SEEN AND HEARD
Alumni Voices: Enlightened Minds As part of our celebration of Merrimack College’s 75th anniversary, we asked alumni — whose experiences span multiple decades — about how the College’s mission to enlighten minds, engage hearts and empower lives continues to resonate with them today.
1957
“I remember the Augustinian connections. There were more priests there at the time, and they stressed the importance of working in the community. I’ve worked in communities for all of my working days. I was a teacher in Lawrence, and I ran a juvenile defendant program for the town of Andover for 35 years, always involved in outreach in the community.” MARY WESSON ’57 is a retired teacher and active community organizer through her New Horizons in Youth After-School Program and positions in local government.
22
MERRIMACK • WINTER 2022
“Merrimack taught me about thinking outside the box, to not be afraid to try something new or different, and to be a leader. The College gave me the confidence and courage to believe in myself, realizing that the only way you can truly fail in life is to not try at all...Merrimack made me feel good about myself, and that has been my mission in life since I left Merrimack: to make others feel good about themselves, because that is the very foundation by which we accomplish everything else in our lives.” DAVE MCGILLIVRAY ’76 is the race director of the Boston Marathon and has organized more than a thousand endurance races through DMSE Sports.
1976
“My Merrimack professors taught us how to think independently, meet challenges head-on, adapt quickly and continue on. They’re lessons that are still relevant today.” MIKE FRANCO ’81 is a practicing attorney, licensed in four New England states. He met his wife on his first day of college.
1981
“Merrimack taught us to believe — in ourselves, in each other, in our goals, and in our obligation to help others.” MARY FRANCO ’81 has spent her career in the nonprofit and corporate sectors, including serving as the executive director of the White Plains Hospital Foundation and President of the Norwalk Hospital Foundation. She met her husband on her first day of college.
