co-founder/executive director of Working for Worcester; Kellie TerrySepulveda ’00, executive director of The Point CDC, a nonprofit in the Bronx; and Robert C. Wright ’65, former chairman and CEO of NBC Universal and co-founder of Autism Speaks. ■ —Maura Sullivan Hill

S E PT E M B E R

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DIPLOMATIC STATUS Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr. ’78, the ambassador-designate to Zimbabwe, returned to campus for Homecoming to speak to students about the politics and cultures of India and Nigeria, which they have been studying in their Comparative Politics course, and where Thomas served early in his career. Thomas has been a foreign service officer for more than 30 years, including appointments as U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh and the Philippines.

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tom r etti g

College Welcomes New Counsel tom r ettig

tom r ettig

Holy Cross Hosts HERC

oly Cross hosted the 5th annual diversity conference of the New England Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (NE HERC) on Nov. 13 at the Hogan Campus Center. The conference, organized by NE HERC and the Leading for Change Higher Education Diversity Consortium, focused on data-driven diversity practices in higher education and eliminating opportunity gaps for students, faculty and staff from underrepresented groups. Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J. (above right), president of the College, gave the opening remarks at the conference. Freeman A. Hrabowski III (above left), president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and a nationally recognized expert on closing opportunity gaps through data-driven diversity and inclusion practices, delivered the keynote address. “Hosting this conference at Holy Cross is one small way through

which the College continues its commitment to create dialogue around diversity and inclusion, both on our campus and in higher education as well,” Fr. Boroughs says. “We are proud to have created the space for roughly 300 professionals to come to our campus and learn from one another.” The New England Higher Education Recruitment Consortium was established in 2006 to advance the efforts of its member institutions to recruit and retain outstanding and diverse faculty and staff, and to support dual-career couples. The Leading for Change Higher Education Diversity Consortium is a voluntary collaboration of higher education institutions from Massachusetts and throughout New England committed to identifying student and employee diversity best practices. ■

—Maura Sullivan Hill

n Nov. 23 the College welcomed its new general counsel, Elizabeth S. Small. Small, who previously provided legal representation and counsel at Bridgewater (Mass.) State University and Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., reports to Holy Cross President Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., and serves as a member of his cabinet. Prior to working in higher education, Small was with the Providence law firm of Edwards, Angell, Palmer & Dodge LLP, where she was named partner in 2001. A native of Dartmouth, Mass., and a graduate of Georgetown University, where she studied philosophy and fine arts, Small received her law degree in 1994 from Boston University School of Law. There, she was a G. Joseph Tauro Scholar and a staff member of the Boston University Law Review. ■

OCTOBE R

««

HONORS Holy Cross won a 2015 Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Educational Fundraising Award. The award honors superior fundraising programs at CASE member institutions across the country. The College received an Overall Performance Award for 2015, which is awarded based on an annual survey of the analysis of three years of fundraising data.

SPEAKER On Oct. 5, Dmitry Bykov, award-winning writer and journalist from Russia, spoke on the limits of freedom under the Putin administration. The event was cosponsored by the Russian program, Russian and East European Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies. CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 13

CAMPUS NOTEBOOK

Fools Founders Return for Anniversary Surprise

n 1998, Valerie Geary ’01 and Ted Lombardi ’01 started Fools on the Hill, Holy Cross’ only co-ed a capella group. Then, they knew each other as classmates, friends and fellow members of the College Choir and Chamber Singers. Now married with a daughter, Valerie and Ted returned to campus last November to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary with the singing group that started it all. Ted orchestrated a surprise performance with Fools on the Hill in honor of their anniversary. “I knew from my Fools Facebook stalking that they had a show every Thursday night,” Ted says. “So when I realized that our anniversary landed on a Thursday, I thought it would be cool to include seeing them perform as part of our anniversary evening in Worcester.” The city is full of special locations for Alex Trebek and Eric Fleury ’08 the couple: They had dinner at Union

Station, where their wedding reception was held, followed by a marriage blessing where they were married, St. Joseph Memorial Chapel, with Fr. James Hayes, S.J., the College’s associate chaplain for ministry, who also baptized their daughter, Josie, at the chapel in 2012. Then Ted convinced Valerie to stop by Cool Beans, the campus center café where the Fools on the Hill have their weekly Thursday night concert. Valerie suspected something was up when her husband insisted they visit Cool Beans. “When I realized what was happening, it was just the greatest surprise,” she says. The Fools sang “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse in Valerie’s honor, and then Ted joined them for a rendition of Valerie’s favorite song, “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon (above, left). Initially, Ted just wanted them to do a special dedication

for Valerie, but the current Fools singers convinced him to join the performance. “I was pretty reluctant at first – it’s been a decade or so since I’ve performed – but they were so honestly excited about it that I felt like I had to give it a shot,” says Ted. “They were so warm and welcoming, which was good since I don’t think I’d ever been that nervous about singing.” Both Ted and Valerie (above right, in center) say the best part of the evening was how enthusiastic the current Fools on the Hill singers were to be part of the surprise. “Being in the campus center felt so familiar, even after all of this time,” Valerie says. “I kept waiting for one of our 2001 classmates to come strolling by to grab a coffee.” Ted agrees: “Valerie and I always say that the amazing thing about Holy Cross is that no matter how many years go by, the feel of the campus never changes. It’s such a warm and inviting place, and that was so apparent by the reception we received at Cool Beans on Nov. 5.” ■ —Maura Sullivan Hill

OCTO B E R

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STAR TREK Florencia Anggoro, assistant professor

KUDOS Daniel Ricciardi

of psychology, has been awarded a two-year, $311,139 grant for the project “When STARS Align: Exploring Spatial Thinking and Relational Scaffolding (STARS) in Elementary Astronomy.” Anggoro and a team of 10 students have been working with third-graders in tom rettig Worcester to introduce basic astronomy concepts.

’06, the College’s investment officer, was named to Trusted Insight’s list of the “Top 30 University Endowment Investors in Hedge Funds.”

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Jazz Great Plays Brooks Hall

L ou ie d esp r es

n November, the Holy Cross community had the special honor of welcoming world-renowned jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard to campus for two evenings of music and dialogue, presented by the College’s Arts Transcending Borders (ATB) initiative. The New Orleans native performed his Grammy Award-winning piece, “A Tale of God’s Will: A Requiem for Katrina” to a packed Brooks Concert Hall, filled with students, faculty, staff, alumni and local community members. The Blanchard Quintet was joined by the Berklee Jazz in Film Orchestra to perform the expanded suite—a poignant meditation of the devastation suffered by New

Orleans during Hurricane Katrina 10 years ago—originally conceived as the score for Spike Lee’s HBO documentary When the Levees Broke. The performance also directly connected with the Cantor Art Gallery exhibition, “Katrina Then and Now: Artists as Witness,” a twopart installation that focused on the relationship between Hurricane Katrina and visual art in New Orleans from 2005 to present. Blanchard joined Daina Cheyenne Harvey, assistant professor of sociology and curator of the exhibit, inside the gallery for a conversation about New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina and the artistic response in the aftermath of the disaster. ■

— Evangelia Stefanakos ’14

And the Home of the Brave photogr ap her

f you’ve been to a Boston Bruins game at the TD Garden, you’ve seen Rene Rancourt perform his rendition of the national anthem, complete with exuberant fist pumps. He is a Boston legend and is in his 40th season opening games for the Bruins. Rancourt brought his flair and

enthusiasm to Mount St. James on Oct. 9, 2015, when he sang the national anthem before the men’s hockey home opener against Quinnipiac at the Hart Center ice rink. As of press time, the Crusaders had posted a record of 8-6-0 as they head into the heart of the season. ■ — Maura Sullivan Hill

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OOOS AND AAAHS “The Splendor of Autumn

FIELD HOCKEY HELPS The women’s field

on Mount St. James” video received more than 50,000 views. It was co-produced by the Office of College Marketing and Communications and the Office of Advancement. Stay tuned for a winter video in January, and in the meantime, view the autumn one at holycross.edu/hcm/fallvid.

hockey team delivered more than 50 book bags filled with school supplies for children coming through Worcester Juvenile Court. The children, whether as victims or innocent bystanders in stressed families, often lack many material things, including basic school supplies and book bags. CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 15

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Being There for Our Neighbors

or the second installment of our series on the SPUD sites where Holy Cross students volunteer their time, Colleen Naber ’18 visited one of Worcester’s homeless shelters to see how Crusaders are part of the program helping families transition to permanent housing. The Cambridge Street Family Shelter (above) is a short-term, apartmentbased shelter home to about 50 homeless families located just off campus at McKeon and Cambridge streets. Since the shelter opened in February 2004, it has helped more than 800 families get back on their feet through its intensive services, including employment and Alex Trebek and Eric Fleury ’08 educational training.

And while the shelter’s staff focuses on providing help to the parents, Holy Cross students connect with the shelter’s kids: Staffed completely by SPUD volunteers, an afterschool tutoring program runs on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The volunteers are there to provide a sense of consistency in the students’ lives, helping them with their homework in one-on-one sessions and playing games. Psychology major Daniela Fazio ’18, the student director for SPUD’s work at the Cambridge Street Family Shelter, explains, “When I came to Holy Cross, Cambridge Street caught my eye immediately. Homelessness is real, it’s there, it’s everywhere and it impacts our

communities in more ways than one. Having volunteered with these families and having heard their stories really made me look at homelessness in a new way. The children I have worked with have given me a lot of hope, courage and power to make a difference for them so that someday, they can live in a world where homelessness is not as stigmatized nor as prevalent as it is today.” The Cambridge Street Family Shelter allows SPUD volunteers to put a face on the issue of homelessness. “I really love the bonds that are formed with the children,” Fazio adds. “They have turned into little brothers and sisters to me, and I find myself sharing stories and advice with them constantly.” ■ –Colleen Naber ’18

Are you a former SPUD volunteer? Please share your memories of the work you did and how it influenced and affected your Holy Cross experience. Just email HCM at hcmag@ holycross.edu. Your story may appear in a future issue of Holy Cross Magazine.

OCTO B E R

NOVE M BE R

ART’S ROLE Daina Cheyenne Harvey, assistant

DEITCHMAN LECTURE Mary Jo Bane, Thornton Bradshaw

professor of sociology, developed the “Disaster, Media, and Culture” seminar. Students explored the role of art in terrible events, including Sept. 11, the Holocaust and Hurricane Katrina, in conjunction with the “Katrina Then and Now: Artists as tom rettig Witness” exhibit in the Cantor Art Gallery.

Professor of Public Policy and Management at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, spoke on the growing disparity of children’s education opportunities and outcomes based on parents’ income, education levels and relationship status—and ways to close the gap—in a Deitchman Family Lecture on Religion and Modernity, sponsored by the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture.

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Three New Faith Leaders Join Campus Community

he fall 2015 semester saw the addition of three new faith leaders to the campus community.

Rev. William R. Campbell, S.J., ’87 returns to alma mater as the vice president for mission. He serves as a member of the president’s Executive Leadership Team and Cabinet, chairs the College’s campus-wide Mission and Identity Committee and oversees the work of the chaplains’ office and all missionrelated initiatives. Prior to coming back to Holy Cross, Fr. Campbell was the vice president of Cheverus High School, a coeducational Jesuit secondary school in Portland, Maine. He says his “vocation as a Jesuit priest was born on this campus.” A fellow alum and Jesuit, Rev. Michael Rogers, S.J., ’02 also returns to campus, as an assistant chaplain in the Office of the College Chaplains. Fr. Rogers has advanced degrees in theology and has taught at the high school level. He has written about his faith for America

Magazine and the Huffington Post and is an occasional commentator for Vatican Radio, Euronews, the Catholic News Service and the Canadian Broadcasting Company. He will focus on social media efforts in the chaplains’ office: “We are going in the cultural door of our students’ lives, in the hopes that they will find the joy and peace that faith can bring, and the passion to live a life with integrity, seeking the dignity in all people.” Karla Alvarado, assistant chaplain and director of domestic immersion, comes to Holy Cross with the intention of helping students connect to their faith through service. She will coordinate the fall and spring immersion programs at the college, more than 15 trips each year. A former immersion volunteer herself, as well as a social worker and high school Spanish teacher, Alvarado says, “I am excited for the opportunity to accompany students on the journey to opening their minds and hearts to their faith.” ■ —Maura Sullivan Hill with Kelly Ethier

Title IX Director Hired

n Nov. 30, 2015, Elizabeth H. Canning joined the College as the first fulltime Title IX coordinator. Canning, who comes to Holy Cross from Johnson & Wales University in R.I., has extensive experience working on issues of nondiscrimination, equity and compliance in higher education. She was the Director of Equity and Compliance Services at Johnson & Wales and previously, an assistant public defender in Providence for six years. Canning is a graduate of Harvard College and Boston College Law School. Canning will work with Deputy Title IX Coordinators from departments across campus to foster a culture of respect and ensure that available resources are clearly communicated and accessible. The team will also oversee the College’s policies and procedures, making sure they are clear, transparent and consistently applied. ■ — Maura Sullivan Hill

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CONSTRUCTION UPDATE Seven months after the groundbreaking, construction of the Thomas P. Joyce ’59 Contemplative Center is moving along. The site has been cleared of structures. Gravel has been placed for foundations, and water lines and a new electrical duct bank have been installed. Plans call for the building to be enclosed in January. all photos by tom rettig

A+ ACCOUNTING The College’s accounting program ranked No. 3 in the Accounting Degree Review “Top 10 Undergraduate Accounting Programs in Massachusetts.” Over the last five years, approximately 70 percent of Holy Cross accounting majors have accepted jobs with the four largest international public accounting firms. C AMPUS NOTEBOOK / 17

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President Convenes Committee

n November, at the same time colleges across the country were grappling with how to discuss and respond to issues of race and injustice, past and present, in academic environments, Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., announced the establishment of a committee to review Holy Cross history and the naming of buildings in relation to the College’s identity and mission today. Specifically, he has asked the new committee to make a recommendation regarding the name of Mulledy Hall, the campus residence hall built in 1966. He also charged the committee with suggesting subsequent topics for future consideration and campus engagement connected with its work. Rev. Thomas Mulledy, S.J., was Holy Cross’ first president (1843-45) and former president of Georgetown. In 1838, when he had become the provincial of the Maryland Province, he sold 272 slaves owned by the province to planters in Louisiana. This fall, upon the recommendation of a working group, Georgetown announced it was removing

Love and the Fyer

the names of Mulledy and another Jesuit involved in the 1838 sale, Rev. William McSherry, from two campus buildings. After following the progress of Georgetown’s working group, and having conversations with Holy Cross alumni, faculty and staff about these same issues, Fr. Boroughs convened the committee, noting that “while our historical situation differs somewhat from that of Georgetown, I believe we too must investigate what this issue means for us today.” The committee will be chaired by Rev. William Campbell, S.J., vice president for mission, and includes students, faculty and administrators. In announcing the committee, Fr. Boroughs wrote that he was open to a variety of solutions, and said “it is my hope that we, as a community, will engage in an educational process where we have thoughtful conversation, learn from one another, and shape the next steps for our campus. This will take more time and effort, but in the end we will have discerned this issue together, informed by the shared knowledge and experience of our students, faculty, staff and alumni.” ■

HANIFY-HOWLAND Pulitzer Prize-winning couple Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn gave the 50th Annual Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture, “Why Students Should Care About the World & Change It.” Each year, the Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture brings individuals to campus who are dedicated to works of public service. 1 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 2016

he Holy Cross Chamber Singers staged “Love and the Fyer,” a theatrical concert experience, on Nov. 20, 2015. The singers chose classical and operatic pieces of music (including Mozart, Strauss, Haydn and Brahms), then created characters and a storyline to go with each, all set during an evening party. “For many singers, the experience allowed them to venture out of their comfort zone and experiment with the pieces,” says Diana Hurtado ’17. “Taking up the opportunity to act things out added a new dimension to the performance.” ■

DANCE IT OUT A recent evening photo shoot on campus captured members of the Fusion Hip Hop dance team in rehearsal. The group combines influences from all styles of dance and welcomes dancers and non-dancers to participate.

“How I Spent My Fall Break”

ver the weeklong fall break in October, not all students head home. Many take advantage of a variety of service, immersion and networking programs during their time off. HCM took a look at four examples and asked students to describe their experience with each. program Agape Community Immersion location Hardwick, Mass. purpose The Agape Community is a residential, lay Catholic community dedicated to prayer, voluntary simplicity and gospel-centered nonviolent witness in the world. Holy Cross students join them for a week of prayer and reflection, and also work alongside the community members to provide resources for those in need in the area. They gathered and chopped firewood, preserved fresh herbs and worked in the community gardens. students say “One of the Jesuit ideals

is building community. At Agape, you don’t have access to mobile technology, so you really communicate with the people around you, and get to know them very well; their quirks, the facets of their personalities,” says Kristina Washer ’17, a biology major. “One of my favorite parts of immersion trips is trying to get to know that one person you’re working with all day.” program Ciocca Office of Entrepreneurial Studies (COES) Finance Boot Camp location New York City purpose This four-day program offers students the opportunity to network with alumni working in finance in New York and visit major banks to experience the daily activities in the industry. This year, COES expanded the program to include first-year students. students say “I feel like I grew up in four days,” says Jennifer Kary ’19, who plans to pursue an economics major. “I got a sense of the real world and what job expectations are every day. And that encouraged my passion for the industry.”

(above) Kristina Washer ’17 of Bedford, Mass., Tesa Danusantoso ’19 of Oklahoma City and Megan Johnston ’18 of Oxford, Mass., preserving herbs during a rural immersion program at the Agape Community in Hardwick, Mass.

program L’Arche Immersion location L’Arche Boston North, Haverhill, Mass. purpose L’Arche is an international nonprofit that provides homes and workplaces for adults with and without disabilities, where they live and work together as peers and create inclusive communities of faith and friendship. Students “shared time” (L’Arche language for working in the community) by preparing a new room for one of the residents with disabilities, and helping with leaf removal at the house. students say “Even though I was there to help them and serve them, they helped me more than I could have ever imagined,” says Daniela Fazio ’18, a psychology major. “They shaped me to want to look at the world more innocently and care for more people and love more people and trust more people. It was refreshing to see the courage in those who want to care for other people in that way.” program Spiritual Exercises location Campion Renewal Center, Weston, Mass. purpose Offered by the chaplains’ office, this five-day silent retreat is an adapted version of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. Students focus on prayer and silent meditation and also meet with a spiritual advisor once a day to help guide them in their reflections. students say “I would recommend it to anyone looking to grow both spiritually and personally,” says Allegra Le ’16, a psychology major. “It was great to take a break from my busy life at Holy Cross, and disconnect from all technology. This time alone allowed me to be mindful of my surroundings, my thoughts and my wishes.” ■ —Maura Sullivan Hill with Emma

Collins ’16

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TOP 10 Holy Cross ranked No. 8 on the U.S. News & World Report list of the top 10 colleges with the highest fouryear graduation rates. 1,800 colleges and universities were part of the poll and Holy Cross’ 90.1 percent four-year graduation rate propelled it to the top 10.

PRAYER FOR PEACE President Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., and Rev. Virginia Coakley, associate chaplain and director of Protestant and ALANA ministries, led an interfaith prayer service for peace on Nov. 19, 2015 in Mary Chapel. The service was convened in light of incidents of violence around the world in late 2015. CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 19

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Getting to Know Dorothy Hauver john buckingham

audit of Holy Cross,” she says. “Even at that early stage of my career, I felt a special affinity for Holy Cross, which over the years has evolved into a deep passion for the institution. I knew then there was something special about Holy Cross and that if I were ever to leave KPMG, Holy Cross would be a great place to be.” HCM asked Hauver a few questions to learn more about her background and her new role.

ollowing a national search, Dorothy Hauver has been named vice president for administration and finance and treasurer at the College, the first woman to hold the position at Holy Cross. Hauver had served as interim vice president since February 2015, after her predecessor Michael Lochhead left Holy Cross to take a position at his alma mater, Boston College. Prior to joining Holy Cross, Hauver, known as “Dottie” to friends, worked as an accountant and auditor at KPMG in Boston. She joined Holy Cross as director of finance in 2011, but made contact with the mission of Mount St. James two decades earlier. “My experience in Jesuit higher education finance began in 1992 when I was a staff Alex Trebek and Eric Fleury ’08 accountant on the financial statement

What’s been the best day so far on the job? A I am so excited, humbled and honored to have been appointed as the vice president for administration and finance and treasurer. I learn something new every single day and I love to stop and talk to people on campus because it keeps me grounded in why I serve Holy Cross. Our Holy Cross community is filled with amazing people who have great passion for our institution, and that makes every single day enjoyable. On Aug. 29, 2015, I was on campus for Move-In Day and attended the Mass of the Holy Spirit with a new perspective as vice president. I walked around campus and observed the hard work of everyone involved in making this day special for our students and parents. It was a magnificent summer day and witnessing the energy and enthusiasm of the students, parents, faculty and staff moved me. My conversations with a number of students and parents reinforced my commitment to Holy Cross and helped me appreciate why we are all here. We prayed for wisdom and understanding at Mass and as I listened to the homily from Fr. Boroughs, I felt

renewed in my faith and commitment to the mission of Holy Cross. I will continue to leverage my administrative and leadership capabilities to fully engage in the College’s mission and its vision.

What topped your list of challenges as you took on this job for the College? A There were a number of challenges as I took this job, but with challenges come opportunity. Perhaps the greatest personal challenge I gave myself was to approach my new position with a fresh perspective and to remain open to possibilities, recognizing it would be different than my previous role at Holy Cross as director of finance. The higher education sector, like virtually all industries, continues to be faced with pressures–changes in the economy, technology, demographics and regulations, to name a few–that demand institutional change if success is to be sustained over the long term. We have to balance the operating needs of the College so that we can develop a sustainable operating budget and long-range financial plan to support new facilities and the advancement of important strategic priorities. We need to identify the financial resources, both capital and annual operating budget capacity, to ensure the College remains on strong financial footing as it embarks on its ambitious facilities expansion plan. My team and I need to be able to identify the key dependencies and the interrelatedness of core planning elements and constraints. We’re also looking for the identification of success measures and performance indicators to make this planning process successful.

N OVE M B E R

D E C E MBE R

TURKEY TREATS Student Programs for

HELLO, NEIGHBOR The Office of Government and Community Relations and Student Government Association delivered holiday gift bags to campus neighbors in December. The bags were full of holiday treats: cocoa, candy and cookies from Helen’s Bakery. Neighbors George and Mary-Ellen Markey called it a “wonderful, unexpected surprise.”

Urban Development (SPUD) sponsored Thanksgiving food drives across campus to provide all the fixings for turkey dinners to local families. The drive began last year as part of a Community-Based Learning class, “Leadership, Religion and Social Justice.” 2 0 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 2016

tom r etti g

Return to Me Lenten Reflections Q

ONLINE ONLY Read more of our interview with the College’s newest vice president in the Web Exclusives at magazine. holycross.edu.

ice President for Mission Rev. William Campbell, S.J., ’87, the Office of the College Chaplains and the Holy Cross Jesuit community are offering a simple way to feel connected to the holy season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10, and concludes on Easter Sunday, March 27. They have curated a series of reflections called “Return to Me: Lenten Reflections from Holy Cross, 2016,” written by Holy Cross professors, students, chaplains, staff and alumni. “Return to Me” will be offered as a daily digital series. Those who subscribe will be sent an email each morning containing a reflection, and the listing of sacred texts from Scripture for each day of Lent. “We invite all Christians in the Holy Cross community to join us on our Lenten journey,” says Fr. Campbell, “and hope that those of other faith traditions might find something of value in the reflections prepared by the contributors.” To sign up for the daily Lenten reflection email, fill out the form found at holycross. edu/hcm/lent2016. If you have any questions, send a message to returntome@ holycross.edu or call 508-793-3026.

“I had the experience of receiving this as an alumnus last year. I found that it connected me to my roots … to the community that nurtured and nourished my faith 25 years ago,” Fr. Campbell says, adding that receiving the email each morning grounded the rest of his day. Last year, the inaugural offering of “Return to Me” reached more than 2,100 participants. Feedback from that first group confirmed that the program should become an annual tradition, with notes like “My husband and I both received these messages daily, as did several other members of my family. This was a perfect way to start the day during Lent, just a moment to reflect. Thank you and I hope this will be a new Holy Cross tradition,” from a Class of ’81 alumna, and “Return To Me was a wonderful way to share in the Lenten experience. Thank you for the opportunity! I can’t begin to enumerate the many benefits that came my way. Suffice to say that I am enriched,” from a Class of ’69 alumnus. A booklet of the reflections will be available in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel after Feb. 10, and the full PDF of reflections can be downloaded in late January. ■

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When people outside the College community ask you “What’s Holy Cross like?” how do you respond? A Working at Holy Cross is, for me, the first time in my professional career where I focus on mission, values and using our resources for the greater good. Our reputation for values and academic excellence is critical. To students and their parents, I hope that our institution’s enduring commitment to faith and education are evident in all we do–it takes a tremendous amount of focus and passion from our employees, our faculty, our Board members and our benefactors to make that happen. When you look on the inside, you find that Holy Cross is a great place to work because our community truly has a higher purpose, one in which people care for and respect each other. Our people make Holy Cross a special place and the engagement with and appreciation for the mission of Holy Cross is evident in our interactions every day. ■

to m re t t ig

HO HO HO The Holy Cross community gathered for the Annual Tree Lighting at O’Kane Porch on Dec. 3. The event featured performances by the Chamber Choir, band and Fools on the Hill, plus boys from the Nativity School of Worcester. Santa spread holiday cheer while the crowd enjoyed Christmas cookies and hot chocolate.

ON STAGE The Alternate College Theatre (ACT) presented The Underpants by Carl Sternheim and adapted by Steve Martin. The comedy tells the story of a young woman who has a wardrobe malfunction at an inopportune moment. CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 21

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tom r ettig

Getting Into CAB

eet Maggie Gavin ’16 and Abbie Joy ’17, the co-presidents of the Campus Activities Board (CAB) and get a glimpse at how they create the big events that get students talking.

We would love to host him again! If we had an unlimited budget, I would love to have comedian/actor Bo Burnham come to Holy Cross; he is incredibly witty and would be a great show for Holy Cross. CAB also provides me with a fun way to give back to the campus community.

What does CAB do? ABBIE We plan events to keep students involved and provide them with oncampus entertainment. MAGGIE We have about eight events a month (sometimes more!) that bring together students from all classes.

ABBIE I joined CAB freshman year because it seemed like a fun way to get involved with campus life and meet new people. CAB also allowed me to be a part of creating a unified campus by bringing in programs that students really want to see.

Why did you get involved with CAB? MAGGIE CAB seemed like it would be something fun to get involved with. I joined the entertainment committee because I was interested in comedy and wanted to help plan events featuring comedians. This past year, we had comedian Brent Morin from NBC’s Undateable; he was hilarious and people Alex Trebek and Eric Fleury ’08 were still talking about it a few days later.

What events are you planning for this year? ABBIE Coming up, we have Winter Carnival, Spring Carnival, Spring Concert and Battle of the Bands. At Battle of the Bands, student bands compete against each other and the winner performs at the Spring Concert. Knowing that students really love the a cappella groups on campus, we started the A Capella Riff-

Off last year. We’ve already had Family Weekend Casino Night—that was in October—and the poster sale during the first week of the fall semester. These are just some of our annual events. We are still planning events for this year, so everyone is going to have to be on the lookout. MAGGIE We also have an event every Friday night. Those have included Quidditch, Fall Fest and Festival of Nations. Plus, we bring in performers— hypnotists, mentalists, speakers, poets, magicians and local bands. Hip-hop artist Luke Christopher performed last year and it was a huge hit.

What are the steps involved in planning events? MAGGIE There are six committees in CAB. First, the people on those committees brainstorm the event they are working on with their co-chairs. Each committee is on a three-week rotation and plans events according to their committee description. So the music committee hires

DECEM B E R MIDNIGHT MUNCHING Finals week often means that study sessions last into the wee hours. To make things a little easier on students, administrators—including President Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J.— served “midnight breakfast” in Kimball so students could take a break and refuel. 2 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 2016

WORKING WRITERS Two-time Super Bowl champion Bill Curry and best-selling author Steve Almond took part in a panel titled “Is Football Dead? Writings For and Against,” the final talk of the fall Working Writers Series. Jonathan Mulrooney, associate professor and chair of the English department, moderated the discussion, sponsored by the Creative Writing Program, the English department and the Barrett Chair of Creative Writing.

What kind of feedback do you receive? ABBIE It is always great to hear word-ofmouth feedback from students who had a fun time at the event. This year the event with the best feedback was the Outdoor Edge, a huge dance party outside with great food. We always try to get a good DJ and have awesome food. People really loved the Frozen Hoagies Ice Cream

How do you feel your work impacts student life? MAGGIE CAB gets people out of their dorm rooms and out of the monotonous cycle of going to class, doing work and then going to sleep. We provide a variety of entertainment. It is also nice to get students away from campus. CAB makes it possible for students to attend sporting events and even Broadway shows. ABBIE CAB recently has been trying to work closely with other student organizations and Multicultural Student Organizations (MSOs) to unify campus even more and to create more inclusive events that appeal to a wide array of students. I think that is really cool because sometimes people bond at these events that would have never met before and we also get a chance to do something for students and help out other student organizations.

If money were no object, whom would you bring to campus for a Spring Concert? ABBIE I mean, Beyoncé would be awesome! ■ —Claire McMahon ’16

Unity Week 2015 Speaker

he 15th annual Unity Week took place in November, with performances, lectures and discussions meant to spark dialogue about issues of justice and inclusion. Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and filmmaker, delivered the keynote address, “Changing the Narrative on Immigration,” and discussed his experiences as an undocumented immigrant in the United States. He is the founder of Define American, a non-profit media and culture organization that seeks to elevate the conversation around immigration and citizenship in America. He is also the founder and executive editor of #EmergingUS, a digital magazine focusing on race, immigration and identity in multicultural America. The popular “Faces on the Hill” project continued as part of this year’s Unity Week. See the photos showing students and other community members holding their personal messages at holycross. edu/unity-week/faces-hill ■

J A NUA RY

tom rettig

DON’T JINX IT As of press time for this issue, Worcester had still not seen a flake of snow. Although the snow removal crews on campus are noted for their remarkable speed in getting the sidewalks, stairs and roads cleared, no one wants to see another winter like 2014, when Woo Town was named the snowiest city in America.

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musicians or has music-related events, social committee has events that have more participation for those attending the event and the entertainment committee hires comedians, speakers and even slam poets. In addition, we have co-chairs for 10-Spot, who help coordinate student performers to sing on Tuesday nights in Crossroads. The special events and outings committee plans the bigger campus events, such as the Spring Carnival, First Night (for firstyear students), Casino Night on Family Weekend, Winter Weekend Carnival and some additional off-campus events such as Celtics and Red Sox games. Lastly, the concert committee plans the Spring Concert for the end of the year. When planning events, we look at the budget and talk to the College, agents and vendors to make sure we can get all of the supplies we need. Advertising is a big part of the process. We make posters, use window paint, hang balloons with flyers, send emails and spread the word on social media.

Sandwich truck we had this year. It is really important to hear feedback from students, good or bad, because we are planning for the students. Obviously we are not going to plan an event that appeals to everyone, that is very unlikely. But if we hear from a few people that they would have liked to see something different, then we do our best to change it and constantly make it better. The cochairs complete a post-event evaluation that asks about the number of people there, what went well and what did not go so well. The next co-chairs then use the information so that they can make changes accordingly.

da n va ill a n cou rt

(left) Campus Activities Board (CAB) copresidents Abbie Joy ’17 (left) and Maggie Gavin ’16 holding the sign advertising one of the group’s most popular annual events, the CAB Quidditch Tournament, inspired by Harry Potter’s favorite sport. Teams gather in the Fieldhouse, run around on broomsticks and score points by getting balls into various hoops.

GRAMMAR From Jan. 26 to Feb. 20, the work of Assistant Professor of Visual Arts Matthew Gamber will be on display in the Cantor Art Gallery in an exhibition entitled “Grammar.” “Dead Bulb (Chandelier),” (left) is one of the pieces in the exhibition. CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 23

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Media Stars Honored at 2015 Headliners

hroughout 2015, there were 3,479 media stories about Holy Cross, featured in print, radio and television media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, WBUR (Boston’s NPR affiliate), the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and many others. More than 300 faculty and staff at all levels and from all areas were part of these stories, whether they were interviewed themselves or gave important context on issues in the news to the College’s media relations team. In appreciation of these contributions, the Office of College Marketing and Communications hosted the 8th annual Headliners celebration on Dec. 9, 2015. In addition to thanking the College community for their support, the event also recognized those who went above and beyond to make headlines. Awards were presented to five recipients: RISING STAR AWARD Greta Kenney, associate director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion; K.J. Rawson, assistant professor of English

The Rising Star Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding early contributions to media relations efforts and the promise of a sustained commitment. Kenney provided context about race and LGBTQ issues to the media relations office, enabling them to craft thoughtful responses to local media inquiries, and has also been in front of the camera and quoted in the news. Rawson, who is working on the building of the Digital Transgender Archive, provided important background and commentary to national media on gender identity and transgender issues and history. NEWSMAKER AWARD Nathan Pine, director of athletics; Caner Dagli, associate professor of religious studies The Newsmaker Award recognizes excellence in, and dedication to, the College’s media relations efforts. Pine has made quite the impact in his two years as Director of Athletics, building relationships with local and national sports media

and cultivating a large following on social media. Dagli provided important commentary on Islam and terrorism, including a popular piece in The Atlantic on “The Phony Islam of ISIS.” HEADLINER AWARD Office of the College Chaplains The Headliner Award is presented to an individual or a group of individuals who have significantly advanced the image and reputation of the College through contributions to national print, radio and television outlets. Members of the chaplains’ office were essential to Holy Cross’ coverage of Pope Francis’ fall 2015 visit to the United States. They provided quotes and commentary to local and national media outlets, organized student trips to official Papal events and hosted events on campus, including a viewing party for the Pope’s address to Congress. ■

—Maura Sullivan Hill with Cristal Steuer ONLINE ONLY See more images from the Headliners evening at magazine.holycross.edu.

T H E 2 015 H E ADLI N E RS AWARD W INNERS (pictured at the event from left to right) Greta Kenney, associate director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion; K.J. Rawson, assistant professor of English; Rev. Jim Hayes, S.J., ’72, associate chaplain for mission; Caner Dagli, associate professor of religious studies; Cristal Steuer, associate director, national media relations; Marybeth Kearns-Barrett ’84, director of the Office of the College Chaplains; Eileen Dombrowski, receptionist, Office of the College Chaplains; Rev. Michael Rodgers, S.J., assistant chaplain; Megan Fox-Kelly ’99, associate chaplain and director of retreats; Normand Gouin, assistant chaplain and director of liturgy and music; Karla Alvarado, assistant chaplain and director of domestic immersion; President Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J.; Rev. Virginia Coakley, associate chaplain and director of Protestant and ALANA ministries; Joseph Bertoletti, senior associate director of athletics/external operations, who accepted the award on behalf of Director of Athletics Nathan Pine, who was on the road at a basketball game; and Emily Rauer Davis ’99, assistant chaplain and assistant director of liturgy. Not pictured: Marty Kelly, associate chaplain/SPUD advisor; Heather Dennis, office coordinator

F E B R UA RY COCHAYUYO Starting Feb. 29, the

SPEAKER William Cavanaugh,

Cantor Art Gallery presents Alexa Horochowski’s “Cochayuyo: A Video and Sculpture Installation” through April 11. Visit holycross.edu/arts-culture for information on all upcoming arts events that are free and open to the public.

director of the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology and professor of Catholic studies at DePaul University, will give a talk on religion and violence on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016 at 4:30 p.m. in Rehm Library.

2 4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 2016

Class of 1965 Honors Two tom r ettig

da n va ill a n cou rt

SWARM!

n Oct. 24, 2015, members of the Class of 1965, their familes and friends gathered on the lawn near the greenhouse for a special dedication. More than 130 members of the class donated funds to place a bench on campus in honor of classmates Tom McCabe ’65 and Dave Martel ’65 for their longstanding service to the Class and the College. Many attribute the strong bonds among the Class of ’65ers to McCabe and Martel’s enthusiasm for organizing events and Martel’s 50-year “career” as the editor of the Class newsletter, “The Poop Basic Dispatch.” One of the dedication organizers, Frank Moran ’65, noted in a letter to the Class that the bench is located “near the tree dedicated to our classmates John Burke and Tom Gilliam, who gave their lives in service to our country in Vietnam.”

SWARM was the creation of the College’s artists-in-residence for the fall 2015 semester, Dawn Stoppiello (choreographer/dancer) and Mark Coniglio (composer/media artist)—co-creators of the group Troika Ranch. “Unlike a traditional play where audience members watch from a distance, we invite the audience to join the performers onstage because we want everyone to be part of the action,” says Coniglio. “Our [Troika Ranch] inspiration comes from the fact that we live in a time where nearly everyone is an author – from Facebook to Twitter to Instagram – we are no longer just content consumers but content creators.”

Following the dedication ceremony, the friends enjoyed a reception and refreshments at the nearby Carey Lounge in Smith Hall, a space that is also connected to the Class of ’65. “It was dedicated by our classmate, Jamie Carey and his brother, Tom Carey ’66,” Moran explains, “in honor of their parents.” ■ —Suzanne Morrissey

Some of those “content creators” took to social media to comment on the SWARM experience, posting “Thank you, Troika Ranch, for the phenomenal, thought-provoking #SWARM. Please come back to @holy_cross!” and “In a live immersive performance of #swarm at @holy_cross ... so fascinating! #performanceart #theatre” ■

FE B RUARY LINK IN The Center for Career Development will host “LinkedIn 102” on Feb. 22 from 2 to 3 p.m. in Hogan 410. The workshop offers an opportunity to learn how to effectively connect with the valuable alumni network and utilize other LinkedIn tools to help in a career search. Visit holycross.edu/support-and-resources/ career-planning-center for more information.

MA RC H

■

oly Cross experienced a very different kind of performing art for six nights in November. “SWARM,” presented by the College’s Arts Transcending Borders (ATB) initiative and the Department of Theatre, was part play, part concert and part performance art in an immersive, multimedia installation that used visual and aural stimuli to call the audience and performers into collective action. (As they entered Fenwick Theatre, audience members were given assignments that would guide them in the performance.) The result was a “media opera” of movement, text, music and video imagery that showed the principles of emergence— the underlying system that governs the flocking of birds, evolution and other natural phenomena.

MY BROTHER’S KEEPER Broderick Johnson ’78 is assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary in the Obama Administration and also chairs the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, which connects young people to support networks so they can enter the workforce or attend college. On March 30, Johnson will speak on campus about “Closing the Opportunity Gap for Young Men of Color” at 4 p.m. at Rehm Library. CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 25

CAMPUS NOTEBOOK

ith the dining hall, cafés and shops on campus, Holy Cross students can get all their essentials right here on Mount St. James. But sometimes students just want a taste of home.

40 1

HCM’s fall intern, Claire McMahon ’16, polled 50 students around campus, asking them what would be in their ideal care package. Their replies ranged from laundry detergent to snack foods to cold, hard cash. Inspired by these answers, the team at HCM created what we have dubbed the “Ultimate Holy Cross Care Package.” The most popular items appear at right, but there were also a few unique requests that can only come from the comforts of home:

The Ultimate Holy Cross Care Package

8 4 6

“Pictures of my dog”

“New York bagels” “Printed pictures of my family (not via text!)”

18 11

“Homemade brownies” Whatever the contents of the package, the students agreed that it’s nice to be thought of by loved ones from afar. And, as one student pointed out, “There is nothing better than getting the email that says you have a parcel!” ■

26 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 2016

13 19 14

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16 to m r e t t ig

ATTENTION PARENTS

Tell us why Holy Cross has been the right choice for your son or daughter and you could win them the Ultimate Holy Cross Care Package. That’s right, the Holy Cross Magazine team had so much fun 34 putting this together, we want to give it away to one lucky student in the spring semester. Send your comments to hcmag@ holycross.edu.

33 37

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1 Hangers 2 Gillette Razor 3 Holy Cross Baseball Cap 4 Antibacterial wipes 5 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups 6 Car air fresheners 7 Tissues 8 Nut snacks 9 iPhone charger 10 A trio of nail polishes 11 Pepperidge Farm cookies 12 M&Ms 13-17 Various protein and snack bars 18 Tylenol 19 Advil 20 Cough drops 21 Tums 22 Sour Patch Kids 23 Beef jerky 24 Holy Cross pillow 25 A handwritten note from home 26 Funfetti cake mix and frosting 27 Cheez-Its 28 Holy Cross pennant 29 Assorted lip balms 30 Kraft Easy Mac 31 Febreze 32 Keurig K-Cups 33 Frank’s Red Hot Sauce 34 Sriracha sauce 35 An assortment of fuzzy socks 36 Tide Pods 37 Holy Cross Go Crusaders foam sword 38 Soccer ball 39 Nutella-to-Go 40 An assortment of DVDs

C ARE PACK AGE / C AMPUS NOTEBOOK / 27

F A C U LT Y

tom rettig

When Professor Becomes Editor

sychology and the Other, coedited by psychology professor Mark Freeman, sits on bookshelves perfectly bound, with warm white pages and a matte sleeve. By simply looking at the book, recently published by Oxford University Press, one wouldn’t know that it took almost two years of concentrated effort to come together. Freeman, who joined the College faculty in 1986, offers HCM some exclusive insights into the new book and what really goes into publishing an edited volume. Foremost, the book is the result of ongoing, interdisciplinary dialogue taking place among scholars in the fields of psychology and seemingly incongruous disciplines such as theology, philosophy and various social sciences, toward a common goal: to reimagine aspects of the human condition. Psychology and the Other, along with Freeman’s own book, The Priority of the Other: Thinking and Living Beyond the Self (Oxford, 2014), are an exploration of this topic. “As both of these works suggest, much of academic psychology has been ‘ego-centric,’ looking toward the self as the primary source of meaning and value,” he says.“The books look instead toward what is other than self—other people, of course, but also nature, art, God, whatever it may be

that draws us beyond our own borders.” This topic of study has garnered interest from scholars across disciplines and led to an increasingly popular conference focusing on the multifaceted idea of the “Other.” The initial conference, held in 2011 and organized by Freeman’s fellow co-editor David Goodman, served as the starting point for Psychology and the Other, making clear that there was both an overwhelming interest in the topic and a place for such a volume in the academic world. After deciding upon the focus of the book, Freeman and Goodman determined which conference presentations would best suit the goal of the book and could be translated into formally written chapters—the first piece of a substantial project. “Editing a book entails an extraordinary amount of work,” Freeman shares. The process included rounds and rounds of feedback to each scholar, from small syntax-oriented suggestions to large thematic ones. While the work was significant, Freeman says that the project allowed him to approach the writing process from a different perspective, one inherently more distant than when he’s dealing with his own writing. “Oftentimes, the decisions I have to make seem rather easy: This

2 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 2016

needs to be cut, this needs to be shaped, the argument needs to be made more forcefully toward the end. It’s not nearly as easy to see these sorts of things when the text is one’s own,” Freeman admits. As an editor, Freeman’s challenge was to ensure each chapter was strong in its own right, while simultaneously finding the balance between chapters, so that the book read fluidly and presented the range of work justly. “Editing is very craft-like in a way,” says Freeman, who serves as an editor in different capacities for a range of publications, including the book series Explorations in Narrative Psychology (Oxford) and the journals Qualitative Psychology and Culture & Psychology. While a large undertaking, this project resonated with Freeman: “The cause behind the conference and this book—of reimagining aspects of the discipline of psychology—is one that’s very much in concert with my own recent work and my own way of thinking about things. Editing this book with David gave me a good opportunity to contribute to the cause and to do so in a way that promised to be enlivening, significant and, at times, fun.” ■ — Evangelia

Stefanakos ’14

New Faculty Thoughts For the College’s eight newest faculty members, their first semester on Mount St. James is now in the rearview mirror. HCM asked some of them to share their initial impressions with us.

NEW FACULTY DANILO ANTONIO CONTRERAS

postdoctoral teaching fellow, Center for Interdisciplinary Studies

FAISAL BALUCH

f a c u lt y p o r t r a t i s b y j o h n b u c k i n g h a m

assistant professor, political science

OLENA MYKHAYLOVA STAVELEYO’CARROLL assistant professor, economics and accounting

CV Ph.D. candidate in government at the University of Texas at Austin, B.A. in government and Spanish from Georgetown University

Ph.D. in political science from the University of Notre Dame, M.A. in political science from the University of Houston, M.A. in applied finance from the University of Western Sydney, B.A. in economics and finance from the University of Mauritius

Ph.D. and M.A. in economics from Georgetown University, B.A. in economics, mathematics and chemistry from Lakeland College

WHAT DID YOU TEACH IN THE FALL SEMESTER?

Race and Politics in the Americas

Introduction to Political Philosophy and Islamic Political Thought

Macroeconomics

WHAT THREE WORDS DESCRIBE YOUR STUDENTS?

Earnest, bright, (over)committed

I did not anticipate that my colleagues would be as thoughtful and supportive as they have been—they got me a cake to celebrate my dissertation defense and Loren Cass literally waited for me with a dolly in hand to help offload boxes from my moving truck!

Ambitious, focused, collegial

During my three years here so far [Baluch has served as the Charles Carroll Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow], I have enjoyed teaching in Montserrat, holding class outside Stein Hall on the few beautiful spring days New England offers us and chatting with my students about politics and literature during office hours.

Polite, tenacious and a bit more shy than I’d expect (but this could be because they don’t quite know what to expect from a new faculty member).

I really like the class dean system, and the fact that midsemester student evaluations ask professors to identify both at-risk students and those who deserve a commendation. I ended up with the best set of colleagues one could wish for—they even threw me a little department party (with homemade pies) after I got my U.S. citizenship in September.

Intelligent, persevering, open-minded

Holy Cross has a strong sense of togetherness that is apparent in every event and interaction I have encountered thus far. The connection to God and spirituality has also been enjoyable and refreshing for me. It has allowed me to be more open and connected to my spirituality in a very special way.

RICHARD E. LA FLEUR

Bishop James A. Healy Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow, psychology

Ph.D., M.A. and B.A. in psychology from the University of West Georgia

Introduction to Psychology

WHAT HAS MADE HOLY CROSS A GREAT PLACE FOR YOU SO FAR?

AFTER THE SPRING SEMESTER, WE’LL CHECK IN WITH THE FOUR OTHER NEW FACULTY MEMBERS: Ashley Ruth Miller, assistant professor, economics and accounting; Jean Ouédraogo, Eleanor Howard O’Leary Chair in French/Francophonic Culture, professor, modern languages and literatures; Christopher Edward Rhodes, Bishop James A. Healy Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow, political science; and Alexander S. Duff, Veritas Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow, political science. ■

FA C U LT Y / C A M P U S N OT E B O O K / 2 9

F A C U LT Y

STARTALK on the Hill for Fourth Year j ohn bu ck in gha m

Art History Professor Says, ‘Ciao, Roma’

or the 2015-16 academic year, art history professor David Karmon has been given the special opportunity to research and write in Rome after receiving the Lily Auchincloss/Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Post-Doctoral Rome Prize in Renaissance and Early Modern Studies from the American Academy in Italy’s capital. The fellowship is particularly significant for Karmon, as it allows him to work on his newest book—a study of architecture and the senses— in close proximity to the great and layered architecture of the Eternal City, while also having access to the many resources of the American Academy. Karmon is taking the opportunity to immerse himself in his research, which focuses on the psychological impact of architecture, a fundamental perspective that he says has seldom been explored. “This book examines how the sensation of architecture,

registered in memory, space and everyday movement, defined the critical contours of experience and knowledge in the early modern world,” he says. “Already during the first few months of my fellowship in this rich and extraordinary setting, surrounded by worldclass scholars and artists, I feel that my research and writing is beginning to take new directions.” Karmon is one of 29 recipients selected for the nationally competitive Rome Prize Fellowship, which annually supports advanced independent work in the arts and humanities in a unique residential community that lends itself to frequent interdisciplinary dialogue and interaction. “The Academy is a world-renowned institution linking many different fields,” Karmon explains, “and the opportunity to interact with a wide range of scholars and practitioners leads to exciting discussions that cross many disciplines. It is amazing to be part of such a rich and dynamic community.” ■

— Evangelia Stefanakos ’14

3 0 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 2016

development focusing on reading strategies and reading comprehension.

or the fourth year in a row, the College received STARTALK funding to convene a 10-day summer residential program on literacy development in Chinese as a foreign language (CFL). With the $90,000 award, program director Claudia Ross, professor of Chinese in the department of modern languages and literatures, welcomed 20 participants to campus and led them in the progam “Read On: Training Modules for Reading Literacy in Chinese IV.”

“In recent years, there has been more awareness of the need to provide explicit instruction in the learning of Chinese characters,” Ross says, “and there is more awareness of the need to develop reading material appropriate for different age- and language-proficiency levels. Textbooks are beginning to incorporate character instruction, and developers are talking about reading material. But there is still a lot of work yet to be done on developing instructional material that guides students from character learning to text-level reading, and a lot of work that enf to be done in educating Chinese teachers about the need for explicit instruction in the development of reading skills beyond character reading in order for students to read extended texts.”

STARTALK programs are a component of the National Security Language Initiative, aimed at expanding and improving the teaching and learning of ‘critical languages,’ strategically important world languages that are not widely taught in the United States. Ross’ program helps master teachers of CFL develop best practices in literacy

The leadership team for STARTALK at Holy Cross included Baozhang He, associate professor of Chinese in the department of modern languages and literatures, who served as the program coordinator, and Meng Yeh, associate director of the Center for the Study of Languages at Rice University, who served as the instructional lead. ■

to 2015, mentoring and advising countless students.

nn Marie Leshkowich, professor of anthropology, (above right) and Andrew Futterman, professor of psychology and former chair of the Health Professions Advising Committee (above left), are the recipients of the College’s 2015 Mary Louise Marfuggi Faculty Awards. The annual awards are made possible by a gift from Richard A. Marfuggi, M.D. ’72 in honor of his mother. Leshkowich received the Marfuggi Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholarship, given to a faculty member with an exemplary record of scholarship and distinguished achievement in the creation of original work in the arts and sciences. Leshkowich is a sociocultural anthropologist whose research focuses on gender, economic transformation,

In her address, Freije quoted one of the student-submitted nominations in support of Futterman: “Regardless of how busy he is, he takes the time to talk to you, whether that is about coursework or about your future plans. He never appears to lose sight of the importance of taking care of his students.” neoliberalism, middle classness, fashion, social work and transnational adoption in Vietnam. Announcing the awards during her annual address to the faculty, Margaret Freije, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, highlighted Leshkowich’s recent achievements, including the publication of a highly praised article, “Standardized Forms of Vietnamese Selfhood: An Ethnographic Genealogy of Documentation,” in the flagship journal for social and cultural anthropology, American Ethnologist. Futterman was named the recipient of the Marfuggi Faculty Award for Academic Advisement, given to a faculty member based on nominations from students. He served as the College’s health professions advisor and chair of the Health Professions Advisory Committee from 1996

Freije also made note of the reputation Futterman built around the health professions advising program: “In his 19 years at the helm, he has developed a program that is respected by our peer institutions, by medical school admissions boards, by our faculty and by our students – this is not an easy balance to strike. I have already had more than one conversation with doctors from medical school admissions boards who said, ‘I know that when the health professions program at Holy Cross tells me that this student can be successful at my institution, I can count on that.’” This year, Futterman accepted a position as professor of psychology at Loyola University in Maryland, joining his wife, Amy Wolfson, vice president for academic affairs at the University. ■ —Kelly Ethier

Do You Know CLO? tom r ettig

tom r ettig

Marfuggi Faculty Awards Announced

ohn Little, professor of mathematics, received the 2016 American Mathematical Society Leroy P. Steele Prize for Exposition. This prize is awarded annually and is one of the highest distinctions in mathematics. Little received the award for his book, Ideals, Varieties, and Algorithms, along with coauthors David Cox of Amherst College and Donal O’Shea of New College of Florida. The text was first published in 1992, with a fourth edition published in 2015. The American Mathematical Society referred to the book as a “classic” that made the topic of computational algebra more accessible for mathematicians, computer scientists and engineers. “Even more impressive than [the book’s] clarity of exposition is the impact it has had on mathematics,” the prize citation states. “CLO, as it is fondly known, has not only introduced many to algebraic geometry, it has actually broadened how the subject could be taught and who could use it.” Little has received distinctions for his service to the College, including the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2003 and the Anthony and Renee Marlon Professorship in the Sciences from 2012 to 2015. ■

FA C U LT Y / C A M P U S N OT E B O O K / 3 1

SYLLABUS

Ethical Issues in Computer Science with Laurie Smith King, Professor of Computer Science DESCRIPTION Students examine the ethical issues that arise as a result of increasing use of computers, and the responsibilities of those who work with computers, both as computer science professionals and end users. How do computers challenge traditional ethical and philosophical concepts? This discussion-based course involves active student participation. Topics discussed include technical issues in computer science and traditional ethical topics, such as philosophical theories, privacy, intellectual property rights, professionalism, security, accountability, liability, hacking and viruses.

COURSE OBJECTIVES The course has three main goals: to give a fuller and richer understanding of the

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

social impact of computers and the ethical issues in human activities affected by computers; to prepare the student for living in a computerized world and working as a professional in the computing field; and to improve presentation, debating and writing skills.

REQUIREMENTS Three analysis/discussion papers, two exams, a presentation with a partner and a “Computer Ethics in the News” presentation, during which the student summarizes a technological news story that has an ethical component and leads class discussion

REQUIRED TEXTS

Computer Ethics, 4th edition, by Deborah G. Johnson and Keith Miller

3 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 2016

CyberEthics, Morality and Law in Cyberspace, 5th edition, by Richard Spinello

ON THE DAY HCM VISITED CLASS After King asked how the students were faring at the end of a busy midterm week, class opened with a “Computer Ethics in the News” presentation. A student summarized an article about a major corporation that was hacked prior to a new product release, but elected to release the new product despite uncertainty about whether its systems were still compromised. With the chairs arranged in a circle, the classroom setup lent itself to a comfortable atmosphere, and an animated discussion about whether the company made the correct decision began immediately. After several minutes of

TOM RETTIG

Laurie Smith King has been on the College’s computer science faculty for more than 15 years and asks students to think about how computers affect traditional ethical concepts.

Electrical and Electronics Engineers initiative on cyberethics. In 2016, she will begin her term as co-editor in chief of ACM’s Inroads magazine.

PROFESSOR QUOTE

discussion, King introduced the main topic of the day: two assigned readings about whether law enforcement and government agencies should have universal access to all data. For the remainder of the hour and a half class, the students discussed why the computer scientist authors—rather than an author with a law background—brought the most valuable perspective, why having universal access could make a system more vulnerable overall and why increased complexity leaves more opportunities for failure in a system.

PROFESSOR BIO King earned her Ph.D. in computer science at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. She specializes in programming languages implementation and hardware/ software co-design and collaborates with the Reconfigurable and GPU (graphics processing unit) Computing Lab at Northeastern University in Boston, where she is a visiting scientist. She joined the

Holy Cross faculty in 1998 and has taught courses ranging from introductory computer science to data mining to program language design and implementation. King is active in the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and, in 2012, was the co-chair for ACM’s Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) Technical Symposium. Her interest in computer ethics began in 1994, when she attended a workshop on professional and ethical issues in computing at a National Science Foundation (NSF) summer program for college faculty. This led to her involvement as co-principal investigator on an NSF-funded project from 2000 to 2004, which aimed to integrate ethics into computer science curriculum. She first developed this ethics course at Holy Cross in 1999, and it became a required course in the computer science major in 2004. Currently, King serves as the ACM SIGCAS (Special Interest Group on Computers and Society) representative to the Institute of

At many colleges and universities, ethics for computer science majors is only a sliver of the curriculum, and is often covered by having the students take courses outside the department. Not so at Holy Cross. King explains: “We are used to teaching technical material and students intuitively grasp that they need to know it to succeed in the field—but we also need to model the need to think about ethical issues that arise in computing. One of the reasons we require this course in the computer science major is to convey that ethical considerations fundamentally intertwine with computing technology and for students to see their computer science professors value this ethical dimension. When facing ethical issues in computing, a tendency is to passively adopt a form of technological determinism and say ‘Oh, that’s just how the technology is.’ But it is not the technology—we design it, we use it, we can change it and we need to take the ethical issues seriously.”

STUDENT QUOTE Allison Rancourt ’17 of West Stewartstown, N.H., who completed a summer internship at the National Security Agency (NSA), says “In my other technical classes, I am asked to problem solve in ways that, for example, would require me to develop a program. In this class, I am also asked to problem solve, but with the knowledge that I may not come to an exact answer to the ethical problem. This poses a problem for people like me who enjoy arriving at an exact solution, but it just adds to the challenge of the course. Computer science ethics is not about arriving at an answer, it is about the path you take to get there and the thoughts you are able to develop along the way.” ■

SYLL ABUS / CAMPUS NOTEBOOK / 33

INSIDE ADMISSIONS

HCM assigned a reporter to spend a year with the admissions staff as they worked to build a class. In this feature, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll discover how our counselors are looking beyond the numbers to find the students who will become part of the Holy Cross family. BY K AT H A R I N E WHITTEMORE

“I

n my end is my beginning,” wrote T.S. Eliot, and for the past year I’ve used this line as a sort of incantation. When Holy Cross Magazine made the unprecedented decision to embed a reporter (me) within the normally secret world of college admissions, Eliot’s line helped out in many ways. Good ways: It pushed me to grasp the cyclical nature of my task, for instance. And strange ways: You wouldn’t think Eliot speaks to statistics, but then I came upon a number. A big number that tells a big story: 91 percent of Holy Cross students graduate in four years. That graduation rate vaults the College into the top 10 list nationwide (the U.S. average is 59 percent graduating over six years). In my end is my beginning, I’d think. What’s the end here? Graduation. What’s the beginning? Of course: admissions. Students thrive at Holy Cross and graduate largely because the admissions staff chose the students they believed could thrive and graduate. In other words, admissions, as much as anything, makes Holy Cross what it is. Or so I gleaned throughout 2015 by covering on- and off-campus events and asking hundreds of questions. Indeed, that big number, that remarkable 91 percent, springs from a very small number: There are 13 admissions counselors and eight support staff, who make a herculean effort to get it right. All year long, Ann McDermott ’79, the director of admissions since 1994, helped intensify my sense of how good beginnings lead to good endings. She’s proud of that 91 percent, naturally. She’s too humble to give her department all the credit—a College culture of rigorous challenge and support obviously matters—but she will take a healthy part: “The admissions department is not infallible,” she told me, with a smile. “But

(left) The iron gate of Linden Lane greets visitors hoping to make Holy Cross their home. (above) The Admissions team outside Fenwick Hall

PHOTOS BY TOM RETTIG

collectively we have a deep sense of what it takes to be a success at Holy Cross. Our process is holistic and personal. We see students as not just their GPA, but as the passions that motivate them. They are Type A, you could say, but they take themselves less seriously than most. This is a place for humble high achievers, and we scrutinize the applicant pool for evidence of that quality.” In March, as I sat in on “Committee,” when applicants are accepted, rejected or wait-listed; or when I swooped down during July Advisory Days, as high schoolers are coached on how to ace an interview; or in September, as I monitored a packed day of recruiting on the road, I came to appreciate the sheer volume and complexity of college admissions—and what makes the Holy Cross admissions process so singular. All in all, it was a year full of gravitas, revelation and dark humor (you can’t stay too serious when working with teenagers). But if you write about admissions, you should make your own admission; I had a harder time getting my head around the topic than I’d imagined. Maybe it was hubris. If you’ve applied to college, or seen your child apply, you may think you know the score. I’m here to tell you, you don’t. Who knew, for instance, there were so many moving parts to the process? Admissions teams constantly juggle

the incoming class and the one just behind, for instance. And there are deep semiotics to decoding the applications themselves; I’d think I had a kid pegged, and time and again, the staff would pull off a much more finely calibrated interpretation. On top of all this, admissions counselors wear a different hat each month—as is clear from their ever-seasonal blogs—making this one of the more calendric jobs out there. Loiter a lot on Mount St. James, as I did, with all those looming Latin sayings etched on stone, and you just want your betters to speak for you. So I’ll turn to Virgil: Felix Qui Potuit Rerum Cognoscere Causas. Happy is s/he who is able to know the causes of things. I am happy. I did learn the causes. But that’s because I had so many guides. I’ll now call on them to be your guide to the hellishly intricate world of college admissions, as Virgil guided Dante through the Inferno. (No worries, no inferno here, though that August college tour was sixth-circle hot). One last word about structure. To make sense of things, it helped me to build my story around the calendar. Dante had his circles, I’ve got mine; what follows is one grand circuit of one grand year, full of the interlocking, ever-shifting experiences of college admissions. I hope you discover as much as I did. To that end, let’s begin.

I NT SHIED EA RATDI M S TI S' SS IPOANTSH / / 3 5

First-time visitors often arrive the summer after their junior year in high school, when Diane Soboski (right), associate director of admissions, and other Holy Cross counselors offer workshops on interviewing and essay writing.

JULY

July Advisory Days WHAT I LEARNED You give back, you get back.

appy New Year! In college admissions, you see, the new year begins on July 1, not January 1. And Holy Cross rings it in with July Advisory Days (JAD), a chain of relaxed, low-stakes, comic-relief introductions to the application process. Held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday all month, for rising high school seniors—whether they intend to apply to Holy Cross or not—JAD trots out a tetrarchical format. There’s one info session, one campus tour, one workshop on interviewing, one workshop on the college essay. Do other colleges do this kind of thing? Not really, it turns out. They may hold a one-off event on an alumni weekend. But Holy Cross’ level of commitment is singular. What is the magis? In a small way, it’s this.

of JAD participants advise themselves right over to Boston College or Davidson or Tufts. Still, Holy Cross has the home court advantage by featuring its own college tour (for more on that, see August). But let’s head to Rehm Library in Smith Hall, where Associate Director of Admissions Diane Soboski (inset left) rolls out the PowerPoint on successful interviewing. One goal of an interview, the crowd learns, is to add color and life to a two-dimensional application. As such, Soboski offers the first little trick: Make a quick resume, listing your school, GPA, academic interests, outside interests and volunteer service. This hoists up the scaffolding for the questions you’ll be asked by the interviewer. Next there’s a slide titled “Dress Appropriately.” An ironic collage— jeans, flip-flops, mini-skirt, sneaker, message T-shirt and (my favorite) a sweatshirt with the logo of “College Other Than X”—is run through with a slash. Now the group of parents and high schoolers gets a short quiz:

1) How well can the student write? 2) What additional things can I learn about this applicant? I zero in on that additional; in March, I’ll cringe at how many kids simply sauté their transcript into essay form, seasoned with adjectives. Other essayists think you get to wear Crusader purple by writing purple prose (JAD sample: “The night is very extemporaneous”). The point Soboski makes, is to show something more of yourself, and to keep it authentic. At July Advisory Days, teens are urged to ask themselves questions: “What are you passionate about? Trigonometry, tacos, technology? What’s something you enjoy? Soccer, Starbucks, sleep?” Starbucks, sleep: It hits me that JAD is all about pushing these soon-to-becollege-kids to wake up and to assume ownership over taking an important next step in their lives.

AUGUST

The College Tour WHAT I LEARNED

“True or False? Which of the following has recently occurred in an interview?”

A) Chewing gum B) Answering a cell phone C) Kicking mother D) Kicking off flip-flops E) Cursing F) Bringing dog to interview ANSWER: All of the above. (The dog popped out of a purse.)

“The reaction from the public is amazing, but JAD is not totally altruistic,” McDermott confesses. “There’s a little bit of self-interest for us. By helping students prepare better, they’ll be better prepared to apply here. Because we want them to give us their best.” That said, plenty

PHOTOS BY ROB CARLIN

It seems Generation Z needs some etiquette tips: If you feel compelled to check your phone in an interview, don’t bring your phone. Make eye contact. Ban yes or no answers. Finally, chill; no one’s trying to trip you up, for an interview is a conversation, not a quiz. As I would come to learn throughout the year, the admissions team cants toward transparency. In the essay workshop, for example, Soboski shares that a counselor always tries to answer two questions when reading an essay:

Current students crucially keep it real for prospective students.

atrick Maloney ’16 has been taught well. The admissions staff knows its students are its best ambassadors, and they’ve trained their 80 tour guides to kick off with a fetching mini-bio: He’s a poli sci major with a specialty in Latin America, we learn, and spent a semester in Argentina. This Mansfield, Mass., native has also been coached on how to play to two distinct audiences: parents and their teenagers. Bio done, he points to one of the best views on campus, and we all gaze down at the city from the veranda at Fenwick. A viscous August heat oils the air. Maloney adjusts accordingly; he’ll spend the tour steering us toward shady spots he’s already scoped out. Looking at Worcester, he leads with the good news about Worcester, though he’s quick to mention the Friday shuttles to Boston and Providence. Murmurs of “I didn’t know that” come from the

INSIDE ADMISSIONS

parents when he mentions it’s the second biggest city in New England, and features a dozen colleges. Approving nods sneak from sons and daughters when he hypes Shrewsbury Street’s “restaurant row” and the Shoppes at Blackstone Valley (an outdoor mall in nearby Millbury, Mass.), the latter boasting the teen trifecta, it seems: “a Panera, a Target and a movie theater.” Maloney volleys between parental and teen preoccupations so deftly, it’s like some sort of mind tennis. One minute he reassures parents about safety, explaining the blue light security system; the next minute he’s talking about the pizza station and vegan options at Kimball. One minute he enthuses how Holy Cross is legendary for its highly loyal alumni network (the alumni database “can really lead to getting a job”); the next minute, he talks about Holy Cross sweatshirts in the bookstore (“purple looks good on everyone”). He recites stats (2,900 students, average class size 19), then praises the café in the Science Complex. “It’s kind of like a Panera,” he says, and I sense a leitmotif. The tour picks its way uphill to peer inside the rooms at Wheeler. In spite of all the food talk, one mom reasons, “you can’t gain the freshman 15 if you walk up and down these stairs!” I’m reminded that some families, by now, are connoisseurs of college tours. One girl clarifies: “Lehigh University’s hills are steeper.” Meanwhile, Maloney eloquently covers the Jesuit tradition, community involvement, varsity athletics and the uniqueness of the Montserrat program, explaining how friendships flourish because first-year students live with those from their Montserrat seminar. Generation Z, as the admissions office has drilled into me, likes things personal and unfiltered—student blogs on the Holy Cross website purposely go up without vetting or editing (edgy is good, like the student abroad who wrote about being pick pocketed in Paris). Likewise, tour guides are told to be

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The student-led campus tour takes 40 minutes, and includes a stop at the Integrated Science Complex, where students and their parents see some of the College’s state-of-the-art research and classroom facilities, as well as the popular Science Cafe eatery.

What’s up with apps?

f you applied to college before the internet age, you may recall picking up an information packet from your dream school at your guidance counselor’s office, pulling out the form to apply, then typing up and mailing that paper application into the admissions office. Today of course, applications are completed online, and during the last 40 years, use of the Common Application (or “Common App”) has increasingly become the method of choice for students. Created by a nonprofit, member organization, the Common App allows students to fill out a single online form and send it to multiple colleges and universities. More than 600 institutions accept the Common App, including Holy Cross, and about 1 million students take advantage of its convenience each year. Each school can tailor the Common App to its needs (some require essays, others do not, for example), and the convenience of onestop-shopping appeals to many high school students and their families. Now, the College is participating in another unique initiative to make the application process more thoughtful and deliberative— and to improve access for under-resourced students. A diverse coalition of public and private colleges and universities, The Coalition

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for Access, Affordability and Success, has developed a free platform of online tools to streamline the experience of planning for and applying to college for all students. In creating this platform, these schools hope to recast the college admission process from something that is transactional and limited in time into a more engaged, ongoing and educationally reaffirming experience. They also hope to motivate a stronger college-going mindset among students of all backgrounds, especially those from low-income families or underrepresented groups who have historically had less access to leading colleges and universities. “It is our hope that all students, particularly those from under-resourced backgrounds, will be empowered by the options and flexibility this platform will provide,” says Ann McDermott ’79, director of admissions. “The digital portfolio will allow students to provide information with richness and depth and really help students tell their unique story.” Are you curious about how the portfolio application tools work and why Holy Cross supports this new application venue for prospective students? Visit holycross.edu/ hcm/coalition or read McDermott’s essay “A Sea Change in Admissions?” from Inside Higher Ed at holycross.edu/hcm/ seachange. ■

personal whenever possible, so we learn that Maloney’s Montserrat seminar included Latin American film, that he loves the homemade cookies at the Campion House for Campus Ministry and that many guys get their haircut at the Hogan barbershop right before their parents visit. He also likes to point out good smartphone photo ops. The Hoval (AKA the Hogan Courtyard) and the ivied wall at the Brooks Center for Music are big hits. Click, click, click. Those photo ops give me the op to dig at the ever-more-crucial role of social media in the admissions process. If students on a tour post photos to their Snapchat accounts, for instance, each photo is marked with a tiny “ghost icon” that they can personalize, or borrow. Holy Cross officially rolled out its icon—an image of a Holy Cross T-shirt—in September. Because Snapchat is geobased, the College can get data on who posted what image from what location on campus—and the Holy Cross name gets ever-renewed exposure. The College has had Facebook and Twitter accounts for years, but Snapchat is a fairly fresh add-on; even newer is Periscope, in which you can live-stream videos, rather than watch them later on YouTube. Admissions knows that prospective students are trolling the College website, and so they must offer a constantly updated bounty. As such, a team of Holy Cross instagrammers posts regularly; a student athlete puts up a photo of cleats on a field; a returning student uploads a photo of her car, packed to the gills with luggage; a dancer shares post-performance smiles. “Members of the Holy Cross community want to know that we are current—and we are,” says Jessica McCaughey, social media specialist. “We are following trends, acting strategically and always trying to show Holy Cross in the best light.” And that, too, is a goal for the College’s tour guides, explains Laura Boyle, assistant director of admissions and tour program coordinator. I caught her on the road, on her way to recruit at

St. Mary’s High School in Annapolis, Md., and she told me that some 100 students apply for 20 tour guide spots, which open as each class graduates. They’re interviewed, assessed for their eloquence, charisma and crowd management skills and selected; then, they complete a two-day training session, during which faculty and administrators explain essential talking points. These include information about the College’s academic rigor, abundance of research opportunities, state-of theart facilities and campus life. After that, the new guides shadow veteran guides three times, and get critiques from staffers throughout the year. “Patrick is one of our best,” says Boyle. “He can really command a crowd, and throws out lots of conversation starters.” I asked her why tour guides matter so much. “Many times, tour guides are the first human contact for students and their families,” she explains. “Counselors can talk to high schoolers—but we just aren’t as compelling as a Holy Cross student, showing their passion for Holy Cross. Good tour guides are truly invaluable to the admissions process.”

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER Travel and Recruiting WHAT I LEARNED You must go the distance, literally and figuratively.

ssistant Director for Diversity and Inclusion Ashley Johnson (inset right) is at Elephants Delicatessen in Portland, Ore., getting takeout chicken potpie. She often wolfs down meals in her car between appointments, but we’ve got an evening phone date and comfort food can wait. It’s been an arduous two days: nine high school recruiting visits (including La Salle Catholic College Prep, Sunset High School and Catlin Gabel School), one student interview night held in the lobby at the Portland Hilton and one long meeting of HECA, the Higher Education Consultants Association.

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(below) Assistant Director for Diversity and Inclusion Ashley Johnson explains that “diversity” includes ethnicity and race as well as income and geographic diversity. (right) Admissions counselors Thomas Campbell ’14 and Kirsten Vanhorne ’15 bring a recent graduate’s perspective to admissions work.

“Diversity” is a big umbrella that includes not just ethnic, racial and income diversity, but geographical diversity. The Northwest is underrepresented at Holy Cross; about 20 students from the region are now on campus, most from the Seattle area. (It helps that Holy Cross president Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., grew up in that area, and taught at Seattle and Gonzaga universities.) But the Northwest, and other regions around the country, are vital, because all colleges in the Northeast are facing a demographic brick wall: The number of kids back east is dropping, and schools must reach outside their traditional home regions to maintain healthy enrollment. The rest of the country beckons, but brick walls rise up there, too. For example, if the state school system offers scholarships to top students (as Oregon does), those students are more likely to stay in-state. Holy Cross is also less known the farther one gets from New England, so much of her job lies in highlighting what sets it apart: “I

PHOTOS BY ROB CARLIN

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(left) Senior Associate Director of Admissions Lynn Verrecchia ’01 with Kevin Kennedy ’16, one of the 29 senior interviewers in the admissions office, on Fenwick Porch. Senior interviewers are trained as one-on-one admissions interviewers, and represent the breadth of backgrounds and academic pursuits within the Holy Cross community. Kennedy, for example, is an international studies and Asian studies major from Montville, N.J.

School, I know I’ll be a second reader on that student’s application, and can talk knowledgably about her in Committee. There are great days on the road, and there are tough days—and they all count.”

mention our Jesuit form of education, our focus on social justice, our yearlong study abroad, the fact that we are one of the top Catholic colleges and the only Jesuit school that is fully undergraduate, so undergrads have many opportunities to do research. And I’ll add that we’re one of the few to offer unique courses of study, like American Sign Language.”

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Margaret Freije explains the importance of casting this wide net. “Our efforts to expand our recruiting nationally and internationally,” she says, “are important both to ensure that we are recruiting top students to the College and to build an on-campus community that offers our students the opportunity to engage with others with diverse perspectives and life experiences.”

West Coast students also balk at the travel—and the weather. “Everyone asked me about the snow last winter,” Johnson shares. “I tell them that the only big impact is if they drive, and you don’t have to drive to get around campus. That seems to calm them down. Out here, they’ve got a big, deep-seated fear of driving in snow, since if it snows an inch in Portland, they shut the place down!” Some visits went better than others—at Southridge High School, not one student showed up, so Johnson used the time to establish a connection with the school counselor, a tall order since the meeting room was next to the cafeteria at lunchtime and Johnson had to shout her conversation over the din. Only two students came to interview night at the Hilton (25 attended Boyle’s interview night in Annapolis), which was conducted by two alumnae who live in Oregon, Kate Healy ’07 and Sarah Jones ’12. (Holy Cross has a vast network—1,200-strong— of alumni interviewers, who talk with high schoolers too far away to get to campus.) Still, those interviews went well, and Johnson sees progress. “Because we have such a personalized application process, what we do in the fall dictates what we do the rest of the year. For example, having met a student at Jesuit High

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In September and October, the 13 staffers will visit more than 850 high schools among them, in about 30 states and 15 countries.

“THIS IS A PLACE FOR HUMBLE HIGH ACHIEVERS, AND WE SCRUTINIZE THE APPLICANT POOL FOR …THAT QUALITY.” — ANN M C D ER M OTT ’ 7 9 Director of Admissions

Another distinctive way that Holy Cross raises its visibility and engages students with diverse backgrounds and interests is through its athletics program. With 27 varsity teams, Holy Cross coaches are building their programs each year, in part, by recruiting talented male and female student-athletes across the country and around the world. (Curious how so many Canadians ended up at Holy Cross? Check out the roster of the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams.) A full 25 percent of Holy Cross students are varsity athletes, and coaches are key to introducing these disciplined and highly competitive students to the opportunities Holy Cross offers on and off the fields and courts of Mount St. James.

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER Early Decision WHAT I LEARNED Make it personal, make it joyful.

ll jobs have their redemptive perks, and perhaps the biggest one for admissions counselors, is the “ED phone call.” Each of the 300 or so accepted Early Decision (ED) applicants gets the news this way, on a rolling basis. As soon as you’re accepted, you’re phoned, usually by someone who has met you already. The process of choosing ED students is a microcosm of Reading Season (see December-February) and Committee (see March), so I won’t delve deep into the logistics. Instead, for fun, I polled the counselors for their most rewarding moments. Senior Associate Director of Admissions Lynn Verrecchia ’01, says one of her most memorable calls came when she phoned a student from Maine who she’d met many times through the application process. The girl was in the car, driving, when Verrecchia reached her. “I knew she would be really excited and surprised to hear why I was calling,” Verrecchia recalls, “so I asked her to pull over to the side of the road. Once she did, I shared the good news, and she yelled and screamed and cried. I made her promise to stay where she was until she calmed down a little and called her mom.”

Andrew Carter, another senior associate director of admissions, once reached an ED applicant on Christmas Eve. It turned out there were 45 people at his house for a holiday party—many of whom were Holy Cross alums, including both parents. “He was alone in his parents’ bedroom when I gave him the news,” Carter recalls. “We talked for a few moments and came up with a strategy; he decided to dig through his dad’s closet, find his dad’s old Holy Cross sweatshirt and walk back out to the party to make the big announcement.” This was, needless to say, a big hit.

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Reading Season at Holy Cross different from the vast majority of colleges? I learn that it’s how the staff responds to the applications. At most schools, one reader makes a decision and presents it to the Committee, which essentially decides whether to second or veto that decision. Not so on Mount St. James. “I really want to stress this to parents,” says Gomez. “There is not one person making a decision about your child, no one counselor in a dark room, hunched under a lamp, holding a red ‘rejection’ stamp.”

DECEMBER-FEBRUARY Reading Season WHAT I LEARNED The reader is the investigator, not the judge.

he fountain in Memorial Plaza, with its figure from Rodin’s “Burghers of Calais,” serenely splashes outside Carter’s office. How apt—because I’ve got a fount of questions. The topic is Reading Season, the time when admissions officers hunker down to read applications; Holy Cross received 6,595 last year for about 740 spaces, that’s roughly 500 per first reader, 500 per second reader. The As to my Qs are supplied by Carter, an 11-year veteran, and Admissions Counselor Brandon Gomez ’14, a newer member of the team. I start off with the big one: Why is

There’s not one reader, I’ve got it. But there is a first reader and a second reader. What is the first reader’s role, then? “The first reader synthesizes and compresses the information— but does not make the decision,” Carter explains. “That’s because you can’t make the decision without knowing the rest that are in the entire pile of applications. I get my perspective on my batch and then go to Committee. You are better educated after you’ve seen the whole pool. This takes the pressure off you as a reader. You’re the investigator— not the judge.” So what’s the second reader do? “The second reader reads entirely for consistency,” says Gomez. “The second reader makes sure the first one didn’t miss a significant AP class, maybe, or double checks if a high school provided weighted or unweighted GPA. Or looks into information that may have come in later, like senior grades or another recommendation.” Carter spells out the second-reader role even more: “Insuring the two reads is a great part of our process. With two readers, personal prejudice gets filtered out and averaged out.” This “averaging out” drives the hiring process in the admissions department as well. “When a

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(left) Andrew Carter, senior associate director of admissions (right) The College’s reputation for rigorous academics in an exclusively undergraduate, Jesuit environment is the No. 1 selling point for Holy Cross. Seeing the beauty of campus in person on a tour— especially on a gorgeous summer day like this one—only adds to the attraction.

job candidate is in an interview, and I’m nodding along in agreement when they’re talking, and they sound like me, then we don’t need them in there,” explains Carter. “We’ve already got a ‘me.’ The College benefits from a broadness of opinion.” How do you decide who’s a first reader and who’s a second reader? Each staffer is both. All first readers simply work through applicants whose last names start with a few letters in the alphabet. Gomez was assigned S and T last year, for instance. The second reader has some sort of leg-up specialty. Things break down by geography, meaning you read those areas you visited in the fall: Johnson will second read those from the Northwest, for instance, and Boyle has the D.C. area. Second readers also have some topical specialties. Gomez reads applicants from the Cristo Rey network of Catholic schools, which educate underserved populations. Carter reads all alumni children applicants. If someone connected to an applicant writes to the president of the College, McDermott reads those. Soboski reads all music scholarship applications. Verrecchia second reads apps from Worcester high schools. How long are First Read and Second Read? First Read takes place from early December to January 20. Second Read goes from January 21 until Valentine’s Day. During these winter months, the admissions office is down to one person rotating in per day, as most others work at home. The paper days are long gone, so each staffer stares at a command center of double or triple monitors, reading an average of 30 applications onscreen a day. McDermott sets up at her dining room table. Gomez prefers his basement.

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TOM RETTIG

MOTHER KIMBALL /

Thousands of applicants walk through the door of Fenwick 105, each year, where they are greeted by Administrative Assistants Pat McKeen (above) and Mary Ericson.

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“You start out slow and then get faster,” says Carter. To avoid the dreaded “glaze over,” Gomez does pushups after reading every fifth batch. Carter starts reading at 5 a.m., and goes for a run late afternoon. I ask what it feels like to encounter so many aspiring—and inspiring—young people. “At first all you know is a name,” Carter tells me. “Then you absorb the transcript. The transcript is easily the most important document; that’s the backbone of the conversations to come. And it’s not just about the grades themselves, but the courses they’ve signed up for, the rigor they’ve chosen. You learn about their high school, hometown, interests, parents. Twenty minutes into it, you’ve created this story about someone.” Sounds pretty cool, I say. “It is,” says Carter. “Reading season is easily my favorite part of the year.”

FEBRUARY-MARCH In Committee

WHAT I LEARNED Choosing a student body is like playing three-dimensional chess.

hat should I call Room 105? The inner sanctum, the war room, the arena of fate? I’m in Fenwick, in this tuckedaway room where life paths aren’t decided, exactly, but surely channeled: I note the pine green carpet, white walls, burgundy curtains drawn closed, overhead lights gone dark. The floor is perilously thatched with dangling cords and power strips, like some geek Double Dutch tournament, and above the tangle are three long white tables topped by laptops gleaming silver in the glow of two screens filling up maybe 12 feet of the wall. I spot bowls of energy assists: Twizzlers, Devil Dogs, pretzels, almonds, bottles of juice and water. There’s a faint electronic hum, and an intensity, too, as everyone stares hard at the screens. This is what’s called being “in Committee.” Through the winter, staffers have separately read applications for the class of 2019. Now they’ve come together to make their final decisions, in stages. I’m here for the fourth of

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maybe six rounds. We’re all essentially on lockdown; there are scheduled group bathroom breaks and a strictly timed lunch. Two staffers rotate feeding the others potluck style. Today it’s a lemony shrimp casserole, salad and homemade pizza. Next year, there’s talk of going for theme lunches, like the Committee at Brown, which eats lobster rolls when they read Maine applications. “The speed may shock you,” McDermott warns me beforehand, sympathetically. She means that I’m getting the abridged version of earlier, much longer considerations and debates. I open my own laptop, and begin furiously typing notes, as Verrecchia (she’s today’s tech queen) starts projecting student application documents from her laptop onto the wall. McDermott, mostly, but others too, ask Verrecchia to toggle between each student’s transcripts, recommendations, college essays, rankings of high schools and much more. I happen to be here for a session on boys, mostly; 45 percent of applicants are male, 55 percent female, and the goal is to get as close to 50/50 as possible. Oh my, McDermott’s right. It is fast, and I’m not as fluent as the natives. Acronyms and shorthand ricochet by: WLAB is Wait List at Best. Let’s bin him, says one. Bin simply means to table for now (in the paper days, there was an actually bin). Bring it back up in Cleanup. That’s when you ask the front desk to plug a hole, like a missing school profile or unsubmitted grades. I like her ECs (extracurriculars). How’s her toeful? says someone of a Brazilian student, and it takes me a moment to hear TOEFL, or Test of English as a Foreign Language. Turns out it needs to be 100 at minimum, and the staff will launch an email exchange to check the student’s writing ability and a Skype session to test her spoken language skills. I’d passport her, says another, of the Brazilian girl who’s TOEFL is a sunny 110. Passport is the College’s innovative, residential program designed to acclimate firstyear students—including international students for whom English is not their primary language—to the challenging

academic life at Holy Cross. Quiet descends as the staff re-reads parts of certain essays—any typos or non-sequiturs were emphatically circled by the first and second readers. One applicant writes (tartly?) of a “currant student,” another references (the horror) “Worchester.” But a typo isn’t a deal breaker; dullness is. A few of today’s essays shone for originality; one described being a greeter at Lourdes, another wrote an homage to the film director Wes Anderson, a third on building a kayak out of PVC pipe and duct tape. One student’s essay is engagingly written, but the topic is way overdone among student-athletes: the “typical sports failure” essay, about not making the team/choking under pressure/getting injured. Even so, that student is admitted. He’s that strong. A bad grade or two freshman year is not a deal breaker either, I learn, especially among boys, who mature more slowly than girls. Thus my favorite acronym today: LBB, Late Blooming Boy. One LBB, for instance, wrote an essay about how he fell off a roof. “There are lots of boys in the bin with more casual essays,” explains McDermott. “Girls try to show how smart they are.” Some LBB stuff doesn’t fly, though. Holy Cross is a stickler over bad senior year grades, for instance, since maturity should’ve kicked in by now; in the modern era, a college can revoke an admission if a high school student tanks after being admitted. Admissions counselors pay attention to how engaged a student is in the process—from emails and calls to visits and other interactions with someone at Holy Cross. One young man, for instance, has impressive grades and an interesting story (he’s a dancer turned football player), who also brings ethnic and geographic diversity to the mix (he’s Latino, from Texas). But he didn’t get back to a staffer who reached out to him for more details. Again, there’s nuance here: Johnson tells me that firstgeneration college students don’t always know the weight attached to making contact. Tough call. He is wait-listed.

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The nuances keep flying at me: a Roxbury Latin student has a few Cs on his transcript—but McDermott knows how to weight this, because the school is so rigorous. “A C at Roxbury Latin is quite common,” she explains. Also, I was ready to snub my nose at one applicant, the boy who knew a “currant student.” Turns out this Maine native has an impressive resume that includes some top-notch high-tech work and service on his town’s school board. Plus, he once bumped into Maine governor Angus King on a plane, and had the gumption to get King to write a note to Holy Cross on his behalf. He’s admitted.

APRIL Yield

WHAT I LEARNED In a buyer’s market, sell hard.

affodils toss in the breeze, as giant clusters of purple and white balloons bat against a bright blue morning sky. The air is tanged with new cedar mulch. It’s good that the campus is looking so fresh, so enticing, for today is the Accepted Student Open House, when admittees come to “kick the tires,” as McDermott says, to see if they’ll choose Holy Cross over other schools that have chosen them. It’s a buyer’s market, in other words. About 1,800 people roam the grounds—unlike most colleges, Holy Cross prides itself on having an open campus open house so families can decide where they want to go. This means flocks of teenagers with varying levels of embarrassment at having their parents in tow. On my way up to Hogan Campus Center, I overhear choice bits of dialogue. Parent, huffing: “There. Are. A lot. Of. Stairs.” Son, huffy: “Yeah, Mom, that’s how they roll here.” The day’s swag is in evidence, as many sport their newly gifted purple string bags. Flattery is in evidence too: “Class of 2019: We Hear You’re Kind of a Big Deal” proclaims the big sign outside the chaplain’s office, next to a smiling cutout of Pope Francis. A parent buttonholes Ann McDermott: “I love

how you personalize your acceptance letters!” All month long, the admissions staff has barraged the website every day with news, reminders, event notices, deadlines. They also did a countdown to March 23, when acceptances are announced—7 days until, 5 days, 2 days … I follow the phalanxes of students to the Browsing Session, third floor, Hogan. Here is where you peruse tables devoted to a raft of cocurriculars. There’s Fools on the Hill a cappella, Moot Court, the Ski Team, Marching Band and the Clothesline Project, which addresses the issue of violence against women. ASIA (Advocating Student Interest in Asia) is handing out guava candies (good ploy, they’ve got a high lure-in rate). There’s a rainbow-painted tablecloth at the Pride table. It’s loud, and as you move through the crowds, conversations rise and fade, like your radio set on scan. “You don’t have to start out with Calc 2,” an ROTC member reassures one high schooler. “Check out our Christmas concert on YouTube!” chirps, I’m guessing, a soprano in the College Choir Chamber Singers. The arts offerings at Holy Cross—both cocurricular and academic— are robust. And students considering accepting the offer to attend the College have a range of opportunities to explore their creative passions in theatre, music, dance and visual arts. A blonde high school student in a Patriots T-shirt stops to talk with José Santiago ’17, black hair, big smile, earring studs, at the LASO table. (LASO stands for Latin American Student Organization). I eavesdrop and then butt in. The young man is trying to choose between Holy Cross, Boston College and Colorado College. The shirt made me peg him for a New Englander, but he grew up in Costa Rica, where the family moved for his dad’s job. Now he wants to know if there are any Costa Ricans on campus. Santiago isn’t sure of the exact number, but adds you don’t have to be Latin American to join LASO. The college shopper asks Santiago why he came to Holy Cross. “My parents are from Puerto Rico, and I was born

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Director of Admissions Ann McDermott ’79 speaking with Chase Moore and his mother at an accepted student event in Los Angeles last spring. Moore is now a member of the Class of 2019.

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in Philly,” answers the sophomore. “My mom was iffy about me going so far away. But I had friends here, and they talked it up. So I came up to see them, and found you could really talk to anyone here. It felt open. Then I went to Noche Latina [a celebration of Latino culture on campus] and that was it.” The genius of Open House is that potential Worcester-bound students can check out those who’ve said yes to the address. You like them, and you like the place. But not all endings are happy, for the competition can be too stiff: As I find out later, the blonde student will enroll at Holy Cross and then withdraw to attend another university. To further explore the wavy line between accepted and enrolled, I head to one of today’s Student-Only Panels, where these teens get to ask questions without any annoying adults around—except, oops, I’m there. Sam Zurn ’16, the senior psychology major leading the panel, gingerly asks if I’m lost. I explain my purpose, they let me stay, but the girl next to me cracks, “Spy alert! Just don’t tell anything to our parents!” The panel consists of four Holy Cross students, one from each current class. They introduce themselves and questions trickle, then sluice. Is it good being at a small school? “When you pass someone on campus, you know you’ll see them again,” says Annie Sullivan ’18, who runs track and studies economics. “There’s a real community vibe, people say hello, are genuinely nice—they hold the door for you!” Do you interact with other area colleges? “Not as much as I expected,” says Zurn. How’s the food in the dining hall? That gets a few titters: “I would say it’s slowly improving,” concedes Brianna Mora ’17, a vegan pre-law student from California. Can we talk about the snow? Mora confesses she never owned a scarf before coming to Holy Cross. Bigger laughs. How close do you get to professors? “My Montserrat professor still emails me,” says Nick Mastas ’17, a chemistry major from Lowell, Mass. “Once you’re done

with the class, you’re not done with the relationship.” What about drinking? “Yes, a drinking culture exists,” says Zurn. “It can be yours, but you have to be ready for the repercussions of your decisions. And no one is ostracized for not being a drinker.” What is your favorite tradition? Zurn says the stickball league at the back of Wheeler, “which is notorious for breaking windows.” Mora says the male beauty pageant. More laughs. How religious is the experience here? Zurn says Holy Cross, by heritage a Catholic, Jesuit school, explores faith in the broadest way. “Whatever your religious background, they are here to support you,” he says, mentioning that he went on a five-day silent retreat sponsored by the Chaplains’ Office. Adds Mora: “I feel like I can be my better self here.” To be your better self, of course, you must channel your academic ambition. And so I head over to two Special Interest Sessions, where high schoolers explore possible majors. First stop, classics, in Stein Hall’s Room 208, which is filling up with parents, sons and daughters looking a bit stunned. “What do you do after you graduate with a classics major?” Professor Thomas R. Martin plunges right in with a cheerful swagger. “Anything you want!” He points to a member of the Class of 2016, who plans to be a dentist, and mentions former students who are lawyers, financial planners and physicians—one now the president of the American Medical Association. “Classics is the Swiss army knife of majors,” he continues. “You can do anything with it. And I tripledare other schools to compete with our department.” Second stop, chemistry. I cross Linden Lane for Smith Labs, Room 154, where Professor Kevin Quinn explains that, at Holy Cross, undergrads do the research often done by graduate students elsewhere. “And when students do research, students learn to become scientists,” he says. “All classes are taught by the discovery method, a guided inquiry approach. They collect data, and

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data drives the discussion.” One young woman from Shrewsbury, Mass., who got in Early Decision, plans on going into medicine, and takes note of the beakers and fume hoods in the lab where students conduct experiments, observing and analyzing chemical reactions. Her mother appreciates the school’s emphasis on both academics and giving back, and is upbeat: “This day reinforces that I know she is in good hands.” And she is, indeed, in good hands at Holy Cross. In fact, the close bonds formed among students and their professors, fostered by being an exclusively undergraduate institution and keeping class sizes small, are two important selling points for students and their families—all part of the exemplary academic experience the College offers. “Students at Holy Cross are comfortable with being challenged academically, and seek an atmosphere where they can explore important questions with their peers and faculty who are both teachers and scholars,” says Freije. “Of course, getting to know what campus life will be like is important to students as they decide whether or not to attend the College, but the desire to pursue an academic program that is rigorous and rewarding—and leads to success after four years on the Hill—is essential.”

MAY

The Application Workshop WHAT I LEARNED It helps to make high schoolers walk around in your shoes. mart move with the Klondike bars. Prom night was last night, and these juniors at Pomfret School, a boarding and day school in Pomfret, Conn., were running on fumes until the counseling department deployed a chocolate strategy. We’re in their auditorium for this mandatory Application Workshop, stage lights glinting off a sea of foil ice cream bar wrappers. “It’s the first tangible college event for these students,” Bruce Wolanin tells me. He’s Pomfret’s director of college counseling,

How do financial aid policies affect student recruitment?

yth or reality? Applying for financial aid is stressful, difficult and mysterious.

Granted, a glance at the glossary of financial aid terms, acronyms and abbreviations (FAFSA? CSS Profile? IDOC?) can be mind-boggling.

But Lynne Myers (above), director of financial aid at Holy Cross since 1995, contends that associating “daunting” with “financial aid” is a mischaracterization. It’s really a fairly straightforward and transparent process, she says. Plus, along with the advice and counsel she and her staff provide families, the Holy Cross financial aid process and policies become another way Holy Cross stands out in the college search. But first, a couple of basics. At Holy Cross, the offices of Admissions and Financial Aid operate separately. Admissions does not take into account a student’s ability to pay when evaluating his or her application.

It is what’s known as a “need blind” admissions policy. Only about 30 other colleges and universities in the nation are need blind and meet 100 percent of the admitted student’s full demonstrated need. Many other colleges have some variation on this standard. A need aware, or need sensitive, policy means that a university makes many of its admissions decisions without considering the student’s need for college money. In other words, they may reserve some spots for students who are able to meet the college program’s full cost of attendance without the need for loans, grants or scholarships. While the two offices operate separately, general questions about financial aid are routinely raised with admissions counselors, and financial aid staff members’ presentations are standing-roomonly events at Admissions Open House. And, the reasons behind the dual “need blind/meets full need” policy make a critical point in telling the Holy Cross story, as Myers points out. “Our policies are rooted in our mission and Jesuit identity. We believe that Holy Cross should be accessible to everyone who truly wants to be part of the Holy Cross community and is prepared to engage in the rigorous academics, to discover their passions and to lead a life of purpose—no matter their financial circumstances or backgrounds. Being able to support talented and motivated students through our financial aid program

brings new perspectives and contributions that strengthens the entire community.” As evidenced by the packed houses at the financial aid workshops Myers and her staff offer, families are hungry for information—that she is more than willing to share. (Her presentation, by the way, is available on the College website at holycross.edu/how-aid-works/ open-house-presentations). And, she says, in recent years, the families she sees are getting savvier about college expenses. “I see more and more families looking for good, solid financial data. They want to understand how incurring debt for college is a family investment. They are looking at the big and long term picture, and have questions about the return on investment. For example, parents will ask about their student who is ultimately interested in going to medical school and wonder whether the cost of Holy Cross makes sense if the family will be taking on more debt down the road. That’s when we can reference the extraordinary high percentage of medical school acceptances that Holy Cross graduates have; how the quality of the academic program is an investment that needs to be in the mix of their decision-making.” Still the lingering misperceptions can lead families down a bumpy road. “The best source of information for financial aid is the financial aid office at the college you’re interested in,” she says. “I caution people about paying for a service that offers to handle the process for you. There is a lot of information online, educate yourself, fill out the applications yourself. Meet the deadlines. And— it bears repeating—contact the financial aid office when you have questions.” ■

and starts things off, hopping on the stage. “Please take off your hats, sit up and show respect,” Wolanin begins. “Alright, the mission here today is to prepare you to fill out the Common App and how to visit and interview on college campuses.” Then he introduces the three admissions counselors who’ll carry out that mission: One is from Elon, another from Beloit and Verrecchia representing Holy Cross. For Verrecchia, there’s no giant payback here (only five Pomfret students have chosen Holy Cross in the last five years). But soon I realize how, selfishly, this exercise deftly explains the puzzle of admissions for me, as well for as them. “How many of you are dying to be admissions counselors today?” Verrecchia asks with a grin. Next, we all get handouts describing the hypothetical Chesterton College, and two hypothetical applicants: Howard “Howie” B. Peters and Anne Hobart “Hobie” Thompson. Which one should Chesterton accept— Howie or Hobie? The first step, explains Verrecchia, is to understand the college’s needs. And so we read that this small, competitive liberal arts school just got a big alumni gift to increase women’s athletics, that it wants to attract more physical science students and is short on ALANA applicants (those with African-American, Latin American, Asian-American or Native American heritage). Next, everyone reads both applications. Silence extends. Howie, from a Delaware public school, wants to be a doctor, and has high AP biology scores. He’s African-American, works at the Burger Hut and is very involved with SADD; his affecting essay is about his cousin, the driver in a drunk driving accident that killed two others. Hobie, from a Florida private school, excels at math (her math SATs are higher than Howie’s), has more extracurriculars and is a big tennis star at her school. Her essay toys, a bit pallidly, with stringing a racket as life metaphor. Verrecchia asks for pros and cons about both candidates, whiteboarding

points made by the audience. “Did you see Howie’s C+ in Spanish freshman year?” she asks. “I’d worry about it if things didn’t improve. But see the B- and B in Spanish later? That shows perseverance. Were you surprised he got a recommendation from someone who wasn’t a teacher? It’s a good idea that schools hear from someone—parents, peers, bosses—who knows you in a different context. There was too much white space on his extracurriculars page, right? But notice he’s at the Burger Hut fulltime? That shows maturity and responsibility.” The Elon counselor points out Howie’s lower SAT scores, and suggests his family couldn’t afford SAT prep class like Hobie’s could. One girl says, “I feel like Hobie is nothing more than tennis.” Verrecchia shakes her head, “You can’t make that assumption unless you interview her.” It’s all about context, she explains, about probing behind what’s on paper. In the end, the kids vote to admit Howie, even though Hobie’s athletic prowess was tempting. Then Verrecchia pulls the rug out from under them. “There’s no such thing as a true comparison of one student to another student. We don’t admit in tranches. Every student is up against the whole applicant pool. The most important word here is ‘and.’ Holy Cross could do nothing but diversity or nothing but female athletes. But it’s never or—it’s always and.”

JUNE

Retreat WHAT I LEARNED

moving, seems to stop en masse, and take in the good news. And why not sprinkle goodness here and there? McDermott proposes they waive application fees for all Cristo Rey students. “Let’s be proactive in enrolling these kids and extend the gesture,” she says. (The Cristo Rey Network comprises 30 Catholic, college preparatory high schools for underrepresented urban youth.) Various reports are made: Soboski chronicles her Latin American trips; how she saved money by jointly hiring a car with counselors from Bates, Hamilton and Bryn Mawr; how Leo Diaz, a college counselor at the Greengates School, a British day school in Mexico City, is the man to know, because he knows everybody; and the group discusses whether to make return trips to certain areas next year. The group agrees that exposure on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform, has been productive and should be maintained. Another decision is made to discontinue middle school tours of Holy Cross; the kids ran around the football field, and it got too crazy. Someone proposes posting staff picks on places to eat and things to do for families visiting Worcester. At one point, McDermott asks her staff to blue sky ideas for new majors that would entice more applicants, knowing, rightly and full well, that such verdicts emanate from the faculty. If I’ve learned nothing, though, I’ve learned that admissions is the front lines; why not share what they hear? Answers fly forth: forensics, finance, biotech, journalism.

There’s always room for improvement.

e gather here today, the entire staff and I, to reprise a year in the life of admissions—what worked, what must work better. This happens every June, before the Admissions New Year fireworks go up again in July. The big news is that the Class of 2019 numbers are plush; the total number of applications is up 24 percent, ALANA up 36 percent and international up 72 percent. The admissions team, always

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At “journalism” I think about all my months of journalistic moments, this crazy year of discovery. The retreat is coming to a close. I glance at my notes, and see the day’s long, long list of suggestions and proposals. As I end, there are so many beginnings. ■

Katharine Whittemore is a book review columnist for the Boston Globe, and has written for many publications including The Atlantic and Salon.com. She lives in Northampton, Mass.

“COLLECTIVELY THE ADMISSIONS TEAM HAS A DEEP SENSE OF WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A SUCCESS AT HOLY CROSS. OUR PROCESS IS HOLISTIC AND PERSONAL. WE SEE STUDENTS AS NOT JUST THEIR GPA, BUT AS THE PASSIONS THAT MOTIVATE THEM.” — AN N M C D ER M OT T ’ 79 Director of Admissions

For the admissions team, a year of work comes full circle as the members of each new class gather for their class photo—and begin their Holy Cross journey.

DAN VAILLANCOURT

MOTHER KIMBALL /

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SANCTAE CRUCIS 2015

Each year the College announces the recipients of the Sanctae Crucis Award, the highest non-degree honor Holy Cross can bestow, which recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves professionally and in the service of justice. This year, the group included those who have pursued careers in healthcare, education, media and ministry. They are David G. Butler, M.D. ’61; Shannon C. Carroll ’92; Joan Hogan Gillman ’85; William K. Olsen Jr. ’86 and Rev. John H. Vaughn ’82.

n Sept. 18, 2015, faculty, staff and students were invited to meet the 2015 honorees in a group panel discussion moderated by Tracy Barlok, vice president of advancement. Later in the day, in individual, seminar-style conversations led by each recipient, students were able to ask questions about the recipients’ career paths and how their Holy Cross education served as a foundation for later success. The conversations in those sessions were meaningful and quite personal. Sydney-Zeferina Pugliares ’16, an English major and Italian minor from Chester, Conn., attended the session with honoree Joan Hogan Gillman ’85, and says, “Her story resonated with me because she came from a similar liberal arts background and used the skills she

PHOTOS BY SHANNON POWER

cultivated here at Holy Cross to pursue a path similar to what I may be interested in after graduation. She’s a wonderful example of how you do not need an undergraduate business degree to make it in the business world.” To close the day’s Sanctae Crucis events, a special awards dinner took place in Hogan Ballroom, where College President Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., Senior Vice President Frank Vellaccio and Margaret Freije, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, presided over the presentation of the awards.

“The primary goal of the Sanctae Crucis Awards is to honor outstanding alumni and in so doing, recognize and celebrate the distinctive mission of Holy Cross,” says Vellaccio, whose office coordinates the nomination, selection and presentation of the awards. As HCM spoke with these five members of the Holy Cross family about their award and their work, a twin theme emerged: They are humbled by the honor they’ve received from Holy Cross, and remain dedicated to articulating and living its mission. ■

THE 2016 SANCTAE CRUCIS AWARD NOMINATIONS The form to nominate a deserving member of the alumni community for the 2016 Sanctae Crucis Award can be found at holycross.edu/ sanctae-crucis-awards. The deadline is Feb. 29, 2016

S A N C T ATEH E C RAURCTIISS TA 'WS APRADTSH / / 5 5

SHANNON POWER

utland, Vermont has a rock solid history—literally. In the mid-19th century, large deposits of nearly solid marble were discovered in the area surrounding the town, leading tiny Rutland to become one of the world’s foremost marble producers.

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WILLIAM K. OLSEN JR. ’86

Today—as another school year begins— the 21st century Rutland High School students, who will graduate in 2016 and beyond, know they will start their post-high school lives with a rock solid foundation—thanks to their principal, Bill Olsen.

with teaching and coaching. Next stop was the Canterbury School in Connecticut but, after a few years, missing the mountains of Salzburg, Bill moved to Vermont with his wife Kathy Monahan Olsen, also a teacher and a member of Holy Cross Class of 1987. They settled in Rutland and since 1999, Bill’s tenure in Rutland’s public schools has been life changing for students and teachers alike.

After driving up Linden Lane from nearby Hopkinton, Bill proceeded to take a circuitous route to the principal’s office. He was an economics major at Holy Cross, studied abroad in Austria and Germany, and was greatly inspired by his English professor Edward Callahan. Following graduation, he spent a year-and-a-half crunching numbers as an accountant in Boston, but soon decided to give up the boardroom for the classroom. He moved to Salzburg, Austria, where he worked with his former roommate Peter Hogenkamp at the American International School, and fell in love

Ten years ago, Bill was named Vermont Social Studies Teacher of the Year. After taking on more administrative responsibilities, he became principal at Rutland High School, which not long before he arrived, was deemed an underperforming school by the Vermont Department of Education. Today, it is a nationally recognized model of innovation. Under Bill’s transformative leadership, the school introduced the collaborative education system of Professional Learning Communities, a Global Studies Program and STEM Academy—all frequently cited and honored by peers and professional

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organizations. Bill is credited with creating an environment in which students successfully countered the negative and cyber-bullying effects of a social media app. He has supported and mentored his teachers to receive an unprecedented three Rowland Foundation Fellowships, which awards a Vermont secondary school teacher’s school $100,000 to implement visionary, systemic and sustainable programs. Another Rutland teacher won a yearlong Einstein Fellowship to the National Science Foundation. In 2014, the Vermont Principals Association named Bill Olsen Principal of the Year. For his commitment to students, his exemplary teaching and education of the whole person; for opening his students’ eyes and minds to the larger world; and for providing an environment that allows dedicated teachers to do what they do best, the College of the Holy Cross presents to William K. Olsen the Sanctae Crucis Award. ■

A C O N V E R S AT I O N WITH WILLIAM K. OL SE N J R. '86

tell every Holy Cross student graduating this spring one helpful hint or piece of

HCM How did you find the panel discussion and an individual discussions with students? OLSEN I was impressed by how many students and staff came to listen to the presentations and panel. The

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HCM If you could

advice about how to support the schools and teachers they will encounter as they become adults, and perhaps have children of their own, what would that be? OLSEN I would say that I have worked in five different schools since graduating from Holy Cross. The media, especially television and film, portray caricatures of teachers, I suppose all in good fun, and perhaps connecting viewers to blurred memories from younger days. I am here to say that after being in this for so long and meeting so many educators, the caricatures are untrue and do not serve our efforts well. Good teaching is very difficult. It’s rare that those not in the field have the opportunity to try it, but a common example are folks I know who have volunteered to coach teams or teach religion classes. They find out soon enough that you have to be skilled in order to

I have met so many talented educators during my time in schools, really quite skilled and technically aweinspiring. But beyond the mastery of technique, there are so many committed adults in education who do this job because they want the best for kids. There are times when that commitment is thankless. But I hope Holy Cross students moving to adulthood and soon parenthood will remember their own frailty and weak times as young students, and how a teacher supported and inspired them. As a parent myself, I am thankful every year for the different adults who have helped my children grow and reach their potential. A good teacher saves lives every day!

students showed a sincere interest in hearing these stories. I found the whole expereince a wee bit comical, because in my own 51-year-old brain, those days on Mount St. James do not seem so long ago, and I don’t think of myself as all that much more full of understanding than the students at Holy Cross. But I remember being in their shoes, and thinking that such alumni in their 50s were really old. It seemed back then that having these career experiences was a long reach and very far away. And then … your life happens, you move through one obstacle and then another, and before you know it, you have gray hair and you’re telling your stories from the other side of the fence. It’s the foundation that Holy Cross provides that helps you get there. That is what we discussed on the panel and in my talk. Three of my own children have been able to get that same foundation, and I think about how fortunate they and their friends are to be at Holy Cross. ■

TOM RETTIG

HCM What does it mean to you that Holy Cross has placed you in this revered category of alumni? OLSEN Frankly, I was somewhat dumbstruck. Holy Cross has so many successful alumni. I thought it was an incredible honor to be recognized, more important to me than any other honor I could have received. I know I have not changed the world on a global scale, brokered any peace agreements or risen as a captain of industry, and yet, I think the wonderful central theme of this award is how it reflects the underlying Jesuit mission of the College. I entered the field of education for many reasons, but I mean it sincerely when I say that my time at Holy Cross inspired me to find a way to serve the world, the “men and women for others” idea.

get all those diverse students headed in the right direction.

(opposite) William Olsen Jr. ’86 with his wife, Kathy ’87, and their children, Bill ’15, Claire ’19, Mary ’16 and Sean. (above) Olsen in the 1986 Purple Patcher and at the Sanctae Crucis panel discussion. Brian Beaton ’16 enjoyed hearing about Olsen’s path from economics major to educator. “I have not cemented my ultimate career plans and much of my future remains in flux,” Beaton says. “Alumni like Mr. Olsen remind me just how many different paths are open to Holy Cross grads. Simply listening about the joy he experienced exploring his goals, passions and himself along the way was incredibly powerful for someone in my own position.”

W IL L I A M K . O L SEN JR . / S A N C TA E CRU CIS /

SHANNON POWER

ust over 20 years ago, on the brink of crossing the Commencement stage, this economics and accounting major made a decision that changed her life—and the lives of people around the world. During her first years at Holy Cross, Shannon Carroll planned to work at a Big 8 accounting firm. In her senior year, while she was actively interviewing and making plans for life after graduation, Shannon took stock and realized her passions were elsewhere. Inspired by her Jesuit education and influenced by Claudia Ross, professor of Chinese, Shannon discerned that her interest in Asia and the Chinese language merited a closer look. After graduation, she headed to Georgetown for additional language study. Then, it was on to China, where she stayed five years, teaching English as a foreign language and improving her Mandarin. When Shannon returned to the United States, she began her career in workforce education at Rhode Island’s Dorcas Place, an organization that assists low-income adults in realizing their full potential through literacy, employment,

S A N C TA E C R U C I S C I TAT I O N F O R

SHANNON C. CARROLL ’92 advocacy and community involvement. Her nine-year tenure there culminated in becoming Workforce Education Director, overseeing program and curriculum development and supervising teachers in the program.

state. Last year, Vice President Joseph Biden and the National Skills Coalition recognized Genesis as a model program in workforce development——an honor bestowed on only 30 organizations across the country.

Today, Shannon is president and CEO of the nationally acclaimed, nonprofit Genesis Center in Providence. The multi-service organization—founded in 1982 by a Catholic priest and nun concerned about refugees—offers a full range of services to immigrants, refugees and low-income families, including a financial education program that Shannon established. Annually, Genesis serves more than 600 individuals in its adult education and workforce development programs and more than 100 in its childcare program. In the past year alone, a record 150 Genesis students have entered or re-entered the workforce, or increased their employment—a full 30 percent of adult education placements in the

Shannon was recently appointed by Governor Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island to the state’s Board of Trustees on Career and Technical Education, and is a member of the State’s Permanent Legislative Committee on Child Care. She also holds a M.S. in Nonprofit Management with a concentration in Leadership.

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For her leadership, tenacity and advocacy for her sisters and brothers; for empowering members of her community through education, compassion and inspiration; for her consistent service to so many without any thought of the usual rewards, the College of the Holy Cross presents to Shannon C. Carroll the Sanctae Crucis Award. ■

A C O N V E R S AT I O N WITH SH A N NON C. CA R ROL L ’ 92

HCM In your discussion session with students, the topic of how a liberal arts education prepares students for success in a variety of ways came up. CARROLL In the individual discussion, I was impressed with the students’ knowledge about immigrants and the challenges faced by those who are new to the United States. I could see that the students were curious and thoughtful and motivated to use their education to make a difference

HCM You also told them that it’s okay not to be perfect. CARROLL Yes. At Holy Cross there is a student body of overachievers who want to be the best at everything they do. I told the students that it’s okay to stumble and fail. In my own case, it was when I fell and then picked myself back up that I learned the most and became

HCM What advice do you give students who may be deciding if they have what it takes to create a career in the nonprofit service or social justice field? CARROLL They need to listen to their hearts and do what feels right. I shared my own story about graduating as an economics/ accounting major. I interviewed with accounting firms, thinking that that was what I should do, but I knew it didn’t make me happy … languages did. I found out about a graduate program through Georgetown where I could teach English and continue to study Mandarin (something I had started at Holy Cross) in China. When I was accepted into the program, I knew that was the road I needed to take. After that, things just fell into place. I didn’t need to follow a master plan—I just needed to work hard, recognize opportunities and do the next right thing. And that has made all the difference. ■

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I must admit I was shocked, because I don’t really think of my work as something that deserves accolades. My involvement in my field has always been a personal journey—I find it fulfilling to see the impact of education on our learners who have lacked access and opportunity to education, employment and services that many of us take for granted. I’ve never felt like people were watching or paying much attention to them. It was all a little embarrassing and humbling to get the award—but an honor nonetheless.

HCM You’ve joined the ranks of some impressive Sanctae Crucis honorees. CARROLL I have read about past recipients and I have always been so impressed by their accomplishments. I am so proud to be part of this group now, and remain grateful that I went to Holy Cross and that I, along with many other graduates, have chosen career paths that have allowed us to be women and men for others.

a stronger worker, leader and woman.

TOM RETTIG

HCM How did you learn about being named a Sanctae Crucis honoree? CARROLL I had just come back from a run and grabbed the mail out of my mailbox. Since I receive several mailings from Holy Cross, I didn’t think much of it. As I read the letter, I couldn’t really absorb what it said. I had to read it about four times! I immediately called my parents.

in this world, and I was surprised at myself for becoming rather emotional when a student asked me about how I deal with some of the difficult cases I’ve encountered in my work. I explained that you have to compartmentalize the stories and try not to get emotionally involved. As I relayed a story about one of my Liberian students, I found myself beginning to cry, because as much as I have tried to “compartmentalize” the individual students’ challenges and eventual triumphs, the immigrants and refugees I have worked with have most certainly left an impact on me and have shaped who I am today.

(opposite) Shannon Carroll ’92 with her friends and family, including her cousin, Sam Arciprete ’18 (lower right) (above) Carroll in the 1992 Purple Patcher and on campus in September. Michelle C. Sterk Barrett, director of the Donelan Office of CommunityBased Learning, attended the panel and Carroll’s individual session with students. “What stood out to me in both sessions was the authenticity and openness of the speakers,” she says. “They displayed an incredible willingness to be vulnerable in order for Holy Cross students to learn from their life experiences.”

SH A NN O N C . C A RR O L L / S A N C TA E CRU CIS /

SHANNON POWER

ur Mission Statement asks: “What are our obligations to one another? What is our special responsibility to the world’s poor and powerless?” The Reverend John Vaughn ’82 is asking those same questions today, compellingly and urgently. In his writing in the Huffington Post and other outlets, his commentary and sermons, and his participation and leadership in the Black Lives Matter movement, John Vaughn is calling us to think about how we view our world and to consider—and reconsider— how we act. John is executive vice president at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York—a 200-year old institution dedicated to equipping leaders of faith and moral courage with the tools and resources they need to effect change. At Auburn, John leads overall strategic planning and management as the seminary works to build communities and pursue justice. His commitments are far-reaching. He serves as a board member for a variety of organizations, such as the Solidago Foundation, the Beatitudes Society and The Brotherhood/ Sister Sol. In 2009, John was recognized for his dedication to advocating for equity in public education with a Change Agent Award from the Schott Foundation for Public Education; and in 2010, he received the Neighborhood Advocate Award by the Neighborhood Technical

S A N C TA E C R U C I S C I TAT I O N F O R

REV. JOHN H. VAUGHN ’82 Assistance Clinic for his leadership in supporting community projects benefiting children and families. Before joining Auburn in 2010, Reverend Vaughn was program director for the Twenty-First Century Foundation, where he led the responses to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; developed and implemented the Black Men and Boys Initiative in New York, Chicago, Oakland and other cities; and led a grant-making program that directly impacted more than 850,000 people. He previously was executive director of the Peace Development Fund in Amherst, Mass., and minister for education and social justice at The Riverside Church in New York City. He is an ordained minister in the American Baptist Churches and received his Master of Divinity degree from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. John’s history with Holy Cross began— long before he arrived on campus as a student—with his mother, Ogretta McNeil. In 1971, Fr. John Brooks hired Dr. McNeil as a faculty member in psychology. She was the first African American associate professor at the College, retiring in 1997 after 27 years at Holy Cross. John

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followed his mother to Mount St. James, where he studied French, played rugby and was active coaching Little League and performing community service in Worcester. A year ago, in the wake of Eric Garner’s death, John wrote a reflection in the Huffington Post about the time he returned to Holy Cross, years after he graduated, to lecture in his mother’s psychology class. He wrote about how that experience was unexpectedly difficult and emotional, because it brought up memories of the reality of growing up as a black American in predominantly white environments. It is an essay that exemplifies John’s ability to open his heart and invites us to ask, again and again, “what are our obligations to one another?” For his life’s work, dedicated to shedding light and spurring action on issues of justice, race, economic equity and education; for his great faith in God and the power of love; and for his leadership in working with people of many faiths and backgrounds to transform our broken world, the College of the Holy Cross presents to the Reverend John H. Vaughn the Sanctae Crucis Award. ■

A C O N V E R S AT I O N WITH R E V. J O H N H . VA U G H N ' 8 2

HCM And what

was your reaction when you were told you had been selected?

honored and moved.

HCM What does it mean to you that Holy Cross has placed you in this revered category of alumni? VAUGHN It is a real affirmation of my ministry and that the College values this work.

HCM Are there any previous Sanctae Crucis honorees (or faculty members from your time as a student here) who inspired you? VAUGHN The main person is my mother, Dr. Ogretta McNeil, retired professor from Holy Cross, who is living with cancer. She had a particularly difficult day and was not able to join us for the event. She is quite proud. HCM What were your impressions of the students in the panel discussion and your individual conversation session? VAUGHN Their questions were focused on wanting

HCM You have made a life working to improve our world. And with ongoing examples of racial, economic and social injustices that just seem to be repeating in the news cycle, what keeps you going in moments of hopelessness? VAUGHN My faith that God is especially powerful in those moments when things seem the most challenging; an ongoing spiritual curiosity—the realization that one never stops growing; a belief in the basic goodness of humanity—which is challenging daily!—and a belief that the “moral arc of the universe does bend towards justice” (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.). HCM What kind of special challenges do you think Holy Cross students

VAUGHN Religion and faith communities are re-forming before our eyes. Don’t get seduced by the trappings of institutions, but do work to make them live up to their mission and aspirations. There are also those, like me, whose journey towards claiming the fullness of one’s racial (and other) identity flowered more post-college. Be patient with each other now and just love and care for folks where they are.

HCM If you could say one thing … or give one piece of advice … to these students, what would it be? VAUGHN Be open to the voice of the Spirit or that which is greater than you. One’s calling or vocation is important. Rev. Vaughn added that the structure of the day of Sanctae Crucis events was an enjoyable success, thanking the team who organized and hosted it. ■

►

HCM What were their impressions of the event and your receiving the Sanctae Crucis honor? VAUGHN They were impressed and were glad for me. They had an even greater appreciation for the work I have done throughout my professional career.

VAUGHN Surprised,

who will graduate this spring and enter careers in social justice and/ or religious life will face that you did not face as you began your career?

TOM RETTIG

HCM Who was able to join you for the awards ceremony? VAUGHN Our son, James Vaughn; my childhood friend Stephen Finn and his son, Kevin, who is a freshman at Holy Cross; Stephen’s mother, Jacqueline Finn; Carolyn Risoli, who is a Holy Cross board member and close friend from New York City—our oldest sons are classmates and best friends. Three of my classmates were also there: Fred Nuttal, Kristin Mumford and Kevin Swords.

to know more about the work that I have done and ways that my time at Holy Cross prepared me for it. I appreciated their interest in social justice issues and ability to embrace the challenges and opportunities of being at the College.

(opposite) Rev. John Vaughn ’82 and his son, James. (above) Rev. Vaughn in the 1982 Purple Patcher and in a conversation session with students. “I was thrilled that Rev. Vaughn was honored. His message on racial justice was powerful,” says Rev. Virginia Coakley, associate chaplain/ director of Protestant & ALANA ministries. “His transparency and vulnerability concerning his fear for the safety and well-being of his own son struck a chord with many in the crowd. I am certain that the students in particular were moved, given the trying times we have been witnessing in our world and its impact on young people.”

RE V. J O HN H . VAU G HN / S A N C TA E CRU CIS /

SHANNON POWER

oan Hogan Gillman balances the here-and-now of her professional life as an executive with critical responsibilities at one of the world’s largest media companies together with an eye toward the future. It is a future that not only involves a media landscape dramatically shifting seemingly every day, but also involves the essential need to develop and nurture tomorrow’s leaders. An English major on Mount St. James, Joan traded literature for politics after graduation. She worked for former United States Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut, serving first as his legislative aide, and then moving quickly to assistant press secretary, legislative director and ultimately state director. Along the way, she earned a master’s degree in legislative affairs from George Washington University. Joan joined the internet industry in 1995, working for Physicians’ Online, the leading internet service provider for the healthcare industry, and has been on the cutting edge of new technology in media and advertising ever since. She took her skills across the Atlantic and headed up the business development, regulatory and legal teams for British Interactive Broadcasting, before returning to the United States, where she served as president of Static2358, the interactive television, games and production subsidiary of OpenTV.

S A N C TA E C R U C I S C I TAT I O N F O R

JOAN HOGAN GILLMAN ’85 She joined Time Warner Cable in May 2005 as vice president of interactive television and advanced advertising. Currently, she is the executive vice president and chief operating officer of media services for Time Warner Cable, where she leads a multi-market media sales team of 1,500, providing integrated marketing solutions to local, regional and national markets. Under her leadership, Time Warner Cable’s business has grown to more than $1 billion, with Joan directing and achieving long-term financial and strategic goals. In 2009, she was named a “Wonder Woman” by Multichannel News and was inducted into the CableFax Magazine Sales Hall of Fame. In 2010, she became an Advertising Age “Woman to Watch,” and in 2011, CableFax Magazine recognized her again for regional and local advertising sales of the year. Her resume includes service on a number of industry boards and organizations, including BlackArrow, National Cable Communications Media, Women in Cable Telecommunications and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). She is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and currently serves on the Board of

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Directors of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. She is a former board member of City Parks Foundation in New York. Her service to her alma mater is legendary: She is a trusted advisor to College leadership as well as to the College’s emerging leaders. A former member of the Holy Cross Board of Trustees, Joan is a founding and instrumental member of the College’s Alumni Marketing Advisory Group. For years, she has been actively involved in the Holy Cross Women in Business Conference and a participant in pre-business programs, in addition to sponsoring summer internships at Time Warner Cable. Joan has been married to Ted Gillman for 26 years, and together they are the proud parents of 10-year-old Allison and 7-yearold Zachary. For her commitment to excellence, innovation, and creativity; for encouraging and mentoring women and men as they begin their careers; for modeling leadership for Holy Cross students and alumni alike; and for her extraordinary professional achievement, the College of the Holy Cross presents to Joan Hogan Gillman the Sanctae Crucis Award. ■

A C O N V E R S AT I O N WITH J OA N HO GA N GILMAN '85 HCM You have attended Sanctae Crucis Award ceremonies in the past—how did it feel to be a recipient?

pursuing a personal passion and social justice and persevering to have an impact in their own way.

you for the special occassion in September?

HOGAN GILLMAN John ’61 and Katie Hogan, my parents; my sister, Stephanie ’86, and her husband, Mike Lee ’85; my nephew, Nick Lee ’14; my husband, Ted Gillman and our children, Allison who is 10 and Zachary who is 7. We had a perfect evening filled with laughter and a few tears of joy.

HCM Do you

previous Sanctae Crucis honorees inspired you in any way, personally or professionally?

consider yourself an internet pioneer, having entered college just as computers were becoming commonplace in American households and on campuses?

HOGAN GILLMAN

I have been inspired by each and every Sanctae Crucis honoree. They are people who have or are

When I attended Holy Cross, we were still using typewriters in our rooms. In 1995, I left the U.S. Senate

HCM Have

HCM Our HCM

student intern attended your session and enjoyed your comments on decision-making and speaking up in class.

HOGAN GILLMAN I did speak to the students about speaking up in class and practicing making decisions. I encouraged them to be fearless and suggested that the college environment is the safest place to take these risks. I stressed that the downside of speaking up or making a decision is very limited if you always learn from each experience and

It was a real treat to be able to talk to students on the panel and in my session on leadership and how to develop leadership skills. One of the panel questions led me to tell the story about my father, who entered Holy Cross as the first member of his family to attend a four-year college. ■

►

HCM Who joined

As a Trustee, I would attend the Sanctae Crucis dinner and feel humbled by the great accomplishments of the recipients. I never imagined that I could be one and was shocked when I opened the letter. I am so grateful to Holy Cross for the recognition and the opportunity to reflect on and be thankful for my family and the many people who have supported me, worked with me or opened doors for me.

learn from the practice. I have always been curious and love to learn new things. But I was too cautious about speaking up in class when I was at Holy Cross. I did not start practicing until I was working. I have been very lucky to have mentors and sponsors who have given me opportunities to take on new experiences and responsibilities. Each time, I initially had doubts, but with practice, I quickly gained confidence that I could course-correct if a decision was not working and I overcame any fear or doubt. It is very empowering to be fearless.

TOM RETTIG

HOGAN GILLMAN

to work for an Internet Service Provider. Much like AOL, we were mailing disks to households for them to log onto the Internet. It was the very early days of the Internet. It has been an incredible experience to be part of one of the newest industries and one that is having a significant impact on how people connect, communicate and conduct commerce.

(opposite) Joan Hogan Gillman ’85 with her parents, husband and children in Hogan Ballroom. (above) Hogan Gillman in the 1985 Purple Patcher and on campus for the Sanctae Crucis sessions. Associate Professor of Accounting David Chu, who is also the College’s director of entrepreneurial studies and pre-business advisor, commented after the student session, “Joan Gillman provided an inspiring reflection on both her challenges and successes in growing Time Warner Cable’s business while leveraging the skills she cultivated here at Holy Cross.”

J OA N H O G A N G IL L M A N / S A N C TA E CRU CIS /

SHANNON POWER

ixty miles north of Portau-Prince, in Haiti’s rugged mountainous region, is the village of Milot. Along with Sans-Souci Palace, one of Haiti’s most revered landmarks, Milot is best known for Hôpital Sacré Coeur, founded by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart of the Montreal Province, and a center of hope for people devastated by poverty, illness and the repercussions of infrastructure failures and natural disasters. To say that Dr. David Butler is familiar with this nation, this landscape and this hospital is the definition of understatement. Brooklyn born, David was educated by the Jesuits at Brooklyn Prep and arrived on Mount St. James in 1957—interestingly, given the path his life has taken, the same year François “Papa Doc” Duvalier was first elevated to president in Haiti. David studied biology at Holy Cross and after graduation, went on to SUNY Downstate where he received his medical degree. He subsequently served his nation as a physician in the Air Force, and continued his residency training at St. Vincent Hospital in New York City. A fellow in the American College of

S A N C TA E C R U C I S C I TAT I O N F O R

DAVID G. BUTLER, M.D. ’61 Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Dr. Butler has worked in private practice in New Jersey for 40 years. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, and is the former chair of that board. He and his wife Dr. Mary Ann Butler have raised five children.

services includes new operating rooms and X-ray rooms, a blood bank, cardiac surgery capabilities, as well as a neonatal intensive care unit. In 2012, he was named president of the Center for the Rural Development of Milot Foundation, which supports the hospital, and other activities and initiatives in the village.

This admirable and productive life and career has another dimension, firmly rooted in the village of Milot.

Under Dr. Butler’s leadership, Hôpital Sacré Coeur has served the 250,000 people in the Milot region with dedication, skill and love. Through medical and public health education outreach programs, more than 100,000 people a year receive the treatment and education necessary to stay alive and live productive, hopeful lives.

Thirty years after graduating from Holy Cross, David traveled to Haiti, at the urging of a cousin who volunteered at Hôpital Sacré Coeur. It was a trip that changed his life—and the lives of countless women, men, children and families. Every year since, he has returned multiple times, treating patients, conducting surgeries and witnessing—thanks to his fundraising leadership—the hospital’s growth from 16 beds to 120 beds today, and a significant increase in modern treatment options. The explosive growth in facilities and capacity to meet the demand for patient

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For his commitment to patients and to setting new standards of excellence; for his deep Catholic faith; his commitment to using his gifts to bring the finest care to his patients here and in Haiti; and his work to build a healthier Haiti, one dignified life at a time, the College of the Holy Cross presents to Dr. David G. Butler the Sanctae Crucis Award. ■

A C O N V E R S AT I O N WITH DAV I D G . BU T L E R , M . D. ’ 61 HCM How did you react to the news that you had been selected to receive the Sanctae Crucis award? BUTLER It was simply unbelievable to me that I belonged in that group—it’s one of the greatest honors in my life.

HCM What has been the most important addition to Hôpital Sacré Coeur over the years? BUTLER There probably is not one single addition that stands out, but rather the addition of several services that we take for granted in the U.S. We have added a neonatal ICU, a regular ICU and a cytopathology lab, the only one in Northern Haiti. The importance

HCM How much time are you able to spend in Haiti at the hospital? BUTLER In 2015, I made six trips to Haiti, staying one to two weeks at a time. This past summer my 16-year-old grandson Matt Burgess joined me at a nearby asylum run by the Missionaries of the Poor, where we went to help build a Tilapia farm to feed the residents. HCM This issue will reach readers just as the new year is starting. What are your plans for the year ahead at the hospital? BUTLER In 2016, we will complete the renovations of our surgical suite, adding four operating rooms and four private rooms for isolation and more intensive medical care. ■

►

HCM Can you tell us a bit about the session you had with students and the questions they asked you? BUTLER I was very impressed with the student conversations and truly enjoyed the opportunity to interact with them. I told them the most surprising thing to me, having attended Holy Cross when it was

I was surprised that one student had the selfconfidence to admit that he had a fear of volunteering. I tried to reassure him that this was appropriate and a healthy way to approach any situation. Overcoming your fears makes achieving your goals so much more rewarding.

of this cannot be overstated since cervical cancer (virtually nonexistent in the U.S. now) is a leading killer of women in Haiti, and the ability to read our own Pap smears and biopsies is a major advance. A program to treat postpartum cardiomyopathy is also underway.

TOM RETTIG

HCM Your wife, Mary Ann, your five children and some of their spouses and kids were able to join you for the Sanctae Crucis events. We learned that all five of your children attended Jesuit colleges, including three here at Holy Cross (Mary ’87, Jean ’88 and David ’89). Is it safe to say you are a big fan of Jesuit education? BUTLER Also Francis Murphy, a lifelong friend and Fordham grad, and his wife, Nonie, were able to attend. Francis’ brother Bill Murphy ’56 is a 2006 Sanctae Crucis Award winner—quite a heavy dose of Jesuit education here. And yes, I certainly do place a high value on a Jesuit education,

as you can see from the way it pervades our family. I had attended a Jesuit high school (Brooklyn Prep) and had been through the Jesuit “deconstruction– reconstruction,” so by the time I finished Holy Cross, I knew they were really serious about inculcating concern for others and performing works Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam. These are not just words for them. They are the real deal. As I said at the awards dinner: This is not an award for an individual—it is a tribute to an IDEAL and those who taught us how to achieve it.

all male, was the number of women in the room. That was most refreshing. Most of the questions naturally concerned Haiti and the work there. There was so much enthusiasm in the room, that if you bottled it, it would have been enough to run the hospital for years.

(opposite) David Butler, M.D. '61 was joined by his wife, Mary Ann Butler, M.D., their five children, plus grandchildren, in-laws and family friends for the Sanctae Crucis Award ceremony. (above) Butler in the 1961 Purple Patcher and on campus in September.

THE 2016 SANCTAE CRUCIS AWARD NOMINATIONS Visit holycross.edu/sanctaecrucis-awards to learn more about the award and how to nominate a deserving member of the alumni community. Nomination deadline is Feb. 29

DAV ID G . B U T L ER / S A N C TA E CRU CIS /

Robbie Carter ’17, a Sheehan Scholar and varsity rower, tackles the world’s tallest peaks when he is not on Mount St. James

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

KRIS QUA

group of climbers takes in the view from the summit of Denali—at 20,320 feet, there is nothing at eye level in any direction. The snow-covered peaks of the other mountains in the Alaska Range stretch out below them. They’ve spent the past 13 days scaling the mountain, all for these brief 20 minutes at the summit. A storm is rolling in and they need to turn around and start the journey back to base camp as soon as possible. One of the climbers pulls a purple cloth out of his pack. Blinking in the strong sunlight reflecting in the snow around him, Robbie Carter ’17 unfurls a Holy Cross banner. Holy Cross purple has made it to the top of the highest peak in North America, the equivalent of 3.85 vertical miles. “Getting up there and finally being able to pull the Holy Cross flag out, that was a sweet feeling,” Carter says. “Being up there was amazing, but it is more about the journey, and not the destination. We spent 13 and a half days getting up and then spent 20 minutes there. If I was just there to get to the top, that’s not the best mentality to have.”

13 DAYS EARLIER

BASE CAMP

7,200 Feet arter, a chemistry major from Tampa, Fla., begins his journey to the summit of Denali with a flight to base camp, joined by two guides and five fellow climbers. It is June of 2015, an ideal time for climbing, since it is one of the warmer months on the mountain, known as Mount McKinley until President Barack Obama recently restored its Alaskan native name. Daytime temperatures can range from 20 degrees Fahrenheit (when the sun is still behind the mountain) to 50 degrees (when the sun is out). At night, the temperatures can drop down to 5 to 10 degrees, plus wind chill from 20 mph winds. Armed with packs and sleds full of gear, the climbers set out around six in the morning each day, wearing hats, gloves

TOM RETTIG

and wind-protection clothing that covers all their extremities. With more than 22 hours of daylight on Denali in June and reflective snow all around, it is imperative that they protect their skin from the strong sunlight. Each climber’s pack is filled with about 50 pounds of gear, plus another 40-50 pounds on a sled. Carter and his fellow climbers are each responsible for their own food (high-carb and high-fat fuel like beef jerky, protein bars and macaroni and cheese), clothing and a sleeping system, which is a sleeping bag and sleeping pads. Communal gear, like their stoves and tents, is split up equally among the climbers. The terrain around base camp, part of the lower glacier of Denali, is relatively flat, but that does not mean it is easy traversing, especially while carrying nearly 100 pounds of supplies. “Glacier travel has potential for danger because glaciers constantly shift,” Carter says. “They are always moving—granted incredibly slowly— but cracks can form. The cracks are called crevasses and if you fall down a crevasse, they can be hundreds of feet deep. If you don’t die on impact, you can freeze to death.” To stay safe on the glacier, the climbers are tied together with ropes, the idea being that the weight of other climbers and their gear will be enough to counteract the weight of a fallen climber and keep that person out of a crevasse. On Carter’s trip, they use two four-person rope teams, with around 35 feet between climbers on the rope. Climbers have to be conscious of the rope at all times, Carter says: “Knowing where your rope is, what it’s hooked up to, and thinking about ‘If I fall, how far am I gonna fall?’ … all of that becomes very important the higher up you are and the more exposed the terrain is. If there is too much slack in the rope between you [and the climber next to you], all that slack is additional time that someone could be falling, and you

pick up speed the longer you fall.” Carter is confident with the rope system thanks to his background in rock climbing and mountaineering. He got involved with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) before he started high school, going on camping, backpacking and rock climbing trips. He went on his first mountain climbing trip—to Gannett Peak, a 13,000-foot mountain in Wyoming—the summer after graduating from Tampa Preparatory School. It was while climbing Gannett Peak that he first heard about the Alaskan Mountaineering School, a group that leads climbing expeditions on Denali. During the summer between his first and second years at Holy Cross, Carter went to Talkeetna, Alaska, and did a 12-day glacier travel and crevasse rescue course through the Alaskan Mountaineering School. “I figured I should at least see if I liked snow camping and glacier travel before I sign up for a Denali trip,” he says. “That trip was absolutely great and it got me really stoked on mountaineering and climbing.” Fittingly, Carter’s Montserrat cluster was called “The Natural World.” One of the professors in the cluster was Virginia Raguin, distinguished professor of humanities in the visual arts department. She says that one of Carter’s greatest strengths is seeking out those with the expertise that he needs to reach his goals and learning from them. “He is extremely bright and listens deeply,” Raguin says. “He knows what his goals are and is very practical about what he needs to do to achieve them.” Carter is one of six Sheehan Scholars from the Class of 2017. The Sheehan scholarship provides full four-year tuition, thanks to its benefactor, Gerald “Jerry” Sheehan ’52. Rev. Earle L. Markey, S.J., ’53, who oversees the program, notes that the Sheehan Scholars exemplify the rigorous intellectual pursuit that characterizes a Holy Cross education.

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SKI HILL

7,800 Feet fter a daylong glacier hike, Carter reaches Ski Hill. The elevation hasn’t increased drastically, but it is about to, because the next stop is at 11,000 feet above sea level. Beyond the risks that the glacier and crevasses create, climbers also must be prepared to deal with the lack of oxygen at the higher altitudes and the potential for altitude sickness. To acclimate themselves, climbers ascend the mountain in stages that involve rest days and returns to lower elevation. For example, to get from Ski Hill to 11 Camp at 11,000 feet, Carter and his fellow climbers spend a day bringing nonessential gear (like extra food and fuel) up the mountain, just shy of 11 Camp, where they bury it in the snow with a marker. Then, they return to Ski Hill for a night before moving the rest of their gear up to 11 Camp. On the third day, they go back for the buried gear and bring it up to 11 Camp, followed by a rest day. The process can differ depending on the group and the elevation, but the aim

is to allow several days for the climbers’ bodies to get accustomed to the higher elevations. Altitude sickness can be as minor as nausea and a headache, or it can be deadly. An intense bout of altitude sickness kept Carter from reaching the summit of Aconcagua, a mountain in Argentina. At 22,841 feet, Aconcagua is the highest peak in South America, as well as the entire American continent and the Southern Hemisphere. He made that trip during winter break of his second year at Holy Cross and, despite the altitude sickness, knew he still wanted to make an attempt at Denali.

11 CAMP

11,000 Feet Camp marks where climbers are officially off the surrounding glacier and on the mountain—and on steeper terrain. To make it this far, you have to be in peak physical condition. Carter is a member of the varsity men’s rowing team, and cites that as a major asset to his climbing. “I work out 23 hours a week as a Division I athlete, so the fitness and

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the discipline are huge,” he says. “Rowing is not an individual sport by any means; it is eight guys moving a boat. It is about moving together and working together.” Moving together, as one, to accomplish a goal translates easily from the Crusader boats on the water to the rope teams on Denali, and vice versa. Jim Barr, the men’s rowing coach, sees the benefit of mountain climbing in Carter’s rowing performance. “I think that anyone who is really into rowing has something in them that needs to conquer and overcome, and Robbie is absolutely no exception,” says Barr. “Robbie takes the experience of reaching the top [of a mountain] and applies it to rowing. In the weight room and on the water, he shows his drive and intensity by always finishing workouts with a bang.”

14 CAMP

14,000 Feet t this point in his ascent, Carter is using crampons (steel spikes that fit onto the soles of climbing boots) and an ice

pick to better grip onto the terrain. 14 Camp is the main camp on Denali, where the ranger headquarters is located. It’s also distinctive because it has cell phone service. Carter calls his family at home in Tampa to give them an update. Initially, his parents, John and Gael Carter, are surprised to get a call from Denali. They are supportive of his climbing adventures, but that doesn’t negate all worry, especially with such a potentially dangerous hobby. “We were worried that there was an accident or that they had come off the mountain early due to a problem,” Gael Carter says. “But John and I were delighted to hear from him and to get a report on how the expedition was going. While I, of course, felt worry and unease about this climb, I also felt that Robbie’s cumulative training, especially the glacier training, would serve him well.” Carter’s sister, Gael Carter Ragone ’11, also cheers him on from afar. Spurred on by the call with his family, Carter begins the final push to the summit.

HIGH CAMP

17,000 Feet he rope teams continue their climb in increasingly taxing conditions, as the oxygen thins and the temperature drops. At this kind of elevation, climbers lose much of their appetite and can become out of breath just by walking around the camp. Between the exertion and loss of appetite, Carter lost 22 pounds during his 14-day climb. These final days are the most challenging of the expedition. “Moving from 14,000 feet to 17,000 feet, and then summit day, were the hardest days because we did those days back to back,” Carter says. “We didn’t rest in between because you want to spend as little time as possible above 17,000 feet. Once you are above 18,000 feet it is called the death zone. Nothing lives up there permanently. Birds can fly up there, but nothing lives up there.” The death zone doesn’t seem like the most appealing place to be, but it offers clarity for Carter. “Being in the

(above) Carter celebrates his arrival at 14 Camp. At 14,000 feet up the mountain, another peak in the Alaska Range is visible in the background: Mount Foraker. It is 17,400 feet tall and the second tallest mountain in Alaska (after Denali). Don’t let the bright sunshine fool you—these photos were taken at 9:30 p.m., after a long day of climbing. Denali gets 22 hours of daylight in the summer months.

back country in general, just getting an extended period away from this [he lifts up his cell phone], technology, it really puts things in perspective,” Carter says. “The drama, everything you deal with in everyday life here, fades away and you start to realize how unimportant things really are and how attached we are to technology. It’s great just to take a step back. And being in the backcountry, it forces you to. I can’t go check Twitter or text a friend. I’m there with the people around me, with my thoughts.”

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“Getting up there and finally being able to pull the Holy Cross flag out, that was a sweet feeling. Being up there was amazing, but it is more about the journey, and not the destination. We spent 13 and a half days getting up and then spent 20 minutes there. If I was just there to get to the top, that’s not the best mentality to have.” — ROBBIE CARTER ’17

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(below) Summit in sight: Carter and his rope team embark on the first leg of “summit day,” the final push to the top of the mountain. This stretch is called the Autobahn and is the steepest part of the mountain. According to the National Park Service, the Autobahn has been the site of the most fatalities on Denali. (left) Carter displays his Holy Cross banner at the summit of Denali.

SUMMIT OF DENALI

20,320 Feet ut stepping away from technology isn’t the only thing that keeps Carter moving up steep inclines, in cold temperatures, at high elevation. “It is just one day at a time, one foot in front of the other,” he says. “I try not to think about the big picture: I’m starting at 7,000 feet and I have 15,000 feet of vertical to go. It is one day at a time, mini check points, camp to camp.” When Carter put together his gear for the Denali trip, the Holy Cross banner was an important item on the packing list. Tucked away among the food, fuel, clothing and other supplies in his pack, the banner served as an inspiration for him throughout the trek. “The whole Jesuit motto of ‘men and women for others,’ of placing community above yourself and being a part of something bigger than you, that is something I always liked about the Jesuit tradition,” he says. “If I’m going to climb these high elevation mountains, which is definitely something bigger than yourself, I want to bring the Jesuit tradition and my [future] alma mater with me.” Even if it was only out for 20 minutes. And this won’t be the last climb with the purple Holy Cross banner along for the journey. Down the road, Carter hopes to scale two more of the world’s greatest peaks, Mount Everest and Mount Kilimanjaro. ■ ASCENDING / 71

The world watched as Pope Francis made his historic visit to the United States in September. Within the Holy Cross community—both on campus and off—there was a special excitement in hearing from the first Jesuit Pope in such a direct, accessible way. In this special feature, alumni who attended papal events reflect on what the experience meant to them, and we take a look at the ongoing campus conversations surrounding the Holy Father’s visit.

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BIRUTE VIJEIKIENE

ope Francis’ September 2015 visit to the United States did not include a stop in Worcester, but his presence and calls to action were still felt on Mount St. James. The Office of the College Chaplains organized a standing-room only viewing in Rehm Library of the Pope’s Sept. 24 address to a joint meeting of Congress. The doors opened at 9:15 a.m. for the 10 a.m. address, and the library was full and abuzz with anticipation by 9:30 a.m. With students,

faculty, staff and a number of local media outlets in attendance, it was a packed house. Marybeth Kearns-Barrett ’84, director of the Office of the College Chaplains, opened the live stream viewing with a welcome, noting that this duty would normally belong to College President Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., but could not because he was in attendance at the address, at the invitation of Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern. “Why watch together?” Kearns-Barrett asked those assembled. “Pope Francis’ message is one of hope and possibility. Listening together gives us an opportunity for dialogue about how we might best

respond,” she said. The audience viewed the entirety of the speech with rapt attention, but one portion in particular resonated strongly with the group. Pope Francis spoke of the Golden Rule and compassion for others, drawing applause from the Holy Cross crowd: “Let us remember the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ (Mt 7:12). This Rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for others the same possibilities which we seek for ourselves. Let us help others

to grow, as we would like to be helped ourselves. In a word, if we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities. The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us.”

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professor of sociology; Kathy Kiel, professor of economics; Rev. Thomas Worcester, S.J., professor of history; and Kelly Wolfe-Bellin, director of biology laboratories and lecturer.

As a follow-up to the live stream of the address to Congress, the College hosted a panel discussion. WGBH radio host Margery Eagan—who is also a spirituality columnist for Crux, the Boston Globe’s website on Catholicism— moderated. Panelists included experts from the College and surrounding community: Caner Dagli, associate professor of religious studies and an expert in Islamic studies; Frank Kartheiser ’72, co-founder of the Mustard Seed and founder of and lead organizer at Worcester Interfaith; Daniel Klinghard, associate professor of political science; Sara Mitchell, geologist and director of environmental studies; Emily Muldoon ’16, who recently returned from a semester in El Salvador; and Rev. David Dae An Rynick, a Zen Buddhist priest at the Boundless Way Temple in Worcester. “To be among such experts discussing the Pope’s recent address to Congress was an incredible privilege,” says Muldoon, adding that avoiding uncomfortable conversations

about suffering in the world leads to apathy. “Through discussion, we acknowledge that injustice exists, sharing ideas and possible antidotes. Our discussion was most certainly fruitful as we delved into relevant issues, such as the refugee crisis and environmental crises, all in need of urgent action,” she says. “Pope Francis’ words beautifully inspired our discussion. And my hope is that our conversation sparked others, because action begins with conversation.” In advance of the Pope’s visit, the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, along with the Department of Environmental Studies, hosted a panel titled “Pope Francis on the Globalization of Environmental Responsibility: Perspectives from Holy Cross Faculty.” The panel took place on Sept. 21, 2015 in the Rehm Library. Loren Cass, professor of political science, moderated the faculty discussion of the Pope’s encyclical, Laudato Si, featuring panelists Matthew Eggemeier, associate professor of religious studies; Daina Harvey, assistant

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The experts each shared how the encyclical impacts his or her area of study, with Harvey, the sociologist, tying it all together. He noted how the Pope links human problems to environmental degradation, citing Pope Francis’ quote: “The human environment and the natural environment deteriorate together.” “Clearly,” Harvey said, “he believes connectedness is essential for us to tackle climate change.” In the months since the panel, Eggemeier has noticed a campus-wide response to the encyclical itself, and to the Pope’s words during his visit. He feels that the entire Holy Cross community—students, faculty and staff—is discerning how best to respond to the environmental crisis, both individually and collectively. “The encyclical has led many of us to reflect on the concrete actions we can take to direct our everyday habits and practices in a more environmentally sustainable direction,” Eggemeier adds. “But what has been most encouraging are the initiatives on campus that are responding

to the encyclical from an institutional perspective—from student grassroots organizing to a series of discussion sessions initiated by Fr. Boroughs.” The discussion of Laudato Si, begun at the September panel, will continue with sessions called by Fr. Boroughs in the spring of 2016. The two sessions aim to raise consciousness of the issues addressed in the encyclical, but also to discuss its implications for the College. Rev. William Campbell, S.J., vice president for mission, will moderate both sessions, and participants will include invited administrators, faculty, staff, students and alumni. This further dialogue will take place in conjunction with the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which began on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, 2015. The campus community will continue to reflect on and discuss Pope Francis’ call to reach out to those in need on the margins of society throughout the Year of Mercy, which he described as a time to rediscover God’s mercy and forgiveness. While the Holy Cross campus was alive with dialogue inspired by the Pope’s message during his visit, some Crusaders were fortunate enough to be in attendance and witness several Papal events.

Singing for the Pope Paul Buckley ’90 has sung in three papal choirs, and it all started when he was part of the choir at Holy Cross B Y M A U R A S U L L I V A N H I L L

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(left) The standing room-only live viewing in Rehm Library of Pope Francis’ address to a joint meeting of Congress (above) The followup panel discussion of the Pope’s address featured experts from the College and surrounding community.

Seven Holy Cross juniors taking part in the Washington Semester in D.C. attended the Pope’s arrival ceremony at the White House. Several of the students spoke to media outlets about their experience, including Meaghan Body ’17, of Dover, Mass. Body, who interned with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren during her Washington Semester, told The Worcester Telegram & Gazette: “It was pitch black, and the line was already around the block when we got [there], but it was totally worth it. This is something I am sure I will tell my grandchildren about one day. Yes, I saw the Pope.” Stacia Clutterbuck Todd ’89 and her husband Sean Todd were part of the group on the West Lawn of the Capitol to see the Pope after his address to Congress. Both Jesuit educated (Sean is a Georgetown graduate), the pair wore “FJV” stickers, indicating they are former Jesuit Volunteer Corps members. “We met in JVC in 1989,” Stacia says, adding, “Pope Francis lives the four tenets of JVC: social justice, simple lifestyle, community and spirituality—all with enthusiasm.

aul Buckley ’90 first sang for a pope during his junior year at Holy Cross, during a two-week tour of Italy with the College Choir. “At one point Pope John Paul II was five feet away from me,” he says of the choir’s performance during a papal audience at the Vatican. “Just being in that room with him was really stirring. Seeing the pope up close and how the people were overwhelmed with emotion was incredible.” What would be a once-in-alifetime experience for most people has happened three times for Buckley. He also sang in the papal choir on two other occasions: when Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis each visited Washington, D.C., where Buckley is a math teacher at Gonzaga College High School, a Jesuit school for boys, and a music minister at his local parish.

(above) Paul Buckley ’90 (center) with fellow papal choir members before they sang at Pope Francis’ mass on the Catholic University campus in Washington, D.C.

The audition and rehearsal process for these papal choirs is rigorous. The choir had only six practices before singing at the mass that Pope Francis celebrated on the campus of Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Several of the songs were in Spanish, as a nod to Pope Francis’ native Argentina, and singing in a non-native tongue proved challenging for Buckley. “Some of the rhythms of the Spanish songs were really tough, because they are so syncopated,” he says. Buckley feels fortunate to have been selected to perform. More than 350 people auditioned for the 90 spots in the papal choir for Pope Francis. “It is very humbling to think that I have made it through the auditions twice,” he says. “Some of these people I’m singing with have amazing voices. I am not a soloist, I am a bass. I know how to blend and make the bass section sound good.” Buckley happened to be on

campus at Holy Cross when he found out he would be singing for a third pope. He was back for his 25th reunion in May 2015 and received an email with the good news. “One of the first people I saw [after reading the email] was someone I sang in the folk group with, and she was all excited for me,” Buckley says. “I thought it was cool to find out at Holy Cross, which was the source of my first papal visit.” And this third papal visit was just as poignant as the first. “At the last song—I think it was ‘Holy God, We Praise Thy Name’—I couldn’t sing,” Buckley says. “I was just so choked up by the power of the music. It is such a beautiful song and there were such beautiful voices singing it, and the orchestra was amazing and there was the pope. The moment just sort of got to me, so I lip synced the ending.” In the months since Pope Francis’ visit, Buckley continues to be inspired by his involvement in the event. “Not only was I able to attend [the mass], but to also contribute to it,” he says when asked to reflect on his role. “The pope’s message of focusing on the poor and the needy resonates so strongly. It makes me want to really emulate what he is doing. Every time he speaks, I think, ‘This is the church I know, this is the church I have always wanted.’” ■

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He embodies the gospel message that actions speak louder than words, which makes him appeal to so many FJVs, as well as those educated in the Jesuit tradition. Throughout his entire visit, Pope Francis gave a Jesuit perspective on the issues of our time that so many of us are yearning to hear.” After his stop in D.C., Pope Francis traveled to New York City. Freddy Sinchi ’09, who teaches Spanish at Manhattan Hunter Science High School in N.Y., waited for seven hours to see the Pope in his Sept. 24 procession on Fifth Avenue. “In that long wait, there was not much to do but make friends with the people standing around me,” he says. “It was great to hear about their spiritual stories and how much love we had for Pope Francis. There were so many nationalities, languages and cultures being represented, but we all came together to witness the Vicar of Christ come down Fifth Avenue.” As the sun began to set and the crowd got word that the Pope had arrived at his “pope mobile,” anticipation heightened. “We were all practicing our cheers Que Viva El Papa,” Sinchi recalls. After a few false alarms when security caravans passed by, Sinchi heard the happy screams of people from the north side of Fifth Avenue, and knew the Pope was coming. “When Pope Francis passed by, it was like a gleam of white light that shined upon all the faithful,” he says. “I was yelling and screaming—many ask me

(left) Holy Cross juniors on the White House lawn to hear Pope Francis speak at his arrival ceremony. From left, back row, Sam Gentile of Chatham, N.J.; Andrew Higgins of Rowayton, Conn.; Caroline Shannon of Lynnfield, Mass.; Alec Davis of Winchester, Mass.; Ryan Foley of Springfield, Mass. and from left, front row: Hannah Tulinski of New Milford, Conn. and Meaghan Body of Dover, Mass.

how it felt, but it cannot be described. All I could remember was my body warming up as he passed by and smiled at me. I still remember how my hand and arm shook as I was taking a video with my cell phone. I just could not believe that I had just seen the Pope.” For Sinchi, seeing the Pope was not just a wish, but a mission: “The first Latin American Pope was in New York City, and as a proud Ecuadorian, I had to go see him—I definitely was not just going to stay home,” he recalls. “It was my faith, my Jesuit education at Holy Cross and my Latino connection that drove me to see him.” Sinchi and his parents were able to get tickets to the Papal Mass at Madison Square Garden on Sept. 25. “The Pope’s homily was a message of hope and love. It was a great the message of us, as New Yorkers living in a busy world, that we are not to forget those silenced and marginalized in our society,” Sinchi says. “We need the light of Christ to shine

over all of us in this city.” The Papal visit ended with two days in Philadelphia, where the World Meeting of Families took place. Karla Alvarado, assistant chaplain and director of domestic immersion, traveled with 18 students to Philadelphia to attend the Mass during the World Meeting of Families. “There was an energy present in Philadelphia that I can only understand as having been the presence of the Holy Spirit at work in the world,” Alvarado says. “Indeed, the crowds gathered, the message of Pope Francis and the positive emotional reaction of students all left me feeling really hopeful for the future life of the Church.” When Philapdelphia residents Kelly Casey Bluth ’09 and Danny Bluth ’09 learned Pope Francis was coming to Philly, they made plans to attend the Papal events with their sevenweek-old son John James. “We are proud graduates of Holy Cross and love the Jesuit outlook on life that Francis

embodies. We wanted to be in the presence of this holy man and took full advantage of the opportunity.” The Bluths attended the World Meeting of Families, the Festival of Families and the Papal Mass. “It was Pope Francis’ homily about the importance of family at Sunday’s Mass that touched us the most,” Kelly says. “He spoke about doing the little things everyday that show you love each other. As a new family of three, we are adjusting to the challenges of balancing work, family and all the extra chores and less time that come with having a newborn. Pope Francis called us to make little gestures of love that bring families closer together.” ■ —Maura Sullivan Hill and Suzanne Morrissey

ON LI N E ON LY Read the emotion-filled accounts of alumni who saw the Pope during his historic visit to the United States, including the story of why John James Bluth may be the “most blessed” seven-week-old in Philly.

THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES Throughout the spring semester and the Year of Mercy, members of the Holy Cross community will gather to reflect on what the Pope’s message calls us to do—as individuals and as members of a larger global family. Holy Cross Magazine and the College’s website, holycross.edu, will continue to cover these events.

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Writing a Song for “A People of Hope”

The process behind the hymn that Normand Gouin, Holy Cross liturgy and music director, composed for Pope Francis’ visit to the United States B Y M A U R A S U L L I V A N H I L L

ith the announcement of Pope Francis’ visit to the United States, a call went out to 20 sacred music composers around the country for a special hymn to be used at the papal masses. Of all the original compositions submitted, Normand Gouin’s “Sound the Bell of Holy Freedom” was chosen to honor the occasion. Gouin, an assistant chaplain and director of liturgy and music at the college and an accomplished liturgical composer, wrote the melody, while his friend, Rev. Andrew Ciferni, O.Praem. of St. Norbert College, wrote the lyrics. The hymn was sung at all three masses that the pope presided at during his time in the United States. Gouin had a month to work on the song, but it really came together in a few days. He started by researching other hymns, brainstorming for a sound that was fitting for a grand processional but also approachable enough for a congregation

(above left) Norm Gouin in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel during one of his media appearances about the hymn. (above right) Gouin (center) in his papal choir robe after singing at the mass at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

to sing. “It needs to be stately, for a major event, but also must be sing-able by a large group, not just performed by a choir.” As is typical for his composing process, Gouin worked on the melody at a keyboard first, and then took a step back. “I walk through my days singing this melody and I sing it until I decide on how it feels most natural with the text,” he says. “And then it just sort of begins to fall into place and feel like that melody belongs with that text.” After some tweaks and editing with Fr. Andrew, the final hymn was ready. “The intention behind it was to write a hymn that could really communicate what this event was about,” he says. “I wanted to give a sense of the pope’s message, of his desire that we be a people of hope and that we work towards being people of unity versus being separate and disconnected. That really is how the path to peace is forged.” Given that part of Pope Francis’ visit was the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, the inspiration behind the hymn is the Holy Family. “Fr. Andrew took each member of the Holy Family and did a reflection on one in each verse,” Gouin says. There are verses about Joseph, Jesus as a child, Jesus’ life and ministry and Mary. “The first and

sixth verses are about what the call to true freedom is,” Gouin says. “Holy freedom is that freedom that only God can give us, freedom from worldly things that are not rooted in goodness, kindness, compassion, justice and peace.” Not only does the hymn illustrate the pope’s message, but Gouin also felt the events themselves were an opportunity to heed Francis’ call. He sang in the choir at the mass in Philadelphia and attended several other papal events, during which the city was essentially locked down for safety precautions. People moved in and out of the city through security checkpoints, with meeting attendees, international visitors and the city’s homeless all side by side as they waited to see the pope. “All of these people coming from all walks of life, who went through these security checks, ended up being together for hours and hours,” Gouin says. And they were all hearing Pope Francis’ exhortation to reach out to those in need and on the margins of society. “The challenge was standing right around us,” Gouin says. “This is what we are called to today—it’s not something we think about and consider if we might accept or not. We all had an opportunity at that moment.” ■

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For 80 years, generations of Holy Cross students have gathered for meals in the grand Kimball Hall. And although the styles of preparing, serving and sharing dishes have changed since 1935, one thing has remained the same: Kimball is the heart of our campus community.

MOTHER KIMBALL BY R E B E C C A S M I T H â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 9 9 A N D K I M B E R LY S TA L E Y â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 9 9

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(this page) An archival photo of Kimball Hall at night. (right, top) Before the Hogan Campus Center was built, Kimball was the place where students would receive their letters from home. (second from top) The original Kimball student cafeteria boasted a soda fountain. (middle) The exterior of Kimball Hall, bearing a line from Psalm 112, Justitia Etus Manet In Saeculum Saeculi, “His righteousness shall endure forever.” (second from bottom) A waiter carries a soup tureen, one of the staples of Kimball dinners in the 1960s. Allan L. Service ’66 says these tureens “usually contained some form of vegetable soup, not unlike that found in many an Irish pub.” (bottom) The Kimball kitchen in the 1940s

hen Kimball Hall opened in 1935, it was much more than just a dining hall—it was the center of campus life.

Named in memory of Rev. Charles L. Kimball, S.J., a classics professor and librarian at the College for two decades, the four-story, multipurpose hall housed administrative offices (including the discipline office); the campus post office; day students’ rooms; a student cafeteria (including a soda fountain); the bookstore and a theater. There was also a bakery, kitchen and, of course, its impressive dining room. According to a Jan. 3, 1935, article in The Springfield (Mass.) Union, Kimball Hall “is said to be one of the most beautiful collegiate dining halls in the country. … [The main dining hall] is without a single pillar to mar the sweeping effect of the open expanse of floor. The room is finished in oak and lightly tinted plaster, with a tiled floor and crystal and bronze chandeliers. There are windows on all four sides. The tables and chairs are of dark oak.” Former hotel manager George B. Moran, Class of 1906, served as Kimball’s first manager, from 1935 to 1955. According to the Union article, Moran believed “the facilities for baking and cooking … are the most modern type made,”—in fact, Kimball was the first all-electric kitchen in New England. Back then, there was assigned seating in the dining hall, and students ate familystyle, served by student waiters. Kimball fed about 850 students a day, to the tune of approximately 1,000 quarts of milk, 65 gallons of soup, 1,000 pounds of meat—and 30 gallons of ice cream each day. * * * * * For those men who were Holy Cross students in the 1960s, it is nearly impossible to separate their memories of Kimball from those of Rev. Charles J. Dunn, S.J., then dean of men, now vice president emeritus. T HE A R T IS T 'S PAT H / 7 9

“I would stand over between the doors going in to the kitchen,” explains Fr. Dunn. “There was a statue of Mary. I stood underneath that statue and prayed that she would watch over me and the students, and she did.” From that vantage point, Fr. Dunn kept student behavior in check—no easy feat when hundreds of hungry young men would descend upon Kimball at once to eat dinner.

Like the generation before them, these men ate family-style. Seated 12 per table (six at a side), they were served by student waiters, with each student taking his ration before passing on to the next. Each dinner started with soup—alumni of that era will recall the inevitable spilled tureens and the hullaballoo that would ensue. After the soup course came meat (fish on Fridays) along with potatoes, gravy and vegetables; dessert swiftly followed.

(below, left and middle) As the dean of men in the 1960s, Rev. Charles J. Dunn, S.J., was responsible for all student activities outside of academics, including student behavior in the dining room (below, right) Interior view of the dining room, 1935. (right, top) Kimball— with its original chandeliers and tables—is used for daily dining as well as special events, including this 2005 banquet. (right, bottom) Students past and present chat with friends at the hall’s 12-person tables.

rob carlin

“Order was ultimately maintained, in this recurring recipe for disaster, by the presence of Fr. Dunn,” recalls David S. Zamierowski, M.D. ’64. “He had quite the reputation for no nonsense [back] then among the men.” “The only way to get everyone quiet— and they knew they wouldn’t get any food until they were quiet—was to say: ‘Your attention please, gentlemen. Grace,’” says Fr. Dunn, who not only worked in Kimball (the discipline office was in the current-day Lower Kimball), but also lived there for a short time. “They would quickly quiet down because they wanted to eat!”

The food was good and hearty, and it didn’t take those cunning young men long to figure out a way to get more of it. “Often there ‘magically’ ended up being only eight seats at these tables, as four chairs would disappear under the table, especially on steak night, resulting in food for 12 being consumed by eight guys!” remembers R. Emmett Durnan ’68. Spilled soup and sneaked steak aside, for these students, Kimball was so much more than just a place to eat. “They called it ‘Mother Kimball’ because that’s where they went for everything— their news, their gathering place, their

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letters from home,” says Fr. Dunn. “Kimball was the center of the lives of students.” * * * * * The late 1960s and 1970s marked a time of transition at the College, and Kimball was not left unchanged. With the addition of the Hogan Campus Center in 1967, Kimball no longer needed to serve multiple functions, such as housing administrative offices and the post office and bookstore. Instead, those spaces were transformed into an additional dining area, known as Lower Kimball.

Then, Holy Cross made one of its most significant changes: It became coeducational. But before that first class of female students arrived in 1972, College administrators decided to discontinue table service and implement cafeteriastyle dining at Kimball. Now students stood in line to be served and carried their own meals to a table using a tray. The new setup offered students the ability to choose not only when, but also what and how much they ate (no more hiding chairs under tables!); it also eliminated the position of student waiters (no more spilling soup tureens!), though students were still an integral part of the Kimball workforce (see sidebar). While the dining hall underwent some considerable changes, one thing stayed

constant: It was here that students shared in the conviviality of Mother Kimball. “The trip to Kimball was often the highlight of the day for me,” says Patricia Gibbons Haylon ’83, P17, director of stewardship programs and special events in the College’s Office of Advancement. “I remember always going in a big group, at the same time, to, yes, sit at the same table. It was a very social event, and I looked forward to seeing and interacting with lots of people.” “Kimball really was the social hub of the campus,” adds Donna LaFontaine ’81.

(above) The Kimball servery received a major upgrade in 2014, featuring an array of made-toorder stations and new cuisine options.

makeovers; the upstairs servery was upgraded, while the downstairs was completely renovated into a food courtstyle eatery. Since then, there have been updates made to the building, including new rugs, new chairs and new paint, and to the food (sushi, anyone?), and in 2009, Kimball went “trayless”—one of the many recent sustainability efforts on the part of the College. (Trayless dining results in less food waste and less water used to clean trays.)

* * * * * In the early 1990s, both Upper and Lower Kimball received much-needed

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Always striving for ways to improve the Kimball dining experience, the crew in Holy Cross Dining Services, helmed by

(above left) Students brave the frigid winter weather for a warm Kimball meal with friends. (above right) Kathy Eagen, RD, assistant director of wellness/promotion, and Linda Nardella, director of Holy Cross Dining Services, during mealtime at Kimball Hall.

Director Linda Nardella, was dismayed, when a little more than two years ago they saw that the numbers in Kimball were on a slow decline. According to Nardella, Kimball Dining Hall is unique in that it is self-operated; in fact, it is one of the only refectories in the area to make its own food inhouse. Most colleges and universities outsource their dining programs to large corporate catering services, like Sysco and Aramark. “Operating inhouse requires us to be financially responsible, but it also allows us to be committed to customer service,” she explains. “It gives us the opportunity and flexibility to change and try new things,” adds Lynn Cody, marketing coordinator for Dining Services. “We’re listening

to the students and asking them what they’re looking for.” And feedback, gleaned through the department’s annual “customer service surveys,” pointed to one thing: Students were looking for a change in Kimball. And so, in 2014, thanks to generous alumni from the Class of 1964 who dedicated their 50th reunion gift to the dining hall renovation, Upper Kimball debuted a bold, new look: an all-youcare-to-eat servery where food is made to order by chefs in front of the students. And they can choose from a variety of food stations, including classics, grill, stir-fry, pasta, brick oven pizza, deli, soup and salad bar, fruit and yogurt bar, and dessert (made daily in the campus bakery, the Kimball Sweet Shoppe). The most popular dishes are stir-fry, turkey burgers, signature steak and cheese sandwiches and rotisserie chicken, says Cody. No surprises there— but the staff was a bit taken aback by the enormous popularity of one item:

sautéed kale. “Did we ever think in a million years that students would like kale?,” asks Nardella. “We used to use it as a garnish! Now we go through cases and cases.” In addition to an array of healthy and fresh food choices, students now have the convenience of extended hours (Upper Kimball is open continuously from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily)—and an unlimited meal plan that allows them to come and go as often as they want throughout the day. Which, it turns out, is a lot: Post-renovation, the dining hall experienced a 30 percent increase in traffic last fall (2014) compared to the previous spring. And in June, Kimball received the bronze award in the category “Residential Dining Concepts” from the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) in the annual Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards, which celebrate exemplary

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menus, presentations, special event planning and new dining concepts. “It’s so rewarding to see how we compare to other top dining programs in the country—especially now that we’re learning how important dining can be during the college decisionmaking process,” says Nardella. “It also helps to validate all of our hard work. The Kimball renovation was so much more than the physical transformation of the space, and this award is a tribute

to the entire dining team’s dedication to making Holy Cross Dining a leader in the industry.” But even with a new servery, new menu and new accolades, Kimball has maintained its charm (the oak tables and crystal chandeliers are the very same ones put in place in 1935) and its reputation as the heart of campus. “Holy Cross is a small school, so you know a lot of people when you go to

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the dining hall,” observes Timothy McGuire ’18, Moran’s great-grandson and fourth-generation Crusader. “But I think Kimball is so much more than just a place to eat. There’s a real community atmosphere there.” And while it might not be his greatgrandfather’s way of dining, it’s still got the same family feel—just with more kale. ■

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S YOUR FAVORITE KIMBALL MEAL? While Kimball may have had one or two misses along the way (hello, mystery meat?), it has also had a number of hits that students and alumni continue to rave about (chicken parmesan? Yes, please!). We polled alumni and current students in person and on social media for their favorites. Take your taste buds on a walk down memory lane:

W H AT â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S YO U R FAV O R I T E K I M B A L L M E A L / M OT H ER K I M B A L L /

TEAM KIMBALL

BY REBECCA SMITH ’99 AND K I M B E R LY S TA LEY ’99

s part of the College’s Dining Services, Kimball Dining Hall is one of the few on-campus employment options for firstyear students.

For some, they make it through that first year and then move on. And who can blame them? There’s nothing glamorous about scraping half-eaten food off of a dinner plate. But with the right crew, it sure can be a lot of fun. Then, there are those students who not only survive that first year, but also return year after year—many of them apply for the rank of Kimball captain, a leadership position in which they

supervise their fellow student workers. For them, Kimball starts out as the only place they can work, and quickly becomes the only place they want to work. * * * * * From its opening day through the 1960s, Kimball relied on a workforce of student waiters for its family-style meals. Serving multiple courses to the 12-man tables required both speed and a remarkable sense of balance. “We worked hard, carrying three courses separately and picking up from each course before [bringing] out the next

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course,” explains David S. Zamierowski, M.D. ’64, who began his Kimball career as a waiter and was promoted to junior waiter captain at the end of his sophomore year. “The crowd complained about slow waiters. The crowd cheered when someone went flying and a tray of [dishes] hit the ground.” For each meal, there were dozens of practiced waiters, clad in starched, white uniforms, working together to feed the hungry masses. “We were part of a team even if we didn’t use that language back then,” recalls Allan L. Service ’66, provost emeritus, Regis University (Denver), a waiter during his four-year stint at Kimball. “Once or twice or even sometimes three times a day, Kimball was our house, and we had a job to do together. We took pride it doing it well.” After the meal was done, another group of students worked what was affectionately known as the “slop crew.” “We were the guys who disposed of all the leftovers from the tables, and ran all the plates, utensils, serving dishes and pots and pans through the big, industrial

dishwasher,” explains R. Emmett Durnan ’68, who worked as a waiter for three years before joining the slop crew, for which he made more money. “Your goal if you were the one feeding the dishes onto the conveyor racks was to be able to feed three plates in each hand and never have an open spot in the rack. Not easy to do!” * * * * * By the early 1970s, Kimball was no longer offering family-style dining, but it continued to rely on its dynamic student workforce to support its cafeteria-style experience. Now, students are responsible for keeping trays and silverware, along with plates and glasses, well stocked, running hot food from the kitchen to the serving line, and—of course—doing the dishes. The style was different, but the feeling was the same: We’re a team. “When I think back on it, my favorite memories were just hanging out with my friends before and after a shift,” recalls Theresa (Amalfitano) Crean ’97, a captain who met her spouse, Christopher Crean ’97, while working at Kimball. “Being

with students who had to get up very early on a Saturday morning to work a weekend shift made it like our own little fraternity.” Crean was also the student coordinator for dining services, a leadership role in which she supervised hundreds of student workers (including captains) and staffed every meal shift, among other duties. For her, the benefits of working at Kimball also included the close bonds she formed with dining services employees. “I like to call the managers and workers at Kimball my ‘bonus professors’ from Holy Cross. Working with them was realworld, real-life experience,” she says. “I observed how much pride the chefs and kitchen staff put into creating meals for the students. They worked so hard day in and day out with smiles on their faces.” Adds former Kimball captain (and former Holy Cross Trustee) Yachira Torres ’10: “What I remember most is that, no matter how hot or messy things got, I had a lot of fun with my workers and Holy Cross co-workers. I felt like my job was important and that I mattered. I will never forget the feeling.”

Today, with Kimball’s newly renovated servery focused on self-service, most student workers can be found behind the scenes, doing what they’ve done well for 80 years: the dishes. For Timothy McGuire ’18, it was an experience that took some getting used to. “It’s safe to say those first couple of weeks I did not look forward to scrubbing eggs off plates,” he recalls with a laugh. But, with the mentorship—and friendship—of an upperclassman captain, McGuire not only “stuck it out,” but also applied for and was promoted to captain himself. Nowadays, he’s come to appreciate his role in the dining hall: “The workers and the captains are the cogs that really make Kimball go.”

Did you cause an epic crash of dishes? Still have that “Kimball smell” in your jeans? Read some firsthand accounts of life as a Kimball student worker in this issue’s Web Exclusives: URL. Rebecca Smith ’99 and Kimberly Staley ’99 of SmithWriting in Auburn, Mass., are two former Kimball captains who say they always made the best out of a stinky, sticky, sloppy situation.

(far left) 1960s servers gather as a meal is about to start. (left) Timothy McGuire ’18 stands in front of the portrait of his great-grandfather, George B. Moran, Class of 1906. Moran was Kimball’s first manager. (above) Student workers in the 1970s (right) What would college dining be without great pizza?

EVERYONE’S FAVORITE “SIS” BY R E B E C C A S M I T H ’ 9 9 A N D K I M B E R LY S TA L E Y ’ 9 9

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ost Holy Cross students and alumni will agree that very little beats coming in out of the cold to the warm and homey sights and smells of Kimball Hall—that, and being welcomed by everyone’s favorite Kimball card swiper, “Sis.” Also known as Charlotte L. Wise (but only to her doctor and hairdresser), 77-year-old Sis took on her familiar moniker at birth, when her mother introduced her to her older brother. “Way back when I was born, they didn’t go to the hospital,” she explains. “My mother had me at home, and she yelled down to my older brother, ‘Come up and see your new sis.’ And it stuck. All my life I’ve been known as Sis.” In 1984, after raising her two sons in Worcester, Sis decided to get a job. She was hired by Holy Cross the very same day as her interview, and she started two days later as a server in Kimball. “When I first came, I did like everybody else: I worked the line,” says Sis, referring to the days when Kimball was cafeteria style. “We served the food to you kids, and I loved that part [of the job].” But it wasn’t necessarily love at first sight: “I started on a Thursday, and I’ll never forget it,” she recalls. “It was pasta night, and back then you had pastas, sauces, meatballs, sausages …” It was a busy, messy evening, during which Sis recalls telling her coworker, “I don’t think I’m going to make it.” But make it she did. Sis was a fixture at Kimball for more than 30 years before her retirement

in November 2015. She moved from the serving line to the front door, where she greeted each student (usually by name) and swiped their meal cards. As you can imagine, she had heard her fair share of excuses from students who didn’t have their cards, witnessed her fair share of food fights, and saw more than her fair share of outrageous behavior. “I remember one time … one of the students must have lost a bet,” she says with amusement. “Well, he dropped his pants. It only lasted for a second, but my face was turning colors.” Hijinks aside, Sis’ favorite Kimball memory is pretty simple: “Just being with the students.” And the feeling, of course, is mutual. Few Holy Cross alumni from the past 30 years have forgotten Sis; in fact, many students and student workers formed bonds with Kimball’s beloved employee. “Sis is an amazing human being,” says Theresa (Amalfitano) Crean ’97, a former Kimball captain who not only had her card swiped by Sis for four years but also worked many shifts with her. “She creates the ‘coming home for dinner’ feeling in that dining hall every night. She is a blessing to all who know her.” Adds Yachira Torres ’10, another former Kimball captain and former Holy Cross Trustee: “Sis is simply the best. She always made a sincere effort to know your name and get to know you, personally. She was always ready to greet you with a smile on her face.”

Across generations, Sis’ popularity stands firm. In 2010, a student started a Facebook page for her, titled “The lady at Kimball who says your name when she swipes you in,” and she made regular appearances with students on Holy Cross Dining’s Facebook page, too. And let’s not forget that infamous studentproduced image of Sis doing a keg stand—which she graciously signed for eager students. “Everybody wanted that picture,” laughs Sis. “I have one at home.” (For the record, we cannot confirm or deny that Sis actually performed a keg stand.) In retirement, Sis enjoys cooking and spending time with her family, including her husband of 56 years, Emmett, whom she describes as “the best thing that could have happened to me.” When Sis retired in November, the students and dining services staff threw a retirement party for the woman they called “A Kimball Legend.” Students and employees gathered for a farewell sendoff at Kimball, and others shared their well wishes on social media using #FarewellSis. “The students have always totally fallen in love with her,” says Director of Auxiliary Services Arthur Korandanis, who has known Sis since he hired her 31 years ago. “She just is a wonderful, wonderful lady. She just is Holy Cross.” ■

Fr. Dunn. Walter McGuinness. “Red.” Kimball is well known for the endearing and unforgettable personalities it’s housed over the years. Read some alumni reflections on favorite Kimball employees in this issue’s Web Exclusives at magazine. holycross.edu.

EVERYONE’S FAVORITE “SIS” / MOTHER KIMBALL /

Celebrating our Fiftieth Volume

1967 ---- . 2016

C LY HO SS RO

th VOLUME

Z GA MA E

The Winter 2016 issue of Holy Cross Magazine marks our 50th volume. To celebrate, we’re doing a special story in each issue this year. We’ll check in with an alumnus or alumna you’ve read about in a past issue, in a “Where Are They Now?”type interview. And to celebrate what we hope will be the engaging and inspiring stories of our next 50 volumes, we’ll spotlight a current student who is living the mission of Holy Cross. For the first installment, let us re-introduce you to Elizabeth Sheehan ’82, and introduce you to Caroline Tibbitts ’17, who are both making a difference in a still-recovering Haiti.

Standing with the People of Haiti

Meet two alumnae bringing their own gifts of care to communities in need

B Y K AT H A R I N E W H I T T E M O R E

PHOTO BY ELLEN AND KAIL AH KORSH

he Holy Cross community really took a leap with me,” says Elizabeth Sheehan ’82. “Alums have become some of our longest and strongest supporters.” Indeed, 33 Crusaders (and counting) have raised upward of $150,000 for Care 2 Communities (C2C), the pioneering international health organization Sheehan founded in 2008. Holy Cross Magazine readers first met Sheehan and her organization in the

Winter 2011 issue, in a feature about alumni and student response to the earthquake that wreaked havoc on Haiti in 2010 (“Haiti’s Struggle,” Page 18). Back then, C2C stood for Containers 2 Clinics. The idea came to Sheehan after years as a physician’s assistant and health program provider in the developing world, including Cambodia and Mozambique. She’d seen too many people sicken and die for lack of access to decent health care. Surplus shipping containers seemed to be everywhere.

Why not repurpose them as clinics? And so C2C, in design partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, set about bleaching, insulating and renovating the containers. Each container clinic is fully kitted out with private consultation spaces, a lab and a pharmacy. Today, C2C runs three facilities. Two lie in northern Haiti: Camp Coq, which opened in 2013, and Acul du Nord, which

Containers 2 Clinics, the brainchild of Elizabeth Sheehan ’82, has grown and become Care 2 Communities since Holy Cross Magazine readers first met Sheehan in the Winter 2011 issue. C2C now runs two healthcare clinics in Haiti, thanks in large part to support from Sheehan’s fellow alumni. S TA N D I N G W I T H T H E PEO PL E O F H A I T I / C EL EB R AT I N G T H E 5 0 t h V O LU M E / 91

Seeing that health care systems in the developing world are often broken and knowing that millions of people die each year from preventable and treatable illnesses, Sheehan and her C2C team tried something different—their model of care delivers results and promises highquality, affordable health care through clinics that begin to sustain themselves in a few years. How? Word of mouth. Once a clinic is set up with philanthropic dollars, communities can receive high-quality care for low cost— rather than spending precious funds on poor-quality care, as is often the norm in under-served areas. Families then begin to spread the word that C2C clinics are different. As patient visits grow, the affordable fees they pay support the clinics.

opened in May 2015, and is funded by Holy Cross donors. There is also a clinic in Swakopmund, Namibia, run in partnership with the Namibian Ministry of Health. In 2013, Containers 2 Clinics changed its name to Care 2 Communities, but kept the catchy acronym. “Care 2 Communities better defines the scope of what we’ve been doing,” explains Sheehan. “We’re more than a metal box solution.” What C2C is doing is ardently multipurpose. In fact, the clinics offer a full range of primary and prenatal care, treating everything from tropical diseases to hypertension and offering

extensive maternity services, with free ultrasounds, family planning and vaccinations. The stats so far: 41,000 low-cost patient visits, 14,000 free home visits by trained community health workers and 33,000 potentially lifesaving prescriptions dispensed. In Haiti, two thirds of all pharmaceuticals are fake or past expiration, making quality medications extra-essential. The developed world rolls out many health projects in the developing world. So what sets C2C apart? For one thing, it firmly departs from the traditional charity model. “Direct handouts are not good for building long-term solutions,” explains Sheehan. “We are a nonprofit

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running the clinics on a business model.” To that end, the clinics charge a small fee ($1.15 a visit), and the resulting revenue will cover the clinic’s annual operating costs within three to five years. C2C also partners with local doctors, to find out which regions are most underserved. Once C2C selects a place, a team spends months asking the people their most pressing regional health needs. “We don’t come in with prescribed ideas,” says Sheehan. “We do a thorough assessment, and we talk to everyone from women entrepreneurs to the village priests to the local schoolteachers.” Most importantly, C2C staffs its clin-

ALL PHOTOS BY ELLEN AND KAIL AH KORSH

In Haiti, the tagline on C2C clinic signs sums up its mission: Sante’w se priyorite’n, “Your health is our priority.” The clinics have provided tens of thousands of free home visits and low-cost patient visits. How low? A doctor visit costs $1.15. The organization believes healthy families build stronger communities—a mother cannot work to support her family when she has a sick child at home. About half of C2C’s patients are children, and they can return at no cost if they do not get well after seeing the doctor.

More than 2,000 women have attended C2C’s free women’s health education sessions, including the group’s Safe Motherhood programs.

ics with local physicians, nurses and caregivers. “We don’t bring in Western doctors,” says Sheehan, “because outsiders don’t understand the complexities of the culture like insiders do.” Local, responsive, accountable: It’s a practical, innovative formula for sustainability. Some of Sheehan’s friends from Holy Cross have visited the Haitian clinics these past few years, including John Mullman ’81, Constance Eagan ’81 and C2C board member and treasurer,

Peter Urbanczyk ’81. “What an eyeopening trip,” says Urbanczyk, the CEO of Sberbank-CIB USA. “It really struck me what a difference C2C is making in people’s lives.” A Camp Coq community health worker, for instance, told the Holy Cross visitors how she got a mother to use clean, not dirty, water in her baby’s bottle. An elderly woman with a longtime heart condition finally obtained the right diagnosis and medication. “She said she wouldn’t be alive if she hadn’t visited the clinic,” marvels Urbanczyk.

He pauses, moved just by recounting her words. “C2C,” he continues, “is one of my favorite things I do with my life.” By 2018, C2C hopes to reach 125,000 patients. To that end, Sheehan is grateful and galvanized by the response from the Holy Cross community: “Together, we have the potential to change how health care is delivered forever.”

Now meet Caroline Tibbitts ’17, who has her own connection to Haiti. ►

S TA N D I N G W I T H T H E PEO PL E O F H A I T I / C EL EB R AT I N G T H E 5 0 t h V O LU M E / 9 3

In Grand Goave, Haiti

9 4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 2016

hen Caroline Tibbitts ’17 first walked through the front doors of the Be Like Brit orphanage, in Grand Goave, Haiti, all 66 of the children were standing on a platform altar, singing “We Are the World.” This International Studies/Italian double major recalls the scene: “They sang with such joy that it was one of the most powerful moments of my life. I am in no way a crier, and was choking back copious amounts of tears. In that moment, I felt that this was exactly where I was supposed to be.”

Caroline Tibbitts ’17 says that after her summer internship with the Be Like Brit orphanage in Grand Goave, Haiti, she left 66 pieces of her heart behind with the home’s 66 children. Melissa Provost, the USA Coordinator for the orphanage says, “Caroline was amazing! The kids could not have loved her more.”

Rev. Jim Hayes, S.J., ’72, associate chaplain for mission, led 12 Crusaders on this weeklong immersion trip to the Haitian orphanage just about a year ago. Be Like Brit is a humanitarian organization based in Worcester. It was founded by the family of Britney Gengel, a young college student who traveled to Haiti to help underserved children. Britney lost her life in the 2010 earthquake. One of her last text messages to her mother was “I want to move here and start an orphanage myself.” In memoriam, her parents decided to fulfill that wish. Tibbitts was inspired by “how the Gengels turned such an unspeakable tragedy into a story of such strength and love,” and adds, “There was nothing I wanted more than to be a part of this organization.” For the rest of that January immersion week, the Holy Cross group spent mornings building a house for a local family, and afternoons playing and working with the Be Like Brit children. The last day, Tibbitts vowed to apply to become a Long-Term Britsionary, a sort of one-month internship with the organization. She was accepted and returned to Grand Goave in June.

As a Britsionary, Tibbitts was expected to create her own program to serve the needs of the children, playing off her own skill sets. The West Hartford, Conn., native was a competitive swimmer in high school, and has been a lifeguard and swim instructor. She is also the daughter of a librarian. So her program was the perfect twofer: She’d offer reading enrichment in the mornings, and give swim lessons in the afternoons. As Tibbitts helped the children improve their reading mastery of French and Creole, they’d eagerly ask “Ou naje jodia?” (Creole for “you swim today?”) The answer was a happy “oui,” and Tibbitts relished their days at nearby Taino beach: “The pristine sands and clear blue waters certainly didn’t hurt!” She wanted to teach water safety, above all, but having the kids “learn, practice and perfect a skill gave them such a feeling of accomplishment—and that was so rewarding for me.” It was terribly hard to say goodbye at the end of her month: “I left 66 pieces of my heart in Haiti,” says Tibbitts, who is now resolved to pursue a career in humanitarianism. Melissa Provost, USA Coordinator for Be Like Brit, was so grateful for Tibbitts’ contributions: “Oh my gosh, she was amazing! The kids couldn’t have loved her more.” Since her experience with Be Like Brit, Tibbitts has spent her junior year in Bologna, Italy. She’s relished her time in Europe, but admits, “I fell in love with the beauty of Haiti, the people and the spirit.” Then she turned philosophical: “I went there hoping to serve, and instead the kids have helped me more than I helped them, by helping me grow as a person and become more in touch with my faith. I am grateful to Haiti for making my heart this full.” ■

IN G R A ND GOAV E , H A IT I / CEL EB R AT IN G T HE 5 0 t h VO LUME / 9 5

SPORTS

en’s lacrosse defender/ midfielder Brendan Sheehan ’16 hails from Lincolnshire, Ill., about an hour north of Chicago. The economics-accounting major is a fixture on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, and is gearing up for the spring 2016 season that begins in February. HCM caught up with him as he was working on a research project on the effect of increased access to information on growth of developing countries to learn a little more about this student-athlete. HOLY CROSS MAGAZINE Why did you select Holy Cross? BRENDAN SHEEHAN First and foremost, for its reputation of being a phenomenal institution for both academics and athletics. I was also interested in the benefits of a liberal arts education, as well as the opportunity to be educated by the Jesuits.

Off the Field

HCM Tell us about your major. SHEEHAN I am an economicsaccounting major and I am also concentrating in Asian studies. I chose economics-accounting after taking Financial Accounting my first year. Nothing makes me more excited than having the opportunity to audit public companies and ensure confidence in the American capital markets system. But in all seriousness, I was interested in the topic and the lifelong skill accounting could provide me. I decided to concentrate in Asian studies after taking the Chinese language for a semester and realizing how interesting and relevant Asian culture is today.

WITH BRENDAN SHEEHAN ’16

BY CLAIRE McMAHON ’16 DAO CHUNG

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HCM What has been your favorite class outside your major? SHEEHAN Obviously I love every single class in my major, so I’m glad you asked outside of accounting. Oddly enough

my favorite class at Holy Cross was actually my most difficult class: Struggles for Justice and Competing Versions of Freedom with Professor Ed O’Donnell. I wanted to hate the class because of the rigorous course load, intensive reading and writing and seemingly impossible standards for grading, but Professor O’Donnell is such an exceptional scholar that I developed my writing and thinking skills further than I imagined. HCM Please tell us a bit about your Maymester in Rome. SHEEHAN The Rome Maymester was one of the best experiences of my life. I highly recommend it to anyone at Holy Cross, especially any student-athletes who are unable to go abroad during the school year. Overall, I think exploring foreign countries and cultures is what ultimately made the trip so memorable, but one of my favorite parts of the trip was watching my good friend and teammate’s earnest attempts to assimilate into the Italian culture that often fell short. Though he tried his best, his Italian was below average, let’s say, but he consistently tried to order and strike up conversation in Italian with the locals. It provided constant entertainment, as he kept trying to practice his Italian even when we ventured out to countries such as Hungary and the Czech Republic. HCM What’s your favorite place on campus? SHEEHAN Kimball. No doubt. Food and friends all in one place. Not much more I can ask for at this point in my life. HCM You’ll be happy to know, then, that we have a big feature about Kimball in the same issue as this interview. You’ll share pages with the beloved Sis. SHEEHAN I’m not sure if I’m worthy of sharing pages with such a wonderful woman. Sis brightened my day every time I came to Kimball for dinner for three years. Sis will always be remembered for being such a beloved member of the Holy Cross community for her warmth and kindness to all the students who were lucky enough get to know her. Thank you, Sis, and enjoy retirement!

HCM Holy Cross student-athletes are known for their service work. What kind of service projects have you been involved in during your four years at the College? SHEEHAN Big Brothers Big Sisters—the whole lacrosse team participates, and everyone has a little brother that they mentor weekly. It’s been a wonderful experience, and I’ve seen the impact more than ever this year. My “Little,” Angel, was never very interested in schoolwork, and basically only wanted to play dodge ball and run around screaming like a wild man. I can’t fault him, I did much of the same when I was 11 (and now, even at my mature age of 22). This year though, I showed up for my first day and Angel was not only already working on his math homework (his least favorite subject), but he was also able to help his peers with their homework. He still loves to act like a wild man when we finish homework and mosey on over to the gym, but it was such an eye-opening experience to see that the routine I had instilled in Angel actually has an impact, and is something that he values and succeeds with now. Interesting note about Big Brothers Big Sisters at Holy Cross: The team’s involvement with the program started about 15 years ago when a former lacrosse player, John Price ’01, passed away unexpectedly. The team wanted to do something special to remember John, an incredibly selfless and loved member of the community. They decided to reach out to Big Brothers Big Sisters, as this was something John participated in during his time at Holy Cross. We have continued the tradition, and the program, “John’s Brothers,” has continued to expand and flourish since then. HCM If you had a week on campus without classes or practice, how would you spend it? SHEEHAN I actually had a week on campus to myself without class or practice this summer, and my time was spent training for lacrosse, assembling my house and spending quality time with my friends. The only thing I might change looking back on

that week was our decision to paint the floor of our basement purple. “Bleeding purple” took on a whole different meaning that night when we had a crowd of people over, and the purple paint was no longer on the floor, but on everyone’s shoes. You live and you learn I guess? HCM What’s the best advice Coach Lattimore has given you for life off the field? SHEEHAN Interesting question, because I would say the best advice Coach Lattimore gave me had nothing to do with lacrosse. Coach Lattimore did an excellent job of explaining the importance of being a man for others from the day he took over as head coach my junior year. He actually has “A Man for Others” painted across the wall of his office in the Hart Center, and he created a culture founded on selflessness, integrity and toughness, which represent our three core principles. Coach Lattimore also posts a quotation of the day on our daily practice plan. I think a recent one does a perfect job of summing up our mindset both on and off the field. It was “don’t find a fault, but find a remedy” from Henry Ford. It’s much easier to find a fault in most cases, but Coach Lattimore demonstrates that finding the remedy without excuses is the best way to approach difficulties in life. HCM This issue reaches our readers just as 2016 begins. Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions you can share with us? SHEEHAN My resolution this year is to take more risks—not to shy away from new or foreign experiences. I’ve noticed that these seem to be the easiest to avoid, yet the best to learn more about yourself. I think this is especially true for someone in my position, as I will be living in a new city, starting a new job working for Deloitte in their audit practice in New York and essentially starting a new life as I transition from the ease of the life of a college student to the real world, employed life. ■

The men’s lacrosse season kicks off Feb. 13 at Providence (R.I.). For more information, visit goholycross.com

OFF THE FIELD / SPORTS / 97

GIFTS AT WORK

The Power of One Mary Carol Madigan ’11

Mary Carol Madigan ’11 at work on campus at Notre Dame, where she is pursuing her MBA.

9 8 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 2016

“Student involvement in athletics, community service and the numerous on-campus activities makes the Crusader community a force to be reckoned with. I didn’t realize how unique my time at Holy Cross was until after graduation.”

knit and supportive community that I valued at Holy Cross and specifically sought when looking at business schools.” Holy Cross memories “As the only female on the men’s rowing team there are too many to list. Being on the team earned me the nickname, Mad Dog (a play on my last name). I even had professors catch on and call me Mad Dog in class—special shout out to Professor Ward Thomas. Outside of rowing though, I’d say the times my friends and I went on adventures in Worcester with the intent of getting lost, finding hidden gems and developing a list of favorites, like the Corner Grille for pizza, made for some of the best memories that I have.”

Name Mary Carol Madigan ’11 Hometown Chicago, Ill. Family Eldest of four siblings What she did at Holy Cross “I was the coxswain on the men’s rowing team—the small girl with the big voice that steers and helps motivate a boat full of guys—a tutor through SPUD, an RA in Hanselman and the Head RA of Clark. I also studied abroad my junior year at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.” How Holy Cross affected her life “Holy Cross introduced me to new ways of thinking, to exciting people and different perspectives. Being able to spend an entire year abroad, an experience I wouldn’t have had but for Holy Cross, pushed those horizons to include a global perspective.” Current pursuit “After a few years working in new product development for a large health insurer, I am back at school pursuing my MBA at the University of Notre Dame. I chose Notre Dame because the MBA program offered the same tight-

Why she stays connected to Holy Cross “I made lifelong friends on the Hill and staying involved with the College as the class chair for the Class of 2011 helps me keep that spirit alive within my class.” Why she believes in Holy Cross “As a purely undergraduate institution, Holy Cross gives students exclusive access to excellent professors and a rich campus community. Student involvement in athletics, community service and the numerous on-campus activities makes the Crusader community a force to be reckoned with. I didn’t realize how unique my time at Holy Cross was until after graduation.” Why she gives to Holy Cross “I saw what an impact the alumni of men’s rowing had on our team, and how their generosity supported our program. I give so others can have the same kinds of valuable life experiences that I had and take part in the great offerings at Holy Cross.” ■

M AT T C A S H O R E

P OW ER O F O NE / G IF TS AT WO R K / 9 9

ALUMNI NEWS

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102 HCAA News • 106 Fall

Homecoming • 108 Alumni Authors • 109 Mystery Photo Solved • 110 Alumni Spotlight • 114 Class Notes • 118 Milestones • 122 In Memoriam

Mystery Photo

There must have been a special occassion for all these guys to show up for a shave and a haircut at the same time in the campus barbershop in 1967. Any ideas? Email us at hcmag@holycross.edu

MYSTERY PHOTO / ALUMNI NEWS / 101

HCAA NEWS

A Message from Kim TOM RETTIG

just before Thanksgiving was a gift. This spring, the College is kicking off the public phase of the comprehensive campaign, Become More, to enable exciting improvements on campus with an extraordinary weekend of on the Hill. Blessings abound!

reetings and happy new year! I hope your holidays were happy and that you are hitting the ground running in 2016. This is the beginning of the second half of my tenure as the president of the Holy Cross Alumni Association, and I am having a blast. What a year to be able to serve! Our trip to New York City to meet with some of our engaged and active ALANA alumni was memorable. We were inspired by Pope Francis’ visit to the United States at the same time that we are reenergizing our spirituality offerings for alumni. Our inaugural book club is a hit and our first alumni retreat

I am grateful for my opportunity to steward our Association this year, and for my growing family (we adopted a little girl last fall). Aside from my annual New Year’s resolution of losing 20 pounds, I want to focus on and build upon my gratitude in 2016. Will you join me? I have a friendly challenge for you: As a complement to the Alumni Association’s development of new spirituality initiatives this year, let’s try to pray St. Ignatius Loyola’s Examen every day. All of us! I will say right here, right now that I need a restart to my spiritual focus. With four kids, two dogs, a (super cool) cat and very busy lives, prayer of any sort is often the very last thing on my mind. I am suggesting that we work together as an informal “support group,” a prayer boot camp, to help those of us who may have allowed our time for prayer to fall away since our years at Holy Cross, as our hectic lives engulfed us. We can

rediscover a simple prayer, reflect and be grateful for all of our blessings and for God’s presence in our daily and hectic lives. For those who already pray regularly, you can be our role models! Recently, I read A Simple Life-Changing Prayer: Discovering the Power of St. Ignatius Loyola’s Examen by Jim Manney (Loyola Press, 2011). It was a Mother’s Day gift from a great friend, and after it sat on my nightstand for more than a year, I finally read it. I highly recommend it if you want to refresh your memory on the Examen and get some encouragement to practice it daily. I am just starting out myself, but I enjoy the focus on gratitude and the examination of each day. I hope you join me! We brought the HCAA President onto Twitter this year: Follow me @kstonejones and use #HCAAprez so we can compare notes and progress. Come on—it will be fun! Talk to you in the spring. Winter well. ■ Kimberly A. Stone ’90 President, HCAA

stonejones@charter.net @hcalumni @kstonejones

SAV E T HE DAT E Join Us for Reunion 2016 JUNE 3, 4 & 5, 2016

Classes of 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011

JUNE 10, 11 & 12, 2016

Classes of 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986 and Purple Knights

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Alumni Leadership Honored

Kimberly A. Stone ’90

pr e side n t Bryan J. DiMare ’06

pr e side n t-e lect Brian P. Duggan ’96

vice pr e side nt Laura A. Cutone ’96

vice pr e side nt Michael H. Shanahan ’78

t r e asur e r

ive alumni were recognized for their outstanding service to Holy Cross and the Alumni Association at the HCAA Dinner on Sept. 25, 2015, during Fall Homecoming weekend, with more than 250 alumni, parents, students and friends in attendance. The In Hoc Signo and Young Alumni Leadership award honorees, shown here with Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., and Kim Stone ’90, HCAA president (far left), were (from left) Ronald Lawson ’75, Emily Thigpen ’10, John Hamill ’61, Elizabeth Stevens Murdy ’81 and Lawrence Doyle ’83, P12, 11. See more Fall Homecoming coverage on Page 106. ■

In Hoc Signo Nominations

he Holy Cross Alumni Association invites nominations for the 2016 In Hoc Signo Award, the Association’s highest honor. The deadline for submitting nominations, noting the qualifications of each nominee, is Jan. 29, 2016. Nominees must be alumni who have completed at least one year of coursework at Holy Cross, have performed “meritorious service” to Holy Cross and whose class has graduated. “Meritorious service” is defined as “unusual service in the form of faithful and continued effort

in maintaining class or other alumni organizations, active participation in alumni and College affairs or assisting directly in expanding the usefulness, influence and prestige of the College.” For more details on the standards of eligibility and nomination forms, visit holycross.edu/alumni/crusadersconnect/hcaa. Questions about the In Hoc Signo Award can be directed to the Office of Alumni Relations at 508-7932418 or hcaa@holycross.edu. ■

Kristyn M. Dyer ’94

e xe cut ive se cr etary

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

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 / 103

HCAA NEWS

Tickets Now On Sale for 2016 Ram-Crusader Cup at Yankee Stadium

he Holy Cross and Fordham football teams will battle it out at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx at the 30th Ram-Crusader Cup on Nov. 12, 2016. Tickets are available for purchase on campus through the Holy Cross ticket office, by visiting GoHolyCross.com/tickets or by calling 844-GOCROSS. The deadline to order tickets is April 29, and as of press

time, there are still tickets available. Prices range from $39.50 to $79.50, and there is no limit on the number of tickets that can be purchased per person. Kick-off time is tentatively scheduled for 3 p.m., subject to change for television. Be sure to leave time for pre-game fesivitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Holy Cross Athletics notes that Yankee Stadium provides

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some of the best amenities on game day, and there will be tailgate events held within the stadium for everyone to enjoy. To celebrate the historic meeting of these two Jesuit schools at the iconic stadium, Holy Cross is planning a range of activities for alumni, families, fans and friends leading up to the big game. Visit Ram-CrusaderCup.com

for more information. This game will mark the fourth time the Crusaders have played in Yankee Stadium. Holy Cross previously played three football games at the old Yankee Stadium, posting a 2-0-1 record. The Crusaders defeated Fordham (23-7 on Nov. 10, 1923) and New York University (13-7 on Oct. 19, 1940), while tying Manhattan (0-0 on Nov. 19, 1932). â&#x2013;

Alumni Pause for Retreat

n Nov. 20 and 21, 2015, about two dozen Crusaders took part in an overnight alumni retreat at the Campion Renewal Center in Weston, Mass. Every decade from the 1960s through the 2010s was represented. With a weekend theme of “Gratitude and Hope,” the retreatants enjoyed silent reflection and prayer just before the start of the Thanksgiving holiday and the Advent season. The anticipated 2016 opening of the College’s new Thomas P. Joyce ’59 Contemplative Center will bring an array of new retreat opportunities for alumni. ■

Mark Your Calendars

ake sure to circle the following dates for upcoming HCAA events. From expanding your learning to lending a helping hand, there’s something for everyone.

MARCH/APRIL

SATURDAY, APRIL 9

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

Join your regional club for our annual Holy Cross Cares Day of service this spring (above right). All are welcome to volunteer at various sites across the country. Stay tuned for regional dates and locations.

Connect with current Holy Cross faculty members in the annual “Classroom Revisited” on campus (above left). Look for invitations in early February and decide which class you’d like to try.

Remember what it was like to be a newly minted Holy Cross graduate? Welcome the soonto-graduate Class of 2016 into the alumni ranks at the HCAA’s Senior Reception on campus. ■

Winter = Big Fun

inter Homecoming is Saturday, Feb. 6, and you won’t want to miss the fun. Enjoy the warmth of campus as you catch up with friends and share what makes Mount St. James special. Bring your family—there are lots of activities and events! For the full schedule, go to holycross.edu/alumni/ crusaders-connect/ homecoming.

Here’s a sampling of what’s in store: • Family Skate & Swim • Legacy Family Event • Dance Class with Student Dance Club • Kimball Brunch • Free Family Movie • Men’s Basketball v. Bucknell • A Cappella Showcase • Alumni & Friends Post-Game Reception • Women’s Ice Hockey v. Franklin Pierce (Pink the Rink Game) And stay tuned for info on a Holy Cross Homecoming Challenge to be held over 36 hours on Feb. 5 and 6. ■

HCA A NEWS / ALUMNI NEWS / 105

HCAA NEWS

Fall Homecoming 2015

urple pride was as evident as the autumn colors on the Hill during Fall Homecoming Weekend in September, when alumni and their families took advantage of a wide range of events planned by the Holy Cross Alumni Association (HCAA).

The weekend started with the HCAA’s annual dinner on Friday evening, during which the In Hoc Signo award was presented to five alumni who give generously of their time and talents to the College: Ronald Lawson ’75, Emily Thigpen ’10, John Hamill ’61, Elizabeth Stevens Murdy ’81 and Lawrence Doyle

’83, P12, 11. Next stop: the Purple Key Society’s ’Sader Nation pep rally in the Hogan Courtyard that featured music from The Goodtime Marching Band. Tailgating was the order of the day on Saturday in anticipation of the Holy Cross faceoff against Colgate. Despite a half-time lead, the Crusaders fell to the Raiders 31-14. Later that day, at the Multicultural Student Organization (MSO) Kimball Quad Takeover, guests enjoyed an array of food, musical performances, cultural dancing and games. Students from the Caribbean African Student Assemblage (CASA), Advocating Students Interest in Asia (ASIA), Black Student Union (BSU),

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Developing and Educating South-Asian Ideologies (DESI), Latin American Student Organization (LASO), Mecha (the national Mexican-American student organization), MPEs (Multicultural Peer Educators) and Pride (a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organization) hosted the event. Amid the festive gatherings, there were opportunities for reflection and remembrance of deceased classmates. The Classes of 1960, 1990 and 2005 held dedications. A plaque recognizing the Class of 1960’s contribution to renovate the Jesuit cemetery was affixed to the stonewall entrance. Rev. Anthony

1 Tailgating 2 Athletics Director Nate Pine; Patriot League Executive DirectorJen Heppel and Fr. Boroughs 3 O’Callahan Society Dinner 4 Pep Rally 5 Rhythm Nation Steppaz at the MSO Kimball Quad Takeover 6 In Hoc Signo honoree Elizabeth Stevens Murdy ’81 with Fr. Boroughs 7 The Class of 1990 Dinand Rooftop Garden dedication 8 Rev. Anthony Kuzniewski, S.J., at the blessing of the Jesuit cemetery renovations, a gift of the Class of 1960 9 Go Crusaders! 10 Health professions alumni panel 11 Stein lobby and café dedication in memory of Jonathan R. Duchatellier ’05

Kuzniewski, S.J., professor of history, offered prayers at the ceremony. The Class of 1990’s gift efforts broke records this year and resulted in the Dinand Library rooftop garden, dedicated in honor of their 25th Class Reunion. The class achieved a 62 percent participation rate—a record high for the class. Tracy Barlok, vice president for advancement, thanked gift co-chairs Mike Moran and Tom Osmond, as well as class chairs, Lisa Villa, Mark Wickstrom and Nancy Meaney, for their efforts. Margaret Freije, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, thanked

the class and discussed the impact the new space will make on students, faculty and staff. The Stein lobby and café were dedicated in memory of the Class of 2005’s classmate Jonathan R. Duchatellier ’05. Along with Duchatellier’s family and friends, an NROTC color guard attended, honoring his service as an NROTC student. Members of the Class of 2005 offered words and prayers of remembrance. A number of meetings and networking events also took place. A panel of alumni healthcare professionals—

PHOTOS BY CHRIS CHRISTO, TOM RETTIG AND DAN VAILLANCOURT

moderated by Kathleen Quinn Powers ’86, vice president, physician and network development with South Shore Health & Educational Corporation— shared their experiences and insights of the industry. Saturday evening, the O’Callahan Society hosted its annual dinner, which featured keynote speaker Vice Adm. Bill Moran, USN, chief of Naval personnel for the U.S. Navy. The weekend concluded with a Sunday morning Mass. ■ O N L I N E O N LY To view all the photos

from Fall Homecoming Weekend 2015, visit holycross.edu/hcm/fallhome15

FALL HOMECOMING / ALUMNI NEWS / 107

BOOK NOTES

From Our Alumni Authors

Erin’s Ring

Laura H. Pearl ’80

Bezalel Books

n Laura Pearl’s latest young adult novel, eighth-grader Molly McCormick finds an old Irish Claddagh ring, engraved with the words “To Erin–Love, Michael,” poking up out of the dirt near her local parish. Her head is filled with romantic possibilities to explain its origins. She and her new friend Theresa eagerly delve into archival records tucked away in the dark corners of the public library, in hopes of finding a key to unlock the mystery of the ring. They learn all about the 19th-century IrishCatholic immigrants who were instrumental in building the first Catholic church in their New Hampshire town. And ultimately, they unearth a story that is far stranger and infinitely more touching than anything they could have ever imagined.

Winter Stories R.T. Tracy ’64

Abbott Press

hristmas is a time of busyness, stress, overspending and overeating. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the holiday, and some adults dread its approach. Christmas is a magical time for children; but what if it regained that magic for adults as well? Winter Stories is R.T. Tracy’s collection of cheerful holiday stories intended to inspire happiness. Each of the 10 tales in this collection is written with the joyous winter season in mind—a time of hope and peace. O NLI NE O NLY Trying to hang

on to that holiday spirit? Visit holycross.edu/hcm/ winterstories to read one of Tracy’s special tales.

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BY CLAIRE MCMAHON ’16

Public Intellectuals and Nation Building in the Iberian Peninsula, 1900-1925:

The Alchemy of Identity Thomas S. Harrington ’82 Bucknell University Press and Rowman & Littlefield

n his newest book, Thomas Harrington, professor of Hispanic studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., analyzes the core concepts of national identity articulated by Iberian writers between 1900 and 1925, prior to the onset of authoritarian dictatorships in Spain and Portugal. The book is centered on four “pedagogical” essays written by Enric Prat de la Riba, Teixeira de Pascoaes, Vicente Risco and José Ortega y Gasset. Harrington finds these essays central to understanding collective identity in the Iberian Peninsula today. The study of these four visions of national individuality provides a heightened sense of both the differences and commonalities in the cultural traditions of the various nationality groups of the peninsula.

Livin’ La Vida Barroca: American Culture in an Age of Imperial Orthodoxies

Thomas S. Harrington ’82

University of Valencia

n Thomas Harrington’s earlier work, Livin’ La Vida Barroca: American Culture in an Age of Imperial Orthodoxies (2014), he applies the insights gained in his study of the creation of social identities in the Iberian Peninsula to the land of his birth, the United States. In this collection of essays, he analyzes the nationalist and imperialist discourses in the U.S. One of the goals of this book is to stimulate others to recognize and dissect how cultured elites, such as those that run media institutions, carefully engineer the frames through which many of us perceive the social “realities” around us. ■

S O LV E D P H O T O

Move-In Day, 1958

he latest Mystery Photo of young men among a garden of suitcases on a Move-In Day from years past struck a chord with several readers, including Jim Finegan ’82 of Rye, N.Y., who emailed, “I don’t know about the other two, but the student sitting and looking left is Forrest Gump.” We agree there is a striking resemblance to Tom Hanks’ famous Forrest, but John J. Mulcahy, M.D. ’62 of Madison, Ala., gave us the true scoop. “The student sitting on luggage on the right is Anthony ‘Roy’ Messina,” he told us. “The student in the middle sitting on

luggage is Martin Sheehy, M.D. Roy and Marty were my classmates at Xavier High School in New York City. 33 Xavier seniors matriculated at Holy Cross that year. Roy left Holy Cross at the end of freshman year, transferring to Fordham University to be closer to home.” John Engel, M.D. ’62 of Martinsville, Va., saw himself in the photo, and confirmed that the shot was taken on Move-In Day in 1958. “The young man standing looking confused is me,” he wrote. “The tired fellow seated in the middle is Martin J. Sheehy, M.D., my cousin and roommate for the four years until graduation in 1962. I believe we were in

Fenwick Hall freshman year, but after 57 years, memory fades. Holy Cross has changed greatly over that span of time, but will always be a major part of our lives.” Engel also revealed the contents of those two large trunks, which were gifts from his mother: “There was one for me and one for Martin … they contained heavy parkas for the freezing winters.” Many readers noted—with a pang of nostalgia—the classic cars in the photo. “The car on the right is a 1957 Chevy Belair Coupe,” Peter H. Maher, M.D. ’61 wrote. ■

B O OK NOTES / S OLV ED PHOTO / A LUMNI NE WS / 10 9

Stephen Madigan, M.D. ’73 waged battle as Richard III on stage in Maine this summer.

“Now is the winter of our discontent” BY E L I Z A B ET H Q UAG L I E R I ’ 1 1

Meet the alumnus who relished the chance to take on one of Shakespeare’s most complicated roles—just one of the stops on his path of lifetime curiosity.

tephen Madigan, M.D. ’73 is not a drag racer, but he has raced at New England’s most challenging speedways. He is not a horse whisperer, but he studied with Monty Roberts, the world’s most reputable horse whisperer, at Roberts’ home in California. He is not a jet pilot, but he can fly a training plane using top-gun maneuvers. He is not a professional deep sea fisherman, but he caught a trophy sail fish on his first time out. He is not an actor, but he can play one of the most complicated characters in Shakespearean theater, alongside professionals. In a word, Madigan is curious, with a habit of asking “What more can I do?” that takes him from under the sea to soaring altitudes, from the East Coast to the West Coast, and from reading x-rays at Down East Community Hospital in Machias, Maine, to reading lines at the Studio Theatre at Portland Stage in downtown Portland, Maine, where, in August 2015, he produced and starred in a production of William Shakespeare’s The Life & Death of Richard III. “I’m not trying to prove anything,” Madigan explains, “Life is really short and I try to make every day count—and do it in the broadest way possible. There is so much to do in this world.” Guided by that truth, and founding tenant of a liberal arts education, Madigan began work on his next challenge during downtime from seeing patients. He revisited Shakespeare’s The Life & Death of Richard III, a play of particular intrigue to him. Set in England in the late 1400s, the play follows the Duke of Gloucester’s merciless plot to rise to the throne and his inevitable defeat. “I had memorized Richard III’s opening soliloquy years ago and heard all the great actors recite it, but even then, it never really grabbed me. So I looked at it, looked at it, looked at it. I knew there had to be something more.”

Madigan in the the 1973 Purple Patcher (top right)

And there was. When Richard III’s remains were found in England in 2012, it was discovered he suffered from severe scoliosis. However, that “something more” for Madigan far exceeded his interest in Richard III’s medical history, which might be unexpected for a medical professional of almost 40 years. For him, it was more

Richard’s unwavering determination, albeit ruthless, to persevere in spite of his disability and deformity. Though Richard’s steadfastness resulted in many gruesome murders in 15th-century England, the 2012 discovery gave new meaning and raised new questions for Madigan about Richard’s multidimensional character. In search of those answers, Madigan decided he would portray Richard III in his own production of the play, with neither a background in acting nor training in Shakespearean English, but with plenty of encouragement from friends and family. A testament to the liberal arts curriculum at Holy Cross, Madigan welcomed this opportunity to broaden himself as an individual. “A liberal arts education teaches you to think about life, the world you live in, the people around you and to appreciate the beauty of the written word and the power of the spoken word so you are not working and looking to make money only.” So, Madigan began to run lines at home when he was not running reports at the hospital. During the fall of 2013, Madigan met with seven directors to pitch his vision and drive for the production. A host of scheduling conflicts and concerns from directors one through seven led him to director number eight, Sally Wood. Wood, an actor, director and fight choreographer, was almost stoic as she listened to his pitch. Madigan recalls having no sense of her interest by the time he was through speaking, an hour and a half later. But Wood heard something she liked in that 90 minutes and agreed to take on the

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT / ALUMNI NEWS / 111

project without hearing him recite a single line. “What struck me first was Madigan’s passion for the project. I could not believe that someone who had never acted before would want to undertake such a difficult role,” she says. “The main thing a good actor needs is enthusiasm for the project and Stephen had that in spades.” A member of the Affiliate Artist program at the Portland Stage, Wood was poised to cast and direct the production, having many connections to local theatre professionals and Shakespearean actors. Production ran three weeks in 2015, during which time Madigan continued to seek a greater understanding of the text and the process, asking questions that sparked dialogue among the entire cast. “There were technical aspects of rehearsing that Stephen did not understand,” Wood says. “For instance, at the first read through, which is when the cast sits around the table and reads the script for the first time, Stephen’s question was, ‘Should I be acting at this point or just reading?’ It was a great question, which then turned into a wonderful discussion by all eight actors about what the protocol was. I’m pretty sure we had eight different answers.” Throughout production, Madigan struggled with the language, the economy of the words and learning to rely on his memory and to relax into the role. “There were times I really wanted to stop doing the play. It was not easy. I would ask myself, ‘Why are you doing this? You don’t have to.’ But I don’t think you can ever go wrong

by working hard,” he says. Hard work and dedication define Madigan’s long hours as a radiologist. Though accustomed to a 12- or 18-hour day at the hospital, Madigan did not anticipate the stamina required to perform, especially in the role of Richard III. “It was a completely different type of energy that he had to cultivate in order to tackle the role,” Wood notes, “but Steven was extremely open and willing. The other actors really responded to his courage and his passion.” Madigan absorbed all he could from his collaborators, holding their knowledge and experience in high esteem. “I love actors,” he says, “they don’t care who you are, your sex, your religion or what you’re wearing. They’re interested in you as a person and what you can bring to a play. And they just do it. They just get up and do it. If you make a mistake, you make a mistake, and you plow through it. I’m a positive person, but being around actors has helped me quite a bit.” With the hours Madigan has poured into the production, and the resulting quality of performance, he would like to see something more for the play. His goal is to play the role of Richard III in Washington, D.C., since 2015 marks the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and given that Madigan is paraplegic. He was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident when he was 23 years old, between graduating from Holy Cross and matriculating at Georgetown University

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Madigan and the cast of his sold-out production of Richard III in the Studio Theatre at Portland Stage in downtown Portland, Maine.

Medical School in 1976. That hasn’t stopped Madigan from any of his pursuits; if anything, being in a wheelchair pushes him to ask more of himself, every day. On opening night at Portland Stage, Madigan delivered his first line, remembering Wood’s advice, “These are only words. Don’t hold them in reverence. You have to get them out to the people.” And that is exactly what he did to a full house. “Being an actor is all about embracing fear, and here was this guy who had never acted before and was willing to take on one of the toughest roles in the canon,” says Wood. “It doesn’t happen everyday, and I was honored to be a part of it.” While in conversation with theaters in D.C. to carry on his production of Richard III, Madigan is also plotting his potential next theatrical project (details forthcoming), Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and seeing his patients at the hospital. “I don’t think of myself as being disabled. I’ve never felt that way, I don’t live that way,” Madigan reflects. “These are the cards I was dealt. I want to do as much as I can with my life.” ■

Elizabeth Quaglieri ’11 holds an MA from Carnegie Mellon University and MS from the University of Bologna. She is the chief operating officer of Maine Media Collective and resides in Portland, Maine.

TOM RETTIG

“Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.” ― Victor Hugo

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 limited to an overview of an individual’s life accomplishments, including service to alma mater and a survivors’ listing. Featured obituaries, labeled “Holy Cross Remembers,” are provided for faculty, senior administrators, Jesuits, honorary degree recipients and Trustees. 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). Tributes 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. For a list of recent deaths, visit offices.holycross.edu/alumni/services/memoriam. 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 Frederick L. Bogan Jr. Frederick L. “Fred” Bogan Jr., of West Roxbury, Mass., died on Nov. 22, 2014. Mr. Bogan served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was a member of the American Legion #67, VFW. He was a senior electronics buyer for more than 29 years at the MITRE Corporation in Bedford, Mass., a nonprofit organization that operates research and development centers sponsored by the federal government. While a student at Holy Cross, Mr. Bogan participated in the Glee Club, Purple Patcher and the Photo Club. He was predeceased by his wife, Dorothy. He is survived by his companion, Anne; one son; a daughter-in-law; one grandson; and two nephews, including Ferdinand T. Kelley Jr. ’66.

Hugh C. Shields Hugh C. Shields, of Churchville, N.Y., died on May 15, 2010, at 88. Mr. Shields served as an aviator in World War II and his plane was shot down over occupied France. He evaded capture and returned to marry his childhood sweetheart, Elizabeth; they were married for 61 years. Mr. Shields entered Holy Cross with the Class of 1942 and earned his degree at another institution. He is survived by Elizabeth; seven sons; three daughters; their spouses; 29 grandchildren; 11

great-grandchildren; and a brother.

1943 John C. Fiore John C. Fiore, of Worcester, died on Nov. 14, 2014, at 94. Mr. Fiore served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a lieutenant junior grade, from 1942 to 1945. He was a state representative for the 8th Middlesex (Mass.) District from 1948 to 1950, the youngest person and first Democrat elected to that position. Mr. Fiore owned and operated Jay Cleaners from 1951 to 1988, with branches located in Worcester, Framingham and Ashland. He was also an early member of Worcester’s Charter Commission and an initial organizer in the expansion of Worcester from a town to a city. He also served as a class agent for the Holy Cross Class of 1943. Mr. Fiore is survived by his former wife; three sons; three daughters; seven grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

1944 James F. Spaeth James F. “Jim” Spaeth, of Davenport, Iowa, died on Aug. 27, 2013, at 91. Mr. Spaeth entered Holy Cross with the Class of 1944 and completed his degree at St. Ambrose College (now University) in Davenport. He was vice president of Ann M. Spaeth Interiors; Ann is his wife of 68 years. Mr. Spaeth is

1 2 2 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 2016

survived by Ann; two sons; a son-in-law; three sisters; their spouses; a brother-in-law; and two sisters-in-law. His daughter Eda predeceased him in 2011.

1946 Anthony T. Carrellas, M.D. Anthony T. “Tony” Carrellas, M.D., of Newport, R.I., died Dec. 19, 2014, at 91. He was the husband of the late Mary Louise (Stanton) Carrellas. Dr. Carrellas graduated from Holy Cross in just three years as part of the U.S. government’s “Accelerated Schooling” program, which required male college students to complete their degrees in three years to facilitate the draft. Dr. Carrellas attended medical school at New York Medical College and served in the Army Medical Corps for two years during the Korean War. He specialized in pediatrics and practiced in Newport for 37 years, where patients affectionately called him “Dr. Bowtie.” He was also involved in many volunteer activities, including serving as the school physician in Middleton (R.I.) and delivering Meals on Wheels. He was a lifelong parishioner of Jesus Saviour Church in Newport. Dr. Carrellas also supported Holy Cross, and his name is listed on the plaque in the Integrated Science Complex recognizing participants in the Marlon Challenge fundraising effort.

Dr. Carrellas is survived by two sons, including Peter Carrellas, M.D., P13; three daughters; their spouses; and 11 grandchildren, including Madeline Carrellas ’13. His brother was the Hon. Arthur A. Carrellas ’34, P73 and his nephew is Arthur A. Carrellas Jr. ’73.

George P. Khouri George P. Khouri, of Montreal, Canada, died on Dec. 21, 2014, at 90. He also holds a bachelor of laws/juris doctor degree from Boston College and a master of arts in English from the University of Miami. Raised in Jamaica, he moved to Montreal in 1957 and began a 38-year career teaching English, speech and math at Loyola High School, a Jesuit school for boys in grades 7-11. He is survived by his companion, Sophie; his son; two sisters; and many nieces and nephews.

John P. McHugh, M.D. John P. McHugh, M.D., of Rockford, Ill., died on Dec. 6, 2014, at 91. A graduate of the University of Illinois Medical School in Chicago, Dr. McHugh was a general practitioner/ family medicine physician in Rockford for more than 30 years. He enrolled at Holy Cross in 1944 as part of the Navy V-12 program, a government program that provided accelerated college education and military training for men to become Navy officers. Dr. McHugh served in the Navy’s Medical Corps at St. Albans

Naval Hospital in New York. After moving to Rockford, he was active in a number of causes: alcohol treatment programs for prisoners; the Northern Illinois AIDS Research Center; the Black Health Organization, to improve the health of Rockford’s AfricanAmerican population; and Rockford Promise, which provides college scholarships to Rockford public school students. Dr. McHugh also participated in Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington in 1963. He is survived by his wife, Ellen; two sons; four daughters; their spouses; 11 grandchildren; and two greatgrandchildren.

1947 Edgar A. Houghton

TOM RETTIG

Edgar A. “Ed” Houghton, of Schenectady, N.Y., died on May 24, 2014, at 92. Mr. Houghton served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was the owner of Houghton Chemicals in Albany, N.Y. Mr. Houghton is survived by six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a son-in-law.

1949 John P. Furey John P. “Jack” Furey, of Niantic, Conn., passed away on Dec. 6, 2014, at 86. Mr. Furey served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War. He spent his career in the insurance business and owned his own agency, the John P. Furey, Co. Mr. Furey was a parishioner at Saint Agnes Church in Niantic, where he served as a eucharistic minister and lector. While at Holy Cross, he was a member of the varsity golf team and the Glee Club. He is survived by his wife, Sandra; two daughters; their spouses; his daughter-in-law; four stepsons and their spouses; 19 grandchildren; eight greatgrandchildren; and one sister. He was predeceased by his first wife, Joanne, and his son.

Robert R. Massa Robert R. “Bob” Massa, of Cincinnati, died on Jan. 19, 2015, at 90. Mr. Massa served as a Marine in World War II. He had a 53-year career in the insurance business, working

for Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. Mr. Massa served Mass at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral in Cincinnati for more than 40 years. While he was a student at Holy Cross, Mr. Massa played varsity baseball and was on the student council. He is survived by two daughters; two sons, including Mark Massa ’77; their spouses; six grandchildren; two sisters; and two brothers, including Gordon Massa ’57. He was predeceased by his wife of 59 years, Helen.

1950 Dennis J. O’Shea Dennis J. “Denny” O’Shea, of Plantation, Fla., died Dec. 21, 2014, at 88. Mr. O’Shea began college at Cornell University, but his entire class was drafted during WWII. He served in Europe under General Patton and survived the Battle of the Bulge. Mr. O’Shea enrolled at Holy Cross after the war and won the 1947 NCAA National Championship as a member of the Crusader basketball team. He spent his career as a special

agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Broward County, Fla. In 2013, Mr. O’Shea received the French Foreign Legion Medal of Honor for his service during the war. The medal is France’s highest distinction and is given to U.S. veterans who risked their lives during World War II to fight on French territory. He was married to his wife, the late Patricia O’Shea, for 63 years, and he is survived by his son and daughter-in-law; one granddaughter; and many nieces and nephews.

1951 John N. Ouellette John N. Ouellette, of Grafton, Mass., died on May 10, 2015, at 88. Mr. Ouellette served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and the U.S. Army during World War II, from 1945 to 1947. He returned from his service and enrolled at Holy Cross, where he was part of the Sodality and History Society before graduating cum laude. During his career, Mr. Ouellette worked as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation at offices across the country. He is also

White Card Update

eing able to support one another in times of celebration as well as in times of difficulty has always been important to the Holy Cross community. Alumni are familiar with the College’s tradition of sending a simple white postcard to the classmates of a deceased alumnus at the time of his or her death. In order to ensure that alumni are informed of a classmate’s passing in a timely way, the Office of Advancement will begin sending notes via email instead of a printed postcard for the classes after 1950. (The classes of 1950 and earlier will continue to receive a printed mailing.) When available, the electronic notices will also include a link to the obituary. If you are not currently receiving email from the College, but would like to receive these notices, please send your email address to alumni@holycross.edu. The Office of Advancement wants to continue to keep you informed.

IN MEMORIAM / 123

IN MEMORIAM a member of the Worcester Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame, in honor of his football and basketball achievements at North High School. He was an active member of St. Philip’s Church in Grafton, the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI, American Legion Post 462 Boston and the Holy Cross Alumni Association. He is survived by five sons; a daughter; and seven grandchildren. Mr. Ouellette was predeceased by his wife of 41 years, Lois, and a son.

of Salem High School, he was

by four sons, including Michael

Columbus, the Ancient Order

inducted into the Salem High

P. O’Malley ’78; three daughters,

of Hibernians and the Kiwanis

School Football Hall of Fame

including Maureen O’Malley

Club, as well as a serving as

in 1999. He worked at GTE

Glackin ’82; their spouses; 19

a lector at St. Mary’s Roman

Sylvania as a sales executive for

grandchildren; and two great-

Catholic Church in Newport.

38 years. Mr. Shea is survived

grandchildren. His wife, Joan

Dr. Brennan is survived by

by his wife, Mary Ann; three

Philbrick O’Malley, predeceased

his wife, Helen; four sons; a

sons; two daughters; one

him by 24 years.

daughter; four grandsons; and

son-in-law; one brother; and many grandchildren and great-

Robert E. Unsworth

grandchildren.

Robert E. “Bob”

six granddaughters; as well as his cousins Michael V. Frazier ’73 and Meghan E. Frazier ’06.

Unsworth, of

1953 James E. Doyle

New York, N.Y., died on Nov. 25, 2014. Mr.

James E.

1952 Philip C. Maranto

1957 William S. Hearley Jr. William S. “Bill”

“Jim” Doyle,

Unsworth received a master of

Hearley Jr., of

of Princeton,

arts from Columbia University

Guilderland,

N.J., died on

in 1957 and a master of library

N.Y., died

Nov. 22, 2014, at

science from the Pratt Institute

on Dec. 29,

Philip C. “Phil”

83. Mr. Doyle served in the U.S.

in 1969. He spent his career as a

2014. A 1958 graduate of

Maranto, of St.

Army in California and Japan

teacher at schools in Scarsdale,

the American Academy of

Petersburg, Fla.,

before an honorable discharge.

Mt. Kisco and New Rochelle,

Mortuary Science, Mr. Hearley

died on Aug.

He had a long career in banking

N.Y. He is survived by his

operated the Hearley and Sons

28, 2014. After

that took his family from

wife, Peggy; one son; and two

Funeral Homes in Albany and

graduating from Holy Cross in

Philadelphia to Wilmington,

daughters.

Guilderland for more than

1952, Mr. Maranto was commis-

D.E. to Princeton, N.J., where he

sioned in the U.S. Marine Corps

was the senior vice president

and served in the United States

of the trust department at First

Marine Corps Force Recon-

National Bank of Princeton. Mr.

naissance until 1955, when he

Doyle retired from Schroeder’s

Michael J.

supporter of Holy Cross and

was honorably discharged from

Bank in New York City in 1996.

“Mike” Brennan

a member of the President’s

the military. Mr. Maranto also

He served on several boards,

Jr., D.M.D., of

Council. He is survived by

worked as a special agent in

including Stuart Country Day

Newport, R.I.,

six sons; two daughters; their

the U.S. Secret Service during

School, the American Boychoir

died on Nov. 29, 2014, at 79. Dr.

spouses; 14 grandchildren; and

the Eisenhower administration.

School and the Princeton

Brennan was a lifelong Rhode

his brother.

In 1963, he moved to Florida,

YMCA. He was married to

Islander who played intramural

where he owned and operated

his wife, Nancy, for 37 years,

sports during his time at Holy

Rev. Anthony T. Marteka

several businesses, most promi-

until her death in 1995. He is

Cross. He received his doctorate

Rev. Anthony T. “Tony” Marteka,

nently the Snell Isle Market in

survived by three daughters;

in dentistry from Tufts

of Worcester, Mass., died on

St. Petersburg from 1963 to 1981.

two sons, including James E.

University in 1960 and then

Jan. 12, 2015, at 80. He was

Mr. Maranto is survived by two

Doyle Jr. ’82; their spouses; nine

joined the U.S. Army Medical

a priest in the Diocese of

daughters; a son; their spouses;

grandchildren; a sister; and a

Corps. He served for two years

Worcester for more than 50

four grandchildren; and two

nephew, Thomas W. Gorman ’81.

on active duty and six years in

years. “Fr. Tony” was ordained

the U.S. Army Reserve before his

a priest on Feb. 4, 1961, after

honorable discharge in 1968. Dr.

studying at St. John’s Seminary

Edward J. “Ed”

Brennan was known as “Doc”

in Brighton, where he also

Robert M. “Bob”

O’Malley, of

while practicing dentistry in the

earned a master’s of divinity

Shea, of Salem,

East Northport,

Army and in Newport until the

degree. Fr. Tony also held a

Mass., died on

N.Y., died on

late 1980s. After retiring from

master’s degree in psychology

Nov. 21, 2014,

April 27, 2014,

dentistry, he found a second

from Boston College, a master’s

at 82. Mr. O’Malley received a

career as a science teacher

degree in religious studies from

served as a 1st Lieutenant in

master of arts in psychology

and volunteer baseball and

Assumption College, and a

the Marine Corps during the

from Columbia University and

golf coach in the Portsmouth

master’s degree in education/

Korean War and was a member

spent many years working at

School System. He was active

special needs and certificate

of the Salem Witch City VFW

the Port Authority of New York

in the Newport community as

of advanced graduate studies

Post #1524. A 1948 graduate

and New Jersey. He is survived

a member of the Knights of

in education/counseling and

sisters.

Robert M. Shea

at 86. Mr. Shea

Edward J. O’Malley

1 2 4 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 2016

40 years. He was a native of

1956 Michael J. Brennan Jr., D.M.D.

Albany and the third generation funeral director at Hearley and Sons. Mr. Hearley was a loyal

special needs/education from

before beginning his career in

been translated into Spanish

Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish

Worcester State College (now

education. He taught history at

and Chinese. He was married to

in Staunton, Va. Mr. ten Hoopen

University). He served as pastor

Holyoke (Mass.) High School for

Mary Alice (Ryan) Hungerford

is survived by his wife, Mary;

of six local parishes before

34 years before his retirement

for 54 years until her death in

four sons, including Derek ten

retiring from active ministry in

and was a parishioner at Saint

2012. Mr. Hungerford is survived

Hoopen, M.D. ’84 and Raymond

2009, and also taught at Marian

Patrick’s Church in South

by a daughter; a son; brother

ten Hoopen ’85; their spouses;

Central Catholic High School,

Hadley. Mr. Downs came from

and sister-in-law; and a sister

ten grandchildren; and four

Notre Dame High School,

a long line of Crusaders. His

and brother-in-law.

great-grandchildren.

Leicester College, Worcester

father, Charles E. Downs Sr.,

State College (now University),

graduated with the Class of

James. A McGough

Quinsigamond Community

1930, and he had four brothers

James A. “Jim”

1961 John C. Hanlon

College and Anna Maria College.

who also attended Holy Cross:

McGough, of

John C. “Jack”

Fr. Tony is survived by his

Jerome F. Downs ’59; John F.

Sleepy Hollow,

Hanlon, of

brother; three sisters; their

Downs ’60; Brig. Gen. Michael

N.Y., died on

West Harwich,

spouses; and many nieces and

P. Downs, USMC (Ret.) ’61;

Dec. 13, 2014, at

Mass., died

nephews.

and Timothy Downs ’66. Mr.

80. In addition to Holy Cross,

Downs is survived by his wife

Mr. McGough attended Regis

at 76. Mr. Hanlon earned a law

of 55 years, Gaynell; three sons;

High School, St. Andrew-on-

degree at Boston University

his brothers Timothy ’66 and

Hudson Seminary and Fordham

Law School in 1964 and an MBA

Thomas F.

Michael ’61; a sister-in-law; a

University Law School. He

from Babson College in 1983. He

“Tom” Bennett,

sister and brother-in-law; and

was an attorney at Olwine

was an attorney and also owned

of La Quinta,

many nieces and nephews.

Connelly in New York City and

and operated Hanlon’s Shoes

was the director of financial

in Hyannis and West Roxbury,

aid at Fordham Law School,

Mass., until he retired in 2004. Mr. Hanlon was a member

1958 Thomas F. Bennett

Calif., died on Nov. 20, 2014,

Thomas W. Hungerford

Jan. 16, 2015,

at 78. Mr. Bennett received

Thomas

in addition to maintaining a

his law degree from Boston

W. “Tom”

private law practice for more

of the board of directors and

College Law School in 1961 and

Hungerford, of

than 40 years. Mr. McGough

treasurer of Holyhood Cemetery

served for four years in the

Chesterfield,

was a member of the Holy Cross

in Boston for 40 years. He

Judge Advocate General’s Corps

Mo., died

Alumni Association, Fordham

is survived by his wife of 52

(JAG) office as a captain in the

on Nov. 28, 2014, at 78. Mr.

Law School Alumni Association

years, Carol; one son; three

United States Air Force. He

Hungerford moved to St. Louis

and the Regis High School

daughters; their spouses; five

was general counsel for Veda,

from Chicago at 16 and was

Alumni Association, as well

grandchildren; two brothers; and

Inc. of Alexandria, Va., and also

the valedictorian of the Class

as a past president and active

one sister.

worked as vice president of the

of 1954 at St. Louis University

member of the Rotary Club of

Garrett Corporation in Torrance,

High School. While he was

Tarrytowns, N.Y. He is survived

Calif. He was a member of

a student at Holy Cross, Mr.

by his wife of 43 years, Rose; his

Charles R.

Christians in Commerce, Kairos

Hungerford participated in

daughter, Sarina McGough Choi

Schmitt, D.M.D.,

Jail Ministry, the Knights of

the Dramatic Society and the

’93; two sons, including Damien

of Plymouth

Columbus and St. Francis of

Marching Band. He earned his

McGough ’99; their spouses;

Meeting, Pa.,

Assisi Catholic Church. Mr.

Ph.D. in mathematics from

four grandchildren; and a sister.

Bennett is survived by his wife

the University of Chicago in

of 53 years, Elaine; two sons;

1963. A lifelong academic,

two daughters; their spouses;

Mr. Hungerford taught at the

Jon R. ten

Medicine and Dentistry, he was a

seven grandchildren; seven

University of Washington in

Hoopen, of

dentist in Philadelphia and was

siblings and their spouses; and

Seattle from 1963 to 1980 and

Waynesboro,

a partner in Plymouth Meeting

many nieces and nephews.

at Cleveland State University

Va., died Dec.

Dental Associates. Dr. Schmitt

from 1980 to 2001. In 2003, he

26, 2014, at 78.

was on active military duty

returned to St. Louis, where he

During his years at Holy Cross,

from 1966 to 1971, stationed in

Charles E.

worked as a textbook author

Mr. ten Hoopen participated in

San Antonio, Texas; Frankfurt,

“Charlie” Downs

and editor at St. Louis University

the Glee Club and intramural

Germany; and Ft. Knox, Ky. He

Jr., of South

until 2013. Mr. Hungerford

sports. In 1986, he and his wife,

was a major in the U.S. Army

Hadley, Mass.,

authored or co-authored more

Mary Matarazzo ten Hoopen,

Dental Corps while stationed

died on May 9,

than a dozen mathematics

founded the accounting firm Ten

in Germany. Dr. Schmitt was a

2015, at 79. Mr. Downs served

textbooks at the high school,

Hoopen and Ten Hoopen, where

member of the American Dental

in the U.S. Air Force for two

college and graduate levels; nine

he worked as the president and

Association, a fellow of the

years in Texas and Oklahoma

are still in print and several have

owner. He was a member of St.

Academy of General Dentistry

Charles E. Downs Jr.

Jon R. ten Hoopen

Charles R. Schmitt, D.M.D

died Oct. 22, 2013, at 74. A 1964 graduate of the New Jersey College of

IN MEMORIAM / 125

IN MEMORIAM and a fellow of the Montgomery

both the New York Post and the

1968 Alfred J. Carolan Jr.

31, 2014. Mr. Brunton was born

Bucks Dental Society. He is

New York Daily News during his

survived by two sisters; a brother-

career. Mr. Nicholson is known

Alfred J. “Al”

and spent his career teaching in

in-law; and many cousins, nieces

for his reporting on AIDs in the

Carolan Jr., of

the Springfield public schools. He

and nephews.

1980s and 1990s, as well as a

Hingham, Mass.,

is survived by his daughter and

1973 interview with Cuban leader

died on Nov.

son-in-law; one son; three sisters;

1964 Lewis M. Carson

Fidel Castro when he jumped on

30, 2014. Mr.

and a grandchild.

the back of Castro’s car to get an

Carolan graduated cum laude from

L.M. “Kit” Carson, actor, writer

exclusive interview. He played

Suffolk Law School in 1972. He

and filmmaker, died Oct. 20,

on the rugby team as a student

started his law career at the Cabot,

Stephen T.

2014, in Dallas, at 73. Active for

at Holy Cross and then went on

Cabot and Forbes firm in Boston

“Steve” Johnson,

many years in the independent

to serve as an officer in the Navy.

before starting his own law firm,

of Philadelphia,

film industry, Mr. Carson was

He is survived by his husband,

specializing in commercial real

died on Jan. 1,

a co-founder of the USA Film

Sherwin (his partner since 1982),

estate, business law and litigation

Festival in Dallas. A supporter

and a sister.

of American filmmakers early in their careers, he assisted director Wes Anderson and actors

1966 Robert W. Lannan Jr.

and raised in Springfield, Mass.,

Stephen T. Johnson

2015, at 63. A 35-

for more than 40 years. He was

year veteran of the Philadelphia

a member of the Massachusetts

Police Department, Mr. Johnson

Bar Association, American Bar

worked his way up the ranks to

Association and Boston Bar

deputy commissioner before his retirement in 2012. During

Luke and Owen Wilson in the

Robert W. “Bob”

Association. Mr. Carolan was active

development of their 1996 feature

Lannan Jr., of

at his high school alma mater,

his career, he fulfilled a lifelong

film, “Bottle Rocket.” Mr. Carson

Edina, Minn.,

Boston College High School, as a

dream by following in his

entered Holy Cross with the Class

died on Nov.

class chairman for fundraising. He

father’s footsteps on the highway

of 1964 and received his degree

17, 2014, at 71.

also served on the board of the St.

patrol. Mr. Johnson was also the recipient of the Philadelphia

from the University of Dallas. He

After graduating from Holy Cross,

Coletta Day School and Cardinal

is survived by his wife, Cynthia; a

Mr. Lannan received a master

Cushing Centers of Massachusetts

Daily News’ George Fencl Award,

son; three grandchildren; and two

of business administration from

and on the parish council at St.

which is given to a Philadelphia

brothers.

Boston College in 1968. He spent

Paul Parish in Hingham. Known

police officer who demonstrates

his career in financial services,

as “Coach Carolan” to Hingham

compassion, dedication, loyalty,

most recently working for North

Youth Sports participants, he

civil commitment and respect for

Bruce L. LaRose,

Star Resource Group. Mr. Lannan

coached all his children in soccer,

the fairness of the law. While at

of Ossining, N.Y.,

was a Knight of the Grand

baseball and basketball, and was a

Holy Cross, he played on both the

died on Jan. 18,

Cross of the Holy Sepulchre of

founding member of the Hingham

baseball and football teams. Mr.

2015, at 72. Mr.

Jerusalem, as well as an active

Sports Partnership. He was a

Johnson is survived by his son;

LaRose served

member of the Archdiocese of

member of the President’s Council,

his mother; two stepdaughters;

Saint Paul and Minneapolis and

a class agent for over 35 years and

four grandchildren; six great-

Pablo in the Vietnam era. He

Our Lady of Grace Church in

a class co-chair from 2001-2012.

grandchildren; three brothers;

was a professor of geography

Edina. He is survived by his wife,

Mr. Carolan is survived by his wife,

a sister; and many nieces and

and economics at Rockland

Maureen; four sons, including

Kathleen; two daughters, including

nephews.

Community College until his

Patrick F. Lannan ’94; seven

Katherine Carolan ’01; one son;

retirement and also owned

grandchildren; and a sister.

their spouses; six grandchildren;

Bruce L. LaRose

in the U.S. Navy on the U.S.S. San

Cave LaRose liquor store. He is survived by three daughters and five grandchildren. Mr. LaRose

1967 Jose M. Olbes

two sisters; a brother; and a

1974 Michael C. Toth

brother-in-law, Daniel T. Shea ’72.

Michael C. “Mike” Toth, of Carlisle, Mass., died on Dec. 11,

was predeceased by his wife,

Jose M. Olbes, of Makati,

1970 William S. Paul

2014, at 62. Renowned in the

Mary-Jeanne, in 2008.

Philippines,

William S. “Bill” Paul, of

was the founder, president and

died on Dec. 16,

Chesterfield, Mo., died on May

chief creative officer of Toth + Co.,

2014. He spent

19, 2014, at 66. Mr. Paul was a

a Boston integrated marketing

Joseph H. “Joe”

his career in Spain, working for

trader of stocks and bonds. While

agency for fashion and lifestyle

Nicholson Jr.,

the Ford Motor Company and

at Holy Cross, he played on the

brands. He is known for his

of New York

Citibank. While at Holy Cross,

varsity soccer team.

branding work with Coach,

City, died on

he played center forward for the

Oct. 8, 2014, at

soccer team. He is survived by

1965 Joseph H. Nicholson Jr.

advertising industry, Mr. Toth

Nautica, Keds and Wrangler,

his wife, Anamari; two daughters;

1973 Dennis J. Brunton III

as well as for transforming the

71. Mr. Nicholson, the nation’s first openly gay newspaper

a grandson; his father; and his

Dennis J. Brunton III, of

multi-billion dollar international

reporter in a major city, wrote for

brother, Antonio Olbes ’73.

Easthampton, Mass., died on Dec.

company. When he launched his

1 26 \ H O LY CROS S M AG A ZINE \ WINTER 2016

Tommy Hilfiger brand into a

1986 Michael J. McMullan

history and worked as an RCM

Gerald H. “Gerry” McGinley,

account manager at eClinical

father of Patricia McGinley ’80;

clothing company looking to

Michael J. McMullan, of Raleigh,

Works, a healthcare technology

Alice Dunn Monahan, sister of

remake its image. Today, that

N.C., died on Dec. 8, 2014, at 50.

company. Mr. Guardino was a

Rev. Charles Dunn, S.J., of the

company is successful retailer

He entered Holy Cross with the

longtime resident of Worcester

Jesuit community; Norma Narus,

J.Crew, so named by Mr. Toth and

Class of 1986 and received his

who loved hiking and fishing. He

mother of Heather Stewart,

his team. While he was at Holy

degree from the University of

is survived by his wife, Stephanie;

bursar’s office, and mother-in-

Cross, Mr. Toth played middle

Connecticut. Mr. McMullan relo-

a daughter; his mother; maternal

law of Daniel Stewart, physical

linebacker on the football team

cated to North Carolina in 1994,

grandfather; stepfather; in-laws;

plant; Capt. Thomas R. Overdorf,

and met his wife, Susan Currie

where he was an executive with

his brother; and sister, Katherine

USN, Ret., former commanding

Toth ’77. He is survived by Susan;

GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceuti-

Guardino ’10.

officer of the Holy Cross Naval

two sons; two daughters; their

cal company. He is survived by

spouses; five grandchildren; and

his wife, Susan; his mother; two

FRIENDS

wife of Ronald Perry ’54, former

two sisters.

sons; one daughter; their spouses;

Joseph B. Connolly, father

director of athletics, mother

four brothers and three sisters,

of Joseph B. Connolly Jr. ’77

of Maryellen Perry Collins ’78,

including Maureen McMullan

and father-in-law of Kathleen

Ronald K. Perry ’80 and Patrice

Furlong ’80 and Bornie Del Priore

Taylor Connolly ’77; Constance

Perry Berens ’84, grandmother

Stephen L.

’89; and their spouses. He was

DeBlois, wife of Robert E.

of Christine Collins ’08, Matthew

“Steve” Freeman,

predeceased by his father, Robert

DeBlois ’55; Leona Eppinger,

Perry ’10 and Cassandra Perry ’14;

of Georgetown,

J. McMullan ’50.

mother of Charles Eppinger ’70

Ethel M. Pierce, former graphic

and Frederick Eppinger Jr. ’81;

arts secretary for 20 years;

Leonora E. Ezold, former physics

Norman J. Saucier Jr., father of

department secretary; Mary M.

Kerri Saucier, advancement; Rev. Peter J. Scanlon, friend of the

own company, Mr. Toth’s first client was a men’s and women’s

1979 Stephen L. Freeman

Colo., died on Nov. 14, 2014, at 57. Mr. Freeman was a lifelong

1992 Christopher J. Hartnett

ROTC unit; W. Patricia Perry,

resident of New England who

Christopher J.

Fallon, wife of Hon. Thomas F.

had recently moved to Colorado.

“Chris” Hartnett,

Fallon ’51; Barbara M. Fisher, wife

College and noted supporter of

He worked in the insurance

of West Seneca,

of Richard B. Fisher ’47, mother of

Holy Cross’ basketball program;

and financial services industry

N.Y., died on Jan.

John B. Fisher ’79 and mother-in-

Carol Soloperto, wife of

and had recently served as the

3, 2015, at 44.

law of Diane Medeiros Fisher ’80;

Leonard Soloperto, public safety;

president of Transitions Financial,

Mr. Hartnett earned a master of

Lorraine Gangai, wife of Mauro P.

Samuel V. Sotir, father of John

a firm dedicated to coaching and

social work degree from the State

“Moe” Gangai, M.D. ’52; Rev. John

V. Sotir ’83 and Christopher N.

recruiting financial advisors.

University of New York (SUNY)

J. Higgins, S.J., former associate

Sotir ’84; Lawrence St. Martin,

He also volunteered with the

at Buffalo and spent his career

director of Jesuit relations in

formerly of the physical plant;

Make-A-Wish Foundation,

as a social worker. He was the

the admissions office; William

Rita Sweet, mother of Maureen

Special Olympics and March

director of program development

Kennedy Jr., former bookstore

McCann, public safety, mother-

of Dimes, and was a two-time

for Spectrum Human Services,

manager for more than 40

in-law of Jack McCann, retired

recipient of the Louis Dublin

where he had worked for 15

years, brother of Joan Anderson,

environmental service and

Award for Community Service,

years. Mr. Hartnett also coached

purchasing department; Verna

grandmother of Shawn McCann,

which is given by the National

basketball for more than ten

MacLean, mother of Moira

grounds; Andrea Tsikas-

Association of Insurance and

years at Queen of Heaven School

MacLean ’77; Marie “Windy”

Hampton, mother of Robert

Financial Advisors. A graduate of

in West Seneca, his children’s

Magnier, wife of John T. Magnier

Robbio, environmental services;

St. Thomas Aquinas High School

school. He was an active member

’53, mother of Regina Magnier

Donald Williams, formerly of the

in Dover, N.H., Mr. Freeman was

of First Trinity Lutheran Church

Matthews ’77, Bernadette Magnier

department of central stores for

named its Distinguished Alumni

in Tonawanda, N.Y. He is survived

Briand ’80, Therese Magnier

28 years ■

of the Year in 2005 and inducted

by his wife, Christine; a daughter;

Forand ’82 and John T. Magnier,

into the inaugural class of its “Hall

a son; two sisters; his mother;

Jr. ’86, mother-in-law of Neil

of Honor” in 2010, in recognition

his stepmother; and his father,

Matthews ’76, grandmother of

ED ITOR ’ S NOT E

of his athletic and academic

Timothy J. Hartnett ’66.

Brian P. Matthews ’07 and John

As this issue went to press, we learned of the passing of Joshua Pellerin ’19. An obituary will appear in a future issue. Along with the campus community, we at Holy Cross Magazine offer our condolences to the Pellerin family.

achievements and service to the school and community. He played football at St. Thomas Aquinas

A. Matthews ’09, and sister-in-

2008 Matthew L. Guardino

law of James J. Magnier ’56; Mary A. McArdle, mother of

and continued his football career

Matthew L.

Edward McArdle, facilities/

on the varsity team at Holy Cross.

Guardino, of

trades, and mother-in-law of

Mr. Freeman is survived by one

Worcester, died

Lisa McArdle, facilities/Jesuit

son; one daughter; two sisters;

on Jan. 3, 2015, at

residence; Michael McCullen,

two brothers; and many aunts,

28. He graduated

brother of Laurie Hall, physical

uncles, nieces and nephews.

from Holy Cross with a degree in

plant/environmental services;

IN MEMORIAM / 127

ARTIFACT

In this new feature, HCM searches for interesting objects around campus and shares their storied past.

The Heat Is On

e learned a lot about Kimball working on the feature about the iconic dining hall (Page 78), but there was still one tidbit for us to discover: When Kimball Hall was built in 1935, the architects created the structure around the existing central boiler room and chimney. Why? The College had invested in creating its first central boiler room to provide heat to the growing campus, and relocating it was not an option. Retired plant engineer Dennis Shea told us that when the College decided to create its first central boiler room in the early 1900s, Stewart Boiler Works of Worcester cast the massive doors (above). At one point five boilers were in operation, using coal to heat the

campus. “We converted to oil, but when WWII broke out, oil was in shortage and we converted back to coal,” Shea says. After the war ended, it was back to oil. No. 6 oil, to be exact. “No. 6 oil is a very heavy crude oil, almost like tar. You had to keep it heated to about 130 degrees in tanks underground, then it had to be heated even more when you got to the boiler,” Shea explains. “It was nasty stuff if you got it on you. And that’s what the school was burning until we converted to natural gas, which is much more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.” Shea, who served the College for 50 years, also notes that Holy Cross made the switch from oil to gas “long before a lot of other schools.” When the original boiler room doors

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were scheduled to be demolished several years ago, it was Shea who recognized that they were an important part of Holy Cross history, and arranged to have them saved and mounted in the basement of Kimball. They stand as a testament to all the behind-the-scenes work that takes place every day to keep the campus running. The heating system is something “people don’t even realize is there … all they know is that in the winter, when they come in, it’s warm,” says Shea, who is a treasure trove of College history, and eagerly told HCM that before the original boiler room was built, pot-bellied stoves were used for heat in the original campus buildings. “There were chimneys poking up through the roof all over the place in Fenwick!” he says. ■

TOM RETTIG

THE NEXT ISSUE

ASK MORE.

LOOK FOR THE SPRING ISSUE IN MID APRIL IN CA SE YOU MISSED IT As the spring semester begins, the Holy Cross Magazine team is going to give away the Ultimate Holy Cross Care Package (above) featured on Pages 26-27. parents Tell us why Holy Cross was the right choice for your son or daughter and your student may be the winner of all the goodies we photographed for the story (including warm socks and laundry detergent, which ranked high on students’ list of favorite care package items). You can reach us via email at hcmag@holycross.edu.

QUICK POLL

TOM RET TIG

HCM will be upgrading its online presence in the coming months. Is there anything you’d love to see as part of “HCM Online” that we can add to our planning discussions? Please let us know. (And thank you!)

TEL L US MOR E How are we doing? We’d like to hear from you.

M A IL Suzanne Morrissey, Editor One College St. Worcester, Mass. 01610

CO MING IN THE NEXT ISS U E

Meet the Jesuits As we celebrate the arrival of warmer weather, the features in the Spring issue of Holy Cross Magazine will include a story and special portrait of our own Jesuit community.

E M A IL hcmag@holycross.edu

ALS O Alumni in the White House • The College’s unique business education offerings • Class Notes and Milestones • Reflections from alumni on their Teach For America experiences • Faculty announcements

FO L LOW @holycrossmag

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MARK SELIGER

The football team celebrating its 45-7 win over Georgetown in the season finale on Nov. 21, 2015