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Th e Corvus Society
DONOR PROFILE
The Corvus Society is a recognition and appreciation society that is comprised of individuals who, because of their belief in our mission of helping young men and women grow in knowledge and grace, have created a legacy at Portsmouth Abbey School through a lifetime of giving of their resources of time, talent, and treasure. Their gifts have totaled at least $1M and have positively impacted Portsmouth Abbey School and its ability to remain the world’s premier Catholic, Benedictine, coeducational boarding and day school. The society’s title holds special meaning for the Portsmouth Abbey community as Corvus is the Latin word for Raven.
To offer some perspective on how he became one of the many members of this society, we have asked John “Mac” Regan ’68 P’07 to share his deep history with the School.
JOHN ‘MAC’ REGAN III ’68 P’07
For Mac Regan, philanthropy in the name of education is an inherited trait. “My parents were very focused on education, and they passed that interest on to my siblings and me,” he explains. And while Regan and his wife, Tracy, have long supported several educational institutions, none are dearer than Portsmouth Abbey.
Portsmouth, says Regan, is an intrinsic part of the family’s story. His father, John M. Regan, Jr., attended Yale University with Thomas Van Winkle, who later became Father Leo and served as the Abbey’s headmaster in the late 1950s and again in the late 1980s. John, Jr. sent his namesake to the School in 1965. “My parents had six kids at home and my dad decided they needed a break,” says Regan with a chuckle. “I was the first to attend the Abbey, and my brothers Peter’71 and Chris ’73 followed.” The tradition continued with Mac’s daughter Caroline who graduated from the Abbey in 2007.
The Regans were drawn to Portsmouth by the School’s stellar academic reputation, notes Mac, and the School did not disappoint. “The Abbey was a hard adjustment for all three Regan boys,” he confesses. “It was much more rigorous than our public school had been. We were scheduled every minute of the day, and the monks ran the School like a monastery–we received a basic, traditional education.”
Although the experience was challenging, it gave Regan a solid foundation on which to build; after graduating from the Abbey, he earned his B.A. at Boston College, his M.B.A. at Babson College and his M.A. in international business from The Fletcher School at Tuft’s University. And as he continued his academic pursuits, Regan also maintained his connection to the Abbey. “Initially, I stayed involved with the School through the Annual
Fund, then that connection evolved into board work, including two terms as chair.”
Regan says his role on the board was rewarding, as it gave him an opportunity to help shape the future of an institution he holds dear. “I’m very proud of the work the board did during my time as chair. We worked hard to ensure a continuing monastic presence at the Abbey and improve the School’s physical plant, which needed a lot of work.” Among the highlights of his tenure: two new residential projects, the renovation of the church, the construction of the new academic facility and the turf field.
By the time his daughter entered Portsmouth, Regan says, the landscape was markedly different. “When Caroline arrived, there were fewer monks, more international students and a much more luxurious physical plant than in my day, but the institution remains true to its core values: reverence, respect and responsibility.”
Reverence and respect for one another and for the community at large are critical to the overall health of a society, Regan maintains, and that’s something the Abbey understands. “Members of the Portsmouth community do a good job of living those values and communicating them to students,” he asserts. “The institution is very much focused on developing the whole person—socially, emotionally, athletically and academically. There’s an emphasis on traditional values and a commitment to community over oneself that I believe is so important.”
Regan personifies that commitment to the health of the whole. In addition to giving generously of his time, he and his wife also regularly participate in annual giving, capital and special projects and endowment giving. “We’re particularly interested in scholarships, providing kids with opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have,” he observes. The couple believes deeply in the importance of philanthropic giving. “It’s incumbent on those who can contribute to do so,” Regan asserts. “Charitable giving is an important social responsibility for every citizen.”
Regan is confident that any alumnus would be delighted with the Abbey of today, in its familiarity as well as its newness. Unfortunately, he says, many alumni from his generation aren’t aware of the institution’s growth and continuing success. He hopes that will change. “Students are performing at a very high level, the physical plant is remarkable, and Annual Fund giving is increasing exponentially, which reflects a lot of hard work on the part of the development team.
