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From  the  Beginnings 
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History  of 
Boston  College 

EVER  TO  EXCEL 

A  small  community  of  Jesuits,  with  faith 
in  God  and  purposefulness  strengthened  by 
Ignatian  discipline  and  ideals,  founded  a 
college  for  young  men  of  the  Boston  area 
in  1863.  The  story  of  that  institution, 
Boston  College,  is  one  of  early  courage 
followed  by  generations  of  unstinting  dedi- 
cation and  sheer  hard  work.  The  school's 
history  up  through  the  Second  World  War 
was  admirably  recounted  by  David  R.  Dun- 
igan,  S.J.,  in  1947.  In  the  intervening  de- 
cades, Boston  College  has  become  a  major 
national  university  by  virtue  of  its  remark- 
able growth  and  diversification. 

In  this  volume,  Charles  F.  Donovan,  S.J., 
and  Paul  A.  FitzGerald,  S.J.,  continue  the 
story  from  1947  and  offer  a  thoughtful  and 
appreciative — but  always  balanced — ac- 
count of  Boston  College's  advance  to  its 
present  position  of  eminence.  Dunigan's 
work,  edited  and  richly  illustrated,  has 
been  included  in  this  volume.  The  authors 
know  their  subject  well,  and  their  writing 
will  at  once  stir  alumni  memories  and  of- 
fer a  considerable  resource  to  professionals 
studying  American  higher  education. 

The  Boston  College  story  is  one  of  sharing. 
It  manifests  the  generous  sacrifices  of 
families,  the  determined  commitment  of 
faculty,  the  gratitude  of  alumni,  and  the 
constant  loyalty  of  friends.  It  evidences, 
too,  the  vital  dynamics  of  faith,  intellect, 
ethnic  pride,  social  change,  and  confidence 
born  of  maturation.  Setting  this  inspiring 
and  instructive  story  against  a  rapidly 
changing  national  background,  the  authors 
capture  not  only  the  facts  of  Boston  Col- 
lege's past  but  also  the  unique  quality — 
the  spirit— that  has  sustained  and  nurtured 
it  during  periods  of  both  difficulty  and  op- 
portunity. This  history  tells  two  American 
success  stories:  the  rise  to  national  promi- 
nence and  prestige  of  an  immigrant  minor- 
ity group,  and  the  evolution  of  their  tiny 
college  into  a  flourishing  university. 


photograph  by  Gary  Gilbert 

Jacket  Design  by  Carmela  M.  Ciampa 


HISTORY  OF  BOSTON  COLLEGE 


B^" 


§m^B 


History  of  Boston  College 

From  the  Beginnings  to  1990 


Charles  F.  Donovan,  SJ. 
David  R.  Dunigan,  SJ. 
Paul  A.  FitzGerald,  SJ. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS  OF  BOSTON  COLLEGE 
Chestnut  HilL  Massachusetts 


LA 

M 


This  book  was  designed  by  Mark  T.  Fowler 

of  Concord,  Massachusetts.  The  text  typeface 

is  Sabon,  with  Goudy  Old  Style  and  Optima  used  for  special 

matter.  Coghill  Composition  Company  of  Richmond, 

Virginia,  was  the  typesetter.  The  dust  jacket 

and  the  four-color  insert  were  printed  by  New 

England  Book  Components  of  Hingham,  Massachusetts. 

The  text  printer  and  binder  was  Hamilton  Printing 

Company  of  Rensselaer,  New  York. 


Copyright  ©  1990  by  the  Trustees  of  Boston  College. 

All  rights  reserved.  No  part  of  this  publication 
may  be  reproduced  or  transmitted  in  any  form  or  by 
any  means  without  permission  in  writing  from  the 
Trustees  of  Boston  College. 

Library  of  Congress  Catalog  Card  No.  90-070471 

ISBN  0-9625934-0-0 

Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America. 


To  Saint  Ignatius  of  Loyola,  1491—1556,  in 
the  450th  year  of  the  Society  he  founded. 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2010  witin  funding  from 

Boston  Library  Consortium  IVIember  Libraries 


littp://www.arcliive.org/details/liistoryofbostoncOOdono 


Preface 


In  1947  Father  David  Dunigan  published  A  History  of  Boston  College.  It 
was  a  well-researched  volume  that,  regrettably,  has  been  out  of  print  for 
thirty  years.  When  Father  Paul  FitzGerald,  university  archivist,  and  I  agreed 
to  cooperate  in  writing  an  updated  account,  we  felt  that  there  was  no  need 
to  rewrite  the  history  from  the  beginning  through  World  War  II.  We  did 
not  decide  then  whether  the  Dunigan  text  should  be  edited,  abridged,  or 
kept  intact;  rather,  we  proceeded  to  write  the  history  of  the  postwar  period. 
Father  FitzGerald's  untimely  death  in  1987  left  to  me,  with  the  advice  of 
my  editor,  the  decision  about  Father  Dunigan's  text.  In  brief,  parts  of  it 
have  been  abridged  and  some  connections  with  later  text  have  been  added. 
Also,  extensive  research  at  the  Boston  College  Archives  in  Burns  Library 
yielded  a  large  amount  of  illustrative  material  which  has  been  added  to  his 
part  of  the  history. 

Joint  authorship  with  Father  FitzGerald  was  both  congenial  and  reassur- 
ing. A  historian  by  profession,  he  had  just  published  an  elegant  piece  of 
research  on  higher  education.  The  Governance  of  Jesuit  Colleges  in  the 
United  States,  1920—1970,  which  gave  him  a  broad  perspective  on  the 
recent  history  of  Boston  College.  Our  text  was  well  advanced  when  Father 
FitzGerald  died.  Unfortunately  he  did  not  share  in  its  completion  and  final 
editing. 

Writing  an  account  of  recent  and  current  events  presents  both  hazards 
and  limitations.  When  American  historian  William  Prescott,  famed  for 
such  books  as  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  and  Philip  II  of  Spain,  was  asked 
shortly  after  the  conclusion  of  the  Mexican  War  why  he  did  not  undertake 
a  biography  of  General  Winfield  Scott,  he  answered,  "I  had  rather  not 
meddle  with  heroes  who  have  not  been  underground  two  centuries  at 
least."  And  in  1936  when  Boston's  beloved  historian  Samuel  Eliot  Morison 
reached  the  twentieth  century  in  his  history  of  Harvard,  he  wrote:  "It  will 
be  best  to  consider  the  rest  of  this  book  as  a  personal  impression,  subject 
to  correction  in  fact,  and  to  revision  as  perspective  lengthens." 

Happily  many  of  the  heroes  and  heroines  of  the  latter  part  of  this  history 
still  bestride  the  Boston  College  campus,  and  none  is  long  departed.  So  it 
was  with  a  lively  awareness  of  Prescott's  and  Morison's  reservations  that 
Father  FitzGerald  and  I — both  participants  in  the  events  we  undertook  to 


viii        Preface 


record — wrote  our  history,  hoping  that  most  factual  matters  reported  are 
correct,  but  realizing  that  judgments  and  evaluations  offered  are  necessarily 
tentative. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

On  behalf  of  the  co-authors  I  thank,  first,  Father  Joseph  Duffy,  secretary  of 
the  university,  who  assumed  responsibility  for  guiding  this  history  from 
manuscript  to  book  form.  Not  the  least  of  his  contributions  was  to  gain 
for  the  publication  project  the  wise  counsel  of  a  veteran  publisher,  John  T. 
Harney  ('56).  Eugene  Bailey  has  been  a  meticulous  and  perceptive  editor. 
The  magnitude  of  his  contribution  only  the  author  knows. 

My  secretary.  Rose  DeMaio,  was  a  cheerful  assistant  in  the  research 
prior  to  writing  and  typist  of  all  of  Father  FitzGerald's  and  my  manuscripts 
as  well  as  revisions  of  the  entire  history  from  Father  McElroy  to  Father 
Monan.  I  am  indebted  to  the  Boston  College  Archives,  especially  to 
assistant  archivist  Aimee  Felker  for  her  provision  of  many  of  the  images 
that  enrich  the  text.  Gary  Gilbert,  university  photographer,  provided  re- 
productions of  most  of  those  images. 

Chestnut  Hill,  Massachusetts  Charles  F.  Donovan,  S.J. 


About  the  Authors 


Charles  F.  Donovan,  S.J.  (Boston  College  Class  of 
1933),  was  founding  dean  of  the  School  of  Education. 
From  1961  to  1968  he  served  as  academic  vice  president, 
then  became  senior  vice  president  and  dean  of  faculties. 
Since  1979  he  has  been  university  historian.  In  addition 
to  co-authoring  this  formal  history  of  Boston  College, 
he  has  written  a  series  of  essays,  "Occasional  Papers  in 
the  History  of  Boston  College." 


David  R.  Dunigan,  S.J.,  was  chairman  of  the  Education 
Department  at  Boston  College  from  1939  to  1948.  In 
1947  he  published  A  History  of  Boston  College,  which 
has  been  substantially  incorporated  into  the  new  History 
of  Boston  College:  From  the  Beginnings  to  1990.  From 
1950  to  his  death  in  1961  Father  Dunigan  was  director 
of  counseling  and  professor  of  education  at  the  College 
of  the  Holy  Cross. 


Paul  A.  FitzGerald,  S.J.,  was  dean  of  the  Graduate  School 
of  Arts  and  Sciences  and  a  member  of  the  History 
Department  from  1956  to  1961.  After  several  assign- 
ments elsewhere  and  some  further  years  with  the  History 
Department,  he  became  secretary  of  the  university.  He 
was  university  archivist  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1987. 


Contents 


CHAPTER  J. 

Background  for  a 

Catholic  College  in  Boston  i 

Catholics  in  the  Early  Days  2 

Mr.  McElroy  Becomes  a  Jesuit  4 


2 


The  Struggle  for  Land  7 

The  Issue  Revisited  7 

The  Jesuits  Come  to  Boston  9 

Purchase  of  the  Jail  Land  10 

Intolerance  Forces  a  Withdrawal  12 

A  Site  in  the  New  South  End  15 


3 


Walls  and  a  Roof  19 

Work  Begins  20 

New  Expenses  22 

Friends  and  Finance  24 


4 

;hapter      I 


Tlie  College  Is  Chartered  27 

A  Petition  to  the  Legislature  28 

Meeting  to  Organize  29 

The  First  President  32 

Empty  Halls  34 

The  Problem  of  Funds  35 

The  First  Fair  36 


xii        Contents 


Twenty-Two  Pioneers     40 

The  College  Is  Opened  42 

The  Initial  Exhibition         45 


Consolidating  a  Gain  50 

A  Growing  Student  Body  52 

Boston  College  Life  in  the  1860s  53 

Another  Fair  55 

7 

CHAPTER  I 

The  Letter  of  the  Law  59 

Rules  and  Regulations  59 

The  Appointment  of  a  Successor  62 

Father  Bapst  Leaves  Boston  College  63 

The  College  as  Beginners  Knew  It  65 

CHAPTER  O 


Prefect  to  President  68 

With  Fife  and  Drum  69 

A  Program  of  Enlargement  72 

Administrative  Matters  73 

First  Graduates  74 

The  Boy  from  Lowell  75 

Father  Fulton  Leaves  Office  77 

Recognition  of  Achievement  78 


The  College  in  the  1880s  82 

The  Stylus  82 

Athletics  Come  of  Age  85 

Father  Boursaud  86 

The  Alumni  Organize  88 

Changes  of  Command  88 

The  Return  of  Father  Fulton  89 


Contents        xiii 


Further  Expansion  92 

Academic  Separation  of  the  Secondary  School 

and  the  College  92 

Father  Fulton's  Farewell  93 


10 


Growing  Is  Done  Slowly     97 

Father  Brosnahan  Takes  Charge         99 

Gentlemen  of  the  Opposition       100 

The  Sports  Field  Mirage        101 

11 

CHAPTER      X    X. 


Conflict  and  Adjustments    105 

A  Program  for  Improvement       105 

A  Question  of  Accrediting       107 

Experimentation  and  Adjustment       109 

12 

CHAPTER      J.  L^ 


Brave  Vision  113 

A  New  Site  Is  Considered  115 

The  Chestnut  Hill  Location  1 1 6 

The  Drive  for  Funds  118 

Designs  and  Plans  119 

The  Irish  Hall  of  Fame  123 


.13 


The  Towers  on  the  Heights  125 

Sacrifices,  Delays,  Disappointments  125 

An  Aduh  Education  Program  127 

The  Day  Approaches  128 

Open  for  Class  128 

One  Task  Completed,  Another  Begun  130 

14 

CHAPTER  X      I 


The  Pre-World'War  I  Era    135 

Progress  on  the  Faculty  House       135 
The  Philomatheia  Club        136 


xiv        Contents 


Maroon  Goal  Posts        138 
St.  Mary's  Hall       139 


CHAPTER  X  J 

Two  Months  in  Khaki  I4i 

First,  the  SATC  141 

Then,  ROTC  143 


CHAPTER  J- D 

Boston  College  Will  Be 

Big  Enough  ...  145 

Postwar  Milestones  146 

An  Appeal  to  the  Alumni  147 

The  Campaign  of  '21  148 

17 

CHAPTER  X     I 

Gothic  Newcomers  154 

New  Quarters  for  the  Sciences  155 

Construction  of  the  Library  156 


18 


The  Many-Rooted  Tree 

161 

A  Master's  Program  for  Boston 

161 

Higher  Education  for  Religious  Teachers 

163 

Reorganization  of  the  Graduate  Division 

166 

The  Law  School  Inaugurated 

168 

Intown  Classes 

168 

The  School  of  Social  Work 

170 

The  College  of  Business  Administration 

172 

CHAPTER 

19 

Depression  Decade  175 

Expanding  St.  Mary's,  and  the 

Cohasset  Resthouse  175 

Father  Gallagher  Becomes  Rector  176 

Alumni  Field  Stadium  178 


Contents        xv 


The  Thompson  Collection       179 
Remembrances,  Honors,  Treasures       181 


.20 


An  Expanded  Campus    185 

Father  McGarry's  Short  Tenure       185 
A  New  President,  a  New  War       187 

21 

CHAPTER     Z^  L. 


ers  with  Schoolbooks 

191 

The  Draft 

192 

The  Army  Proposes  a  Program 

195 

Marching  to  Class 

196 

Termination  of  the  Army  Program 

197 

The  War  Fund  and  Adjustments 

198 

Distinctions  and  Changes 

200 

CHAPTER 

22 

Postwar  Adjustments 

201 

Return  of  the  Veterans 

203 

The  Need  for  Housmg 

204 

Expansion  of  Classroom  Space 

206 

Accommodation  with  the  City 

207 

Helping  the  Veterans'  Transition 

209 

A  Return  to  Normalcy 

210 

Faculty  Remuneration 

211 

Kudos  for  the  Faculty 

211 

Other  Mainstays 

212 

The  Feeney  Case 

214 

CHAPTER 

23 

The  College  at 

Mid-Twentieth  Century  217 

A  Commitment  to  the  Classics  218 

The  Need  for  New  Buildings  221 

The  New  School  of  Nursing  225 


xvi        Contents 


24 


Outline  of  a  University 

228 

A  New  Leader  for  New  Times 

228 

The  New  School  of  Education 

230 

Estabhshing  Graduate  Programs 

233 

The  First  Self-Study 

234 

The  Law  School 

236 

A  Faculty  Manual  Evolves 

237 

The  ROTC  in  Action 

238 

Reaching  Out 

239 

Extracurricular  Activities 

240 

Development  of  the  Boston  College  Character 

242 

Student  Societies 

243 

CHAPTER 

25 

Growth  and  Change 

in  the  Fifties  247 

A  Critical  Mass  of  Faculty  247 

Construction  of  Dormitories  248 

Administrative  Changes  253 

Professional  Schools  255 

Intown  College  to  the  Heights  256 

A  New  Home  for  the  School  of  Education  257 

The  School  of  Nursing  259 

The  Student  Mood  260 


26 


Postwar  Athletics  262 

A  Home  for  the  Football  Team  262 

An  Expanded  Stadium  Plan  264 

The  New  Ice  Hockey  Rink  264 

Leaders  of  the  Program  266 


27 


Approaching  the  Centenary    270 


A  Change  of  Name?       272 
A  New  Agenda       275 


Contents        xvii 


A  More  Complex  Governance  278 

An  Enhanced  Honors  Program  280 

Women  in  Arts  and  Sciences  282 

Funding  from  Outside  283 

A  Changing  Student  Body  285 


ER  28 


The  University  at  Age 

One  Hundred  289 

A  Time  of  Buildmg  289 

The  Board  of  Regents  295 

A  Self-Appraisal  by  Arts  and  Sciences  295 

Butterfield's  Recommendations  299 

Honor  Societies:  The  Long  Road  to  Omicron  301 

The  American  Association  of 

University  Women  304 

The  Centennial  Celebration  304 


29 


Years  of  Accomplishment  3 1 1 

Contributions  by  the  Academic  Deans  312 

A  Commitment  to  Academic  Progress  315 

Student  Protest:  Civil  Rights  317 

Student  Protest:  The  Vietnam  War  319 

Matching  Societal  Changes:  New  Regulations  321 

Participation  in  University  Governance  322 

The  Connection  with  Weston  College  325 

The  Downtown  Club  328 

The  Alumni  Association  329 

Athletics  in  the  Sixties  330 

Debating  the  Status  of  the  Jesuit  Community  332 

The  End  of  the  Walsh  Era  332 


30 

:hapter  -_/>-/ 


A  Restless  Campus  337 

The  National  Context  337 

New  Directions  from  a  New  President  338 

New  Appointments  340 

The  Theology  Requirement:  An  Issue  342 


xviii        Contents 


The  Students'  Desire  for  a  Greater  Role  343 

The  Mary  Daly  Controversy  345 

A  New  Dean  for  Arts  and  Sciences  346 

The  End  of  ROTC  347 

Extending  a  Hand  to  Blacks  350 

Other  Public  Issues  354 

31 

CHAPTER  ^   1. 

"The  Strike"  and 

Other  Protests  357 


The  Tuition  Trauma 

357 

On  to  the  Next  Issue:  Vietnam 

363 

Coeducation  and  Women's  Issues 

364 

Military  Recruitment 

365 

Intrusion  by  The  Heights 

366 

Back  to  Normal 

367 

CHAPTER 

32 

Academic  and  Social 

Innovations  369 

The  Committee  on  Liberal  Education  370 

U.N.C.L.E.'s  Report  372 

The  New  Core  Curriculum  374 

Participating  in  Social  Change:  Pulse  375 

The  Academic  Calendar  Revised  377 

Expanding  the  Doctoral  Program  379 

Other  Investments  in  Reputation  382 

The  University  Chaplain's  Team  382 

Other  Changes  and  Notes  of  Interest  384 


33 


An  Overview  of 

the  Joyce  Era  388 

Renovation  and  Conversion  388 

Other  Remedies  for  the  Housing  Crisis  389 

First  Steps  Toward  a  Recreation  Complex  392 

Two  Opinion  Polls  393 

Administrative  Changes  395 


Contents       xix 


Genesis  of  the  Priorities  Committee  397 

Addressing  the  Fiscal  Situation  398 

The  Joyce  Administration  Draws  to  a  Close  400 

A  President  Not  a  Rector  401 


34 


The  Man  from  New  York    403 

changes  in  Governance       404 
Separate  Incorporation  of  the 


Jesuit  Community 

406 

A  Reconstituted  Board 

408 

The  Commuter  Center 

410 

The  Boston  College  Women's  Center 

411 

A  Foothold  for  the  Arts 

412 

Military  and  CIA  Recruitment 

413 

The  New  Team 

413 

Addressing  Fiscal  Matters 

416 

CHAPTER 

35 

Spectacular  Progress 

422 

"Jesuit  Education  at  Boston  College" 

424 

The  UAPC  Report 

424 

The  Consolidation  with  Newton  College 

426 

The  Implementation  Task  Force 

430 

Decision:  What  to  Newton? 

431 

Interdisciplinary  Programs 

433 

Monan  the  Builder 

434 

The  New  Library 

439 

Renovation  of  Bapst 

443 

CHAPTER 

36 

A  Mission  Redefined 

447 

A  Vision  of  Purpose 

448 

Financial  Support  of  Alma  Mater 

450 

Financial  Objectives 

451 

Endowed  Academic  Chairs 

453 

New  Appointments 

457 

Celebrating  the  Bicentennial 

458 

A  Home  for  the  Performing  Arts 

460 

The  Irish  Connection 

461 

XX        Contents 


The  Pope's  Visit,  and  Anniversaries       464 

New  Opportunities  and  More  Appointments       467 

Two  More  Controversies       469 


37 


Progress  in  Athletics 

472 

Background 

472 

Increasing  Women's  Participation  in  Sports 

474 

Football  in  the  Flutie  Era 

474 

Men's  Ice  Hockey 

476 

Men's  Basketball 

478 

Other  Men's  Varsity  Sports 

479 

Women's  Varsity  Sports 

481 

Perspectives  on  Athletics 

482 

Personal  Notes 

484 

CHAPTER 

38 

A  Mature  University  488 

Kudos  for  Monan  488 

The  School  of  Nursing  492 
The  Carroll  School  (and  Graduate  School) 

of  Management  494 

The  School  of  Education  497 

The  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work  500 

The  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  502 

The  Graduate  School  of  Arts  and  Sciences  504 

The  Law  School  507 

The  Evening  College  511 

Excellence  in  Publications  512 

The  Black  Community  at  Boston  College  513 


39 


Pointing  to  the  Twenty-First 

Century  517 

Three  Profiles  in  Excellence  518 

An  Encouraging  Survey  520 

A  Night  to  Remember  522 

A  Presidential  Appointment  522 

Continuity  and  Change  in  the  Administration  522 


Contents       xxi 

Library  Awards  and  Advances 

526 

Professor  of  the  Year 

526 

Father  Kolvenbach  Helps  Celebrate 
an  Anniversary 

527 

Significant  Presidential  Missions 

528 

Plans  for  the  Future 

529 

Computer  Progress 

533 

The  Council  on  Catholic  and  Jesuit  Identity, 
and  the  Jesuit  Institute 

533 

Core  Curriculum 

536 

The  "Campaign  for  Boston  College" 

537 

Epilogue    541 

The  Evolution  of 
Father  Gasson's  Dream: 
An  Aerial  Photographic  Essay    543 

Appendices 

Founder  and  Presidents  of  Boston  College  555 
Trustees  of  Boston  College,  December  1972 

through  September  1990  555 
Honorary  Degrees  Awarded  by  Boston  College, 

1952  through  1990  557 

Buildings  Related  to  Boston  College  Operations  563 

Index    565 


Color  Photographs:  Campus  Scenes  in  the  1980s 
Section  I  between  pages  200  and  201 
Section  II  between  pages  456  and  457 


HISTORY  OF  BOSTON  COLLEGE 


CHAPTER 


1 


Background  for  a 
Catholic  College  in  Boston 


An  adequate  understanding  of  the  movement  to  provide  Catholic  educa- 
tional facilities  in  Boston  during  the  mid-nineteenth  century  requires  some 
recognition  of  the  attitudes  toward  Catholicism  which  prevailed  at  the 
time.  In  exploring  the  origin  and  early  development  of  Boston  College,  it  is 
important  to  keep  in  mind  that  this  institution  was  planned  and  established 
by  a  religious  group  which,  until  a  score  of  years  before,  held  an  insignifi- 
cant position  in  the  social  life  of  the  United  States.  Almost  overnight,  this 
group  became  a  numerically  powerful  body  which  the  longer-established 
elements  in  the  population  regarded  as  a  threat  to  their  institutions  and 
traditions.  It  must  be  remembered,  too,  that  the  increase  in  the  number  of 
Catholics  in  the  late  eighteen-forties  was  composed  largely  of  people 
relegated  to  one  of  the  lower  rungs  of  the  social  scale  by  persecution  and 
famine  in  their  native  land,  which  had  deprived  them  of  means,  education, 
and  even  health.  Lastly,  it  should  be  recalled  that  constant  intolerance  and 
discrimination  were  exercised  against  these  immigrants  in  their  new  home 
because  they  professed  the  "Roman"  religion — a  faith  little  understood 
and  much  feared  on  the  American  seaboard. 

In  the  light  of  these  conditions,  it  is  not  a  matter  of  wonder  why  a 
Catholic  college  was  not  founded  in  Boston  sooner,  or  why  it  was  not 
founded  as  a  university  at  once.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  amazing  that  it  could 
be  founded  as  soon  as  it  was,  and  that,  under  the  circumstances,  it  could 
ever  survive  to  prosper  as  it  has  done. 


History  of  Boston  College 

Catholics  in  the  Early  Days 

In  the  English  colonies,  Catholics  never  constituted  a  factor  to  be  reckoned 
with.  During  the  decade  before  the  Revolution,  in  a  total  population  of 
more  than  2  million  inhabitants,'  only  some  20,000,  or  less  than  1  percent, 
were  Catholics,^  and  these  were  settled  principally  in  Maryland  and  Penn- 
sylvania. At  this  period,  Catholics  were  denied  domicile  in  Boston  and,  if 
discovered  there,  were  subject  to  many  legal  penalties.  This  condition 
endured  until  the  adoption  of  the  state  constitution  of  Massachusetts  in 
1780.  This  act  removed  many  restrictions  from  Catholics,  but  an  oath  with 
an  explicitly  anti-Catholic  clause  was  still  required  of  all  officeholders  until 
Massachusetts  amended  its  state  constitution  in  1822.^  In  the  meantime, 
the  Catholic  population  was  not  growing  in  proportion  with  that  of  the 
rest  of  the  country.  As  late  as  1830,  Catholics  represented  only  about  2 
percent  of  the  nation's  people." 

Immigration,  however,  which  had  increased  sporadically  during  the  late 
1830s  due  to  political  and  economic  change  in  Germany,  Scotland,  and 
Ireland,  became  a  deluge  after  the  European  famines  of  1845-1847,  and  a 
large  proportion  of  the  incoming  refugees  were  Catholic.  Although  Great 
Britain  and  the  Continent  felt  the  effects  of  a  severe  food  shortage  at  this 
time,  Ireland — unfortunately  a  single-crop  country — suffered  widespread 
starvation  and  utter  destitution  as  a  result  of  the  potato  blight  which 
deprived  it  of  food.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  Irish  despaired  that  their 
country  would  ever  survive  this  calamity  and  thought  only  of  flight.^  Within 
the  next  20  years,  some  2.5  million  Irish  abandoned  their  native  land.* 
During  part  of  this  period,  the  decade  from  1846  to  1856,  almost  130,000 
Irish  entered  Boston  alone. ^  Since,  as  has  been  said,  almost  all  of  these 
newcomers  were  Catholics,  one  can  understand  the  effect  of  this  influx 
upon  the  religious  sensibilities  of  Protestant  Boston.  Where  before  the 
existence  of  a  few  Catholics  in  the  city  could  be  ignored  or  met  with  calm 
disdain,  now  their  presence  in  legion  seemed  to  constitute  a  threat  to 
everything  the  old-line  "natives"  held  in  esteem. 

It  was  true  that  this  new  element  in  the  population  could  not  be 
assimilated  easily.  It  retained  its  own  group  consciousness;  it  did  not  share 
in  or  sympathize  with  the  English-flavored  culture  of  which  Boston  was  so 
proud;  it  was  desperately  poor;  and  it  had  been  deprived  by  persecution  of 
education  and  the  leisure  which  is  needed  for  finesse,  and  so  could  not 
erect  a  social  structure  even  remotely  comparable  in  dignity  with  that  of 
the  natives.  Thus  the  Irish — or  Catholics,  since  the  terms  had  come  to  be 
synonymous — were  destined  to  become  the  laboring  class,  the  domestic 
class,  and  to  await — with  more  or  less  resignation — the  day  when  the 
situation  would  be  rectified  by  the  forces  of  nature  which  seemed  to  enjoy 
marvelous  properties  in  this  "land  of  promise." 

The  need  for  Boston's  new  immigrants  to  have  their  own  Catholic  schools 
was  accentuated  during  the  threescore  years  prior  to  the  opening  of  Boston 


Background  for  a  Catholic  College  in  Boston        3 

College  by  the  growing  success  of  Horace  Mann's  drive  to  remove  denom- 
inational religion  from  the  Massachusetts  schools.  Mann  did  not  intend,  as 
Lord  points  out,  to  secularize  education,**  much  less  to  paganize  it,  but  the 
ultimate  outcome — unforeseen  and  undesired — was  to  remove  all  but  the 
most  diluted  religious  influences  from  the  public  schools.  What  httle 
remained  was,  of  course,  Protestant;  the  Catholic  position,  when  not 
ignored,  was  ridiculed  and  misrepresented  in  the  common  textbooks. 

The  mounting  tension  between  what  was  often  a  Catholic  majority  in 
pubhc  school  classrooms  and  a  dominant  Protestant  minority  culminated 
in  1859  in  a  series  of  incidents  known  as  the  Eliot  School  Controversy.** 
This  disturbance  centered  about  the  severe  corporal  punishment  inflicted 
by  a  teacher  upon  a  Catholic  pupil  of  the  Eliot  School  in  Boston  because  of 
the  child's  refusal,  upon  instruction  from  his  parents,  to  recite  the  Protes- 
tant version  of  the  Commandments.  The  case  was  carried  into  the  courts 
where,  in  disregard  of  the  evidence,  it  was  settled  in  favor  of  the  teacher. 
The  dispute  gained  national  notoriety,  and  the  injustices  which  the  case 
involved  forced  the  Catholics  of  Boston  to  conclude  that  the  immediate 
establishment  of  an  adequate  school  system  of  their  own  was  imperative. 
Meanwhile,  there  was  ever  present  a  need  for  an  adequate  supply  of 
educated  leaders,  both  in  the  clergy  and  in  the  laity,  and  to  supply  this. 
Bishop  John  Fitzpatrick  was  seeking  means  to  establish  in  Boston  a  low- 
tuition  college  for  day  scholars.  He  little  dreamed  that  the  fulfillment  of 
this  desire  was  finally  at  hand  in  the  person  of  a  dynamic  Jesuit  priest, 
Father  John  McElroy.  The  future  founder  of  Boston  College  was  born  in 
Brookeborough,  near  Enniskillen,  County  Fermanagh,  Province  of  Ulster, 
Northern  Ireland,  on  May  14,  1782.  During  his  long  life  span,  roughly 
coinciding  with  the  establishment  and  development  of  the  United  States 
and  with  the  re-estabhshment  and  expansion  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  he 
lived  several  careers.^" 

At  the  time  of  his  birth  the  penal  laws  which  prohibited  Irish  schoolmas- 
ters from  teaching  Catholics  had  not  yet  been  completely  removed  in 
practice,  hence  the  formal  schooling  he  received  was  only  of  the  most 
rudimentary  sort.  After  leaving  school  he  was  employed  on  his  father's 
farm  until  he  reached  the  age  of  21,  when  he  embarked  on  a  flax  ship. 
Serpent,  which  sailed  from  Londonderry  on  June  25,  1803,  and  arrived  in 
Baltimore  August  26  after  a  voyage  of  62  days.  He  hved  in  that  city  about 
a  year  with  a  younger  brother  who  kept  a  drugstore,  then  moved  to 
Georgetown  where  he  worked  as  a  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store.  It  was  during 
this  period  that  he  discovered  his  vocation  for  the  religious  state.  He  sought 
the  advice  of  his  spiritual  director,  Bishop  Leonard  Neale,  then  coadjutor 
to  Archbishop  Carroll  and  president  of  Georgetown  College.  Bishop  Neale 
encouraged  the  young  man,  and  undoubtedly  counseled  patience,  for  the 
bishop  was  aware  that  the  suppressed  Society  of  Jesus  was  on  the  verge  of 
being  re-established  in  the  United  States  and  would  soon  be  in  a  position 
to  accept  candidates. 


4        History  of  Boston  College 

Mr.  McElroy  Becomes  a  Jesuit 

Still  surviving  at  that  time  in  America  were  a  small  number  of  former 
Jesuits,  among  whom  were  Archbishop  Carroll  and  Bishop  Neale.  Encour- 
aged by  the  informal  re-estabhshment  of  the  order  in  England,  they 
petitioned  that  a  similar  favor  be  granted  to  the  priests  on  the  American 
mission.  This  request  was  granted  by  the  Jesuit  General  in  1804.  During 
the  following  year,  six  of  the  missionary  priests  working  in  this  country 
elected  to  re-enter  the  Society,  and  Father  Robert  Molyneaux  was  ap- 
pointed superior.  On  October  10,  1806,  nine  novices  destined  to  study  for 
the  priesthood  and  two  lay-brother  novices  were  received  by  the  order  and 
began  their  period  of  probation  at  Georgetown  College.  One  of  these 
scholastic  novices  was  Benedict  J.  Fenwick,  afterward  bishop  of  Boston; 
one  of  the  lay-brother  novices  was  John  McElroy. 

Some  ten  months  previously,  on  January  14,  McElroy  had  entered  the 
employment  of  Georgetown  College  as  a  bookkeeper  and  buyer;  now  in 
his  new  status,  his  duties  remained  much  the  same.  Many  years  later  he 
wrote: 

I  entered  the  Society  as  lay-brother,  employed  as  clerk,  procurator,  treasurer, 
assistant  cook,  gardener,  prefect,  teacher  of  writing,  arithmetic,  etc.  In  these 
duties  was  I  occupied  during  the  two  years  of  Novitiate,  often  making  my 
meditation  the  best  I  could  in  going  to  market,  etc." 

He  remained  at  Georgetown  as  a  lay  brother  for  nine  years.  During  the 
war  with  Great  Britain,  he  witnessed  the  burning  of  Washington  from  the 
college  windows.  In  1815  Father  Grassi,  the  Superior  of  the  Mission,  took 
the  extraordinary  step  of  applying  to  the  Jesuit  General,  Father  Brzozowski, 
for  permission  to  have  Brother  McElroy  change  his  "grade"  to  that  of 
scholastic  and  start  studying  for  the  priesthood.  The  permission  was 
granted,  and  on  July  31,  1815,  John  McElroy,  at  the  age  of  33,  commenced 
the  study  of  Latin  grammar  and  other  preparatory  subjects  under  the 
tutorage  of  Father  Grassi.  He  still  carried  out  his  miscellany  of  duties.  "I 
was  promised  time  to  study,  it  is  true,  but  as  yet  it  has  not  arrived.  .  .  ."^^ 
On  April  5,  1816,  he  received  tonsure  and  minor  orders  from  Archbishop 
Neale,  and  on  May  28,  30,  and  31,  1817,  after  an  interval  of  only  22 
months  from  the  inception  of  his  studies,  he  was  raised  to  major  orders 
and  the  priesthood."  His  ordination  was  the  last  episcopal  act  performed 
by  his  friend  and  guide.  Archbishop  Neale;  a  little  over  two  weeks  later  it 
became  the  new  priest's  melancholy  duty  to  prepare  the  aged  prelate  for 
death. 

In  the  thirty  years  between  his  ordination  and  his  eventual  historic 
assignment  in  Boston,  Father  McElroy  had  a  career  that  made  him  an 
imposing  figure  in  the  Church  of  the  nineteenth  century:  as  pastor  and 
builder  in  Virginia  and  Washington,  D.C.;  as  preacher  and  director  of 
retreats;  as  theologian  at  the  Fourth  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore;  and 


Background  for  a  Catholic  College  in  Boston        5 


Rev.  John  McElroy,  SJ.  (1 782-1877),  founder  of  Boston  College. 


6        History  of  Boston  College 

as  chaplain  named  by  President  Polk  to  serve  the  American  forces  in  the 
Mexican  War.  In  May  1847  he  returned  from  Mexico  and  was  sent  to 
Philadelphia  to  investigate  the  possibility  of  opening  a  Jesuit  college  there; 
but  circumstances  were  not  auspicious  for  a  college  there  at  that  time,  so 
in  October  he  left  for  Boston.  Here,  unknown  to  him,  the  great  work  of  his 
life  awaited  him. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  In  1775,  for  the  purpose  of  taxation,  Congress  assumed  the  population  to  be 
2,389,300. 

2.  John  Gilmary  Shea,  The  Catholic  Church  in  Colonial  Days  (New  York,  J.  G. 
Shea,  1886),  p.  449. 

3.  See  Arthur  J.  Riley,  Catholicism  in  New  England  in  1 788  (Washington,  D.C.: 
Cathohc  University  of  America,  1936),  Chapter  VII. 

4.  Based  on  figures  drawn  from  "United  States  of  America:  Population,"  Encyclo- 
pedia Brittanica,  14th  ed.,  22:732;  and  Peter  Guilday,  "Roman  Catholic 
Church,"  ibid.,  19:421. 

5.  Marcus  Lee  Hansen,  The  Atlantic  Migration,  1607-1860  (Cambridge:  Harvard 
University  Press,  1940),  p.  249. 

6.  Oscar  Handlin,  Boston's  Immigrants,  1790-1865  (Cambridge:  Harvard  Univer- 
sity Press,  1941),  p.  52. 

7.  Ibid.,  p.  229. 

8.  Robert  H.  Lord,  John  E.  Sexton,  and  Edward  T.  Harrington,  History  of  the 
Archdiocese  of  Boston  (New  York:  Sheed  and  Ward,  1944),  2:311-312. 

9.  Bernadine  Wiget,  S.J.,  "The  Eliot  School  Case"  (contemporary  MS.  account, 
with  newspaper  clippings,  3  vols.),  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library.  Good  brief  account  in  Lord,  Sexton,  and  Harrington, 
History  of  the  Archdiocese,  2:585—601. 

10.  This  summary  of  Father  McElroy's  life  is  based  upon  letters  of  Father  McElroy 
concerning  his  early  life  in  the  Society  of  Jesus,  Woodstock  Letters,  44:9—14, 
1915.  Father  McElroy's  diary  is  preserved  in  the  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Ar- 
chives, Georgetown  University. 

11.  John  McElroy,  S.J.,  to  Charles  Stonestreet,  S.J.,  July  21,  1857;  Maryland  Provin- 
cial S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library.  Published  in  Woodstock  Let- 
ters, 44:9-10,  1915. 

12.  Ibid. 

13.  "Liber  Continens  Nomen,  etc.,  Promotorum  ad  Ordines  Majores,  etc.,  1633— 
1852,"  MSS.  book  No.  350B,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown 
University  Library. 


CHAPTER 


2 


The  Struggle  for  Land 


Father  McElroy's  transfer  to  Boston  in  1847  was  not  directly  connected 
with  the  prospect  of  a  CathoHc  college  there,  although  the  hope  for  such 
an  institution  had  been  entertained  by  him  for  several  years.  He  appears  to 
have  made  the  first  overture  for  a  college  in  Boston  to  Bishop  Fenwick  in 
private  conversation  during  August  of  1842.  Father  McElroy  had  come  to 
Boston  on  that  occasion  to  give  the  diocesan  retreat  for  the  clergy,  and  he 
lived  at  the  bishop's  house.  As  a  personal  friend  and  former  fellow  novice 
with  Bishop  Fenwick,  he  was  invited  to  accompany  the  bishop  on  his  visits 
about  the  city  for  several  days  before  the  retreat  actually  began  on  August 
12.  This  intimacy  at  least  justifies  one  in  supposing  a  benevolent  reception 
for  the  idea  of  a  college  if  Father  McElroy  actually  proposed  it.  The  only 
evidence  that  this  topic  was  mentioned  at  this  time  is  found  in  Father 
McElroy's  casual  assertion  made  several  years  later.'  No  record  of  such  a 
conversation  is  found  in  Bishop  Fenwick's  diary  which  covers  the  period, 
nor  in  the  letter  which  the  bishop  wrote  to  the  Jesuit  Provincial  thanking 
him  for  Father  McElroy's  services.^ 

The  Issue  Revisited 

Whether  or  not  the  matter  was  discussed  then,  it  was  mentioned  very 
explicitly  less  than  three  months  later  in  a  letter  which  Father  McElroy 
wrote  to  extend  his  felicitations  to  the  bishop  on  the  New  Year.  After 
offering  his  seasonal  wishes  and  referring  to  various  diocesan  topics  of 


8        History  of  Boston  College 

interest  at  the  moment,  he  entered  at  some  length  upon  the  question  of  a 
college  in  Boston.  An  extended  excerpt  from  the  letter  is  given  in  a  note  at 
the  end  of  the  chapter  which  shows  the  boldness  of  McElroy  in  proposing 
a  college  to  the  bishop,  as  well  as  his  complete  confidence  in  the  success  of 
his  proposal.  The  background  was  that  the  bishop  planned  to  move  his 
cathedral  from  its  location  on  Franklin  Street  to  a  larger  structure  to  be 
built  elsewhere.  McElroy  urged  that  the  old  cathedral  and  adjoining  prop- 
erty be  given  to  the  Jesuits,  who  could  run  a  parish  and  start  a  college. ^ 

The  bishop  evidently  reacted  favorably  to  McElroy's  suggestion,  and 
news  of  his  interest  in  such  an  undertaking  was  conveyed  in  due  course  to 
Rome.  A  year  after  the  above  letter  was  written,  the  Jesuit  General,  Father 
John  Roothaan,  wrote  to  the  rector  of  Holy  Cross  College  in  Worcester: 

You  are  well  enough  aware  how  cordially  I  approve,  to  what  an  extent  I  am 
ready  to  support  the  Most  Reverend  Bishop's  [Fenwick's]  design  of  setting 
up  a  college  in  the  city  itself  of  Boston;  my  advice  to  you  has  ever  been  that 
all  your  concern  should  center  on  a  college  such  as  this.'' 

In  1845  Father  Roothaan  wrote  in  a  similar  vein  to  the  Jesuit  Provincial 
of  the  Maryland  Province: 

You  are  not  unaware  that  it  would  be  gratifying  to  us  were  you  to  establish  a 
college  in  the  city  of  Boston.  Accordingly,  after  examining  and  deliberating 
on  the  details  with  your  consultors,  act  in  nomine  Domini. 

In  reply,  the  Provincial,  Father  Verhaegen,  wrote  some  months  later: 

I  visited  the  Bishop  of  Boston.  He  is  seriously  thinking  of  opening  a  college 
in  his  episcopal  city,  but  so  far  has  put  nothing  into  effect.  It  is  necessary,  so 
he  says,  to  proceed  slowly,  and  this  in  order  that  the  institution  which  he  is 
planning  may  be  worthy  of  our  holy  religion  and  of  the  Society. 

In  April  of  1846  Father  Roothaan  was  seeking  further  information  on 
the  subject: 

The  Bishop  of  Charlestown  [Charleston]  has  written  to  me  about  setting  up 
a  college  in  his  episcopal  city.  But  what  about  the  college  in  Boston?  I  doubt 
whether  the  resources  of  the  Province  [of  Maryland]  will  permit  you  to  begin 
both  at  almost  the  same  time. 

In  the  meantime,  the  bishop  was  evidently  making  preparations  to  act 
along  the  lines  suggested  by  Father  McElroy  in  the  letter  mentioned  above, 
because  in  July  of  that  year  (1846)  Father  Verhaegen  reported  to  Rome  that 
Bishop  Fenwick  was  expecting  to  acquire  a  new  site  for  his  cathedral,  in 
which  event  he  would  convey  the  existing  cathedral  and  its  site  to  the 
Jesuits: 

But  if  we  have  to  wait  until  the  new  cathedral  is  built,  even  if  we  suppose  it 
started  this  year,  two  entire  years  may  pass.  I  think  the  Bishop  follows  too 
strictly  the  axiom,  festina  lente. 


The  Struggle  for  Land       9 


John  Bernard  Fitzpatrick,  third 
bishop  of  Boston,  was  a  friend 
and  staunch  supporter  of  Father 
McElroy  in  establishing  a  Jesuit 
college  in  Boston. 


The  Jesuits  Come  to  Boston 

On  August  11,  1846,  Bishop  Fenwick  died,  and  John  B.  Fitzpatrick,  who 
had  been  consecrated  coadjutor  bishop  of  Boston  two  years  earUer,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  sole  responsibihty  of  the  office.  A  Uttle  over  a  year  after 
taking  office.  Bishop  Fitzpatrick  decided  to  solve  the  bothersome  problem 
of  an  insurgent  congregation  in  Saint  Mary's  Church  in  Boston's  North 
End  by  offering  the  church  to  the  Jesuit  Fathers.^  The  Jesuit  authorities 
accepted,  and  when,  as  has  been  seen,  they  found  an  experienced  pastor 
available  for  the  position  in  the  person  of  Father  McElroy  after  his  Mexican 
War  chaplaincy,  he  was  sent  to  Boston,  where  the  bishop  installed  him  as 
pastor  with  two  Jesuit  assistants  on  October  31,  1847/  This  was,  as  the 
bishop  himself  said, 

.  .  .  only  the  beginning  of  what  I  intend  to  do  for  the  Society.  The  college  is 
the  main  object  of  my  concern;  but  I  must  wait  for  means.  In  the  interim, 
your  fathers  living  here  will  become  known  to  the  citizens,  win  their  sympa- 
thy, while  the  bad  disposition  of  the  men  who  have  opposed  this  and  other  of 
my  plans  will  disappear.' 


10        History  of  Boston  College 

In  a  letter  written  in  September  of  the  following  year  (1848),  Father 
McElroy  mentions  the  bishop's  intention  to  give  the  old  cathedral  and  its 
land  to  the  Jesuits  upon  completion  of  the  new  edifice,  but  that  this 
prospect  was  still  remote.  The  letter  manifests  a  more  immediate  interest 
of  Father  McElroy's  in  some  sort  of  elementary  school,  where  the  funda- 
mentals of  language  could  be  taught  and  some  instruction  given  in  reli- 
gion.^ In  his  diary,  Father  McElroy  records  the  solution  he  arrived  at  in 
regard  to  the  school: 

In  a  short  time,  I  discovered  the  great  want  of  schools,  and  more  church 
accommodations  for  the  faithful.  In  February  1849  the  former  was  in  part 
provided  for,  by  the  opening  of  a  school  for  female  children  under  the  Sisters 
of  Charity  in  a  house  belonging  to  the  church  in  Stillman  Street,  now  in 
Lancaster  Street,  under  the  Sisters  of  Notre  Dame.  Finding  that  a  surplus 
remained  after  defraying  the  expenses  of  the  change  and  Church,  I  resolved 
to  put  it  aside  with  the  intention  of  purchasing  in  time,  a  site  for  a  College 
&  Church,  if  practicable,  on  the  same  lot.' 

Bishop  Fitzpatrick  wrote  a  no-longer-extant  letter  on  February  5,  1850, 
in  which  the  prelate  expressed  satisfaction  with  the  work  the  Society  of 
Jesus  was  carrying  on  at  Holy  Cross  College  and  in  Boston.'"  From  the 
tone  of  Father  Roothaan's  answer  of  May  8,  1850,  the  bishop  had  appar- 
ently made  known  the  hope  he  entertained  of  one  day  seeing  a  Jesuit  college 
established  in  that  city. 

It  is  with  genuine  satisfaction  that  I  learned  from  your  letter,  Monseigneur, 
of  your  desire  to  establish  a  day-school  in  your  episcopal  city  when  Provi- 
dence shall  have  furnished  you  the  means.  I  shall  always  be  ready  to  support 
your  zeal  for  the  success  of  this  enterprise  as  far  as  circumstances  will  make 
it  possible  for  me  to  do  so.'' 

However,  when  Father  McElroy  expressed  hope  that  in  the  course  of 
another  year  he  would  be  able  to  open  a  school  for  boys,  on  the  same  plan 
as  the  one  he  had  employed  at  Frederick,  to  accommodate  some  300  boys, 
the  General,  "hitherto  so  sympathetic  toward  the  project  of  a  Jesuit  school 
in  Boston,  seemed  now  to  become  skeptical  as  to  its  feasibility."'^  He 
inquired  of  the  Maryland  Provincial,  Father  Brocard,  in  January  of  1851, 
"Is  it  true  that  a  school  in  Boston  for  day-students  is  under  consideration? 
New  burdens  when  old  ones  weigh  you  down!"'^ 

Purchase  of  the  Jail  Land 

At  this  time  the  City  of  Boston  announced  the  intention  of  offering  at 
public  auction  on  December  3,  1851,  a  portion  of  land  compromising  31 
building  lots  on  which  the  city  jail  had  stood.'"  The  land  was  bounded  by 
Leverett  and  Causeway  streets  on  two  sides;  by  property  fronting  on  Lowell 
Street,  on  a  third;  and  by  other  property  fronting  on  Leverett,  Wall,  and 
Lowell  streets,  on  the  fourth.  The  sale  of  the  land  was  subject  to  certain 


The  Struggle  for  Land        1 1 

conditions,  one  of  which  was  to  the  effect  that  the  buildings  erected  upon 
this  property  could  be  dwellings  or  stores  only.'^  On  November  25,  1851, 
the  city  conveyed  the  entire  tract  to  a  Colonel  Josiah  L.  C.  Amee  except  for 
a  strip  of  land  dividing  the  lot  in  two,  which  the  city  retained  and  paved  as 
an  extension  to  Wall  Street.  On  the  side  of  this  Wall  Street  extension 
farthest  from  Leverett  Street,  Colonel  Amee  built  10  dwelling  houses,  but 
when  he  found  that  he  had  difficulty  selling  them,  he  gave  up  his  original 
plan  of  building  others  on  the  remaining  land  and  instead  offered  it  for 
sale.^'^ 

Father  McElroy  had  been  looking  about  for  land  suitable  for  a  larger 
church  and  a  college,  as  has  been  seen,  almost  from  the  moment  he  came 
to  St.  Mary's.  According  to  his  diary,  he  had  noticed  that  the  jail  land  had 
been  offered  for  sale,  and  he  had  even  gone  as  far  as  to  engage  a  broker  to 
offer  "for  an  unidentified  client"  $70,000  for  the  entire  lot.  When  the  city 
authorities  decided  to  open  an  extension  to  Wall  Street  through  the  lot. 
Father  McElroy  felt  that  the  remaining  land  would  be  too  small  for  his 
purpose  and  consequently  withdrew  from  the  market.  His  search  to  find  a 
suitable  site  elsewhere,  however,  was  in  vain,  so  that  when  Colonel  Amee 
expressed  a  desire  to  sell  part  of  the  jail  land  early  in  the  year  1853,  he 
turned  his  attention  once  more  to  this  tract  as  a  last  resort.'^ 

On  investigation  he  discovered  that  in  addition  to  the  restriction  limiting 
the  buildings  erected  on  the  land  to  dwellings  and  stores,  another  condition 
obliged  the  buyer  to  erect  10  brick  buildings  facing  the  new  (Wall)  street. 
Colonel  Amee,  perceiving  that  these  conditions  were  making  it  impossible 
for  him  to  sell  the  land,  petitioned  the  city  council  for  a  release  or 
modification  of  the  restrictions  so  far  as  they  affected  the  vacant  lots  facing 
Wall  Street,  and  the  committee  on  public  lands,  acting  under  a  vote  of  the 
city  council,  on  March  9,  1853,  modified  the  restrictions  on  the  Wall  Street 
lots  so  that  the  prohibition  only  ran  against  "buildings  to  be  used  for 
manufacturing  or  mechanical  purposes,  stables,  gasometers,  bowling  alleys, 
etc."'"*  Colonel  Amee  obtained  a  duly  certified  copy  of  the  vote  modifying 
the  restrictions  and  reopened  negotiations  with  Father  McElroy.  But  all  the 
difficulties  were  by  no  means  removed.  Father  McElroy  pointed  out  that 
the  Wall  Street  lots  by  themselves  were  not  deep  enough  for  a  church  site 
unless  he  could  also  buy  the  adjoining  lots  which  faced  on  Leverett  Street 
and  have  them  likewise  freed  from  restrictions.  Colonel  Amee  was  willing 
to  sell  the  additional  land.  He  felt,  with  good  reason,  that  the  city 
authorities  would  agree  to  remove  the  restrictions  on  the  Leverett  Street 
lots,  as  they  had  done  so  readily  on  the  adjoining  land. 

Father  McElroy  meanwhile  had  the  title  examined  by  the  foremost  real 
estate  attorney  in  Boston  at  the  time,  N.  I.  Bowditch.  The  latter's  opinion 
was  that  because  Father  McElroy  proposed  to  build  a  church  upon  the 
premises  and  because  the  city  had  already  modified  the  restrictions  on  the 
Wall  Street  lots,  there  would  not  be  the  slightest  difficulty  in  securing  the 
necessary  modification  on  the  remainder  of  the  land.  He  believed  that  it 


12        History  of  Boston  College 

was  a  mere  matter  of  formality  and  that  Father  McElroy  was  perfectly  safe 
in  paying  the  purchase  money.  So,  on  advice  of  his  counsel.  Father  McElroy 
paid  the  consideration  and  took  the  title  from  Colonel  Amee  on  March  23, 
1853. ''  The  down  payment  was  $13,000,  and  Father  McElroy  became 
responsible  to  the  city  for  the  balance  of  the  purchase  money,  $46,480.59. 
Father  McElroy  was  understandably  pleased  with  this  acquisition,  since  it 
included  the  buildings  on  the  property,  one  of  which,  a  granite,  four-story 
structure  originally  built  as  a  courthouse,  cost  the  city  $50,000  when  new.-° 

Intolerance  Forces  a  Withdrawal 

When  it  became  known  that  the  jail  land  had  been  sold  to  a  Catholic  priest 
and  that  he  proposed  to  build  upon  it  a  new  Catholic  church,  a  group  of 
bigoted  persons  immediately  agitated  to  have  the  committee  on  public 
lands  first  enforce  the  restriction  limiting  the  use  of  the  land  to  the  erection 
of  dwellings  or  stores  and,  second,  put  back  in  force  the  recently  rescinded 
condition  that  the  purchaser  erect  10  brick  dwelling  houses  on  the  Wall 
Street  lots  or  forfeit  the  land.  Their  bigotry  prevailed  and  the  committee, 
exceeding  its  legal  power,  notified  Colonel  Amee  and  Father  McElroy 
within  a  day  of  the  purchase  that  the  restrictions  were  once  more  in  force; 
the  order  rescinding  them,  it  was  claimed,  had  been  obtained  by  Colonel 
Amee  through  false  representation. 

After  taking  legal  advice  on  the  matter,  Father  McElroy  disregarded  this 
notification  and  directed  his  attention  to  the  task  of  obtaining  permission 
to  erect  a  building  other  than  a  dwelling  or  store  on  the  lot.  The  bishop 
joined  Father  McElroy  in  his  efforts  and  caused  the  petitions  to  be  made 
jointly  by  himself  and  Father  McElroy — but  without  avail.  Mr.  Bowditch 
presented  the  petitioners'  views  before  the  mayor  and  joint  committee  on 
pubUc  lands  at  a  hearing  in  the  Common  Council  room  on  April  19,  1853; 
despite  a  most  cogent  and  moving  plea,  their  efforts  proved  fruitless.-' 

A  petition  signed  by  one  Nathaniel  Hammond  and  924  others  opposing 
the  lifting  of  the  restrictions  had  been  presented  to  the  committee,  but  on 
May  19,  1853,  a  counterpetition  signed  by  25  of  the  most  prominent 
Protestant  gentlemen  in  Boston  was  sent  to  the  committee,  urging  that 
permission  be  given  for  the  church  to  be  built."  Included  in  the  group  were 
Edward  Everett,  former  governor  of  Massachusetts  and  former  president  of 
Harvard;  Rufus  Choate,  Harvard  professor  and  undisputed  social  leader  in 
Boston;  William  Prescott,  the  historian;  James  Collins  Warren,  dean  of 
Harvard  medical  school;  and  Amos  A.  Lawrence,  the  prominent  merchant 
who  a  few  years  after  the  jail  land  controversy  purchased  farm  property  in 
Chestnut  Hill  that  decades  later  would  become  the  new  Boston  College 
campus.  But  even  the  great  influence  of  such  men  was  disregarded;  the 
mayor  and  aldermen  agreed  to  allow  the  construction  of  the  church,  but 
the  council  would  not  concur." 

In  March  of  1856  the  bishop  and  Father  McElroy  judged  that  the 


The  Struggle  for  Land        13 

prospects  of  a  favorable  reception  of  their  petition  had  brightened  with  the 
election  of  Alexander  H.  Rice  as  mayor  and  with  a  new  council  in  session 
in  which  the  Know-Nothings  were  in  the  minority.  A  copy  of  the  petition 
which  they  submitted  is  found  in  Father  McElroy's  diary: 

To  the  Honble,  the  Mayor,  Aldermen  &  Common  Council  of  the  City  of 
Boston: 

The  undersigned  present  themselves  before  your  Honble  body,  to  renew 
their  petition  made  on  former  occasions,  for  the  removal  of  certain  restric- 
tions, on  four  lots  of  land,  fronting  on  Leverett  Street,  to  enable  them  to 
erect  an  edifice  for  the  purpose  of  Divine  Worship.  The  subject  of  this 
petition  has  been  discussed  sufficiently  to  preclude  the  necessity  of  entering 
into  details.  The  undersigned  rest  their  hopes  on  the  impartiality  of  the 
present  councils,  and  of  their  sense  of  justice  irrespective  of  any  sinister  bias. 
Three  years  have  now  elapsed  since  the  purchase  of  the  lands  in  question. 
This  was  done  in  good  faith,  not  doubting  for  a  moment,  that  the  same 
authority  which  took  the  restrictions  off  ten  lots  would  with  more  reason 
take  the  same  off  four  lots,  especially  as  it  was  for  a  church  to  accommodate 
hundreds  who  are  deprived  of  the  means  of  sanctifying  the  Lord's  Day. 

The  undersigned  would  also  respectfully  submit  that  independent  of  the 
annual  installments  already  paid  ($20,658.04)  to  the  City  Treasurer,  taxes 
and  interest  have  also  been  paid  to  the  amount  of  7995.77  for  all  of  which 
no  consideration  has  as  yet  been  received  from  the  land  which  remains 
unproductive  in  both  a  spiritual  and  temporal  point  of  view.  With  this  simple 
statement  of  facts,  we  place  ourselves  confidentially  before  your  respective 
boards,  that  this  our  petition  may  be  granted  to  enable  us  to  commence  this 
season,  the  erection  of  the  contemplated  church  and  your  petitioners  as  they 
are  bound  will  ever  pray  &c. 


Signed 


John  B.  Fitzpatrick,  Bsp.  of  Boston 
John  McElroy^" 


The  petition  was  read  in  the  board  of  common  council  and  referred  to 
the  land  committee,  composed  of  members  from  both  boards.  After  being 
debated  there  for  a  considerable  time,  a  majority  of  the  committee  finally 
voted  to  remove  the  restrictions.  The  council  itself  deferred  action  on  it  for 
several  weeks,  until  finally,  on  November  20,  1856,  it  was  defeated  by  a 
vote  of  25  to  15,  with  some  eight  not  voting.-^ 

Father  McElroy  took  the  defeat  philosophically;  he  saw  that  although 
Catholic  petitioners  had  not  been  granted  what  they  had  asked,  the  oppo- 
sition was  diminishing,  and  that  many,  including  an  increasing  number  of 
non-Catholics,  were  perceiving  that  Catholics  were  being  deprived  of  fair 
and  equitable  treatment  in  a  spirit  of  bigotry.  Several  members  of  the 
council  charged  the  opposition  openly  with  this  bigotry,  and  others  under- 


14        History  of  Boston  College 

took  to  defend  Catholic  doctrines  that  were  mentioned  in  their  discussions. 
All  of  this  permitted  the  venerable  priest  to  reflect  that  the  Church,  by  and 
large,  had  really  won  an  important  victory  in  this  matter  by  securing  the 
sympathy  and  interest  of  a  large  number  of  fair-minded  citizens.-^ 

On  December  8,  1856,  the  annual  city  elections  were  held,  and  with 
respect  to  the  issue  of  the  jail  land,  almost  all  of  Father  McElroy's  bitterest 
opponents  were  defeated.  Now  there  were  but  six  Know-Nothings  on  the 
council  for  the  ensuing  year,  which  encouraged  the  bishop  and  Father 
McEIroy  to  renew  their  endeavors  to  have  the  restrictions  removed  by  a 
new  petition  dated  January  21,  1857.-^ 

Weeks  passed  into  months,  and  still  no  definite  action  was  taken  on  the 
petition.  On  March  23  Bishop  Fitzpatrick  noted  in  his  diary  that  the 
attitude  of  the  City  Council  and  Board  of  Aldermen  gave  little  hope  for  the 
success  of  the  petition  to  have  the  restrictions  removed  from  the  jail  land. 
He  concluded  it  would  be  best  to  sell  that  property  and  look  elsewhere.  He 
and  Father  McElroy  found  a  promising  site  in  the  western  part  of  the  city 
at  the  corner  of  Spring  and  Milton  streets.^' 

Father  McElroy  evidently  investigated  this  property  and  found  it  avail- 
able, because  three  days  later  he,  together  with  the  bishop  and  the  Jesuit 
Provincial,  who  had  recently  arrived  in  Boston  on  his  annual  visitation, 
decided  that  it  would  be  advisable  to  place  the  new  church  and  college  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  city  (the  "South  End")  rather  than  in  the  western 
section.  The  bishop  thereupon  authorized  the  Jesuits,  in  the  person  of 
Father  Stonestreet,  the  Provincial,  to  purchase  land  for  that  purpose.-' 

My  next  step  [wrote  Father  McElroy]  was  to  ascertain  the  best  means  of 
disposing  of  the  Jail  lands.  I  applied  to  a  professional  gentleman,  my  counsel 
on  former  occasions,  who  had  expressed  at  one  time  his  wish  to  purchase  the 
lands;  he  now  declined  but  tendered  his  services  very  kindly,  to  dispose  of  it 
to  the  City,  as  he  thought  it  would  be  rather  difficult  to  effect  so  large  a  sale 
to  private  individuals.  To  this  I  gave  my  consent.  .  .  .^° 

The  city  authorities  were  much  relieved  to  have  the  matter  ended  at  last, 
since  "it  puzzled  interested  politicians  and  made  them  uncertain  in  their 
calculations  upon  the  Catholic  vote  in  the  municipal  elections."^'  The  first 
offer  to  the  city  was  made  in  the  last  week  of  March,  and  on  April  10  the 
matter  was  referred  by  concurrence  of  the  aldermen  and  common  council 
to  the  land  committee.  In  contrast  with  their  lethargic  performances  in  the 
past,  these  various  bodies  acted  upon  the  business  with  dispatch,  and  on 
the  Saturday  in  Easter  week,  April  18,  1857,  completed  the  purchase.^-  The 
sum  which  they  paid  immediately  and  which  Father  McElroy  banked 
immediately,  with  no  little  satisfaction,"  amounted  to  $64,771.80,  which 
represented  all  the  money  he  had  advanced  upon  the  land,  with  interest 
simple  and  compound  upon  the  installments,  and  an  advance  of  about 
$4500  which,  with  the  income  from  the  buildings  upon  the  estate  from  the 
time  of  its  purchase,  amounted  to  a  gain  of  about  $9000.^'' 


The  Struggle  for  Land        15 


A  Site  in  the  New  South  End 


Reflecting  upon  the  sale  of  the  jail  land,  Bishop  Fitzpatrick  was  of  the 
opinion  that: 

...  all  things  considered,  it  is  no  doubt  better  that  the  petition  of  the  Bp.  and 
Fr.  McElroy  has  been  so  obstinately  refused  by  the  city  authorities.  The  funds 
have  accumulated  by  interest  in  the  mean  [time]  and  increased  by  the  advance 
which  the  city  pays.  A  college  in  the  south  part  of  the  city  will  be  easily 
accessible  to  a  far  greater  number  of  Cathohc  children  or  youths.  Not  only 
the  population  of  the  city  proper  in  the  main  part  will  be  better  accommo- 
dated, but  South  Boston,  Roxbury  and  some  other  adjoining  towns  may 
enjoy  all  the  advantages.  This  would  not  be  the  case  had  the  college  been 
placed  in  Leverett  Street.^^ 

This  evidently  represents  a  changed  point  of  view,  because  only  a  few 
weeks  before,  Father  McElroy  referred  to  the  bishop  as  merely  "reconciled" 
to  the  prospect  of  the  college  being  located  in  the  South  End.'*  But  there 
were  some,  clerical  and  lay,  who  did  not  become  reconciled  to  the  thought 
of  the  change.  Among  the  priests  who  would  have  preferred  to  have  the 
college  remain  in  the  North  End  at  all  costs  was  Father  Bernadine  Wiget, 
S.J.,  assistant  to  Father  McElroy  in  St.  Mary's.  It  is  not  clear  from  his 
letters  just  how  he  planned  to  solve  the  impasse  created  by  a  hostile  city 
government,  but  he  vigorously  resented  the  movement  away  from  Leverett 
Street.'^  In  support  of  his  view,  he  cited  the  Irish  of  that  section  of  the  city, 
who,  he  claimed,  were  much  incensed  at  news  of  the  change.  Father 
McElroy  was  conscious  of  this  evidently  ill-informed  opposition,  but 
prudently  decided  to  say  nothing  and  disregard  it,  in  the  hope  that  time 
would  demonstrate  the  wisdom  of  his  acts.'* 

The  sale  of  the  jail  land  was  completed  on  Saturday;  on  Monday 
morning,  April  20,  Father  McElroy  was  back  again  before  the  land  com- 
missioners seeking  to  buy  a  plot  of  land  on  Harrison  Avenue,  between 
Concord  and  Newton  streets,  which  appears  to  have  been  brought  to  his 
attention  by  the  well-disposed  mayor  of  the  city,  Alexander  H.  Rice.''  The 
lot  contained  115,000  square  feet  and  embraced  an  entire  city  block. 

As  soon  as  the  proposal  was  made,  new  opposition  sprang  up.  Some  few 
of  the  council  took  alarm  and  spread  the  word  to  the  newspapers.  The 
excitement  centered  on  the  fact  that  the  Catholics  were  going  to  take  over 
an  entire  square  of  land  in  the  center  of  the  city,''"  with  the  result  that  the 
land  commissioners  voted  during  the  last  week  in  April  to  reject  Father 
McElroy's  offer.'*'  He,  however,  shrewdly  realizing  that  it  was  his  effort  to 
purchase  the  entire  block  that  constituted  the  "audacious  attempt  on  the 
part  of  ecclesiastical  authorities  ...  to  acquire  undue  and  colossal  power," 
shifted  his  ground  and  renewed  his  petition,  this  time  asking  for  only  a 
section  of  the  land.''-  The  chief  objection  being  thus  removed,  he  was 
assured  privately  that  permission  for  purchase  would  ultimately  be  given. 

Days  and  weeks  passed  in  the  now  familiar  pattern  of  postponements, 
delays,  and  promises.  The  sought-for  solution  was  always  just  around  the 


16        History  of  Boston  College 

corner;  it  would  be  settled  "the  next  week  end."  On  May  27  Father 
McElroy  admitted  to  the  Provincial  how  tried  he  was.  "Since  the  18th  of 
April,  the  day  I  disposed  of  the  Jail  Land,  until  this  day,  I  have  been  in 
continual  communication  with  the  Mayor,  Councils  &  Land  Commission- 
ers and  as  yet  nothing  is  concluded.  .  .  ."''^ 

He  faced  the  situation  with  the  patience  of  a  saint  and,  at  the  same  time, 
with  the  astuteness  of  a  bank  executive.  When,  with  the  approach  of  June, 
he  began  to  have  doubts  that  the  Harrison  Avenue  negotiations  would  ever 
be  terminated  favorably,  he  began  preparations  for  an  alternative  purchase. 
The  prospect,  as  he  outlined  it  in  his  diary,  was: 

...  a  large  building  lately  erected  for  a  lying-in  hospital  by  an  association  of 
Gendn.  It  cost,  including  the  land  (40,000  square  feet),  $64,000 — they  ask 
60,000$  and  the  Broker  employed  to  purchase  it,  thinks  it  can  be  had  for 
much  less.  I  have  authorized  him  to  give  50,000$ — the  only  difficulty  about 
it  is  that  the  title  was  given  by  the  City,  stipulating  that  an  hospital  of  the 
above  character  be  erected  on  it — to  remove  this  restriction,  can  be  done  only 
by  the  City  Councils — it  is  feared,  that  this  will  not  be  done,  unless  they  are 
informed  for  what  purpose  the  building  is  to  be  used,  and  if  this  be  made 
known  it  is  feared  we  cannot  purchase  it .  .  .''■' 

The  trustees  accepted  his  offer  of  $50,000  under  his  condition  that  they 
secure  the  removal  of  the  restriction  by  the  city  authorities.  The  petition 
was  entered  on  June  8,  1857,  and  shortly  after  this  was  rejected."*^  Father 
McElroy  wrote: 

July  17.  Again  the  enemy  has  triumphed  in  defeating  the  above  project — the 
Citizens  .  .  .  took  the  alarm  that  Fr.  McElroy  was  about  to  erect  a  Church  for 
the  Irish;  that  he  would  have  a  large  number  of  families  of  this  class  in  the 
neighborhood;  that  he  was  also  about  to  build  a  Jesuit  College;  that  nothing 
else  would  satisfy  these  Jesuits  than  the  Conversion  of  all  the  Bostonians  &c., 
&c.  From  such  fear,  petitions  were  sent  in  to  the  Aldermen,  against  such 
buildings,  three  or  four  newspapers  came  out  in  the  same  strain  the  past 
week. 

Finding  the  opposition  a  formidable  one,  and  a  renewal  of  the  Jail  Lands, 
I  concluded  to  abandon  the  project,  of  the  Hospital  &  land,  and  fall  back  on 
the  first  site  I  had  selected,  fronting  on  Harrison  Avenue."" 


But  victory  was  near.  Father  McElroy's  efforts  of  four  and  a  half  years 
to  secure  property  for  a  church  and  the  future  Boston  College  came  to  an 
end  on  the  morning  of  July  22,  1857,  when  the  land  committee  of  the  City 
of  Boston  finally  agreed  to  sell  him  the  tract  he  sought  on  Harrison 
Avenue.''^  The  first  stage  of  the  struggle  was  over. 

ENDNOTES 

1.     McElroy  to  Beckx,  September  27,  1854.  General  Archives  of  the  Society  of  Jesus 
in  Rome,  9-X1X-4.  Quoted  by  Gilbert  J.  Garraghan,  S.J.,  "Origins  of  Boston 


The  Struggle  for  Land        17 

College,  1842-1869,"  Thought,  17:640-642.  Hereafter  the  letters  JGA  in  a 
reference  will  indicate  that  the  material  is  preserved  in  these  General  Archives  of 
the  Society  of  Jesus  in  Rome. 

2.  Dzierozynski  ad  Roothaan,  September  6,  1842,  JGA.  The  letter  of  Bishop  Fen- 
wick  given  in  a  Latin  version  in  this  place  was  translated  into  English  by 
Garraghan,  "Origins,"  pp.  629—630. 

3.  McElroy  to  Fenwick,  January  7,  1843,  Diocesan  Archives,  Boston,  Old  Letters, 
"A,"  No.  16.  It  is  cited  in  part  here: 

"You  must  turn  your  attention  to  your  [new]  Cathedral.  You  can,  and  must 
erect  it.  Leave  the  Holy  Cross  [Cathedral]  where  it  is,  with  the  vacant  lot 
adjoining  for  a  College  of  ours,  who  would  also  attend  the  Church.  This  would 
be  laying  a  solid  &  permanent  basis  for  Catholicity,  not  only  in  the  City,  but 
through  the  Diocese.  The  education  of  boys  in  Christian  Piety,  together  with  the 
usual  Classical  studies,  would  be  of  infinite  advantage  .  .  .  for  your  episcopal 
seminary,  as  also  for  our  Society. 

"A  few  members  will  suffice  for  a  College  of  day  scholars  which  may  easily  be 
supplied,  but  for  boarders,  a  large  number  is  necessary,  and  then  of  peculiar 
qualifications,  for  government,  etc.  With  four  scholastics  &C  one  Brother  we  [i.e., 
at  Frederick,  Maryland]  carry  on  our  school,  over  a  hundred  boys,  with  the  same 
course  as  in  Geo.  Town  as  far  as  Rhetorick — and  the  same  teachers  might  as  well 
have  double  the  number.  What  an  advantage  to  your  Catholic  youth  in  the  City  to 
be  thus  trained  up — what  edification  to  the  faithful  &  credit  to  Religion.  Excuse, 
my  dear  Bishop,  the  unauthorized  effusions  of  one  well  known  to  you,  who  hopes 
he  has  nothing  at  heart  but  the  well  being  of  your  important  charge.  In  every 
respect  they  are  crude  ideas  which  may  be  improved,  I  am  sure,  and  perhaps, 
something  in  time,  with  God's  blessing,  might  grow  out  of  them.  I  see  nothing 
difficult  in  the  project — when  I  commenced  our  little  College,  I  had  not  a  dollar 
in  hand,  it  is  now  a  reputable  establishment  without  a  cent  of  debt — the  Sisters 
have  begun  in  the  same  way — out  of  debt — The  Church  the  same  and  on  it  is  paid 
about  30,000$  having  a  debt  of  about  8000$  and  all  this  in  Frederick,  where  we 
have  but  about  1500  Caths.  No  doubt  in  my  mind,  but  your  Cathedral  and  a 
splendid  one,  can  be  erected,  in  a  few  years  and  a  College  also,  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  300  boys." 

4.  This  and  the  four  succeeding  quotations  are  found  in  Gilbert  J.  Garraghan,  S.J., 
"Origins,"  p.  632. 

5.  Fitzpatrick,  Memoranda  of  the  Diocese  of  Boston  (manuscript).  Vol.  Ill,  p.  289, 
under  date  October  24,  1847,  Diocesan  Archives,  Boston.  Cf.  also,  Leahy, 
"Archdiocese  of  Boston,"  in  Byrne  (editor).  History  of  the  Catholic  Church  in 
the  New  England  States,  l-ATl;  and  Robert  H.  Lord,  John  E.  Sexton,  and 
Edward  T.  Harrington,  History  of  the  Archdiocese  of  Boston  (New  York:  Sheed 
and  Ward,  1944),  2:474-475. 

6.  Fitzpatrick,  "Memoranda,"  III,  289. 

7.  Quoted  by  Garraghan,  "Origins,"  636. 

8.  McElroy  to  Roothaan,  September  4,  1848,  JGA.  (Garraghan,  "Origins,"  637). 

9.  McElroy,  Diary,  "A  Brief  History  of  the  preparatory  steps  towards  the  erection  of 
a  college  for  our  Society:  and  Collegiate  Church  in  Boston,"  pp.  1  and  2  (in  Vol. 
4  of  the  MS.  Diary). 

10.  Garraghan,  "Origins,"  p.  637. 

11.  Roothaan  to  Fitzpatrick,  May  8,  1850.  Original  in  Diocesan  Archives,  Boston 
(Old  Letters,  "A,"  No.  49).  The  translation  from  the  French  is  Garraghan's 
"Origms,"  pp.  737-738. 

12.  Garraghan,  "Origins,"  p.  638.  Father  McElroy's  letter:  McElroy  to  Roothaan, 
August  7,  1850,  JGA. 


1 8        History  of  Boston  College 

13.  Roothaan  to  Brocard,  January  8,  1851,  JGA. 

14.  "A  Plan  of  31  lots  of  the  Old  Jail  Land  to  be  Sold  at  Public  Auction,"  a  plan  and 
advertisement  issued  by  the  Committee  on  Public  Lands,  City  of  Boston,  and 
dated:  "Boston,  1851."  Preserved  in  the  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives, 
Georgetown  University  Library. 

15.  Ibid. 

16.  William  B.  F.  Whal,  "Close  of  St.  Mary's  Jubilee,  North  End,  Boston,"  The  Pilot 
(October  16,  1897),  Vol.  60,  No.  41,  pp.  1  and  5;  same  in  Woodstock  Letters, 
27  (1898):92-93. 

17.  McElroy,  Diary,  "A  Brief  History  of  the  Preparatory  Steps,  etc."  MS.  Vol.  4,  pp. 
1-3. 

18.  Whal,  "Close  of  St.  Mary's  Jubilee,"  Vol.  60,  No.  41,  pp.  1  and  5. 

19.  Ibid. 

20.  McElroy,  Diary,  pp.  3-4. 

21.  N.  L  Bowditch,  An  Argument  for  a  Catholic  Church  on  the  Jail-Lands  (a 
pamphlet,  Boston:  John  Wilson  and  Son,  1853). 

22.  TfeeP/7oJ,  May28,  1853. 

23.  McElroy,  Diary,  p.  5. 

24.  Ibid.,  pp.  6-7. 

25.  Ibid.,  p.  10;  "Memoranda,"  November  20,  1856. 

26.  McElroy,  Diary,  p.  11. 

27.  Ibid.,  p.  12. 

28.  Fitzpatrick,  "Memoranda,"  March  23,  1857. 

29.  /fcfo!.,  March  25  and  26,  1857. 

30.  McElroy,  Diary,  Part  IV,  p.  14. 

31.  Fitzpatrick,  "Memoranda,"  April  20,  1857. 

32.  McElroy,  Diary,  Part  IV,  p.  14. 

33.  McElroy  to  Stonestreet,  April  19,  1857,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives, 
Georgetown  University  Library. 

34.  McElroy,  Diary,  Part  IV,  p.  15;  Fitzpatrick,  "Memoranda,"  April  20,  1857. 

35.  Fitzpatrick,  "Memoranda,"  April  20,  1857. 

36.  McElroy  to  Stonestreet,  May  7,  1857,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives, 
Georgetown  University  Library. 

37.  Wiget  to  Stonestreet,  May  7,  1857;  also  Wiget  to  Stonestreet,  May  27,  1857, 
Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 

38.  McElroy  to  Stonestreet,  May  2,  1857,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives, 
Georgetown  University  Library. 

39.  McElroy,  Diary,  Vol.  4,  pp.  15—16.  Mr.  Rice's  aid  is  claimed  by  Garraghan, 
"Origins,"  basing  his  assertion  on  a  letter,  McElroy  to  Beckx,  February  1,  1859, 
JGA. 

40.  McElroy,  Diary,  Vol.  4,  pp.  15  and  16. 

41.  Fitzpatrick,  "Memoranda,"  May  3,  1857. 

42.  McElroy,  Diary,  Part  IV,  p.  16. 

43.  McElroy  to  Stonestreet,  May  27,  1857,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives, 
Georgetown  University  Library. 

44.  McElroy,  Diary,  Vol.  4,  p.  16. 

45.  Ibid.  There  appears  to  be  some  confusion  regarding  the  dates  given  by  Father 
McElroy  during  this  period;  the  most  probable  arrangement  seems  to  be:  July 
17,  rejection  of  the  hospital  petition;  July  22,  agreement  to  sell  Father  McElroy 
the  Harrison  Avenue  land. 

46.  Ibid.,  p.  19. 

47.  Ibid.,  p.  20. 


CHAPTER 


3 


Walls  and  a  Roof 


Harrison  Avenue  was  laid  out  in  1844  while  the  South  End  of  Boston  was 
still  a  narrow  neck  of  land  surrounded  by  flats  and  the  waters  of  the  bay. 
In  1853  the  work  of  widening  the  neck  was  begun  by  filling  in  the  marshy 
lands  on  either  side  of  it,  and  three  years  later  a  street  railroad  system  was 
inaugurated,  with  the  first  line  running  from  the  Old  Granary  Burying 
Ground  on  Tremont  Street  to  Roxbury.  Overnight  the  South  End  became 
the  desirable  residential  section  of  the  city,  and  extensive  building  opera- 
tions began.' 

In  his  diary.  Father  McElroy  recognized  the  advantage  of  this  section  for 
his  new  college,  because  "a  better  class  of  houses  will  be  and  are  erected  in 
the  vicinity"  and  "the  horse  rail  roads  now  introduced  into  various  parts  of 
the  City,  will  afford  easy  access  for  Students  from  all  parts  of  the  city  and 
vicinity."- 

The  lot  which  he  had  purchased  from  the  city  comprised  65,100  square 
feet  of  land,  with  250  feet  of  frontage  on  Harrison  Avenue;  270  feet  on 
Concord  Street,  and  250  feet  on  the  new,  unnamed  (James)  street,  "running 
with  the  cemetery  wall,  and  thence  by  a  dividing  line  to  Harrison  Avenue 
250  feet."^  The  cemetery  is  evidently  the  one  which  Towle  afterward 
remembered  being  removed  by  the  authorities  to  make  room  for  the  college 
playground  in  1866."*  The  price  the  city  charged,  since  the  land  was  to  be 
Church  property,  was  50  cents  a  foot — a  reduction  of  25  cents  a  foot  on 
the  residential  rate. 

19 


20        History  of  Boston  College 

An  architect,  Patrick  C.  Keely,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  was  engaged  at 
once,  and  plans  were  begun  for  the  church.  At  the  same  time  a  Mr. 
Wissiben  was  chosen  as  architect  for  the  college  building.^  On  August  17, 
1857,  the  first  installment  of  the  purchase  price  was  paid  to  the  city 
authorities  in  the  amount  of  $3,750,  leaving  $28,000  to  be  paid  in  nine 
annual  payments  of  $3,200,  with  interest  at  6  percent.*^ 

In  September  Father  McElroy  spent  four  weeks  in  New  York  with  the 
architects  going  over  plans  and  drawings  for  the  church  and  college.  The 
college,  he  decided,  was  to  be  housed  in  two  separate  buildings,  each  90 
feet  by  60  feet,  which  would  be  connected  by  a  small  building  40  feet  by 
23  feet  and  three  stories  in  height.  Although  the  architect  at  first  envisioned 
the  church  as  a  brick  edifice  with  a  stone  facade,  it  was  decided  to  take 
advantage  of  an  offer  from  a  New  Hampshire  contractor  who  owned  his 
own  quarries  to  build  the  entire  church  of  white  granite  and,  from  the  same 
stone,  to  build  the  basement  of  the  college  and  the  steps  and  platforms  of 
both  buildings.  The  stonework  was  to  cost  $62,000  complete.  The  contract 
with  Mr.  Andrews  of  Nashua,  New  Hampshire,  was  signed  November  25, 
and  contracts  were  placed  with  Messrs.  Morrell  and  Wigglesworth  of 
Newburyport  for  the  carpentry  work  connected  with  the  roofing,  window 
frames,  joists,  and  a  first  floor  of  plank  for  $18,000.^ 

On  November  24,  1857,  Father  McElroy  wrote  in  his  diary: 

This  week  I  make  application  to  the  board  of  land  commissioners  to  sell  me 
twenty  feet  more  of  land,  fronting  on  Harrison  Avenue  and  extending  back 
to  the  new  street;  this  would  give  us  270  feet  front  on  three  streets,  the  fourth 
boundary  would  be  a  little  short  of  this — in  this  way,  our  lots  would  be 
nearly  square.  I  hope  to  get  it  at  the  same  price,  50  cents  a  foot.* 

The  new  land,  since  it  was  to  be  used  by  the  college  exclusively,  was  to 
be  taxed  in  the  same  manner  as  a  private  residence.  Exception  from 
taxation  was  not  granted  to  the  college  until  it  was  incorporated  in  1863.* 

Father  McElroy  attributed  the  courteous  treatment  which  he  had  received 
of  late  from  the  city  officials  to  the  "pacific  course"  he  had  pursued  in  the 
jail  land  episode.  For  this  favor  he  thanked  God,  who  gave  him  patience  to 
remain  silent  "amidst  their  opposition,  contrary  to  the  importunities  of  my 
friends,  who  advised  a  contrary  course."'" 

Work  Begins 

On  April  7,  1858,  ground  was  broken  on  the  site  of  the  new  church  by 
Bishop  Fitzpatrick,  who  took  the  first  spadeful,  followed  by  Father  McElroy, 
who  with  his  spade  cut  out  "the  sign  of  the  Holy  Cross,  with  the  words  In 
Nomine  Patris,  etc.""  Stonecutters  and  carpenters  had  been  on  the  location 
some  time  before  this  preparing  blocks  and  window  frames,  so  that  when 
the  work  actually  began  it  proceeded  rapidly. 

At  seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April  27,  1858,  a  small  group 


Walls  and  a  Roof       21 


Boston  College  and  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  completed  in  1 860, 
photographed  some  time  before  1 875  by  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 


comprising  Bishop  Fitzpatrick,  Very  Reverend  John  Williams,  V.G.,  Rever- 
end James  A.  Healy,  chancellor,  Reverend  John  Rodden,  and  Fathers  Wiget, 
Janalik,  and  McElroy  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  gathered  at  the  site  of  the 
church  without  publicity  of  any  kind  and  unattended  by  any  gathering  of 
people  to  lay  the  cornerstone  of  the  church.'-  This  ceremony  must  also  be 
considered  as  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  of  Boston  College,  because  both 
buildings  were  built  simultaneously  as  one  project  and,  as  far  as  can  be 
ascertained,  no  thought  was  given  to  a  separate  cornerstone  laying  for  the 
college. 

Through  the  month  of  May,  despite  heavy  rains  which  repeatedly  filled 
the  excavations  and  made  the  use  of  steam  pumps  necessary,  the  work  on 
the  cellar  walls  of  the  college  progressed  surprisingly  well.  The  concrete- 
filled  trenches  supported  a  first  course  of  large  granite  blocks,  and  on  top 
of  this,  three  feet  of  rough  masonry  was  leveled  to  receive  granite  basement 
walls  1 1  feet  in  height. 

Father  McElroy  stated  in  June  that  about  forty  stonecutters  were  at  work 
in  a  long  range  of  sheds  erected  for  them,  and  there  was  "a  blacksmith's 
shop  with  four  fires.""  In  July  he  reported  that  "the  first  floor  of  the 
College  buildings  is  being  laid,  and  the  granite  basement  of  the  same 
commenced.  130  men  are  now  daily  employed  on  the  premises — all  bids 


22        History  of  Boston  College 

fair  to  have  the  buildings  enclosed  before  the  severe  winter."'"  In  September 
the  granite  basement  of  the  college  was  nearly  finished  and  all  the  brick 
partition  walls  in  the  basement  erected.  In  addition  to  this,  the  principal 
floors  of  the  first  story  were  laid  and  the  brick  commenced  over  them.  Later 
that  month,  Father  McElroy  rejoiced  that  the  walls  of  the  college  were 
completed  to  a  stage  where  "the  bricks  are  now  carried  up  by  steam  power 
to  the  upper  stories.  .  .  ."'^ 

New  Expenses 

The  masons  finished  their  task  in  October,  and  the  carpenters  commenced 
the  laborious  work  of  setting  the  roof.  This  carpentry  work  went  on 
through  November,  December,  and  January,  although  all  work  on  the 
church  had  to  be  suspended  for  the  winter  in  mid-November.  Father 
McElroy  reflected  with  some  heaviness  of  spirit  that  the  brick  partitions  in 
the  basement  and  throughout  the  building  had  added  an  unforeseen 
$11,855  to  the  original  estimate,  raising  the  masonry  contract  for  the  whole 
project  to  $76,855.'^ 

At  this  time  he  apphed  to  the  superintendent  of  public  lands  in  the  city 
for  the  purchase  of  a  strip  30  feet  wide  adjoining  the  north  side  of  the 
college  property,  running  from  Harrison  Avenue  to  James  Street.  On  March 
8,  1859,  the  city  land  committee  acceded  to  his  proposal  and  sold  him  the 
land  (7350  square  feet  in  addition  to  his  previous  purchase)  for  the  old 
price  of  50  cents  a  square  foot,  although  the  market  price  for  the  land 
when  used  for  residential  purposes  had  now  risen  to  one  dollar  a  square 
foot.  Again  Father  McElroy  took  pleasure  in  calculating  the  saving  which 
this  reduction  made  possible.  The  sum,  $3,075,  Father  McElroy  considered 
as  reparation  by  the  city  authorities  for  the  annoyance  other  city  officials 
had  caused  him  in  the  past.'^ 

Contracts  which  he  let  out  in  April  for  work  in  the  interior  of  the  college 
building  were  as  follows:  carpentry,  $11,800;  plastering,  $2,820;  plumb- 
ing, $1,775;  and  gas  fitting,  $488.  In  June  an  additional  contract  had  to  be 
made  for  steamfitters  to  lay  pipes  in  the  college  before  the  flooring  and 
walls  were  completed.  Steam  heating  at  the  time  was  such  an  expensive 
proposition  that  Father  McElroy  pondered  on  it  long  before  deciding  to 
have  it  installed.  Finally,  he  was  persuaded  that  it  was  best  "both  as  to 
security  from  fire,  less  expensive  in  the  consumption  of  coal,  free  from 
dust,  (and  giving)  an  agreeable  summer-like  heat.""* 

In  presenting  an  informal  account  of  his  stewardship  up  to  this  point  in 
his  diary.  Father  McElroy  points  out  the  various  expenses  which  had 
unavoidably  arisen  and  which  had  been  unforeseen  in  the  original  contracts. 
The  main  burden  of  blame  for  his  unpaid  debts,  however,  he  places  on  the 
failure  of  the  Jesuits  at  St.  Mary's  to  make  the  annual  contributions  he 
expected.  When  he  started  the  buildings  in  the  South  End,  he  had  on  hand 
$80,000  he  had  collected  for  that  purpose  in  a  period  of  six  years  at  St. 


Walls  and  a  Roof       23 

Mary's.  He  felt  the  Provincials  had  expected  continued  support  from  St. 
Mary's.  His  diary  reported: 

Now  if  St.  Mary's  had  united  with  me  the  past  two  years,  as  I  expected,  ten 
thousand  dollars  a  year  could  have  been  raised  to  aid  in  these  buildings.  This 
was  one  of  the  greatest  disappointments  I  met  since  I  undertook  to  erect  a 
College  and  Church  for  our  Society.  Fiat  voluntas  Dei." 

On  October  1,  1859,  Father  McElroy,  accompanied  by  one  Father 
(Steinbacker),  left  St.  Mary's  rectory  in  the  North  End  where  he  had  been 
living  and  took  up  residence  in  the  college  building,  despite  the  great 
inconvenience  which  must  have  been  experienced  by  them  during  that 
winter  through  lack  of  proper  heating  equipment.  However,  greater  trouble 
than  a  cold  room  soon  arose  in  the  form  of  difficulties  in  finding  money  to 
meet  current  expenses.  Father  McElroy's  attempt  to  raise  money  by  a 
mortgage  on  the  college  and  church  in  January  of  1860  proved  fruitless 
when  the  conditions  attached  to  the  loan  were  found  to  be  altogether 
unsatisfactory.  A  temporary  expedient  in  this  crisis  was  arranged  by  a  bank 
which  discounted  notes  for  Father  McElroy.  But  this  he  saw  as  a  trouble- 
some and  uncertain  solution,  so  he  renewed  his  efforts  to  obtain  a  perma- 
nent loan. 

Through  the  summer  of  1860  two  new  and  unforeseen  outlays  added  to 
his  financial  burden.  The  first  of  these  was  for  an  iron  fence  set  on  granite 
piers  to  enclose  practically  all  the  property.  This  fence  was  required — for 
reasons  no  longer  known — by  the  City  of  Boston,  and  represented  an 
expense  of  $600  for  the  foundation  work  and  $3.75  a  foot  for  the  railing, 
including  gates  and  painting.  The  Harrison  Avenue  frontage  alone  cost 
about  $2,000,  according  to  Father  McElroy's  official  estimate.^" 

Second,  the  fear  of  a  possible  explosion  of  the  steam  boilers  caused 
Father  McElroy  to  have  them  placed  in  a  separate  small  building  behind  the 
church.  It  was  found  on  trial  that  the  church  chimney  was  not  large  enough 
for  the  new  boilers,  and  a  new  smokestack  had  to  be  built.  The  housing  for 
the  boilers  cost  $300,  and  the  chimney  cost  $470.-' 

In  the  beginning  of  the  month  of  September  1860,  Father  McElroy  wrote 
that  he  had  succeeded  in  arranging  for  the  loan  he  desired.-^  A  savings  bank 
in  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  loaned  him  $80,000,  for  which  he  gave  a 
mortgage  on  the  church  and  college.  How  this  sum  was  disbursed  is  stated 
in  the  diary  as  follows: 

$29,320.51  was  paid  to  the  City  of  Boston.  The  balance  refunded  Mr. 
Carney  what  he  had  advanced  for  me,  brokerage,  commission,  etc.,  leaving 
me  a  balance  of  $4901.49.  .  .  .  Besides  this  funded  debt  of  eighty  thousand  I 
have  two  notes  due  in  two  banks  of  $10,000  each;  these  will  have  to  be 
renewed  once  or  twice  and  the  interest  paid.  In  two  years  I  hope  we  can  pay 
one  or  both  from  the  revenue  of  the  church  collections,  etc.,  other  floating 
debts  to  be  paid  in  the  same  manner.  Thus  there  will  remain  charged  on  the 
church  the  interest  of  $80,000,  say,  four  thousand  eight  hundred  dollars 


24        History  of  Boston  College 

annually;  this  I  think  can  be  easily  done  and  eight  or  ten  thousand  beside 
paid  on  the  debt,  with  the  assistance  of  St.  Mary's  paying  $3,000  yearly." 

Friends  and  Finance 

Andrew  Carney,  a  friend  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers  of  long  standing,  helped  the 
situation  at  this  time  by  taking  upon  himself  the  cost  of  laying  the  sidewalks 
in  front  of  the  church  and  college.  In  the  meantime,  work  had  commenced 
on  grading  and  sodding  the  grounds  about  the  church  and  college.  In 
September  1860  a  drive  to  pay  off  the  church  debt  was  organized  by  Father 
McElroy,  who  asked  25  cents  a  month  from  persons  willing  to  aid.  Some 
eighty  collectors  turned  in  $400  from  this  source  the  first  month.  In 
December  Father  Barrister  of  St.  Mary's  in  the  North  End  loaned  Father 
McElroy  $4000.  This  helped  ease  the  financial  strain  of  the  moment,  and 
further  assistance  was  received  from  two  concerts  held  in  the  church  prior 
to  its  formal  opening,  which  apparently  netted  in  the  vicinity  of  $500  each. 
At  the  time  of  the  opening  of  the  church,  the  auction  of  pews,  pew  rent, 
concerts,  and  a  one-dollar  offering  at  the  door  on  opening  day  realized 
another  $3000.-''  After  the  church  was  dedicated  on  March  10,  1861,  a 
small  steady  revenue  was  realized  from  collections  and  offerings,  but 
church  and  college  could  not  yet  be  regarded  as  financially  secure. 

In  March  of  1861  Father  McElroy  recorded  that  he  was  able  to  make  a 


Andrew  Carney,  generous 
friend  of  Father  McElroy  and 
benefactor  of  Boston  College. 


Walls  and  a  Roof       25 

further  purchase  of  land  from  the  city  at  his  previous  price  of  50  cents  a 
foot.  The  latest  purchase  was  13,657  square  feet  adjoining  the  property  he 
already  owned.  Since  the  market  price  of  this  land  had  now  risen  to  $1.25 
a  foot,  he  estimated  his  "savings"  on  the  whole  transaction  as  amounting 
to  $15,152.^-^ 

In  his  diary,  Father  McElroy  writes  of  a  special  indebtedness: 

.  .  .  there  is  one  whose  name  I  will  not  mention  who  has  on  all  occasions 
aided  me  by  his  prudent  counsel,  and  also  by  advancing  means  in  every 
emergency  that  I  called  upon  him,  and  when  I  applied  to  others  it  was 
without  his  knowledge — for  he  told  me  never  to  be  embarrassed  as  long  as 
he  had  means  to  relieve  me.  Still  I  felt  a  delicacy  to  call  on  him  so  often  and 
tried  to  procure  means  elsewhere.  Had  it  not  been  for  this  Gentn.  I  would 
not  have  been  able  to  continue  the  work  on  the  church  but  must  have 
postponed  it  for  an  indefinite  period.  Our  Lord,  I  hope,  will  reward  him 
abundantly  for  his  zeal  and  devotedness  to  His  own  House.  He  is  one  of  the 
largest  benefactors  to  the  buildings.-'' 

In  March  of  1862  Andrew  Carney,  the  benefactor  referred  to  above, 
instructed  Father  McElroy  to  have  contractors  come  at  his  expense  and 
remove  the  old  brick  wall  on  the  former  boundary  of  the  college  property, 
and  to  grade  and  fence  the  recently  acquired  strip  so  that  it  would  form 
one  parcel  with  the  rest  of  the  property.  This  work  was  commenced  in 
April  and  completed  in  May  at  a  cost  of  about  $2300.-^  On  this  occasion 
trees,  chiefly  linden,  were  planted  about  the  church  and  college,  twelve  on 
each  side  of  the  principal  walk  between  the  two  buildings  and  some  at  the 
base  of  the  terrace  on  Harrison  Avenue.  These  were  provided  by  members 
of  the  congregation  who  paid  for  the  purchase  and  planting  of  individual 
trees  at  two  dollars  each  as  personal  memorials.-*  Of  interest  in  this 
connection  is  a  photograph  in  the  Georgetown  University  archives  taken 
about  1880,  showing  the  front  of  the  church  and  some  of  these  trees  still 
standing.  On  the  reverse  of  the  picture  is  penciled  in  a  contemporary  hand: 
"Various  members  of  the  congregation  donated  the  trees  around  the 
church,  and  the  names  of  the  donors  clung  to  the  trees.  The  two  trees  in 
front  of  the  church  were  called  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrew  Carney.  That  on  the 
corner  or  side  wall  was  Mrs.  McEvoy.  I  do  not  remember  the  rest  of  the 
names." 


The  college  buildings  were  completed  by  1860,  but,  since  the  province 
did  not  at  that  time  have  Jesuits  available  to  staff  a  new  school,  the  buildings 
were  used  during  the  trying  Civil  War  years  of  1860-1863  as  a  seminary 
for  Jesuits  in  training  for  the  priesthood.  Two  men  who  would  become 
legendary  figures  in  Boston  College  history  were  assigned  to  the  seminary: 
Father  John  Bapst  and  Father  Robert  Fulton.  Fulton,  who  would  later  be 
the  first  dean  and  serve  twice  as  president  of  the  college,  was  a  professor  of 


26        History  of  Boston  College 

theology  in  the  seminary.  John  Bapst,  who  would  be  the  college's  first 
president,  had  the  office  of  rector  of  the  seminary. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  Cf.  Illustrated  Boston,  2nd  ed.  (New  York:  American  Publishing  and  Engraving 
Co.,  c.  1889),  pp.  54-55. 

2.  McElroy,  Diary,  Vol.  2,  pp.  13  and  15. 

3.  Ibid.,  p.  16. 

4.  Henry  C.  Towle,  "The  Pioneer  Days  at  Boston  College,"  The  Stylus  (June  1897), 
332-333. 

5.  James  S.  Sullivan,  A  Graphic,  Historical  and  Pictorial  Account  of  the  Catholic 
Church  of  New  England,  Archdiocese  of  Boston  (Boston:  Illustrated  Publishing 
Co.,  1895),  p.  204. 

6.  McElroy,  Diary. 

7.  Ibid. 

8.  Ibid.,  Vol.  2,  p.  24. 

9.  Ibid.,  last  page. 

10.  Ibid.,  p.  25. 

11.  Ibid.,  p.  16. 

12.  Ibid.,  p.  27. 

13.  lbid.,p.l%. 

14.  Ibid.,  p.  29. 

15.  Ibid.,  p.  30. 

16.  Ibid.,  p.  31.  Also  McElroy  to  Villiger,  March  14,  1859,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J. 
Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 

17.  McElroy,  Diary,  p.  32. 

18.  Ibid.,  p.  34. 

19.  Ibid.,  pp.  36-37. 

20.  Ibid.,  pp.  29  and  41. 

21.  Jfoii.,  pp.  41  and  46. 

22.  Ibid.,  pp.  42-43. 

23.  Ibid. 

24.  Ibid.,  44  et  ff.,  and  56. 

25.  Ibid.,  p.  52. 

26.  The  benefactor  mentioned  in  this  passage  is  identified  in  another  place  (Vol.  2,  p. 
60)  as  Andrew  Carney.  This  excerpt  from  Vol.  2,  pp.  53—55. 

27.  McElroy,  Diary,  Vol.  2,  p.  56. 

28.  Ibid.,  p.  60. 


CHAPTER 


The  College  Is  Chartered 


In  the  spring  of  1863,  although  the  Jesuit  seminary  still  occupied  the 
College  buildings  and  although  Jesuit  authorities  knew  they  could  not 
muster  a  staff  to  open  for  classes  in  the  fall,  financial  and  legal  reasons 
prompted  incorporation.  One  financial  reason  for  the  early  incorporation 
was  to  facilitate  the  arrangement  of  loans,  which,  it  was  found,  would  be 
extended  to  a  corporation  (the  College  in  this  instance)  when  they  would 
be  refused  to  an  individual — even  a  priest.  In  May  of  1863  Father  McElroy 
was  elected  president  of  Boston  College.  This  election,  although  perfectly 
legal,  was  for  some  reason  never  listed  in  the  ordinary  accounts  of  the 
presidents  of  Boston  College,  and  in  August  1863,  three  months  after 
Father  McElroy's  investiture.  Father  Bapst  was  elected  "first"  president 
without  any  mention  of  the  other  election.' 

Another  financial  reason  for  incorporating  the  College  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble was  to  free  it  from  the  taxes  (amounting  at  the  time  to  some  $700  a 
year)  from  which  chartered  educational  institutions  were  exempt  but  which 
had  been  collected  on  the  Harrison  Avenue  property  (except  the  church)  at 
a  residential  rate  since  the  buildings  had  been  built.- 

The  legal  considerations  which  urged  prompt  incorporation  centered 
about  the  title  to  the  properties,  which  had  been  held  until  then  in  the  name 
of  Father  McElroy.  All  the  land  and  buildings  on  Harrison  Avenue,  as  well 
as  St.  Mary's  Church  and  residence  in  the  North  End  of  Boston,  were 

27 


28        History  of  Boston  College 

legally  the  private  property  of  Father  McElroy,^  and  his  sudden  death — 
which  was  a  distinct  possibility  for  a  man  approaching  his  eighty-first 
birthday — would  precipitate  embarrassing  complications.  When  it  had  been 
definitely  decided  to  give  up  the  scholasticate  at  Boston,  nothing  longer 
prevented  the  Fathers  from  seeking  the  advantages  which  incorporation 
would  bring. 

A  Petition  to  the  Legislature 

Father  McElroy  had  evidently  been  instructed  by  the  Provincial  in  January 
of  1863  to  commence  the  legal  formalities  connected  with  a  petition  for 
incorporation,  because  Father  Paresce  (the  Provincial)  inquired  on  February 
20  what  the  prospects  were  for  obtaining  the  charter.'*  On  March  4  Father 
McElroy  optimistically  replied,  "Our  petition  for  the  charter  of  our  College 
was  presented  in  the  Legislature  yesterday;  there  will  be,  I  presume,  very 
little  opposition  in  the  Legislature. "'  Less  than  three  weeks  later  he  was 
able  to  report: 

Our  Bill  for  Chartering  the  College  had  its  first  reading  in  the  Senate  on 
Saturday  last,  and  was  ordered  to  be  engrossed.  On  Tuesday  last  I  was 
requested  by  letter  to  appear  before  the  Committee  on  Education;  I  went 
with  Fr.  Welch,  and  told  the  C.  what  we  wanted;  I  took  with  me  Genl. 
Gushing  who  was  very  useful  in  suggesting  and  removing  conditions  I  did 
not  want  &c.  The  Comme.,  about  ten  members,  were  extremely  polite,  even 
kind,  and  voted  unanimously  that  a  bill  should  be  drafted  in  accordance  with 
our  understanding,  &c.,  Genl.  C.  drew  up  the  bill  immediately  before  leaving 
the  State  House,  I  had  it  copied  and  the  next  day  left  it  myself  with  the 
Chairman  in  the  Senate  Chamber.  There  is  no  doubt,  I  think,  of  its  passage; 
when  passed  I  shall  send  you  a  copy  of  it. 

In  one  section  we  are  allowed  to  possess  property  not  exceeding  $30,000 
annual  income!!!  This  is  generous.  Another,  to  confer  all  the  Degrees  that 
are  given  in  any  college  of  the  State;  this  includes  Divinity,  Medicine,  M.A., 
and  A.B. — so  far  it  is  all  we  could  wish.<^ 

To  this  announcement,  the  Provincial  responded: 

I  offer  you  my  congratulations  upon  .  .  .  the  passage  of  the  act  for  chartering 
Boston  College.  Please  to  get  two  authenticated  copies  of  the  Charter,  one 
for  yourself,  the  other  to  be  kept  in  the  archives  of  the  Province.  If  however 
an  authenticated  copy  should  be  too  expensive,  any  copy  of  it,  made  by  one 
of  the  scholastics  will  answer  my  purposes.  As  soon  as  the  act  will  be  signed 
by  the  Governor,  it  will  be  well  to  take  measures  at  once  for  the  transfer  to 
the  corporation  of  the  property  which  you  hold  in  your  name,  including  St. 
Mary's  Church.  .  .  .  You  may  draft  some  by-laws  for  the  regulation  of  the 
corporation  which  I  will  examine  when  I  come  to  Boston.^ 

An  examination  of  the  charter  shows  that  although  the  act  passed  the 
House  of  Representatives  and  the  State  Senate  of  Massachusetts  on  March 


The  College  Is  Chartered       29 

31  and  was  approved  by  Governor  John  A.  Andrews  on  April  1,  an 
authenticated  copy  of  the  act  was  not  obtained  until  May  28.  On  June  9 
the  following  advertisement  appeared  in  the  Boston  Courier: 

Notice  is  hereby  given  that  the  first  meeting  of  the  Proprietors  of  the  charter, 
entitled  "An  Act  to  Incorporate  the  Trustees  of  the  Boston  College,"  will  be 
holden  on  the  sixth  day  of  July  next,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  at  the 
College  Building,  on  Harrison  Avenue,  in  the  City  of  Boston,  for  the  purpose 
of  considering  whether  they  will  accept  the  act  of  incorporation  granted  to 
them  by  the  Legislature,  of  electing  officers,  making  by-laws,  and  otherwise 
organizing  the  Corporation,  and  transacting  such  business  as  may  be  requi- 
site. 

Boston,  June  19th,  1863.  John  McElroy. 

Edward  H.  Welch. 

John  Bapst. 

James  Clark. 

Charles  H.  Stonestreet. 
Persons  named  in  the 
Act  of  Incorporation.' 


Meeting  to  Organize 

According  to  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  held  on  July  6,  Fathers  McElroy, 
Welch,  and  Bapst  were  present,  and  only  two  items  of  business  were  acted 
upon:  the  election  of  a  secretary  (Father  Welch)  and  the  voting  to  accept 
the  act  of  incorporation.  The  second  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  took 
place  on  July  10,  at  which  the  bylaws  were  adopted  and: 

It  was  voted  unanimously  to  elect  the  proper  officers  for  the  college  for  three 
years,  which  election  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  following:  (Rev.  J.  McElroy 
having  declined)  Rev.  J.  Bapst  was  elected  President,  Rev.  John  McElroy, 
Vice-President;  Rev.  Robert  Brady,  Treasurer;  Rev.  E.  H.  Welch,  Secretary. 
The  following  directors  were  also  elected  for  three  years:  Rev.  John  Bapst, 
Rev.  John  McElroy,  Rev.  Robert  Brady,  Rev.  E.  H.  Welch,  and  Rev.  John 
Emig. 

It  was  also  voted  to  request  Rev.  John  McElroy  to  convey  all  the  property 
now  vested  in  his  name  in  the  City  of  Boston,  viz:  the  Church  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception  and  Boston  College  in  due  legal  form,  also  the 
Church  and  Parochial  residence  on  Endicott  Street  also  vested  in  the  same 
Rev.  John  McElroy.' 

Nine  days  later  Father  McElroy  could  write: 

On  last  Thursday  [July]  (16th)  was  finally  concluded  the  conveyance  of  all 
property  in  my  name,  Boston  College,  Ch.  of  Im:  Concep:  St.  Mary's  Ch: 
and  residence,  to  the  Trustees  of  Boston  College.  Deo  Gratias!  I  am  indeed 
now  a  poor  man,  as  a  religious  ought  to  be.  The  Deed  is  made  out  on 


30        History  of  Boston  College 

C0MM01\WEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

In  the  year  One  Thousand  Eight  Hundred  and  Sixty-three. 
AN  ACT  to  incorporate  the  Trustees  of  Boston  College. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in 
General  Court  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same,  as  follows: 
Section  1.  F  John  McElroy,  Edward  H.  Welch,  John  Bapst,  James  Clark 
and  Charles  H.  Stonestreet,  their  associates  and  successors,  are  hereby 
constituted  a  body  corporate  by  the  name  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Boston 
College,  in  Boston,  and  they  and  their  successors  and  such  as  shall  be 
duly  elected  members  of  such  corporation,  shall  be  and  remain  a  body 
corporate  by  that  name  forever:  and  for  the  orderly  conducting  the 
business  of  said  corporation,  the  said  trustees  shall  have  power  and 
authority ,  from  time  to  time,  as  occasion  may  require,  to  elect  a  President, 
Vice  President,  Secretary,  Treasurer  and  such  other  officers  of  said 
corporation  as  may  be  found  necessary,  and  to  declare  the  duties  and 
tenures  of  their  respective  offices,  and  also  to  remove  any  Trustee  from 
the  same  corporation,  when  in  their  judgment  he  shall  be  rendered 
incapable,  by  age  or  otherwise,  of  discharging  the  duties  of  his  office,  or 
shall  neglect  or  refuse  to  perform  the  same,  and  also  from  time  to  time  to 
elect  new  members  of  the  said  corporation:  provided  nevertheless  that  the 
number  of  members  shall  never  be  greater  than  ten.  Section  2.  The  said 
corporation  shall  have  full  power  and  authority  to  determine  at  what  times 
and  places  their  meetings  shall  be  holden  and  the  manner  of  notifying  the 
trustees  to  convene  at  such  meetings,  and  also  from  time  to  time  to  elect 
a  president  of  said  college,  and  such  professors,  tutors,  instructors  and 
other  officers  of  the  said  college  as  they  shall  judge  most  for  the  interest 
thereof,  and  to  determine  the  Duties,  salaries,  emoluments,  responsibili- 
ties and  tenures  of  their  several  offices:  and  the  said  corporation  are 
further  empowered  to  purchase  or  erect  and  keep  in  repair,  such  houses 
and  other  buildings  as  they  shall  judge  necessary  for  the  said  college;  and 
also  to  make  and  ordain,  as  occasion  may  require,  reasonable  rides, 
orders  and  by-laws  not  repugnant  to  the  constitution  and  laws  of  this 
Commonwealth,  with  reasonable  penalties  for  the  good  government  of 
the  said  college,  and  for  the  regulation  of  their  own  body;  and  also,  to 
determine  and  regulate  the  course  of  instruction  in  said  college,  and  to 
confer  such  degrees  as  are  usually  conferred  by  colleges  in  this  Common- 
wealth, except  medical  degrees:  provided  nevertheless  that  no  corporate 
business  shall  be  transacted  at  any  meeting  unless  one  half  at  least  of  all 
the  trustees  are  present.  Section  3.  Said  corporation  may  have  a  common 
seal,  which  they  may  alter  or  renew  at  their  pleasure,  and  all  deeds  sealed 
with  the  seal  of  said  corporation,  and  signed  by  their  order,  shall  when 
made  in  their  corporate  name,  be  considered  in  law  as  the  deeds  of  said 
corporation:  and  said  corporation  may  sue  and  be  sued  in  all  actions, 
real,  personal  or  mixed,  and  may  prosecute  the  same  to  final  judgment 
and  execution  by  the  name  of  the  Trustees  of  Boston  College;  and  said 


The  College  Is  Chartered       3 1 

corporation  shall  be  capable  of  taking  and  holding  in  fee  simple  or  any 
less  estate  by  gift,  grant,  bequest,  devise  or  otherwise,  and  lands,  tene- 
ments or  other  estate,  real  or  personal:  provided,  that  the  clear  annual 
income  of  the  same  shall  not  exceed  thirty  thousand  dollars.  Section  4. 
The  clear  rents  and  profits  of  all  the  estate,  real  and  personal,  of  which 
the  said  corporation  shall  be  seized  and  possessed,  shall  be  appropriated 
to  the  endowments  of  said  college  in  such  manner  as  shall  most  effectually 
promote  virtue  and  piety  and  learning  in  such  of  the  languages  and  of  the 
liberal  and  useful  arts  and  sciences,  as  shall  be  recommended  from  time 
to  time  by  the  said  corporation,  they  conforming  to  the  will  of  any  donor 
or  donors  in  the  application  of  any  estate  which  may  be  given,  devised  or 
bequeathed  for  any  particular  object  connected  with  the  college.  Section 
5.  No  student  in  said  college  shall  be  refused  admission  to  or  denied  any 
of  the  privileges,  honors  or  degrees  of  said  college  on  account  of  the 
religious  opinions  he  may  entertain.  Section  6.  The  legislature  of  this 
Commonwealth  may  grant  any  further  powers  to,  or  alter,  limit,  annul,  or 
restrain  any  of  the  powers  vested  by  this  act  in  the  said  corporation,  as 
shall  be  found  necessary  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  said  college 
and  more  especially  may  appoint  overseers  or  visitors  of  the  said  college, 
with  all  necessary  powers  for  the  better  aid,  preservation  and  government 
thereof.  Section  7.  The  granting  of  this  charter  shall  never  be  considered 
as  any  pledge  on  the  part  of  the  Commonwealth  that  pecuniary  aid  shall 
hereafter  be  granted  to  the  college. 

House  of  Representatives,  March  31,  1863 
Paper  to  be  enacted,  Alex.  H.  Bullock,  Speaker. 

In  Senate,  Mar.  31,  1863, 
Paper  to  be  enacted,  J.  E.  Field,  President 
April  1st  1863 

Approved, 

John  A.  Andrew. 

Secretary's  Department,  Boston, 
May  28,  th  1863. 
I  hereby  certify  the  foregoing  to  be  a  true  copy 
of  the  original  Act. 

Oliver  Warner 

Secretary  of  the 
Commonwealth. 


The  legislature  has  twice  approved  amendments  to  the  charter.  In  1907  the  name  of  the 
corporation  was  changed  to  the  Trustees  of  Boston  College  (instead  of  the  Boston  College), 
authorization  was  given  to  grant  medical  degrees,  and  the  corporation  was  authorized  to 
hold  additional  real  and  personal  estate.  In  1971  the  original  limitation  of  10  members  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  was  removed. 


32        History  of  Boston  College 

parchment,  handsomely  executed,  and  left  at  the  Register's  Office  to  be 
placed  on  Record;  the  stamps  cost  $294.60. 

Father  Bapst  was  elected  by  the  Trustees,  as  Prest.,  of  the  College,  myself 
Vice  Prest.,  Father  Brady  Treasurer  &  Fr.  Welch  Secy,  pro  forma,  that  the 
requirements  of  the  Charter  and  By  Laws  might  be  complied  with. 

I  would  take  leave  to  suggest  your  Revce.  to  continue  to  supply  Fr.  Bapst 
with  what  may  be  necessary  to  support  the  house  until  the  College  is  opened 
for  boys;  the  Revenue  of  the  Church  this  year  will  not  meet  all  the  demands 
upon  it,  on  acct.,  of  the  completion  of  the  basement  &c.,  &c.,  &c., — you 
will  perhaps  find  it  convenient  to  leave  one  or  more  scholastics  to  study 
Moral  &c.,  which  can  be  easily  done.  .  .  .'" 

The  latter  suggestion  must  not  be  construed  as  a  desire  to  reopen  the 
College  as  a  scholasticate.  It  was  evidently  Father  McElroy's  intention  to 
solicit  financial  assistance  from  the  Province  in  return  for  the  board  and 
room  to  be  given  some  of  the  young  Jesuits  making  certain  parts  of  their 
course  of  studies  in  private  or  in  preparation  for  examination.  The  idea 
was  apparently  not  acted  upon,  for  the  Province  catalog  carried  no  names 
of  such  students  until  1882,  when  a  scholastic  was  listed  as  studying 
theology  privately." 


The  First  President 

When  he  came  to  Boston,  Father  Bapst  was  something  of  a  national  hero 
because  of  a  harsh  experience  he  had  as  a  missionary  in  Maine.  Born  at  La 
Roche,  Canton  of  Fribourg  in  Switzerland  on  December  7,  1816,'-  he 
attended  the  Jesuit  College  at  Fribourg.  Upon  completion  of  his  course  he 
entered  the  Society  of  Jesus  on  September  30,  1835.  Shortly  after  his 
ordination  on  December  13,  1846,  the  Jesuits  were  expelled  from  Switzer- 
land. Father  Bapst,  in  company  with  a  number  of  his  fellow  exiles,  came  to 
the  United  States,  where  he  was  assigned  to  missionary  work  among  the 
Indians  at  Old  Town,  Maine. 

To  the  difficulties  which  centered  in  a  natural  distaste  for  this  type  of 
work  was  added  Father  Bapst's  inability  to  speak  English  or  the  Penobscot 
tongue.  He  overcame  these  handicaps  gradually,  however,  and  when  the 
mission  was  moved  to  Eastport,  Maine,  in  1850,  Father  Bapst  was  ap- 
pointed superior.  In  this  new  situation,  his  "parochial"  responsibilities 
extended  not  only  to  the  Indians  but  to  large  numbers  of  Irish  and 
Canadian  settlers  in  the  section,  and  this  led  him  to  seek  a  more  central 
base  for  the  mission.  Bangor  was  decided  on  in  1852,  and  from  this  town 
Father  Bapst  and  his  three  assistants  served  as  much  as  they  could  of  the 
state  of  Maine. 

Know-nothingism  was  rampant  at  the  period,  and  the  Jesuits'  presence 
and  ministry  to  their  fellow  Catholics  was  resented  by  many  bigoted  non- 
Catholics.  At  Ellsworth,  a  small  town  some  30  miles  southeast  of  Bangor, 


The  College  Is  Chartered       33 


Rev.  John  Bapst,  S.].,  first  president  of  Boston  College. 


34        History  of  Boston  College 

Father  Bapst  was  threatened  with  physical  violence  if  he  continued  attend- 
ing the  local  Catholics,  but  he  disregarded  the  warning  and  went  about  his 
religious  duties  there  as  usual.  On  one  of  these  visits  (Saturday  evening, 
October  14,  1854),  he  was  seized  by  a  mob,  ridden  on  a  rail  to  a  distant 
point,  stripped  of  his  clothes,  tarred  and  feathered,  and  some  effort  was 
even  made  to  burn  him  alive.  Exhausted  and  almost  maimed  by  the 
inhuman  treatment,  he  was  left  to  return  to  his  quarters  as  well  as  he  could. 
When  he  arrived  there,  he  was  attended  by  friends,  but  many  months 
passed  before  he  recovered  his  health  completely.  The  respectable  citizens 
of  the  state,  Protestant  and  Catholic,  were  shocked  at  this  outrage,  but 
their  efforts  to  bring  the  guilty  persons  to  justice  proved  fruitless.  The  deed 
had  one  happy  result,  however,  for,  like  the  blood  of  martyrs,  it  brought 
the  faith  to  the  respectful  and  sympathetic  attention  of  many  and  undoubt- 
edly contributed  to  the  spread  of  Catholicism,  not  only  in  Maine,  but 
throughout  the  nation. 

In  September  1859  the  Jesuits  withdrew  from  Maine,  and  Father  Bapst 
was  assigned  to  Holy  Cross  College  in  Worcester  as  spiritual  father,  where 
he  remained  until  he  was  appointed  rector  of  the  new  scholasticate  at 
Boston  the  following  July  2. 

Empty  Halls 

To  the  new  president,  the  College  buildings,  emptied  of  their  scholastic 
inhabitants,  took  on  a  deserted  look.  On  August  31  Father  Bapst  wrote, 
"Today  the  personal  [sic]  of  the  house  will  be  reduced  to  its  simplest 
expressing  [sic] ;  there  will  be  left  here  four  priests,  including  Father  Major 
[the  minister],  and  five  Brothers  only.""  And  in  another  letter  he  wistfully 
complained  of  "feeling  lost  in  the  house."" 

In  the  Catalogue  of  the  Province  of  Maryland,  ineunte  anno  1864,  the 
title  Seminarium  Bostoniense  was  replaced  by  Residentia;  Father  Bapst's 
rank  was  changed  from  rector  to  the  lower  rank  of  superior  (to  accommo- 
date the  rank  of  the  house),  and  with  him  were  left  only  Fathers  Welch, 
McElroy,  Fulton,  and  Power  acting  as  assistant  priests  in  the  work  con- 
nected with  the  Immaculate  Conception  Church.  Father  McElroy,  weighed 
down  by  the  infirmities  of  age,  had  been  permitted  to  turn  over  his  account 
books  and  the  care  of  the  financial  management  of  the  church  and  College 
to  Father  Bapst  early  in  August,'^  and  on  November  10,  he  left  Boston  for 
good.^*  Of  this  period.  Father  Fulton  later  wrote,  "We  had  a  hard  time.  All 
the  Scholastics  going.  Father  McElroy,  the  Italians  [i.e.,  the  Italian  priests 
who  had  been  on  the  seminary  faculty];  it  was  thought  the  people  would 
desert  us — it  did  not  so  result!"^^ 

In  addition  to  numerous  tasks  of  the  ministry,  a  serious  worry  occupied 
the  attention  of  the  superior  and  his  assistants  and  served  to  keep  their 
minds  off  the  emptiness  of  the  house.  Both  church  and  College  rested  under 
an  overwhelming  debt,  which  Father  Fulton  claimed  was  $156,666  in 


The  College  Is  Chartered       35 


]ohn  A.  Andrews,  the  governor 
of  the  Commonwealth  of  Mas- 
sachusetts who  signed  the  Bos- 
ton College  charter. 


November  of  1863.''*  Devitt  described  the  state  of  mind  of  the  Jesuit 
community  as  "consternation"  when  the  members  discovered  that  the  debt 
was  over  $150,000.  According  to  the  same  authority,  some  of  the  more 
excitable  members  had  even  proposed  giving  the  entire  estabhshment — 
church  and  College — over  to  the  bishop. '' 

The  Problem  of  Funds 

Father  Bapst  had  written  to  the  Provincial  that  after  a  careful  examination 
of  the  accounts,  he  felt  that  in  the  ordinary  course  of  events  there  would  be 
an  enormous  deficit  incurred  during  the  coming  year.^°  Whereupon  he 
decided  that  waiting  for  something  to  happen  would  never  save  the  situa- 
tion, and  he  set  out  to  make  something  happen.  After  Mass  on  Sunday, 
November  22,  1863,-'  Father  Bapst  called  a  meeting  in  the  basement  of  the 
church  of  the  prominent  men  in  the  congregation  and  made  a  clear 
exposition  of  the  state  of  affairs.  He  also  proposed  a  plan  to  raise  the 
amount  of  $5000,  which  he  felt  was  immediately  needed.  Among  the  men 
present  was  Andrew  Carney,  the  wealthy  clothing  merchant  of  Boston,  who 
had  made  numerous  gifts  to  Catholic  charities  in  the  city  and  who  had 
founded  Carney  Hospital  in  Boston  some  five  months  before."  He  had 
been  a  loyal  and  generous  friend  to  Boston  College  and  the  church  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception  since  they  had  been  first  begun;  he  had  given  Father 
McElroy  sums  of  money  and  had  loaned  him  other  large  sums  on  conven- 
ient terms,"  so  he  knew  rather  well  the  financial  status  of  the  church  and 
the  College.  He  at  once  saw  that  the  $5000  for  which  Father  Bapst  had 
asked  would  barely  meet  the  interest  on  outstanding  loans  and  the  most 


36        History  of  Boston  College 

necessary  expenses  and  that  the  position  of  the  Fathers  would  not  be 
permanently  bettered  by  it.  While  the  meeting  was  still  in  progress,  Carney 
handed  Father  Bapst  a  card  on  which  was  written: 

I  propose  to  pay  to  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  the  sum  of 
$20,000,  if  the  congregation  will  raise  the  same  amount  within  six  months.-'' 

Father  Bapst  reported: 

The  proposition  was  received  with  a  tremendous  applause;  &  to  show  they 
were  in  earnest  $4,000  were  subscribed  on  the  spot  by  64  men  only,  the 
meeting  being  very  small.  Now  the  impetus  is  given,  the  excitement  is 
produced;  it  is  in  our  power  to  have  $40,000  within  six  months  if  the 
movement  is  skillfully  directed.  The  cry  is:  we  shall  not  lose  the  chance  given 
by  A.  Carney!!  If  we  are  successful,  the  church  is  forever  free  from  embar- 
rassments and  from  any  danger  of  falling  into  other  hands.  .  .  .  Fr.  Williams 
[the  Vicar-general  of  the  diocese  of  Boston  during  the  prolonged  absence  of 
Bishop  Fitzpatrick]  sometime  ago  gave  me  permission  to  collect  in  any  church 
in  the  city  &  in  the  country  where  I  would  be  permitted  by  the  pastors  to  do 


The  First  Fair 

The  $7000  mark  was  reached  by  the  end  of  the  first  week,-*  and  a  group 
was  organized  to  wait  at  the  door  of  the  church  on  Sundays  to  solicit 
further  subscriptions."  Joseph  A.  Laforme  of  Boston,  who  was  chairman 
of  the  committee  of  six^*  which  nobly  cooperated  with  Father  Bapst  in  his 
great  task,  wrote: 

...  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks,  Fr.  Bapst,  with  the  assistance  of  a  few 
members  of  the  congregation,  succeeded  in  obtaining  subscriptions  to  the 
amount  of  ten  thousand  dollars.  Meanwhile  it  was  found  that  other  means 
must  be  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the  sum  required  under  the 
proposition  of  Mr.  Carney,  and  it  was  decided  to  hold  a  fair  in  the  Music 
Hall  of  Boston." 

This  decision  was  evidently  reached  early  in  January,  because  on  January 
26,  Father  Bapst  wrote  to  the  Provincial  discussing  a  possible  date.  He 
favored  some  time  in  April,  because  as  he  explained: 

It  is  in  the  evening  that  money  comes  in;  if  the  evenings  are  short,  all  is 
spoiled.  The  day  to  begin  it  will  probably  be  appointed  after  tomorrow,  and 
as  soon  as  it  is  decided,  I  shall  inform  your  Reverence. 

.  .  .  We  will  announce  the  fair  in  the  church  and  in  the  papers  next  week. 
The  fair  will  be  in  aid  to  Boston  College.  That  will  make  the  object  common 
to  all  the  churches  &  even  to  the  protestants,  the  college  being  chartered.^" 

In  the  same  letter.  Father  Bapst  asks  the  Provincial  for  information  regard- 
ing the  possibility  of  opening  the  College  for  externs  the  following  Septem- 


The  College  Is  Chartered       37 

ber.  He  felt  that  some  definite  word  regarding  the  opening  would  prove  a 
valuable  "sales  point"  in  conducting  the  fair. 

On  February  8  he  wrote  again  to  advise  the  Provincial  that  the  dates  for 
the  fair  were  from  the  fourth  to  the  sixteenth  of  April.^'  According  to 
Laforme,  the  fair  opened  on  April  5/-  but  an  unfortunate  event  occurred 
to  dampen  the  spirit  of  all  the  workers:  Andrew  Carney  died  suddenly  at 
half-past  ten  on  Sunday  evening,  April  4.  "He  had  a  new  attack,"  wrote 
Father  Bapst,  "of  apoplexy,  although  the  Dr.  called  it  congestion  of  the 
lungs.""  Arrangements  were  made  to  bury  him  from  the  Immaculate 
Conception  Church  at  ten  o'clock  Wednesday  morning,  April  7,  and  he 
was  laid  to  rest  in  the  Carney  Hospital,  South  Boston,  which  he  had 
founded.^^ 

In  spite  of  this  handicap,  the  fair  proved  to  be,  in  Laforme's  words,  "up 
to  that  time  ...  the  most  successful  church  fair  ever  held  in  Boston. "'^ 
While  the  fair  was  still  in  progress.  Father  Bapst  voiced  some  misgivings: 

The  fair  is  the  most  splendid  thing  that  ever  was  done  here  in  that  line;  &  yet 
it  will  not  reach  $20,000.  The  weather  yesterday  &  today  is  far  from  being 
favorable,  &  other  causes  too  long  to  be  explained  work  strongly  against  it. 
It  will  probably  realize  $15,000  clear.  We  have  one  consolation;  nothing  has 
been  wanted  of  what  human  ingenuity  can  do,  in  the  part  of  the  committee, 
of  the  ladies,  &  of  the  Pastors,  to  make  it  a  grand  fair.  We  resign  ourselves  to 
the  will  of  Divine  Providence  for  the  result.^*^ 


Rev.  Edward  Holker  Welch,  S.J.,  one 
of  the  five  Jesuit  incorporators  of 
Boston  College. 


38        History  of  Boston  College 

Laforme,  however,  estimated  that  the  fair  reahzed  $27,000.  The  same 
authority  stated  that  some  $25,000  worth  of  securities  were  bequeathed  to 
the  Immaculate  Conception  Church  and  the  College  by  Andrew  Carney. 
"Thus,"  observed  Laforme,  "within  a  few  months  from  the  beginning  of 
his  pastorship,  Fr.  Bapst  had  collected  sixty-two  thousand  dollars  towards 
the  liquidation  of  the  debt."^^ 


In  the  spring  of  1864  it  was  17  years  since  Father  McElroy  had  arrived  in 
Boston  with  plans  for  a  college.  It  was  seven  years  since  he  purchased  the 
property  in  the  South  End.  It  was  five  years  since  the  church  and  the  College 
buildings  were  completed.  It  was  one  year  since  the  College's  charter  had 
been  granted.  At  long  last  the  dream  was  about  to  become  reality. 


ENDNOTES 

1.  The  statement  of  Father  McElroy's  election  is  based  on  two  letters  of  Very 
Reverend  Angelo  M.  Paresce,  S.J.,  Provincial  of  Maryland  Province  of  the  Soci- 
ety, to  Father  McElroy,  dated  April  10  and  April  19,  1863;  and  on  letters  of 
Father  McElroy  to  Father  Paresce,  dated  April  16  and  April  21,  1863.  These 
letters  are  preserved  in  the  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  Uni- 
versity Library. 

2.  McElroy,  Diary,  Vol.  1,  MS.  p.  68,  under  date  December  1863.  Maryland 
Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 

3.  Ibid. 

4.  Paresce  to  McElroy,  February  20,  1863,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives, 
Georgetown  University  Library. 

5.  McElroy  to  Paresce,  March  4,  1863,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library. 

6.  McElroy  to  Paresce,  March  23,  1863,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives, 
Georgetown  University  Library. 

7.  Paresce  to  McElroy,  April  6,  1863,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library. 

8.  Transcribed  from  "Records  of  the  Trustees  of  Boston  College,"  manuscript 
volume  of  the  minutes  of  the  trustees'  meetings,  p.  1,  BCA.  Note:  Devitt,  in  his 
short  account  of  the  history  of  Boston  College  printed  in  Woodstock  Letters,  was 
evidently  led  by  this  Courier  advertisement  into  the  error  of  dating  the  first 
meeting  of  the  trustees  as  June  19 — the  date  of  the  advertisement.  The  correct 
date  obviously  is  July  6  (Devitt,  "The  History  of  the  Maryland— New  York 
Province;  XVI,  Boston  College,"  Woodstock  Letters,  64:403,  1935). 

9.  Records  of  the  Trustees  of  Boston  College,  under  date  of  July  10,  1863. 

10.  McElroy  to  Paresce,  July  19,  1863,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library. 

11.  Catalogus  Provinciae  Marylandiae-Neo-Eboracensis,  ineunte  anno  1882,  under 
"Boston  College." 

12.  This  synopsis  of  Father  Bapst's  life  is  based  on  the  Catalogus  Provinciae  Mary- 
landiae  for  the  pertinent  years  and  on  the  full  account  of  Father  Bapst's  life,  with 
transcripts  of  many  of  his  letters,  pubhshed  in  Woodstock  Letters,  16:324—325 
(1887);  17:218-229,  361-372  (1888);  18:83-93, 129-142,  304-319  (1889); 
20:61-68;  241-249,  406-418  (1891). 


The  College  Is  Chartered       39 


13.  Bapst  to  Paresce,  August  31,  1863,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library. 

14.  Bapst  to  Paresce,  August  28,  1863,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library. 

15.  McElroy  to  Paresce,  August  4,  1863,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library. 

16.  McElroy  to  Paresce,  November  25,  1863,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives, 
Georgetown  University  Library. 

17.  Fulton,  Diary,  under  date  1863. 

18.  Ibid. 

19.  Devitt,  manuscript  notes  on  history  of  Boston  College,  pp.  9—10,  preserved  in 
Georgetown  University  Archives. 

20.  Bapst  to  Paresce,  December  1,  1863.  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library. 

21.  Date  fixed  by  McElroy  reference  to  the  incident  as  occurring  two  Sundays  after 
he  had  just  left  Boston;  since  he  left  Boston  on  the  tenth,  this  meeting  must  have 
taken  place  on  the  twenty-second.  Cf.  McElroy,  Diary,  November  1863,  p.  67. 

22.  The  Pilot  (April  16,  1864). 

23.  See  Chapter  3  for  Father  McElroy 's  indebtedness  to  and  his  estimation  of  Mr. 
Carney. 

24.  For  an  account  of  this  entire  incident  in  detail,  cf.  letter  of  Father  Bapst  to  Father 
Paresce,  December  1,  1863,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown 
University  Library. 

25.  Ibid. 

26.  McElroy,  Diary,  November  1863,  p.  67. 

27.  Fulton,  Diary,  under  date  1863. 

28.  "The  names  of  those  who  formed  this  committee  were:  Hon.  Hugh  O'Brien, 
Joseph  A.  Laforme,  Francis  McLaughlin,  William  S.  Pelletier,  Patrick  Powers, 
and  Hugh  Carey."  From  McAvoy,  manuscript  for  "Father  Bapst,  a  Sketch,"  p.  90 
(omitted  in  published  form);  preserved  in  Woodstock  College  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library. 

29.  A.  J.  McAvoy,  S.J.  "Father  Bapst;  a  Sketch,"  Woodstock  Letters,  18  (1889):317. 

30.  Bapst  to  Paresce,  January  26,  1864,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library. 

31.  Bapst  to  Paresce,  February  8,  1864,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library. 

32.  McAvoy,  Father  Bapst,  18  (1889):317. 

33.  Bapst  to  Paresce,  April  5,  1864,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown 
University  Library. 

34.  Ibid. 

35.  McAvoy,  Father  Bapst,  18  (1989):317. 

36.  Bapst  to  Paresce,  April  12,  1864,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown 
University  Library. 

37.  McAvoy,  Father  Bapst,  18  (1889):317. 


CHAPTER 


5 


Twenty-Two  Pioneers 


Simultaneously  with  these  efforts  to  secure  financial  support,  plans  were 
being  made  to  open  the  College  in  September  of  1864  to  lay  students.  As 
early  as  the  previous  November,  Father  McElroy  had  mentioned  the  open- 
ing as  already  decided  on  by  the  Provincial.'  And  on  February  22,  1864, 
the  Provincial,  Father  Paresce,  reported  to  the  Jesuit  General  in  Rome: 

Next  September  it  will  be  necessary  to  open  a  school  for  lay  students  in 
Boston.  I  have  already  put  off  the  affair  for  three  years,  notwithstanding 
complaints  from  the  public.  It  cannot  be  delayed  any  longer  in  justice  to  the 
persons  who  have  contributed  liberally  to  the  building  of  the  college  in  the 
hope  of  having  their  children  educated  by  Ours  or  on  grounds  of  prudence 
as  our  honor  and  reputation  would  be  compromised  thereby.  I  have,  there- 
fore, with  my  provincial  consultors,  come  to  the  conclusion  to  open  the 
college  next  September,  beginning  with  two  elementary  classes  of  grammar, 
and  then,  each  year,  as  the  students  advance  in  Latin  and  Greek,  adding  a 
class  so  as  to  build  up  step  by  step  a  complete  college.  I  will  shortly  send 
your  Paternity  a  terna  [list  of  three  nominees]  for  the  Rector  or  Vice-Rector 
of  this  new  college  as  you  will  think  best.- 

This  prospect  of  opening  the  College  within  a  few  months  was  held  out  as 
an  inducement  to  liberality  at  the  fair,'  and,  as  we  have  seen,  it  had  its 
effect. 

40 


Twenty-Two  Pioneers        41 

In  August  the  Boston  papers  carried  the  definite  announcement  that  the 
College  would  open  its  doors  for  the  youth  of  the  city: 

BOSTON  COLLEGE 

The  Benefactors  and  Friends  of  this  Institution  are  respectfully  informed  that 
it  will  be  opened  September  next.  For  further  particulars,  please  apply  at  the 
College,  Harrison  Avenue.'' 

In  The  Pilot  for  August  27,  1864,  the  following  advertisement  appeared 
and  was  reprinted  without  change  every  week  for  the  entire  year,  1864— 
1865: 


ON  THE  FIRST  MONDAY  OF  SEPTEMBER  THE  FATHERS  OF  THE 
SOCIETY  OF  JESUS  will  open,  for  the  reception  of  Scholars  the  lower  classes 
of  Collegiate  Instruction,  the  building  adjoining  THE  CHURCH  OF  THE 
IMMACULATE  CONCEPTION,  Harrison  Avenue,  between  Concord  and 
Newton  Streets.  It  is  their  intention  to  add  a  higher  class  each  successive  year, 
until  the  course  of  studies  is  complete. 

The  course  of  studies  as  in  other  Catholic  Colleges,  will  last  seven  years, 
and  embrace  the  English,  Latin,  and  Greek  languages.  Arithmetic,  Mathe- 
matics, Logic,  Metaphysics,  Ethics,  Natural  Philosophy  and  Chemistry,  with 
the  usual  accessories. 

The  chief  aim  of  the  College  is  to  educate  the  pupils  in  the  principles  & 
practice  of  the  Catholic  Faith;  but  the  profession  of  that  Religion  will  not  be 
a  necessary  condition  for  admission. 

It  will  be  required  of  the  Candidate  for  admission  that  he  should  be  able 
to  read  &  write,  that  he  should  understand  the  primary  principles  of 
Grammar  and  Arithmetic,  and  be  of  reputable  character. 

The  Instructors  have  been  selected  from  those  who  have  already  taught  in 
other  Colleges  with  success. 

Terms:  $30  for  each  session  of  about  five  months,  to  be  paid  in  advance. 

Should  any  student  leave  school  in  the  course  of  a  session,  no  deduction  of 
price  will  be  made  in  his  favor,  except  in  the  case  of  expulsion.^ 

The  above  advertisement  constitutes,  as  far  as  is  known,  the  only 
prospectus  issued  by  the  College  that  year.  It  evoked  the  following  editorial 
comment  in  The  Pilot,  after  a  paragraph  calling  attention  to  the  opening: 

Felix  Faustumque  sit! 

Let  us  look  at  some  of  the  advantages  to  be  anticipated  from  this  event. 
We  need  not  argue  the  necessity  of  combining  religious  training  with  secular 
instruction.  That  point  is  decided.  .  .  .  But  with  what  security  shall  we  not 
confide  our  children  to  the  Jesuit  Fathers ! 

From  the  experience  of  a  like  Institution  in  a  neighboring  city,  we  anticipate 
that  Boston  College  will  be  a  fruitful  seminary  whence  will  issue  in  crowds 
youthful  Levites  to  replenish  the  ranks  of  the  secular  clergy  and  the  various 
religious  orders. 


42        History  of  Boston  College 


But  we  need  not  only  priests,  but  thoroughly  educated  lawyers,  doctors, 
merchants — men  of  every  profession.  When  our  lads  shall  have  thus  been 
educated  in  common,  we  may  expect  that  they  will  be  welded  together  by 
common  recollections,  sympathies  and  life  long  friendships.  They  will  be  the 
better  able  to  support  each  other  in  good,  and  advance  the  interests  of  the 
whole  Catholic  body. 

Nor  will  it  be  an  insignificant  benefit  that  a  larger  number  of  priests  will 
be  resident  among  us,  who  will  assist  our  clergy,  at  present  so  much 
overtaxed  in  the  duties  of  the  confessional  and  in  instructing  the  people  and 
will  add  by  their  very  number  to  the  splendor  of  rehgious  ceremonies. 

We  invoke,  therefore,  for  the  nascent  college,  the  zealous  patronage  of 
those  who  are  interested  in  the  advancement  of  religion  and  learning.*^ 


The  College  Is  Opened 

Father  Robert  Fulton,  who  had  been  assisting  in  the  work  of  the  church, 
was  assigned  by  the  Provincial  as  the  first  prefect  of  studies  for  the  new 
college.  Father  Fulton  was  born  in  Alexandria,  Virginia,  June  28,  1826.^ 
His  forebears  on  his  father's  side  were  Irish  Presbyterians;  on  his  mother's 
side  they  were  Catholic  O'Briens  from  County  Clare.  Robert  served  for 
four  years  as  a  page  in  the  United  States  Senate,  where  he  heard  the  orations 
of  Webster,  Clay,  and  Calhoun.  Hoping  to  win  an  appointment  to  West 
Point,  he  enrolled  in  Georgetown  College  for  preparatory  studies,  and 
while  there  felt  the  call  to  be  a  Jesuit.  He  became  a  novice  in  the  Society  of 
Jesus  on  August  31,  1843.  As  a  scholastic  (seminarian)  he  taught  at 
Georgetown,  Holy  Cross,  and  several  other  Jesuit  institutions.  He  was 
ordained  a  priest  on  July  25,  1857." 

The  teachers  designated  to  aid  him  in  Boston  were  two  scholastics,  Mr. 
Peter  P.  Fitzpatrick,  S.J.,  with  five  years'  classroom  experience,  and  Mr. 
James  Doonan,  S.J.,  with  four  years'  experience,  who  were  appointed  to 
teach  second  and  third  grammar,  respectively.'  All  was  in  readiness  on 
Monday  morning,  September  5,  1864,  when  the  College  officially  opened 
its  doors,'"  but  the  expected  rush  of  students  never  materialized: 

Father  Fulton  was  dismayed  to  find  that  instead  of  an  army  of  students  that 
he  had  expected  to  see  thronging  through  the  gates  of  the  new  college  .  .  . 
there  were  only  22  boys  whose  parents  were  eager  to  bestow  upon  them  the 
advantages  of  a  Jesuit  education.  This,  however,  was  not  due  to  any  unfriend- 
hness;  but,  in  those  days,  the  Catholics  of  Boston  were  mostly  poor,  and 
were  not  overanxious  to  pay  for  what  could  be  had  for  nothing  in  the  schools 
and  academies  of  the  city.  Moreover,  they  shared  in  the  common  superstition 
that  nothing  superior  to  the  education  of  the  public  schools  of  New  England 
had  as  yet  been  discovered." 

Of  the  number  that  did  come,  Father  Fulton  dourly  observed  in  his  diary, 
"Many  came  gratuitously,  and  only  one  or  two  had  talent."'^  Yet  a  reporter 


Twenty-Two  Pioneers       43 


Rev.  Robert  Fulton,  S.].,  first  dean  and  twice  president  of  Boston  College.  For  over  1 8 
years,  between  1864  and  1891,  he  shaped  the  academic  standards  and  style  of  the 
College. 


44        History  of  Boston  College 

for  The  Pilot  who  visited  the  school  after  it  had  been  in  operation  a  few 
weeks  saw  a  brighter  picture: 

Father  Bapst  has  the  gratification  of  seeing  at  length  the  College  which  he  has 
labored  so  hard  to  complete  in  progress.  We  visited  the  Institution  last  week, 
and  were  pleased  to  see  the  advancement  already  made.  Classes  have  been 
organized,  and  the  various  members  are  becoming  familiarized  with  the  daily 
routine.  Second  Humanities  is  the  highest  department  this  year,  and  from  it 
the  other  classes  descend  in  order  to  Rudiments,  where  the  little  beginner  is 
introduced  with  proud  anxiety  to  the  mysterious  pages  of  the  Viri  Romae, 
and  views  the  long  highway  of  classics.  .  .  .  Thirty-two  students  comprise 
their  total  number  at  present  but  the  good  Fathers  expect  this  little  body  will 
be  augmented  before  long.  Catholics  &C  our  fellow-citizens  of  other  denomi- 
nations should  take  the  opportunity  afforded  to  giving  their  children  a 
classical  education.  The  Jesuit  Fathers  are  world-renowned  instructors  of 
youth,  and  many  of  our  most  intellectual  men  have  owed  their  successes  to 
the  early  training  of  the  Society." 

Applicants  continued  to  appear  singly  throughout  the  fall  months,  and 
by  January  1  an  additional  24  students  were  entered  on  the  College 
register."  And  16  more  had  signed  up  before  the  close  of  classes  in  June. 
Unfortunately,  about  25  percent  of  this  number  did  not  persevere  after 
entering,  so  a  notation  in  Father  Fulton's  handwriting  in  the  College 
register,  evidently  written  in  June  1865,  states:  "Closed  the  First  Year  with 
Forty-eight  (48)  students.  Sixty-two  entered."^^ 


Daniel  M.  C.  McAvoy,  the  first  student  to 
register  when  the  College  opened  in  Sep- 
tember 1864. 


Twenty-Two  Pioneers       45 

The  time  order  for  this  first  year  is  also  found  in  this  register,  written  in 
Father  Fulton's  hand: 


8:30  a.m. 

Mass 

9-      ^ 
10:45 

Latin 

10:45-] 
11:00    j 
11:00 

Recess 

Greek 

12:00 

Recess 

12:30 

Mathematics 

1:30 

French 

2:30 

End  of  classes 

(On  Saturdays  classes  terminated  at  1:30  p.m.) 

A  weekly  report  was  read  on  Mondays  at  11:45,  evidently  to  each  class  by 
its  own  teacher,  with  a  formal  reading  of  marks  before  the  whole  school  on 
the  first  day  of  every  month. 

Some  of  the  textbooks  used  in  the  class  of  second  rudiments  in  the 
opening  year  are  preserved  in  the  Boston  College  Library.  The  Latin 
composition  book  is  Andrews,'*  written  somewhat  on  the  lines  of  the 
Bradley-Arnold  Latin  exercise  text  which  was  known  to  generations  of 
English  schoolboys.  There  does  not  appear  to  be  very  much  gradation  in 
the  exercises,  and  httle  or  no  effort  was  made  to  emphasize  the  more 
important  points  or  to  minimize  or  exclude  the  less  important  ones.  It 
would  unquestionably  be  a  difficult  book  for  eighth-grade  or  first-year  high 
school  pupils  and  would  make  heavy  demands  on  the  teacher's  skill.  An 
examination  of  it  raises  one's  esteem  for  the  early  scholars  who  used  it. 
Judging  by  the  inscription  written  by  the  owner  on  the  flyleaf,  the  text  was 
also  used  through  third  humanities  (equivalent  to  third-year  high). 


The  Initial  Exhibition 

As  the  termination  of  the  first  school  year  approached,  Fathers  Bapst  and 
Fulton  found  themselves  confronted  with  many  problems,  foremost  among 
which  was  the  task  of  arranging  a  creditable  "exhibition,"  as  the  com- 
mencement exercises  were  then  called.  In  May  Father  Bapst  wrote  the 
Provincial  in  tones  reflecting  his  desperation  at  the  difficulties  which 
surrounded  him: 

Fr.  Fulton  has  just  been  with  me  in  reference  to  the  Exhibition  to  be  given  at 
the  Commencement.  It  is  necessary  that  it  should  be  something  creditable,  as 
it  is  the  only  efficient  recommendation  we  can  offer  to  the  public,  in  favor  of 
our  schools.  There  is  hardly  a  secular  priest  who  will  say  a  good  word  on  our 
behalf,  but  great  many  will  be  disposed  to  say  a  bad  word  against  us;  &  yet 


46        History  of  Boston  College 


"\V:i  ,\i!iui,il  (!-viiibilion  ol'  kloilOH  ^i'ollcgf, 


Invitation  to  the  "exhibition"  of 
student  accomplishments  at  the  end 
of  Boston  College's  first  academic 
year,  1864-1865. 


the  parents  are  generally  influenced  by  their  pastors  as  to  what  college  they 
should  send  their  boys.  Therefore  a  great  deal  depends  on  that  first  exhibition 
at  Boston  College;  by  it  we  shall  be  judged. 

This  year,  instead  of  diminishing  the  debt,  we  have  added  to  it;  &  as  the 
Bishop  is  going  to  begin  his  buildings  at  once  &  will  not  stop  raising  money 
for  four  or  five  years  (a  great  damper  on  all  fairs  and  collections  for  our 
church),  our  prospects  for  collecting  money  are  very  slim.  The  only  way  left 
us,  is  to  increase  the  number  of  our  Scholars,  which  cannot  be  done  except 
by  making  the  college  popular  and  attractive.  And  besides  strong  studies  & 
a  good  government,  I  don't  see  anything  calculated  to  popularize  our  schools 
but  some  brilliant  exhibition,  &  for  the  present  nothing  else  seems  available 
but  a  drama  such  as  I  have  proposed.  If  it  cannot  be  permitted  now,  it  can 
never  be  permitted.  In  the  present  circumstances,  I  hope  your  Rev'ce  will 
oppose  no  objection  to  it.  We  are  discouraged  enough  already,  it  would  be 
dangerous  to  increase  our  discouragement,  although  certainly  we  shall  sub- 
mit to  your  decision,  no  matter  what  the  consequences  may  be.'^ 


Twenty-Two  Pioneers        47 

Such  an  appeal  could  hardly  be  refused,  and  so,  when  the  following 
invitation  was  sent  out  in  June,  it  was  to  attend  a  two-part  exhibition  as 
Father  Fulton  had  wished: 

Sir: 

The  company  of  yourself  and  family  is  respectfully  requested  at  the  FIRST 
ANNUAL  EXHIBITION  OF  BOSTON  COLLEGE  which  will  take  place  m 
the  College  Hall,  on  the  evenings  of  the  29th  and  30th  of  June,  beginning  at 
half-past  seven  o'clock. 

Boston  College,  Harrison  Av. 
June  27,  1865i« 


EXAMINATION  AND  EXIlllUTION 

or 

BOST{JN   COLLEGE, 

XIlXrRS3DA.Tr,    JTJ3SrE    S9,    186S- 

MUSIC. 
K  X  A  JJ  I  N  A  T  I  0  N  . 

llii'  matler  a»,-<if,'i)cii  li,r  Uiu  various  classes,  is  as  IbUows: 

l-..r  tl..tlur,l  class  „tlI«,„anitius,X,.,„,s,  l>l.a-,ln,s,   (Jra.a    .Minora,   l.ali., 

and  Greek  (iraniinars. 
l'-"r  li,.  Urst  .livisi.M,  ,.r  l!,„li„u.,.ls,  Vin  Ilonue,  Uuiu  an,l  (irrck  Cramn.ars. 
!or  tlie  sccianl  ilivisimi  of  limlitueiils./Joograpliy,  l.alin  (irauiniar. 
lor  tl„.  third  .livision  .,1  lindiuients,  Ueograi.!.}-,  .Siwlliiifc'. 

MUSIC. 


b  K  C  L  A  JI  A  T  I  O  N  . 


TIIK  .SCIIOOI.-IIUV, 
(■Ol!U)I,.\NU.S, 

llll.^l•:ni!.\^•|^, 
.MCsic,  -; 
mriKs  <>i  I'ATiiioiisM, 


Tii.w.  J.  l-oi:i.. 

Fli.\X(  IS    XolCKIs. 

VixiKXTl,.\|.i.|[ji|.:. 

Ckd.  \V.  I.K.NNo.N. 

Kit.\.\K  M(  Aviiv. 


M  U  S  1  C  . 


Program  of  the  first  day  of  the 
exhibition  at  the  end  of  the 
school  year  in  1 865.  The  tests 
for  the  participants  were  of  a 
sotnewhat  elementary  nature 
because  few  were  of  college 


48        History  of  Boston  College 

The  exhibition  consisted  in  a  pubHc  examination  of  the  pupils  on  the 
first  day  and  a  sacred  drama,  "Joseph  and  His  Brethren,"  on  the  second.  A 
reporter  from  The  Pilot  commented  that  the  unostentatious  opening  of  the 
College  the  preceding  autumn  had  not  prepared  the  public  for  the  impres- 
sive manner  in  which  the  institution  closed  its  first  school  year.  According 
to  this  account,  Father  Fulton  opened  his  remarks  on  the  evening  of  the 
exhibition  with  an  apology  for  the  exercises  which  were  to  be  presented. 
He  enumerated  the  handicaps  under  which  the  school  operated,  among 
which  were  the  small  number  of  students  and  the  fact  that  these  boys  were 
enrolled  in  the  very  lowest  grades.  Because  of  these  considerations,  he  asked 
the  audience's  indulgence  in  judging  the  quality  of  the  exhibition.  But  The 
Pilot  critic  recorded  that  the  ensuing  exercises  were  so  excellently  done  that 
the  audience  considered  the  prefatory  apology  unnecessary. 

On  the  second  night,  in  addition  to  the  play,  there  were  selections  by  the 
Germania  Band  and  the  College  choir  and  the  award  of  premiums,  with 
the  venerable  Father  McElroy,  as  guest  of  the  evening,  presenting  the  silver 
crosses  and  books  to  the  successful  students.  In  passing,  it  might  be  noted 
that  the  list  of  prizes  that  night  must  have  proved  encouraging  even  to  the 
lowliest  pupil,  since  a  count  of  the  awards  reveals  that  64  were  distributed 
among  a  student  body  of  48!  In  the  summarizing  judgment  of  the  newspa- 
perman, these  first  commencement  exercises  had  "proved  [the  College's] 
claims  on  the  patronage  of  a  discriminating  public."^' 

Father  Bapst  sent  copies  of  the  program  to  the  Provincial  on  July  7,  with 
the  report  that  "our  Examination  and  Exhibition  .  .  .  were  certainly  a 
success."^"  He  continued: 

How  many  boys  will  we  have  next  September,  time  will  tell,  [sic]  We  ought 
to  have  at  least  one  hundred  paying  boys,  &  then  all  will  be  right.  But  I  have 
been  so  often  deceived  in  my  prophecies,  that  I  prefer  to  wait  until  the  schools 
open  again  to  tell  how  many  boys  we  shall  have. 

Our  Professors  have  well  merited  of  Boston  College.  They  have  more  than 
fulfilled  their  duties,  they  have  done  [a]  great  many  works  of  supererogation, 
&  they  have  been  successful  in  all.  But  above  all  my  thanks  &  gratitude  are 
due  to  the  Prefect  of  Schools,  who  has  taken  the  great  interest  in  them  & 
made  extraordinary  exertions  to  put  the  college  on  such  a  footing  as  to 
insure  its  successful  working.  Without  him  Boston  College  would  not  get 
along.  He  is  the  man  for  Boston  College.^' 


Thus  the  first  year  ended  successfully  despite  very  limited  resources  and 
a  very  limited  response  from  the  Catholics  of  Boston.  The  new  school 
figured  so  little  in  the  Catholic  life  of  the  city  that  not  a  single  mention  of 
the  institution  occurred  in  the  pages  of  the  quasi-diocesan  paper  from  the 
reports  on  October  1  of  its  opening  until  the  notice  of  its  closing  for  the 
term  in  the  July  8  issue.  Three  teachers  and  48  pupils!  But  it  was  a 
beginning  with  credit,  and  the  stouthearted  little  staff  could  now  draw 


Twenty-Two  Pioneers       49 

deep  breaths  of  satisfaction  and  relief  and  look  forward  with  renewed 
courage  to  the  first  Monday  in  September. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  McElroy  to  Beckx,  November  30,  1863,  quoted  in  Gilbert  J.  Garraghan,  S.J., 
"Origins  of  Boston  College,  1842-1869,"  Thought,  17:651,  December  1942.  In 
this  letter  Father  McElroy  expressed  the  optimistic  opinion  that  the  College 
would  "add  considerable  to  the  revenue  of  the  house." 

2.  Paresce  to  Beckx,  February  22,  1864,  Jesuit  General  Archives  in  Rome,  Mary- 
land, 10-1-2,  translated  from  the  Latin  and  quoted  by  Garraghan,  "Origins," 
p.  653. 

3.  Fulton,  Diary,  under  date  1864. 

4.  Advertisement  appearing  in  the  Boston  Evening  Transcript,  August  18,  1864, 
p.  1;  and  in  The  Pilot  (August  20,  1864),  p.  5. 

5.  The  Pilot  (August  27,  1864).  The  Pilot  is  preserved  in  the  hbrary  of  St.  John's 
Seminary,  Brighton.  The  Transcript  mentioned  above  is  preserved  in  the  Boston 
College  Library. 

6.  The  Pilot  (August  27,  1864). 

7.  This  brief  sketch  of  Father  Fulton's  life  is  based  upon  the  autobiography  con- 
tained in  the  first  pages  of  his  diary,  a  manuscript  volume  preserved  in  the 
Georgetown  University  Archives,  Washington,  D.C. 

8.  I  bid. 

9.  Catalogus  Provinciae  Marylandiae,  S.J.,  ineunte  anno  1865. 

10.  A  valedictory  delivered  by  Stephen  J.  Hart,  June  28,  1877,  transcribed  in  Cal- 
lanan,  "Reminiscences,"  The  Stylus,  13  (March  1899):167. 

11.  Devitt,  "History  of  the  Maryland-New  York  Province,"  Woodstock  Letters, 
64:405  (1935). 

12.  Fulton,  Diary,  under  date  1864. 

13.  The  Pilot  (October  1,  1864). 

14.  Register  of  Students,  MS.,  BCA. 

15.  Ibid. 

16.  E.  A.  Andrews,  Latin  Exercises;  Adapted  to  Andrews  and  Stoddard's  Latin 
Grammar,  20th  ed.,  revised  and  corrected  (Boston:  Crocker  and  Brewster, 
1860). 

17.  Bapst  to  Paresce,  May  10,  1865,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown 
University  Library. 

18.  The  invitation  is  preserved  in  the  Georgetown  University  Archives,  Washington, 
D.C. 

19.  T^(?P27oi(July  8,  1865). 

20.  Bapst  to  Paresce,  July  7,  1865,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown 
University  Library. 

21.  Ibid. 


CHAPTER 


Consolidating  a  Gain 


During  the  summer  of  1865,  the  College  issued  a  "Circular  to  the  Parents 
and  Guardians  of  Youth  in  Boston  and  the  Vicinity"'  which  presented  the 
advantages  of  attendance  at  a  Jesuit  school.  It  drew  attention  to  the  interest 
instructors  had  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  their  charges  and  dwelt  on  the 
value  of  a  classical  course.  Yet,  lest  anyone  think  that  Latin,  Greek,  and 
religion  were  the  only  subjects  offered  at  the  new  institution,  the  circular 
indicated  the  time  which  had  been  devoted  to  other  subjects  during  the 
scholastic  year  just  ended.  Mathematics,  penmanship,  music,  and  coordi- 
nated courses  in  geography  and  history  extending  over  several  years  were 
mentioned.  The  study  of  English  was  described  as  of  primary  importance: 

.  .  .  Lessons  in  English  Grammar  were  frequent,  compositions  ordinarily 
exacted  every  week.  [Moreover]  two  hours  a  week  were  given  to  French  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  De  Frondat,  whose  merit  as  a  teacher  the  Directors  hold 
in  high  estimation.  By  a  weekly  and  minute  report,  parents  were  kept 
apprised  of  the  conduct  and  progress  of  the  pupils. 

In  September  next,  as  was  promised,  a  more  advanced  class  in  Latin, 
Greek,  English,  French,  and  Mathematics,  and  a  class  of  book-keeping  will 
be  added  to  the  course.  .  .  .  The  Sciences  will  be  taught  in  the  graduating 
class. - 

Toward  the  close  of  this  circular  the  offer  was  made  to  sell  scholarships 
in  perpetuity  at  $1000  each.  The  proposition  was  not  developed  beyond 

50 


Consolidating  a  Gain        5 1 

the  statement  of  the  fact,  which  the  writer  sought  to  bring  to  the  attention 
of  "parishes,  rehgious  societies,  or  weahhy  individuals,  [who]  may  be 
desirous  of  educating,  in  this  manner,  candidates  for  the  priesthood:  or 
parents  [who]  may  find  it  for  their  interest  to  provide  thus  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  a  numerous  family  of  children."^ 

The  Pilot  for  September  9,  1865,  described  the  plan  as  follows: 

On  sending  a  son  to  college,  instead  of  paying  the  regular  pension  each 
session,  the  parent  will  pay  the  above  sum  once  for  all.  The  son  having  been 
educated,  another  may  succeed,  or  the  scholarship  may  be  sold  forever,  or 
for  a  term  of  years.  If  retained,  it  may  descend  to  the  heirs  of  the  original 
purchaser,  subject  to  conditions  he  may  prescribe.'' 

Continuing  in  an  editorial  vein,  the  paper  remarked: 

Parishes,  or  parish  priests,  have  regarded  it  almost  as  a  duty  to  contribute  to 
the  education  of  candidates  for  the  ministry.  It  will  be  evident  that  according 
to  the  plan  we  are  discussing,  they  would  be  able,  at  much  less  cost,  to  make 
permanent  provision  for  the  education  of  their  own  youth  who  aspire  to 
Holy  Orders.^ 

The  editor  goes  on  to  urge  generosity  on  the  part  of  the  wealthy,  but  as 
far  as  can  be  determined,  the  offer  met  with  very  little  response.  The  Pilot 
two  weeks  later  reported  a  Joseph  Sinnott  as  "the  first  to  exhibit  his 
generosity  and  zeal  for  Catholic  education  in  founding  a  scholarship,  to 
which  he  has  nominated  Henry  Towle,  a  lad  who  has  distinguished  himself 


Boston  College  Hall,  the  audi- 
torium of  the  original  college 
building. 


52        History  of  Boston  College 

in  the  Dwight  School."'^  Twenty-two  years  later,  the  College  treasurer's 
books  showed  that  only  six  paid  scholarships  had  been  established  up  to 
that  time;  one  by  a  Mrs.  Kramer;  one  by  the  above-mentioned  Mr.  Sinnott 
of  Philadelphia;  three  by  Mrs.  Anna  H.  Ward,  of  2  Washington  Place,  New 
York;  and  one  by  a  Father  Orr.^ 

A  Growing  Student  Body 

There  was,  however,  a  marked  increase  in  the  regular  student  registration 
on  the  opening  day,  September  4.  Father  Bapst  found  time  at  eleven  o'clock 
that  morning,  in  the  midst  of  the  excitement,  to  pen  a  short  and  enthusiastic 
"bulletin"  to  the  Provincial: 

We  have  entered  thus  far  the  names  of  70  students,  which  is  considered  a 
success;  three  only  of  our  old  pupils  having  failed  to  make  their  appearance. 
The  teachers  &  Fr.  Fulton  are  in  good  spirits.' 

The  Pilot  reported  that  the  College  had  reopened  with  the  number  of 
pupils  nearly  doubled.'  Any  effort  to  estimate  the  total  enrollment  for  that 
year  is  frustrated  by  the  system  of  registration  in  force  at  the  time,  which 
showed  only  the  new  pupils  enrolled.  Thus,  it  is  clear  that  at  the  end  of  the 
first  term  48  new  boys  had  enrolled,  and  by  June  the  number  had  risen  to 
59. ^°  But  what  the  total  enrollment  was,  one  can  only  guess,  working  with 
this  number  of  new  students  and  Father  Bapst's  remark  quoted  above,  that 
all  but  three  of  last  year's  pupils  had  returned  (viz.,  45  had  returned).  This 
figure  of  104  should  certainly  be  corrected  for  numerous  withdrawals,  yet 
how  many  withdrawals  there  were  can  no  longer  be  ascertained.  Since  this 
is  the  only  year  for  which  this  information  is  not  available,  an  estimate 
could  be  made  based  on  the  regularity  of  increment  observed  in  the  other 
years.  Thus:" 


48  ?  81  100  114  130  140 

The  average  gain  for  the  latter  five  years  is  approximately  15  pupils  a  year; 
subtracting  this  number  from  the  81  (in  1866),  we  would  have  an  estimated 
enrollment  for  1865  of  66.  As  deflating  and  as  contradictory  as  this  figure 
seems,  it  receives  at  least  some  support  from  an  ambiguous  statement 
penciled  under  the  final  entry  for  this  year  in  the  College  register:  "Closed 
with  upwards  of  sixty."'- 

The  teaching  staff,  in  anticipation  of  an  enlarged  student  body,  had 
meanwhile  been  increased  to  eight.  This  included  four  scholastics  who 
were  full-time  teachers  (Messrs.  Peter  P.  Fitzpatrick,  S.J.,  Michael  Byrnes, 
S.J.,  James  Doonan,  S.J.,  and  William  Carroll,  S.J.),  all  of  whom  taught 
Latin,  Greek,  English,  and  arithmetic;  one  priest  (Fr.  John  Sumner,  S.J., 
the  College  treasurer),  who  taught  a  part-time  course  in  bookkeeping;  and 


Consolidating  a  Gain        53 


The  College  gymnasium  of  the 
19th  century. 


two  part-time  lay  teachers,  Mr.  De  Frondat,  for  French,  and  Dr.  Willcox, 
for  music;  and  the  prefect  of  studies.  Father  Fuhon,  S.J.'^ 


Boston  College  Life  in  the  1 860s 

A  ghmpse  into  the  school  life  of  that  second  year  of  Boston  College  is 
permitted  us  in  the  recollections  of  Dr.  Henry  Towle,  mentioned  above  as 
holder  of  the  first  scholarship  granted  at  the  College: 

In  1865  I  entered  Boston  College  as  a  pupil.  It  was  the  second  year  of  its 
existence  as  a  school.  .  .  .  Fifty  scholars,  ranging  in  years  from  twenty-six  to 
eleven  made  up  the  entire  membership.  .  .  .  Most  of  us  were  in  the  Second 
and  Third  Rudiments,  under  Mr.  Doonan,  and  a  few  in  Third  Humanities, 
under  Mr.  Fitzpatrick.  .  .  .  The  first  pupils  were  of  all  shades  of  industry  and 
idleness.  In  that  crowd  of  fifty  there  were  men  and  boys  of  varying  degrees  of 
scholarship.  Some  of  the  elder  came  for  reformation  of  character;  some  were 
belated  aspirants  for  Holy  Orders,  who  had  acquired  a  vocation  late  in  life; 
and  with  these  were  mingled  boys  just  removed  from  the  lowest  grammar 
classes.  ...  So  thorough  was  the  weeding  of  pupils  of  1865,  that  only  two  of 
our  number  reached  the  class  of  Rhetoric  in  1871,  where  our  college  course 
terminated. 

It  was  in  '66  that  the  true  school  life  which  characterized  Boston  College 
began.  We  had  a  large  influx  of  boys  from  St.  Mary's  school  and  from  other 
sections  of  the  city,  and  the  classes  assumed  definite  shape  and  form.  .  .  . 
Having  no  traditions  we  soon  adopted  those  of  our  teachers,  and  our  College 
heroes  were  old  graduates  of  Georgetown  and  Loyola.  I  wonder  whether  we 
sympathized  with  the  dead  Confederacy  so  much,  merely  because  so  many 
of  our  scholastics  came  from  Maryland  and  that  vicinity.  We  had  an  impres- 
sion that  "Maryland,  my  Maryland,"  was  written  by  a  Georgetown  boy,  and 


54        History  of  Boston  College 

therefore  infinitely  preferred  its  sentiments  to  those  of  "Marching  Through 
Georgia."  As  far  as  I  can  recall  the  aims  and  ideals  of  the  boys  around  me, 
we  wished  to  be  like  some  southern  worthy,  whose  wit  and  mirth  we  read  in 
some  old  college  class  book,  or  to  learn  from  some  teacher  who  was  his 
fellow  student  in  youth." 

Once  the  new  year  began,  the  school  settled  into  a  smooth  and  efficient 
routine.  Father  Bapst  wrote  in  October  that,  with  the  exception  of  financial 
affairs,  "The  college  is  going  on  pretty  well.  Fr.  Fulton  wishes  me  to  say 
that  the  teachers  are  very  docile  with  him  and  give  satisfaction."'^  The  poor 
state  of  the  school's  financial  condition  was  due,  in  part  at  least,  to  the 
withdrawal  of  the  annual  contribution  hitherto  made  by  St.  Mary's  Church 
in  the  North  End.  Father  Bapst  protested  this  loss  repeatedly  and  vigor- 
ously. In  February  he  had  outlined  his  position  to  the  Provincial: 

I  saw  Fr.  Brady  [the  Superior  at  St.  Mary's],  in  relation  to  the  $3,000  [which 
had  been  given  annually  for  the  support  of  the  college] ;  although  he  has  just 
realized  $8,000  by  his  last  fair,  which  closed  last  week,  yet  he  does  not  seem 
to  be  inclined  to  do  much  more  for  Boston  College.  Until  our  schools  bring 
in  some  revenues,  above  the  expenses,  it  will  be  impossible  for  us  to  get  along 
without  the  $3,000.  The  Bishop  insists  that  St.  Mary's  was  given  to  the 
Society  for  the  sole  purpose  of  enabling  us  to  build  a  College,  &C  that  all  the 
revenues  should  go  to  that  object.  A  congregation  of  20,000  souls  ought  to 
be  able  to  yield  at  least  a  surplus  of  $3,000,  with  proper  management, 
without  interfering  at  all  with  its  own  requirements.  I  hope  your  Rev'ce  will 
see  to  it."^ 


The  precursor  of  Bapst  and 
O'Neill. 


Consolidating  a  Gain        55 


Another  Fair 


Evidently  no  action  was  taken,  since  eight  months  later  he  reported  that  he 
would  need  another  fair  or  some  other  extraordinary  means  of  raising 
funds. '^  The  idea  of  a  second  fair  as  a  solution  to  the  College's  financial 
difficulties  was  acted  on  the  following  spring,  and  in  May  The  Pilot  carried 
the  preliminary  announcement: 

GRAND  FAIR 
For  Boston  College  and  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception 

A  Free  Scholarship  in  perpetuity  in  Boston  College  is  offered  to  every  Table 
that  returns  one  thousand  dollars.  Churches,  Societies,  and  others,  willing  to 
take  the  responsibility  of  a  Table,  thereby  securing  to  themselves  and  succes- 
sors for  all  time,  the  great  privilege  of  educating,  free  from  all  expense,  some 
deserving  Catholic  boy,  are  requested  to  make  immediate  application  to 
Father  Bapst. 

The  fair  commences  in  October  next.  Full  particulars  at  an  early  day.'' 

Toward  the  close  of  June,  the  date  of  the  opening  and  the  place  of  the  fair 
were  published  as  October  15  in  the  famous  Boston  Music  Hall. 

Meanwhile,  the  academic  officers  of  the  College  had  inaugurated  a 
custom  which  was  destined  to  live  for  many  decades:  the  awarding  of 
monthly  certificates  (or,  as  they  were  then  called,  "tickets")  for  proficiency 
in  studies.  The  first  pubhcation  of  these  awards  appeared  in  The  Pilot  for 
May  12,  1866,^'  and  thereafter  this  monthly  listing  in  the  "public  press" 
became  one  of  the  great  inducements  to  academic  effort.-" 

On  the  evenings  of  July  2  and  3,  1866,  the  second  annual  examination 
and  exhibition  (commencement)  were  held  m  the  College  hall.  The  program 
on  the  first  evening  consisted  of  examinations  of  the  second  and  third 
classes  of  humanities,  the  first  and  second  divisions  of  rudiments;  decla- 
mation; and  music  by  the  Germania  Band.  The  declamation  exercises  were 
two:  "Peace,"  recited  by  John  Lane,  and  a  satire  written  by  Theobald 
Murphy  and  delivered  by  John  McLaughlin  and  Terence  Quinn,  which  was 
described  by  a  reviewer  for  The  Pilot  as  "full  of  point  and  fun."-'  The 
ceremonies  of  the  second  night  were  featured  by  a  sacred  drama  entitled 
"Sedecias,"  with  George  W.  Lennon  in  the  title  role,  H.  R.  O'Donnell  as 
Nebuchodonosor,  and  Daniel  McAvoy  (the  college's  proto-student)  as 
Jeremias.^^  In  the  awarding  of  premiums  which  followed,  87  medals  and 
"accesserunt"  distinctions  were  announced  and  the  20  other  pupils  were 
named  for  "honorable  mention."  The  Pilot  representative  commented: 

The  exhibition  during  the  two  evenings  has  added  not  a  little  to  the  good 
reputation  of  the  College.  The  College  at  this  present  time  has  about  seventy- 
five  pupils,  and  is  in  a  flourishing  and  progressive  condition. ^^ 

When  the  College  opened  for  the  fall  term,  an  extension  of  its  facilities 
was  made  to  provide  in  a  rudimentary  way  for  adult  education.  A  library 


56        History  of  Boston  College 


The  students'  gaslit  recreation 
room. 


of  1000  books  was  established  in  the  basement  of  the  adjoining  Immaculate 
Conception  Church,  and  the  room  was  equipped  to  serve  as  a  quasi  club 
for  the  Catholic  young  men  of  the  city.-"*  The  membership  fee  was  one 
dollar  a  year.  In  the  course  of  time,  lectures  were  given  before  the  group 
and  various  activities  sponsored  by  it,  all  of  which  prepared  the  ground  for 
the  later  founding  of  the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association  by  Father 
Fulton. 

But  the  main  concern  of  all  associated  with  the  College  at  this  time  was 
the  second  fair.  This  great  event  was  opened  to  the  public  on  Monday 
evening,  October  15,  1866,  at  the  Boston  Music  Hall,  and  continued  daily 
thereafter  from  eleven  in  the  morning  until  ten  at  night  for  three  weeks. -^ 
The  management  had  promised  that  this  fair  would  be  the  most  attractive 
and  successful  ever  held  in  the  city,-^  and  if  one  can  believe  the  enthusiastic 
notices  which  the  affair  received  in  the  newspapers,  it  really  lived  up  to  its 
advance  publicity.  The  Pilot  pronounced  it  "a  great  success  .  .  .  elegant 
decorations  .  .  .  this  one  surpasses  them  all."^^ 

When  Gilmore's  Band,  one  of  the  most  popular  musical  organizations  in 
the  United  States  during  the  sixties,  and  the  other  features  of  the  fair  kept 
drawing  crowds  to  the  Music  Hall  without  any  appreciable  falling  off  in 
attendance  for  the  full  length  of  the  original  engagement,  it  was  decided  to 
continue  the  fair  for  an  additional  week  at  the  College  hall  after  the  closing 
of  the  Music  Hall  on  November  23. -^  This  was  evidently  done  with 
satisfactory  results,  because  Father  Fulton  records  in  his  diary  that  the  net 
proceeds  rose  to  $30,728  and  that  his  own  table  brought  in  some  $4,600,-'' 
all  of  which  constituted  a  new  record  for  Catholic  fairs. 

On  November  28  a  complimentary  dinner  for  the  fair  committee  was 
given  in  the  College,^"  and  it  was  perhaps  on  that  occasion  that  the  founding 
of  1 8  scholarships  in  honor  of  those  table  sponsors  who  reahzed  sums  over 


Consolidating  a  Gain        57 

$1,000  at  the  fair  was  announced.  The  ledger  in  which  the  names  of  these 
patrons  were  recorded  in  the  treasurer's  office  contains  the  following 
annotation  evidently  written  at  the  time: 

Though  the  Patrons  of  the  Fair  Scholarships  have  a  right  to  appoint  to  the 
places,  Fr.  Fulton,  who  directed  the  appointment  of  scholarships  to  them,  for 
services  rendered  at  the  Fair,  desired  that  the  President  of  the  College  should 
see  that  they  were  given  judiciously,  i.e.,  to  such  as  are  brilliant,  etc.^' 

In  Father  Fulton's  opinion,  "the  free  scholarships  instituted  after  the  Fair 
gave  the  first  impulse  and  first  ability  to  the  College. "^- 


Father  Bapst  and  Father  Fulton,  president  and  prefect,  constituted  a 
remarkably  able  administration  for  the  infant  college.  Fortunately  they 
remained  a  team  for  the  duration  of  Father  Bapst's  presidency. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  Woodstock  College  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 

2.  Ibtd. 

3.  Ibtd. 

4.  The  Pilot  (September  9,  1865). 

5.  Ibid. 

6.  Ibid.  (September  23,  1865). 

7.  BCA. 

8.  Bapst  to  Paresce,  September  4,  1865,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library. 

9.  The  Pilot  (September  23,  1865). 

10.  Manuscript  volume:  "Register  of  Students,"  BCA. 

11.  Based  upon  a  chart  giving  a  summary  of  statistics  concerning  Boston  College 
drawn  up  for  the  Provincial,  apparently  about  1882,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J. 
Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 

12.  Manuscript  volume:  "Register  of  Students,"  BCA. 

13.  Catalogus  Provinciae  Marylandiae  S.J.,  ineunte  anno  1886,  s.v.  "Collegium 
Bostoniense  Inchoatum,"  and  The  Pilot  (October  7,  1865). 

14.  Henry  C.  Towle,  "The  Pioneer  Days  at  Boston  College,"  The  Stylus,  11  (June 
1897):332-338. 

15.  Bapst  to  Paresce,  October  11,  1865,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library. 

16.  Bapst  to  Paresce,  February  8,  1865,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library. 

17.  Bapst  to  Paresce,  October  11,  1865,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  George- 
town University  Library. 

18.  The  Pilot  (May  26  and  June  2,  1866). 

19.  Ibid.  (May  12,  1866). 

20.  Cf.  "Catalogue  of  the  Officers  and  Students  of  Boston  College  for  the  Academic 
Year  1868-9"  (first  catalogue  issued),  p.  10:  ".  .  .  those  who  ...  are  marked 
above  a  fixed  number  (usually  about  ninety  or  ninety-five),  are  rewarded  with 
tickets,  and  the  award  is  published  in  the  Boston  Pilot." 

21.  The  Pilot  (July  14,  1U6). 


58        History  of  Boston  College 


22. 


23. 
24. 
25. 
26. 
27. 
28. 


29. 

30. 
31. 
32. 


Ibid.  Other  parts  in  the  play  were:  T.  G.  Devenny  as  Elmero;  T.  J.  Ford  as  Josias; 
J.  Kennedy  as  Manassas;  J.  Baron  as  Rapsaris;  A.  Maher  as  Araxhes;  John 
Eichorn  and  Joseph  Finotti  as  youngest  sons  of  Sedecias. 
Ibid. 

Ibid.  (October  13,  1866). 
Ibid. 

Ibid.  (October  20,  1866). 

Ibid.  (October  27,  1866);  cf.  also  issue  of  November  3,  1866. 
From  a  manuscript  diary  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  Church  Sunday  School, 
preserved  in  the  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Li- 
brary. 

Manuscript  diary  of  Fr.  Robert  Fulton,  S.J.,  under  date  "1866,"  preserved  in 
Georgetown  University  Archives. 
Immaculate  Conception  Sunday  School  Diary. 
"Boston  College  Students'  Accounts  .  .  .  1879-1887." 
Fulton,  Diary,  under  date  "1886." 


CHAPTER 


7 


The  Letter  of  the  Law 


In  the  summer  of  1869  the  first  Catalogue  of  the  Officers  and  Students  of 
Boston  College  appeared,  with  a  report  on  the  academic  year  1868-1869.' 
In  this  pubHcation  the  tuition  is  announced  as  $30  a  semester,  payable  in 
advance.  The  catalog  states,  however,  that  "provision  is  made  for  the 
instruction  of  indigent,  but  meritorious  candidates,  who  should  present 
their  claims  for  admission  before  the  commencement  of  the  session." 

The  requirements  for  admission  were  "a  good  moral  character,  and  a 
knowledge  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  Arithmetic  and  Grammar."  In 
stating  that  the  academic  year  contained  two  sessions,  beginning  on  the 
first  Monday  in  September  and  on  the  first  Monday  in  February  respec- 
tively, the  catalog  added,  "but  students  are  not  precluded  from  entering  at 
any  time  during  the  year." 

Rules  and  Regulations 

The  hours  of  attendance  were  from  half-past  eight  in  the  morning  until 
half-past  two  in  the  afternoon,  "with  recesses  at  convenient  intervals." 
Classes  on  Saturdays  terminated  at  one  o'clock.  One  hour  a  day  was 
devoted  to  arithmetic  and  two  hours  a  week  to  modern  language,  with  the 
balance  of  the  day  given  to  Latin,  Greek,  and  English. 

In  contrast  to  Holy  Cross  College,  the  charter  of  which  made  it  an 
exclusively  Catholic  college,  Boston  College  had  an  act  of  incorporation 

59 


60        History  of  Boston  College 

which  provided  that  "no  student  in  said  college  shall  be  refused  admission 
to,  or  denied  any  of  the  privileges,  honors  or  degrees  of  said  college  on 
account  of  the  religious  opinions  he  may  entertain."  This  passage  was 
quoted  in  the  catalog  with  the  comment,  "Students  that  are  not  Catholics 
will  not  be  required  to  participate  in  any  exercise  distinctively  Catholic; 
nor  will  any  undue  influence  be  used  to  induce  a  change  of  religious 
belief."-  However,  Catholic  students  were  required: 

...  to  hear  Mass  every  day,  unless  distance  of  residence  should  furnish  reason 
for  exemption;  to  recite  the  daily  catechetical  lesson;  to  attend  the  weekly 
lecture  on  the  doctrines  of  the  Church,  and  the  annual  retreat;  to  present 
themselves  to  their  confessor  every  month;  and,  if  they  have  never  received 
the  Sacraments  of  Penance,  Confirmation  or  Holy  Eucharist,  to  prepare  for 
their  reception.^ 

The  educational  background  of  new  students  varied  so  much  that  special 
arrangements  frequently  had  to  be  made  to  accommodate  them.  On  admis- 
sion, the  student  was  examined  to  determine  the  classes  to  which  he  should 
be  assigned,  and  he  was  told  that  the  rate  of  subsequent  progress  depended 
upon  his  own  ability  and  diligence.  The  catalog  warned  that  a  pupil's 
general  deficiency  in  preparation  might  cause  him  to  be  detained  more 
than  one  year  with  the  lowest  class,  and  that  a  pupil's  weakness  in  a  specific 
subject  might  result  in  his  pursuing  that  study  in  a  lower  grade  than  his 
regular  classes.'*  The  method  of  marking  employed  at  that  period  was 
explained  in  the  catalog: 

At  the  end  of  each  recitation,  its  quality  is  recorded.  Six  is  the  highest  number 
of  marks  given  for  a  written  exercise;  four,  for  a  translation  or  analysis;  two, 
for  any  other  exercise,  and  the  same  number  for  punctuahty  and  good- 
conduct;  the  number  being  diminished  by  one  for  every  fault.  A  copy  of  this 
record  ...  is  furnished  the  parents  every  week. 

At  the  end  of  each  session  an  examination  is  held  for  all  that  was  studied 
during  the  session.  A  separate  examiner  is  assigned  to  each  class.  The 
examination  is  conducted  in  writing  and  lasts  for  about  two  weeks. ^ 

At  the  annual  exhibitions,  according  to  this  announcement,  distinctions 
of  three  degrees  were  conferred.  In  addition,  annual  prizes  were  instituted 
of  $50  in  gold  for  the  best  English  composition,  $25  in  gold  for  excellence 
in  reading,  and  the  same  amount  for  excellence  in  declamation. 

The  detention  period  after  school  for  minor  infractions  of  rules,  known 
to  generations  of  Jesuit  school  pupils  as  "jug,"  was  a  regular  institution  at 
Boston  College  at  this  time.  The  catalog  stated: 

For  faults  of  ordinary  occurrence — such  as  tardy  arrival,  failure  in  recita- 
tions, or  minor  instances  of  misconduct — a  task,  consisting  of  lines  from 
some  classical  author,  is  committed  to  memory  during  the  hour  after  the 
close  of  school.' 

The  advantages  of  the  College  library  are  briefly  mentioned.  It  appears 


The  Letter  of  the  Law        61 

that  a  "trifling  expense"  was  connected  with  the  use  of  books  by  the  pupils; 
this,  in  a  very  elementary  way,  corresponded  to  the  "library  fee"  charged 
by  most  modern  colleges. 

Expansion  in  other  directions  was  indicated  summarily:  "The  liberality 
of  a  friend  has  already  furnished  a  collection  of  minerals.  A  gymnasium 
has  been  begun,  and  an  ample  cabinet  of  philosophical  instruments  will  be 
in  readiness  for  the  graduating  class. "^ 

Among  the  "activities"  listed  in  the  back  of  the  catalog  one  finds  first 
place  accorded  to  the  Sodality  of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  Forty-one 
pupils  were  named  as  attending  the  sodality  meetings,  at  which  the  Office 
of  the  Blessed  Mother  was  recited  in  Latin  and  exhortations  were  delivered. 

The  Society  of  St.  Cecilia,  which  boasted  39  members,  supplied  the 
music  at  the  daily  Mass  and  gave  "its  aid,  when  needed,  at  celebrations, 
either  of  the  College,  or  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception." 

There  were  22  members  of  "The  Debating  Society  of  Boston  College," 
who  exercised  themselves  in  dramatic  reading,  declamation,  and  extempo- 


The  first  page  of  the  first  cata- 
log issued  by  Boston  College. 


c  ATA  \A)i\  i;  !•: 


OFFICERS  AND  STUDENTS 


BOSTON    COLLEGE 


^^O.A.3DEIlWtIC!    "S'EJ.A.Ft    ISeS-Q: 


BOSTON : 

ALFRED  MUDGE  i  SON,  riilNTERS',  34  SCHOOL  STUEET. 

18  0!). 


62        History  of  Boston  College 

raneous  debate.  Father  Fulton  was  founder,  director,  and  president  of  this 
organization,  which  today  is  proud  to  bear  his  name. 

The  catalog  then  listed  the  officers  and  teachers  on  the  staff  and  gave  a 
directory  of  the  pupils  and  the  classes  to  which  they  belonged.  An  official 
record  of  the  Fifth  Annual  Exhibition,  which  was  held  on  June  30,  1869, 
was  given  in  full,  together  with  a  program  for  "Richard  III,"  the  closing 
play  of  that  year.  The  last  item  in  the  catalog  was  a  reproduction  of  a 
sample  report  card. 

This  very  creditable  catalog  appears  to  be  the  exclusive  work  of  Father 
Fulton.  One  gathers  this  from  the  remark  which  Father  Fulton  made  in  his 
diary  to  the  effect  that  neither  Father  Bapst  nor  anyone  else  was  permitted 
by  the  Provincial  to  have  a  voice  in  what  pertained  directly  to  the  academic 
side  of  the  school.^  Father  Fulton  set  high  standards  for  the  infant  school 
and  would  not  hear  of  the  granting  of  the  bachelor's  degree  until  a  certain 
maturity  had  been  established.  This  was  attested  to  by  a  Jesuit  who  taught 
under  Fulton's  leadership  as  dean.  Father  John  Buckley  wrote: 

About  this  time,  in  the  year  1869,  the  question  of  a  graduating  class  was 
mooted.  Father  Fulton  would  not  hear  of  it,  giving  as  his  reason  that  the 
body  was  too  weak  yet  to  sustain  the  head.  There  could  be  no  thought  of 
such  a  thing  until  all  the  lower  classes  were  strong  and  numerous  enough  to 
secure  an  unbroken  succession.  Eight  more  years  [were  to  pass]  by  before  the 
college  attained  her  majority.' 

It  was  not  until  1877,  when  Fulton  was  president,  that  the  College 
produced  its  first  graduates. 

The  Appointment  of  a  Successor 

Because  Father  Fulton  was  so  intimately  a  part  of  Boston  College,  one  can 
understand  the  surprise  felt  by  many  that  he  was  not  selected  as  rector 
when  Father  Bapst  announced  his  retirement  from  that  office  to  become 
Superior  of  the  New  York-Canada  Mission  in  August  of  1869.  Even  Father 
Bapst  was  surprised,  and  on  the  night  before  he  left  for  New  York  (that  is, 
August  23),  he  wrote  to  the  General  of  the  Society  in  Rome  to  report  that 
he  himself,  who  could  be  presumed  best  acquainted  with  the  situation  in 
Boston,  had  not  been  consulted  on  the  question  of  a  successor.  If  he  had 
been,  he  wrote,  he  would  have  suggested  Father  Fulton,  to  whom  in  a  large 
measure  the  success  of  the  College  up  to  that  time  had  been  due.^"  He 
wrote: 

Boston  College,  despite  serious  obstacles  in  the  way,  seems  now  to  enjoy  a 
success  beyond  all  expectations  and  to  hold  out  great  hopes  for  the  future. 
Moreover,  our  church,  as  all  admit,  has  dissipated  many  prejudices  among 
non-Catholics,  raised  the  religious  spirit  to  a  higher  level  and  already  brought 
not  a  few  into  the  bosom  of  the  Church.  To  whom  are  these  things  due?  In 
great  measure  to  Father  Fulton.  None  of  Ours  is  gifted  with  talents  of  a 


REV.  ROBERT  W.  BRADY,  S.J. 
Second  President 


Father  Brady  was  born  on  October  6,  1825, 
in  Hancock,  Maryland.  He  attended  St. 
John's  College  in  Frederick  City,  Maryland, 
at  a  time  when  Father  John  McElroy  headed 
it.  He  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus  on  Au- 
gust 31,  1844,  and,  before  ordination, 
taught  at  Holy  Cross  College.  After  ordina- 
tion he  was  assigned  to  St.  Mary's  Church 

in  the  North  End  of  Boston  and  became  superior  there.  In  February  1867  he  was 
named  president  of  Holy  Cross  College,  where  he  remained  until  he  was  ap- 
pointed president  of  Boston  College  on  August  27, 1869." 


higher  order.  None  enjoys  so  much  authority  among  the  leading  citizens  of 
the  town.  Our  most  outstanding  friends  desire  to  have  him  for  rector  of 
Boston  College,  and,  in  truth,  all  things  considered,  he  appears  to  be  the 
worthiest,  the  fittest  for  the  post.'^ 

From  this  it  should  not  be  concluded  that  the  priest  selected  to  be  second 
president  of  Boston  College,  Father  Robert  Wasson  Brady,  S.J.,  was  not 
eminently  suited  to  the  position.  He  was  a  man  of  outstanding  ability  and 
winning  personality,"  who  already  had  broad  executive  experience  and 
who  was  destined  to  fill  very  high  positions  in  the  government  of  the  Society 
of  Jesus. 


Father  Bapst  Leaves  Boston  College 

During  Father  Bapst's  farewell  address  to  the  congregation  of  the  Immacu- 
late Conception  Church  on  Sunday,  August  15,  1869,  he  took  occasion  to 
review  his  long  connection  with  the  church  and  the  College,  i"*  The  church, 
he  recalled,  was  burdened  with  a  debt  of  $156,000  when  he  assumed  the 
duties  of  pastor  some  six  years  before,  but  he  was  able  gradually  to  reduce 
this  to  $58,000.  He  thanked  the  congregation  and  friends  of  the  College 
for  making  this  possible  and  expressed  the  hope  that  their  efforts  would 
continue  to  be  as  effective  as  they  had  hitherto  been,  because  a  debt  of 


64        History  of  Boston  College 

$18,000  had  to  be  met  during  the  coming  year.  He  then  announced  that  an 
offer  of  a  gift  had  been  made  to  reduce  this  debt  by  $10,000  on  the 
condition  that  the  congregation  raise  a  Uke  amount.  The  offer  was  made 
by  the  family  of  one  of  his  fellow  Jesuits,  Father  Edward  Holker  Welch, 
who  was  an  assistant  parish  priest  at  the  Immaculate  Conception  Church. 
Father  Welch  was  a  Harvard  graduate  and  a  scion  of  a  wealthy  Boston 
family;  he  had  been  converted  to  the  Catholic  faith  with  his  classmate  and 
dearest  friend,  Joseph  Coolidge  Shaw,  who  also  became  a  priest  and 
Jesuit. ''"  The  social  prominence  of  the  donor  and  the  nature  of  the  appeal 
for  the  balance,  which  The  Pilot  urged  "as  the  last  call  he  [Father  Bapst] 
shall  ever  make  on  their  generosity,"!'^  sufficed  to  interest  Catholic  Boston 
in  the  cause. 

The  Pilot,  two  weeks  later,  made  public  a  proposal  to  raise  the  money 
before  Christmas  by  popular  subscription  and  to  present  the  check  to 
Father  Bapst,  together  with  a  testimonial  letter  and  a  list  of  the  donors,  on 
Christmas,  so  that  he  might  have  the  honor  and  consolation  of  personally 
paying  off  the  debt.''  This  tribute  was  to  take  the  place  of  a  parting  gift, 
which  Father  Bapst  had  steadfastly  refused.  Upon  Father  Fulton  fell  the 
onerous  duties  of  treasurer  and  promoter  of  the  drive,  and  he  undertook 
them  with  a  zest  which  showed  the  great  affection  in  which  he  held  his 
former  rector.  In  his  diary.  Father  Fulton  recorded  that  he  was  able  to 
collect  upwards  of  $11,000.^8 

Father  Bapst's  gratitude  for  this  heart-touching  "Christmas  present"  was 
expressed  in  the  letter  to  the  president  and  trustees  of  Boston  College 
which  accompanied  the  check  for  $20,000.  After  formally  remitting  the 


View  of  the  College  from  James  Street. 


The  Letter  of  the  Law        65 

money  and  offering  his  thanks  to  Fathers  Welch  and  Fuhon  and  to  all  who 
had  assisted,  he  observed  that  the  sum  would: 

. .  .  enable  you  to  meet  the  two  notes  which  become  due  this  year.  Moreover, 
the  enormous  debt,  which  six  years  ago  threatened  the  very  existence  of 
Boston  College,  is  now  reduced  to  thirty-eight  thousand  dollars;  which  leaves 
before  you  prospects  so  bright  as  to  exceed  all  expectations. 

He  closed  by  saying  that  he  was  particularly  consoled  to  find  the  names 
of  many  non-Catholics  on  the  Hst  of  contributors,  and  expressed  himself 
as  deeply  pleased  that  the  act  which  terminated  his  long  and  happy 
association  with  the  congregation  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  should  be 
connected  with  the  reduction  of  the  church  debt." 

The  opening  of  school  for  the  term  which  saw  Father  Brady  as  president 
brought  59  new  students  to  the  college  on  Harrison  Avenue,  making  a  total 
of  130.^« 


The  College  as  Beginners  Knew  It 

Some  impressions  of  Boston  College  as  it  appeared  in  1869-'  are  preserved 
in  the  "Reminiscences"  of  Patrick  H.  Callanan,  who  wrote: 

I  remember  well  the  old  college  building,  with  its  brick-paved  court-yard,  its 
wooden  fences  to  shut  out  all  view  of  the  church  on  the  one  side,  and  the 
greensward  towards  Newton  Street  on  the  other.  I  remember  the  high  brick 
wall  and  the  stone  steps,  and  the  iron  gate  that  shut  us  in  or  out,  as  the  case 
might  be,  from  Concord  Street.  We  old  fellows  remember  the  gymnasium, 
consisting  of  two  upright  posts  with  a  crosspiece  between,  from  which  hung 
one  pair  of  swinging  rings  and  a  trapeze.  In  addition  to  the  swinging  rings 
and  trapeze,  we  had  a  set  of  parallel  bars,  and  these  three  contrivances 
constituted  the  whole  college  gymnasium.  ...  It  is  a  pity  that  no  photographs 
of  the  original  college  buildings  were  ever  taken  or  preserved.  ...  on  the 
morning  ...  I  entered  college  I  was  escorted  ...  to  Father  Fulton's  door,  to 
be  assigned  to  .  .  .  classes.  I  came  direct  from  New  York  State  and  from  a 
very  small  town,  where  I  had  no  chance  for  schooling,  and  I  now  confess  that 
I  did  not  know  a  verb  from  a  noun.  Well,  Father  Fulton  took  our  names  and 
put  some  questions  to  us,  .  .  .  and  after  telling  me  that  I  was  to  go  into  some 
kind  of  a  grade  that  was  not  yet  established,  as  I  did  not  know  anything,  we 
marched  back  through  the  old  instruction  hall,  connecting  both  old  college 
buildings,  and  we  were  finally  landed  in  a  room  on  the  extreme  northeast 
corner.  I  was  distinctly  told  that  I  could  not  begin  to  study  Latin  that  year, 
and  perhaps  not  for  two  years,  for  which  I  was  not  sorry.-- 

It  is  interesting  to  learn  from  the  official  College  register  for  September 
13,  1869,  that  the  Callanan  boy  was  placed  in  the  lowest  form,  second 
rudiments  and  second  arithmetic,  where  he,  at  15,  would  share  benches 
with  lads  of  10  and  ll.-^  And  it  is  more  interesting  still  to  find  that  this 
boy  from  then  on  took  almost  every  prize  for  which  he  was  eligible  and  led 


66        History  of  Boston  College 

in  all  extracurricular  activities,  despite  his  initial  handicap.  In  afterlife  he 
became  the  first  Boston  College  graduate  to  be  named  a  pastor  in  any 
diocese.^" 


Time  was  running  out,  meanwhile,  on  Father  Brady's  brief  term  in  office. 
It  seems  probable,  as  Devitt  thought,-^  that  the  appointment  was,  in  its 
original  concept,  temporary — a  view  supported  by  an  enumeration  of  the 
subsequent  posts  held  by  Father  Brady.  In  any  case,  he  left  Boston  College 
on  August  2,  1870,  and  returned  to  St.  Mary's  Church,  Boston,  where,  as 
superior,  he  built  an  impressive  edifice  and  rectory.  In  1877  he  was 
appointed  Provincial  of  the  Maryland  Province  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  and 
in  1886  selected  for  the  high  honor  of  representing  his  province  at  an 
important  Jesuit  conference  in  Rome.-*"  He  was  succeeded  in  the  presidency 
of  Boston  College  by  a  man  who  was  destined  to  hold  that  office  for  a  total 
of  some  twelve  years. 


ENDNOTES 

1.  "Catalogue  of  the  Officers  and  Students  of  Boston  College  for  the  Academic  Year 
1868-9"  (Boston:  Alfred  Mudge  and  Son,  1869),  22  pp.  The  excerpts  which 
follow  in  the  text  were  taken  passim  from  this  publication. 

2.  Ibid.,  p.  4. 

3.  Ibid. 

4.  Ibid. 

5.  Ibid.,  p.  10. 

6.  Ibid.,  p.  n. 

7.  Ibid. 

8.  Fulton,  Diary,  under  date  1869. 

9.  J.  Buckley,  S.J.,  "Father  Robert  Fulton;  a  Sketch,"  Woodstock  Letters, 
25(1896):96-108. 

10.  Fulton,  Diary,  under  date  1869. 

11.  J.  Morgan,  S.J.,  "Father  Robert  Wasson  Brady,  S.J.;  a  Sketch,"  Woodstock 
Letters,  20(1891):250-255. 

12.  Bapst  to  Beckx,  August  23,  1869,  Jesuit  General  Archives  in  Rome,  Maryland, 
10(?)-I-48,  translated  from  the  Latin  and  quoted  by  Garraghan,  "Origins  of 
Boston  College,"  Thought,  17{1942):655. 

13.  Callanan,  "Reminiscences,"  The  Stylus,  12(1898):78,  describing  Father  Brady  as 
"much  beloved"  by  the  students. 

14.  The  Pilot  (August  28,  1869). 

15.  Woodstock  Letters,  26(1897):446. 

16.  The  Pilot  (August  28,  1869). 

17.  /fc;W.  (September  11,  1869). 

18.  Fulton,  Diary,  under  date  1869.  At  one  meeting  alone  (November  17,  1869), 
$3,200  was  subscribed  (Sunday  School  Diary,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives, 
s.v.  "Boston,"  Georgetown  University  Library). 

19.  The  letter  dated  New  York,  January  4,  1870,  was  published  in  The  Pilot  (January 
22,  1870). 


The  Letter  of  the  Law        67 

20.  Statistical  chart  on  faculty  and  students  at  Boston  College  prepared  for  the 
Provincial  in  1885,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University 
Library. 

21.  Callanan  gives  the  date  of  his  entrance  into  the  College  as  October  1870,  but  an 
examination  of  the  official  "College  Register"  shows  that  he  entered  September 
13,  1869. 

22.  Patrick  H.  Callanan,  "Reminiscences,"  The  Stylus,  12(1898):9-10;  19-21. 

23.  Official  College  Register,  under  date  1869.  BCA. 

24.  Callanan,  op.  cit.,  p.  1. 

25.  Devitt,  "The  History  of  the  Province,  XVI,  Boston  College,"  Woodstock  Letters, 
64(1935):406. 

26.  Morgan,  op.  cit.,  pp.  254-255. 


CHAPTER 


8 


Prefect  to  President 


During  the  summer  of  1870,  Father  Fulton  visited  St.  Louis.  After  his 
return,  on  August  2,  he  was  notified  of  his  appointment  as  vice  rector  and 
president  of  Boston  College.^  The  title  "vice  rector,"  the  same  as  that  held 
by  both  Father  Bapst  and  Father  Brady,  was  employed  instead  of  "rector" 
because  the  College  was  still  technically  "in  the  process  of  formation."  The 
heading  "Collegium  Bostoniense  Inchoatum"  occurred  in  the  official  Jesuit 
catalog  until  the  following  year  (1871-1872),  when,  for  the  first  time,  the 
simple  title  "Collegium  Bostoniense"  was  employed  and  Father  Fulton  was 
listed  as  "rector. "- 

The  elevation  of  Father  Fulton  to  this  post  of  distinction  did  not  occasion 
any  direct  mention  in  the  Catholic  press,  although  a  few  weeks  later  an 
editorial  urging  support  of  the  College  took  cognizance  of  the  change.  The 
editor  of  The  Pilot  wrote: 

The  proximate  opening  of  schools  prompts  us  to  say  something  of  the 
institution  which  will  soon  be  the  only  Catholic  college  in  our  diocese.^ 

.  .  .  That  the  College  has  done  well  is  proved  by  the  excellence  of  the  public 
exhibitions,  by  the  high  places  its  students  have  gained  on  going  to  other 
institutions,  and  by  the  constant — though  too  slow — increase  of  numbers. 

...  It  is  lawful  to  be  taught  by  the  enemy.  Only  see  what  exertions  all  the 
sects  expend  upon  their  institutions  of  learning.  Let  us  imitate  them,  and  aid 
in  making  our  College  a  famous  establishment.'' 


Prefect  to  President       69 

Father  Fulton's  part  in  making  "our  college  a  famous  establishment" 
was  an  enormous  amount  of  prosaic  hard  work.  Four  days  after  his 
appointment  to  the  presidency,  he  wrote  to  a  Jesuit  official,  in  connection 
with  a  plea  for  additional  help,  an  outline  of  his  own  duties: 

Father  Fulton's  duties  during  the  coming  year:  All  the  ordinary  duties  of 
Rector,  Procurator  and  Prefect  of  Schools;  to  supply  for  sick  teachers  and  for 
Father  Tuffer  until  he  comes;  to  teach  Rudiments  till  a  teacher  is  provided. 
Besides  confessions,  sick-calls,  and  ordinary  work  of  the  congregation — to 
preach  once  a  week  in  the  lower  chapel  and  to  say  that  Mass;  to  preach  at  10 
once  a  month  upstairs;  once  a  week  for  the  boys;  once  a  week  for  each  of 
two  sodalities;  and  the  Sunday  School,  &C  manage  all,  and  the  library,  which 
takes  much  time;  besides  extraordinary  preaching  in  the  month  of  May,  Lent, 
funeral  sermons,  &  other  business  not  to  be  enumerated.  That  is,  more  than 
the  work  which  Fathers  Brady  &  Fulton  did  last  year.  .  .  .^ 

A  duty  not  mentioned  above,  but  which  took  much  of  his  time,  was  that 
of  securing  money  to  meet  the  debts  of  the  College.  When  he  became 
president  the  debt  was  $35,000,  which  he  reduced  by  $11,000  his  first  year 
and  by  $10,000  in  1871."  He  refers  facetiously  to  his  ability  in  this 
direction  in  a  letter  to  the  Province  Procurator,  written  in  May  1871,  "I 
think  you  people  who  brag  so  much  about  being  business  men,  must 
confess  I  have  done  well;  for  every  copper  has  been  of  my  own  procuring, 
in  9  months,  with  extensive  improvements  going  on."^  The  "extensive 
improvements"  he  explains  elsewhere  as  "finishing  the  house  and  buying 
furniture  for  house  and  college."' 

During  Father  Fulton's  first  term  in  office  as  president  (August  2,  1870 
to  January  11,  1880),  many  innovations  were  introduced  which  directly  or 
indirectly  helped  the  young  institution  to  assume  a  position  of  influence  in 
the  Catholic  life  of  the  city.  Two  of  these  deserve  mention  in  some  detail: 
the  introduction  of  the  Foster  Cadets  and  the  enlargement  of  the  buildings 
and  opening  of  the  new  College  hall. 


With  Fife  and  Drum 

The  idea  of  having  military  drill  at  Boston  College  was  evidently  enter- 
tained by  the  authorities  at  least  as  early  as  Father  Brady's  administration 
(1869—1870),  because  in  the  catalog  of  that  year  the  following  notice 
appeared: 

The  State  authorities  having  granted  a  supply  of  arms,  a  drill  master  will  be 
appointed,  and  due  notice  will  be  given  as  to  the  style  of  the  uniform,  and 
the  time  by  which  it  must  be  procured.' 

But  it  was  not  until  October  1870  that  the  formation  of  a  military  company 
was  announced  by  Father  Fulton.  Instrumental  in  bringing  about  the 
introduction  of  this  training  was  Major  General  John  Gray  Foster,  U.S.A., 


70        History  of  Boston  College 


A  Foster  Cadet.  Note  the  B.C.  on 
the  cap. 


a  popular  hero  of  the  Mexican  and  Civil  wars  who  had  recendy  been 
converted  to  Catholicism  and  at  the  time  was  engaged  in  engineering  work 
in  Boston. ^°  In  honor  of  this  distinguished  soldier,  the  group  in  the  process 
of  formation  was  called  "The  Foster  Cadets." 

The  project  was  taken  up  enthusiastically  by  the  students  under  the 
direction  of  the  military  instructor,  Sergeant  Louis  E.  Duval,  a  regular  in 
the  United  States  Army  stationed  at  Fort  Warren  in  Boston  Harbor." 

In  the  beginning  all  of  the  boys  seemed  to  be  enthusiastic  at  the  innovation. 
We  had  no  gymnasium,  no  playground,  no  foot-ball  team,  no  opportunity, 
in  fact,  for  anything  in  the  line  of  athletics  except  an  occasional  base-ball 

game.^- 

Drill  was  compulsory  for  all  except  those  who  could  produce  a  request  for 
exemption  signed  by  a  physician.  As  time  went  by,  the  boys  began  to 
discover  that  drill  was  both  an  exacting  and  an  exhausting  exercise."  After 
considerable  discussion  among  the  students,  a  simple  and  inexpensive  Civil 
War  style  uniform  was  settled  upon,  and  the  school  catalog  of  1870—1871 
announced  that  "henceforth  it  will  be  of  obligation  to  procure  the  College 


Prefect  to  President       71 

uniform."'''  Father  Fulton  immediately  found  serious  trouble  in  enforcing 
the  rule,  and  it  soon  became  known  that  a  number  of  the  boys  in  the  higher 
classes  refused  to  comply. 

The  reasons  were  understandable.  First  of  all,  the  students  were  almost 
without  exception  from  families  that  were  not  financially  well  off;  in 
addition  to  this,  there  were  no  philosophy  classes  in  prospect;  consequently, 
they  would  have  to  terminate  their  course  or  transfer  to  another  college  at 
the  end  of  the  school  year  (in  rhetoric).  This  latter  situation  was  a  bitter 
disappointment  to  many  who  had  thought — with  or  without  encourage- 
ment from  the  College  authorities— that  when  sufficient  numbers  finally 
arrived  in  the  class  of  rhetoric,  philosophy  would  be  added  to  the  course 
the  following  year  in  order  that  they  might  obtain  their  degrees  from  Boston 
College. '' 

When  an  issue  was  made  of  uniforms,  large  numbers  simply  dropped 
out  of  school.  September  1871  presented  a  school  opening  that  was  a  sad 
spectacle.  The  entire  rhetoric  and  poetry  classes  failed  to  come  back  to  the 
College;  with  them  went  almost  all  the  members  of  the  class  of  first 
humanities.  The  movement  away  from  Boston  College  in  the  lower  classes 
was  described  as  "a  regular  stampede.""" 

Nonetheless,  Father  Fulton  persevered  in  his  determination  to  have  a 
uniformed  mihtary  company.  The  last  hour  of  the  school  session  on 
Tuesdays  and  Fridays  was  devoted,  as  usual,  to  drill,  but  this  season  saw  a 
new  drillmaster.  The  new  faculty  director  of  the  military  program,  Mr. 
John  J.  Murphy,  S.J.,  to  whom  the  future  growth  and  excellence  of  the 
Foster  Cadets  was  due,  arranged  to  have  one  of  the  most  famous  drillmas- 
ters  in  the  United  States,  Captain  George  Mullins  of  the  Montgomery  Light 
Guard  (Company  "I,"  9th  Regiment),  take  charge  of  the  Boston  College 
cadets.  This  rekindled  the  enthusiasm  of  the  student  body,  and  the  boys' 
interest  was  further  heightened  by  the  receipt  of  a  full  supply  of  guns,  belts, 
knapsacks,  and  bayonet  scabbards  which  had  been  sent  down  from  Spring- 
field through  the  kind  offices  of  the  governor  of  the  commonwealth.'^ 

The  young  lads  who  were  forced  by  circumstances  to  take  over  the 
various  official  posts  in  the  organization  did  their  part  so  well  and  the  rank 
and  file  became  so  skillful  in  the  role  of  soldiers  that  they  were  emboldened 
to  challenge  the  champion  school  of  the  City  of  Boston  to  a  prize  drill  in 
the  old  Boston  Theater.  The  challenge  was  refused  by  the  school  committee, 
but  the  interest  of  the  city  in  these  Catholic  cadets  had  been  aroused,  and 
the  boys'  own  self-confidence  had  been  established.  The  result  was  a  well- 
attended  and  brilliantly  executed  prize  drill  between  two  companies  form- 
ing the  Foster  Cadets  battalion.  This  took  place  in  the  College  hall  on  June 
15,  1872,  before  a  board  of  judges  consisting  of  General  P.  R.  Guiney  and 
Colonel  B.  F.  Finan.'** 

For  several  years  the  streets  in  the  vicinity  of  the  College  echoed  to  the 
music  of  fife  and  drum  as  the  cadets  marched  here  and  there  through  the 
section,  and  on  March  17,  1875,  the  Foster  Cadets  had  a  place  of  honor 


72        History  of  Boston  College 

among  some  900  parish  cadets  marching  in  the  St.  Patrick's  Day  parade.  In 
the  year  1876  Patrick  H.  Callanan,  a  student,  was  appointed  drillmaster — 
a  position  which  he  held  until  his  graduation  in  1877.  In  the  meantime, 
other  interests  occupied  the  attention  of  Father  Fulton,  with  the  result  that 
he  allowed  the  military  program  to  receive  less  and  less  emphasis,  until  it 
was  finally  discontinued,  i' 

A  Program  of  Enlargement 

During  the  period  which  witnessed  the  peace  jubilee  in  the  summer  of 
1872,  the  great  Boston  fire  the  following  November,  and  the  huge  loss  of 
hfe  in  the  wreck  of  the  Atlantic  in  the  spring  of  1873,  the  routine  events  at 
Boston  College  rarely  made  the  newspapers.  Nevertheless,  the  institution 
was  growing  slowly  and  sturdily,  and  the  need  was  already  felt  for  more 
room.  As  early  as  the  summer  of  1873,  a  proposal  was  voiced  to  extend 
the  buildings  and  provide  better  facilities  for  the  higher  studies.-"  The 
following  year  the  annual  exhibition  had  to  be  canceled  and  the  distribution 
of  premiums  made  privately,  because  the  program  of  alterations — already 
under  way — prevented  the  use  of  the  hall.-' 

The  College  authorities  were  able  to  announce  in  September  that  "the 
improvements  of  Boston  College  have  advanced  so  prosperously  that  there 
will  be  no  impediment  to  the  opening  of  school  at  the  usual  time."--  And 
when  the  registration  opened  that  fall,  150  boys  reported,  a  gain  of  25  over 
the  year  before,  as  if  to  demonstrate  the  need  for  the  expansion.^^  A  writer 
on  The  Pilot  estimated  that  "when  the  great  building  on  St.  [sic]  James 
Street  is  finished,  twice  the  number  can  be  accommodated."-" 

The  spectacular  part  of  the  alterations  consisted  in  moving  the  rear 
building  (the  college  proper)  back  to  the  sidewalk  on  James  Street.  To  the 
delight  of  onlookers  in  the  neighborhood,  the  large  brick  structure  was 
shored  up,  placed  on  rollers,  then  painstakingly  propelled  backward  by 
microscopic  degrees,  as  a  legion  of  workmen  twisted  a  legion  of  jacks  a 
quarter  of  a  turn  at  a  time  to  the  beat  of  a  drum.^^  Since  the  lower  chapel 
in  the  church  occupied  only  one-half  the  length  of  that  building  at  the  time, 
the  balance  of  the  area  was  employed  for  classrooms  during  the  moving  of 
the  building. 

In  February  1875  the  task  was  completed,  and  an  addition  on  the  church 
end  of  the  building  was  ready  for  the  painters.  Commenting  on  the 
alterations.  The  Pilot  noted  that  in  addition  to  two  assembly  halls.  Father 
Fulton  had  made  provision  for  a  gymnasium  in  the  basement  of  the  College 
and  for  two  rooms  nearby  as  quarters  for  a  society  which  he  had  long 
intended  to  form.  This  club  would  provide  worthy  leisure-time  occupation 
and  recreation  for  the  young  Catholic  workingmen  of  the  city,  who  would 
not  ordinarily  come  under  the  influence  of  the  College.^''  As  will  be  seen 
shortly,  the  organization  known  as  the  "Young  Men's  Catholic  Associa- 
tion" was  to  be  initiated  within  a  few  months. 


Prefect  to  President       73 

The  official  opening  of  the  renovated  building  took  place  on  March  30, 
1875,  and  the  new  College  hall — reconstructed  and  enlarged  to  become 
"one  of  the  most  commodious  as  well  as  the  most  tasteful  in  the  city"^^ — 
was  inaugurated  with  a  presentation  of  the  play  "Richeheu"  on  the  same 
date. 


Administrative  Matters 

A  printed  handbill  containing  the  following  "Rules  for  the  Students  of 
Boston  College"  was  issued  about  this  time: 

The  College  door  will  be  opened  by  the  Prefect  at  8  A.M.  On  entering  the 
Students  will  repair  immediately  to  the  cloakroom,  where  they  will  leave  their 
books,  overcoats,  etc.  in  the  charge  of  the  Janitor;  thence  directly  to  the 
gymnasium  where  they  are  to  remain  til  time  for  Mass. 

After  Mass,  each  Teacher  will  accompany  his  class  from  the  gymnasium  to 
the  classroom,  and  if  any  teacher  should  delay,  his  class  is  to  await  his  coming 
in  the  gymnasium. 

The  places  for  recreation  are  the  gymnasium  and  the  court  formed  by  the 
three  College  buildings.  All  the  rest  of  the  premises  will  be  "out  of  bounds," 
except  when  the  Prefect  gives  permission  to  walk  by  the  Church.  Members  of 
the  Debating  Society  may  be  allowed  by  the  Prefect  to  recreate  in  their  own 
room,  where  no  other  Students  shall  be  admitted. 

Playing  ball,  snow-balling,  pitching,  and  all  games  which  would  endanger 
the  windows,  are  altogether  forbidden. 

No  boisterous  conduct  is  allowed  in  the  corridors  or  classrooms  at  any 
time.  Even  in  the  gymnasium  and  during  recreation,  the  behavior  should  be 
decorous. 

Robert  Fulton,  President 
Boston  College,  Feb.  1,  1875^' 

The  school  was  now  completing  its  tenth  year  and  was  well  organized. 
In  his  diary,  Father  Fulton  looked  back  on  these  years  and  reflected  how 
difficult  they  had  been,  but  he  had  the  consolation  of  being  able  to  write: 

I  count  40  of  my  boys  who  have  entered  the  Novitiate  preparatory  to  entrance 
into  the  Jesuit  Order,  become  priests  or  gone  to  theological  seminaries.  Every 
year  the  number  of  scholars  has  increased  a  little.  I  have  at  this  moment 
158." 

The  administrative  work  of  the  teachers  had  been  lightened  by  the 
discontinuance  of  the  weekly  report  card  in  1872,^"  and  now  plans  were 
under  way  to  broaden  the  scope  of  the  College's  work  by  the  introduction 
of  an  English  major  course  in  addition  to  the  classics  course  already 
established.  This  movement  was  at  the  insistence  of  the  archbishop,  but  it 
did  not  reach  fruition  until  September  1878." 


74        History  of  Boston  College 


A  project  dear  to  Father  Fulton,  though  peripheral  to  Boston  College, 
was  the  organization  he  established  for  Catholic  young  men  of  Boston  for 
purposes  of  culture,  religious  development,  and  sociability.  It  was  named 
the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association.  The  College  was  generous  to  it  over 
the  years  in  giving  it  space  and  equipment.  In  time  it  took  on  the  role  of 
adult  education,  and  for  some  years  before  its  demise  at  about  the  time  of 
the  First  World  War,  it  had  become  an  influential  center  of  preparation  for 
civil  service  examinations.  For  nearly  half  a  century.  Father  Fulton's  YMCA, 
always  associated  in  the  public's  mind  with  Boston  College,  was  a  lively 
force  in  the  Catholic  life  of  Boston. 


First  Graduates 

In  1876  Father  Fulton  considered  the  College  finally  ready  for  a  senior 
class.  The  scholastic  year  1876-1877  was  the  first  to  offer  the  final  year  of 
philosophy  and,  consequently,  direct  preparation  for  a  degree.  To  the 
newly  created  professorship  of  logic,  metaphysics,  and  ethics  listed  in  the 
catalog  of  that  year  was  appointed  one  whose  name  was  familiar  as  being 


t^im  fuiki^e 


COMMENCEMENT     WEEK. 

TliiTcL   JUveitiiig.   Juilk  .-Jti. 
"Wifclunf     6  \hibiiian 


STUDENTS 


Musio. 
DEBATE. 

Ihr    hi-sl    fnriil    of  go 


Muaic. 

GRADUATION. 

MuaLc. 

Valeaiotcr.y 

AWARD    or    PRIZES. 


One  of  the  programs  for  the 
first  graduation,  in  1877. 


Prefect  to  President       75 

on  the  original  staff  which  opened  the  college:  Peter  Paul  Fitzpatrick,  S.J., 
returning  now  as  a  priest  to  the  scene  of  his  labors  as  a  scholastic.^^ 

By  June  of  1877,  nine  young  men  were  ready  for  graduation:  John  F. 
Broderick,  Patrick  H.  Callanan,  Daniel  J.  Collins,  John  M.  Donovan,  John 
W.  Galligan,  Michael  Glennon,  Stephen  J.  Hart,  William  G.  McDonald, 
and  William  J.  Millerick.  Of  this  group,  Hart,  the  valedictorian  of  his  class, 
died  within  a  few  months  of  graduation.  McDonald  and  Glennon  became 
physicians,  and  all  the  rest  became  priests  of  the  Archdiocese  of  Boston. 
On  the  occasion  of  the  exhibition  of  the  year  before,  Archbishop  Williams 
commenced  a  custom  of  having  the  archbishop  present  the  premiums. 
Commencement  day,  June  28,  1877,  was  to  have  still  another  distinction: 
the  presence  of  the  governor  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts, 
Alexander  H.  Rice,  whose  friendly  interest  in  Boston  College  dated  back 
to  Father  McElroy's  purchase  of  the  Harrison  Avenue  land  in  1857. 

Commencement  week  began  auspiciously  on  June  26  with  an  exhibition 
in  science  by  students  of  the  graduating  class,  culminating  in  a  demonstra- 
tion of  "the  transmission  of  speech  and  music  by  Bell's  telephone.""  The 
audience  on  this  evening  was  disappointing  in  size,  but  the  performance  of 
the  boys  elicited  from  one  distinguished  guest.  Father  Robert  Brady,  S.J., 
Provincial  of  the  Jesuits  and  former  president  of  Boston  College,  the 
comment  that  they  were  "better  than  any  he  had  seen"  in  his  visits  to  the 
various  Jesuit  colleges  on  the  Atlantic  coast.^''  On  the  following  night,  a 
much  larger  audience  witnessed  a  Latin  Play,  "Philedonus,"  and  acclaimed 
it  "a  prodigious  success. "^^  Father  Fulton's  dry  commentary  was:  "The 
boys  were  quite  intelligible — no  mistake  in  prosody."^*" 

Next  morning.  Father  Fulton  set  out  for  Worcester  to  attend  the  Holy 
Cross  exhibition  and  to  meet  Governor  Rice  with  whom  he  arranged  final 
details  for  that  evening  in  Boston.  With  the  governor's  assurance  that  he 
would  definitely  be  present  for  the  graduation  ceremonies.  Father  Fulton 
hurried  back  to  Boston  to  make  sure  that  everything  was  in  readiness  for 
the  great  occasion.  He  found  the  stage  and  hall  beautifully  decorated  with 
plants,  festoons  of  flowers,  and  alabaster  vases  filled  with  roses. 

As  the  guests  began  to  arrive,  he  was  pleased  to  observe  that  at  least  one 
third  of  the  priests  of  the  diocese  were  present.  The  hall  filled  rapidly  and 
the  governor  arrived  toward  the  close  of  the  "Literary  Exhibition"  which 
preceded  the  graduation  ceremonies.  His  Excellency  made  a  speech,  which 
was  followed  by  a  formal  reading  of  the  College  charter,  then  the  valedic- 
tory,^^ and  finally  the  awarding  of  degrees  and  awards.  That  night  Father 
Fulton  could  write  in  his  private  journal  after  a  description  of  the  first 
graduation,  "Three  glorious  days!"^* 

The  Boy  from  Lowell 

Toward  the  close  of  Father  Fulton's  first  term  of  office,  he  was  visited  one 
day  by  a  delicate-looking  lad  from  Lowell  who  wished  to  enter  Boston 


76        History  of  Boston  College 

College  as  a  transfer  student  from  St.  Charles'  College  in  Maryland.  The 
lad's  ambition  was  to  enter  poetry,  second  from  the  highest  class  in  the 
college  at  the  time  and  approximating  what  is  now  freshman  year.  Father 
Fulton  brought  the  newcomer  into  an  inner  room  where,  in  the  boy's 
words,  he: 

.  .  .  took  down  some  Latin  books  from  a  shelf — Ovid,  Virgil,  and  Cicero. 
One  after  the  other  he  handed  them  to  me.  He  asked  me  to  open  anywhere 
and  read.  I  did  so  from  each  of  them  and  then  translated  and  then  construed. 

He  asked  me  various  questions,  not  to  embarrass  me,  but  to  try  my 
intelligence,  I  think,  more  than  my  memory.  ...  we  came  to  Greek.  I  read 
some  Anabasis  and  some  Homer.  .  .  .  After  that,  more  as  a  conversation  than 
critically,  he  took  me  over  a  fairly  large  field  of  history,  and  physics.  .  .  . 

After  a  full  forty  minutes  of  this,  he  stood  up  and  putting  on  his  biretta 
turned  to  me  and  said,  "I  will  show  you  to  the  class-room.  The  school  is  in 
session  and  I  will  present  you  to  your  professor."  I  followed  him  through  the 
long  corridors,  and  presently  he  halted  before  one  of  the  doors  marked  with 
the  name  of  the  class. 

He  knocked  and  instantly  entered.  I  followed.  At  the  desk  was  a  chubby- 
faced  little  man  with  glasses,  who  impressed  me  at  once  as  learned  and 
gentle.  He  was  my  new  professor — Father  Boursaud. 

The  large  room  was  filled  with  a  splendid  lot  of  young  fellows,  who  all 
rose  as  the  Rector  entered.  "I  have  come  to  bring  you  a  new  student,"  he 
said.  ".  .  .  What  is  your  name  again?"  he  said  to  me.  I  told  him.  "William, 
let  me  introduce  you  to  the  class  of  Poetry,  and  boys,"  he  continued,  looking 
over  the  room,  "if  you  don't  work  hard  he  will  take  all  the  honors."^' 

That  day  was  February  3,  1879,  and  William  Henry  O'Connell,  a  future 
archbishop  and  cardinal,  was  to  equal  and  better  the  prophecy  Father 
Fulton  made  concerning  him. 

A  glimpse  of  the  class  routine  at  the  time  is  given  in  one  of  William 
O'Connell's  letters,  written  in  1880,  during  his  last  year  at  the  College: 

I  am  happy  to  tell  you  that  I  am  going  on  with  my  study  of  philosophy  at 
Boston  College  with  considerable  success.  The  professor  is  Father  Russo.  It 
seems  that  he  and  Father  Mazzella,  now  in  Rome,  were  both  great  admirers 
and  students  of  Aquinas,  and  now  that  Leo  XIII  has  commanded  that  the 
principles  of  Saint  Thomas  must  be  the  text  in  all  colleges.  Father  Russo  has 
become  something  of  a  celebrity  here.  .  .  . 

Certainly  Father  Russo  is  a  stern  teacher.  He  never  speaks  a  word  to  a  soul 
except  as  he  speaks  to  all  in  class.  He  sits  at  the  rostrum  looking  like  some 
great  medieval  scholar — great  black  eyes,  a  lean  sallow  face,  and  a  look 
which  turns  you  into  stone  if  you  don't  happen  to  know  your  lesson. 

The  lectures  are  in  Latin.  We  follow  him  well  enough,  but  when  we  are 
asked  to  recite,  it  is  funny  if  it  were  not  so  tragic.  As  until  now  we  have  read 
plenty  of  Latin  and  spoken  none,  it  is  a  fearful  thing  to  hear  the  way  cases 
and  tenses  are  jumbled.  But  he  is  very  patient  about  it.  He  never,  never  deigns 
to  smile,  but  somehow  I  catch  in  his  great  liquid  eyes  a  look  of  amusement 
which  he  strives  hard  to  conceal. 


Prefect  to  President       77 


r|a^t«  €oll«fle  pull. 


C03ytM:E3srCEM[EITT      -UVEEK;. 


'^xliiHtian  of  ^etaiiljpits  ami  %\\\m 


BV  STIDEXTS  OF  TUK  tiUABlATlSii  tX.VSS. 


Sescr.d  Evening,  June  26th,  1879. 


m 


A  display  of  seniors'  philosophi- 
cal prowess  was  part  of  the  com- 
mencement week  exercises. 


...  I  wish  he  would  give  us  a  short  talk  every  day  in  English  on  the  general 
bearing  of  the  matter  in  hand,  and  then  go  on  in  Latin.  I  can  see  that  the 
Latin  terminology  is  more  exact,  but  as  yet  it  does  not  reach  me  intimately 
enough.  After  all,  we  are  only  beginning.'"' 

The  following  June,  William  O'Connell  closed  a  brilliant  college  career 
by  receiving  from  the  hands  of  Governor  Long  the  first  gold  medal  in 
philosophy,  the  first  silver  medal  in  physics,  and  the  second  medal  in 
chemistry.  That  summer  he  was  selected  by  Archbishop  Williams  to  study 
for  the  priesthood  in  Rome."^ 


Father  Fulton  Leaves  Office 

Father  Fulton's  term  in  office  should,  according  to  Jesuit  custom,  have  been 
three  years  in  duration,  renewable  for  an  additional  three  years  at  the 
discretion  of  the  General  of  the  Order  in  Rome.  The  fact  that  the  year  1879 
saw  him  still  in  office  was  at  once  very  extraordinary  and  very  complimen- 
tary. According  to  entries  in  his  diary,"^  Father  Fulton  himself  had  peti- 
tioned his  superiors  in  this  country  and  in  Rome  on  several  occasions  to  be 
reheved  of  his  duties,  but  without  results.  The  school  year  1879-1880 


78        History  of  Boston  College 

opened  with  the  largest  enrollment  in  the  school's  history,  24 8, "^  a  consid- 
eration which  Father  Fulton  found  gratifying.  But  the  uncertainty  with 
which  he  was  obliged  to  regard  the  coming  year  because  he  was  "overdue" 
in  office  diminished  his  enthusiasm  considerably.  The  fall  of  1879  witnessed 
more  appeals  directed  to  the  Provincial  from  his  pen,  but  the  only  reply  he 
received  was  that  the  Provincial  could  not  afford  to  move  him  just  then; 
when  a  change  could  be  made,  he  (Father  Fulton)  would  receive  a  few 
weeks  advance  notice.  With  this  he  had  to  be  content,  and  he  carried  on 
until  Friday  afternoon,  January  9,  1880,  when  he  received  a  letter  from  the 
Provincial  announcing  that  he  was  being  succeeded  by  Father  Jeremiah 
O'Connor,  S.J.,  an  assistant  parish  priest  connected  with  the  Immaculate 
Conception  Church.  The  change  would  be  effective  in  two  days  time 
(January  11),  and  for  the  present  (here  Father  Fulton  must  have  gasped) 
Father  Fulton  would  remain  at  Boston  College  as  prefect  of  schools  and 
"general  assistant"  to  Father  O'Connor.  His  astonishment  at  this  directive 
may  be  understood  when  one  reflects  that  the  Jesuit  custom,  almost 
invariably,  has  always  been  to  transfer  an  individual  when  his  superiorship 
is  terminated  to  another  house  of  the  Society.  The  wisdom  and  charity  of 
such  a  practice  is  obvious,  but  if  it  needed  demonstration,  it  would  be 
found  abundantly  in  this  case.  As  it  happened.  Father  Fulton  liked  and 
admired  Father  O'Connor  very  much,  and  he  was  able  to  write  frankly,  "I 
think  Fr.  O'Connor  is  doing  first  rate  .  .  .""■*  and  ".  .  .  he  has  made  a 
splendid  beginning.  . .  ."'•^  Nonetheless,  he  was  soon  obliged  to  confess  that 
it  was  hard  to  see  his  pet  projects  abandoned  and  his  decisions  reversed. 

Recognition  of  Achievement 

On  May  13,  1880,  Father  Fulton  was  reheved  of  his  duties  at  Boston  and 
assigned  to  St.  Lawrence's  Church  (now  St.  Ignatius  Loyola)  in  New  York 
City.  Before  he  left,  several  banquets  and  gatherings  of  the  citizens  of 
Boston  gave  testimony  of  the  high  regard  in  which  he  was  held  by  Catholics 
and  non-Catholics  alike.  The  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association  tendered 
him  a  reception  in  the  College  hall  on  February  5,  1880,  in  anticipation  of 
his  impending  change,  at  which  John  Boyle  O'Reilly  read  an  original  poem 
dedicated  as  a  farewell  to  Father  Fulton  entitled,  "The  Empty  Niche." 
Governor  John  D.  Long,  Mayor  Frederick  O.  Prince,  and  other  distin- 
guished speakers  added  their  tributes.'**  On  this  occasion  the  Young  Men's 
Cathohc  Association  presented  $500  to  Boston  College  with  which  to 
found  the  Fulton  Medal,"*^  and  a  bust  of  Father  Fulton  by  Martin  Millmore 
was  exhibited. 

John  Boyle  O'Reilly,  a  close  personal  friend  of  Father  Fulton,  wrote 
editorially  in  The  Pilot: 

The  removal  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Fulton,  S.J.,  President  of  Boston  College, 
and  Rector  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  Church,  creates  no  common 
feeling  of  sorrow  among  Boston  Catholics.  Father  Fulton  has  grown  to  be  a 


Prefect  to  President       79 


riSi'' 


The  first  Boston  College  catalog  appeared  for  the  1 868-1 869 
academic  year.  The  title  page  carried  an  emblem  representing 
the  apostolic  mission  of  the  Church  and  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus:  a  hand  presettting  a  cross.  It  was  a  generic  emblem,  not 
a  seal  of  the  College. 


The  1882—1883  catalog  had  an  early  version  of  a  Boston 
College  seal:  the  traditional  badge  of  the  Society  of  Jesus 
encircled  with  the  name  of  the  College  and  the  date  of  found- 
ing. The  letters  IHS  surmounted  by  a  cross,  with  three  nails 
below  and  surrounded  by  flames,  is  a  familiar  shield  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus.  This  seal  was  used  for  32  years. 


In  1914  (the  first  year  at  Chestnut  Hill)  a  more  distinctive 
seal  appeared.  The  arms  of  old  Boston,  England  (St.  Bo- 
tolph's  Town)  contained  three  crowns.  Two  similar  crowns 
adorn  the  new  shield,  but  the  third  is  replaced  by  the  badge  of 
the  Society  of  Jesus.  Below  is  the  "trimount"  (from  Tremont, 
the  early  name  of  Boston),  which  is  also  on  the  arms  of  the 
archdiocese.  On  an  open  book  in  the  center  are  the  Greek 
words  aisv  dpiCTTSUEiv  (ever  to  excel).  This  seal  appeared  in 
each  annual  catalog  until  1 934. 


The  seal  in  the  1 934  catalog  (still  used)  was  identical  with 
that  since  1914  except  for  the  addition  at  the  base  of  the 
shield  of  a  scroll  with  the  words  Religioni  et  Bonis  Artibus. 
Bonis  Artibus  has  been  interpreted  by  some  to  mean  fine  arts, 
but  that  is  a  poor  translation  and  a  too  narrow  statement  of 
the  University's  mission.  Others  interpret  Bonis  Artibus  as 
liberal  arts  because  that  was  the  original  curriculum  of  the 
College.  Still  others,  among  them  Father  Francis  Sweeney, 
argue  suasively  from  the  basic  meaning  of  the  Latin  word 
bonis  and  from  the  commission  of  the  University's  charter  to 
promote  virtue,  piety,  and  learning  that  Bonis  Artibus  means 
those  studies  and  activities  that  promote  the  good  (ethical) 
life. 


80        History  of  Boston  College 


feature  of  Boston  Catholicity.  His  name  and  his  person  were  everywhere 
respected  and  beloved.  The  remarkable  influence  he  possessed,  as  a  spiritual 
guide  and  as  a  friend,  is  rarely  equalled.  Under  his  wise  and  temperate 
direction,  Boston  College  has  grown  into  splendid  promise,  and  the  influence 
of  his  Order  has  become  respected  throughout  the  city  and  state.  He  is 
necessarily  a  large  figure,  socially  and  intellectually.  It  seems  strange  that 
such  a  man  should  ever  be  removed  from  a  position  so  well  controlled.  But 
the  system  of  his  great  Order  is  greater  than  the  personality  of  its  members. 
.  .  .  Wherever  he  may  go,  Father  Fulton  carries  with  him  the  love  and  respect 
of  Boston;  and  whatever  may  be  his  future,  we  say  that  he  has  built  himself 
into  our  wall,  we  shall  claim  our  share  of  his  honors;  and  in  his  own  heart 
we  believe  he  must  ever  feel  that  he  belongs  particularly  to  Boston."** 


During  his  10  years  as  president,  Father  Fulton  continued  to  function  as 
prefect  of  studies  (dean),  an  office  he  held  for  16  years.  Thus  he  was  the 
most  influential  figure  in  shaping  the  academic  character  of  the  early 
College.  Fortunately  he  was  to  return  as  president  in  the  next  decade,  the 
only  Jesuit  to  hold  that  office  twice. 


ENDNOTES 


10. 


11. 
12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 

16. 

17. 


(His  visit  to  St.  Louis:)  Fulton,  Diary,  under  date  1870.  (His  appointment  was 
vice  rector:)  Catalogus  Provinciae  Marylandiae,  S.J.,  ineunte  anno  1871. 
Catalogus  Provinciae  Marylandiae,  S.}.,  ineunte  anno  1871;  and  ibid.,  ineunte 
anno  1872. 

".  .  .  soon  the  only  Catholic  college  in  the  diocese"  referred  to  the  creation  of  the 
new  diocese  of  Springfield  (Mass.),  effected  by  a  decree  dated  June  7,  1870, 
which  removed  Worcester  and  consequently  Holy  Cross  College  from  the  juris- 
diction of  the  bishop  of  Boston.  Cf.  Sadlier's  Catholic  Almanac,  1871. 
The  Pilot  (August  27,  1870). 

Fulton  to  Lancaster  (August  6,  1870),  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  under 
"Boston,"  Georgetown  University  Library. 
Fulton,  Diary,  under  date  1870  and  1871. 

Fulton  to  Lancaster,  May  8,  1871,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  under 
"Boston,"  Georgetown  University  Library. 
Fulton,  Diary,  under  date  1870—71. 

Catalogue  of  the  Officers  and  Students  of  Boston  College  for  the  Academic  Year 
1869-70,  p.  11. 

Cf.  articles  on  Foster  by  William  A.  Robinson  in  The  Dictionary  of  American 
Biography,  6:549-550;  and  by  Thomas  F.  Meehan  in  The  Catholic  Encyclope- 
dia, 6:155-156. 

Callanan,  "Reminiscences,"  The  Stylus  ll(October  1897):387. 
Ibid. 

Ibid.,  p.  389. 

Catalogue  .  .  .  of  Boston  College,  1870-1871,  p.  10. 

This  feeling  of  resentment  is  noticeable  in  several  of  the  letters  published  in  the 
Callanan  reminiscences — e.g.,  Pazolt,  Pfau,  etc. 
Callanan,  "Reminiscences,"  The  Stylus,  11(1897):520. 
Boston  Daily  Globe  (May  17,  1872);  Callanan,  "Reminiscences."  p.  522. 


Prefect  to  President        8 1 

18.  Another  exhibition  drill  was  held  on  June  25,  1873,  in  the  College  hall  before 
Generals  Burrill  and  Guiney  and  Major  Murphy  of  the  Ninth  Regiment,  who 
acted  as  judges.  Cf.  Callanan,  "Reminiscences,"  The  Stylus,  12(1898):274. 

19.  Callanan,  "Reminiscences,"  12  (1898):278-279. 

20.  "Catholic  Education  in  Boston,"  The  Pilot  (August  30,  1873). 

21.  Ibid.  {]une  27,  1S74). 

22.  Ibid.  (September  5,  1874). 

23.  Ibid.  (September  19,  1874). 

24.  Ibid.  (November  14,  1874). 

25.  Calendar,  Immaculate  Conception  Church,  February  1943,  p.  17. 

26.  The  Pilot  (February  13,  1875). 

27.  Ibid.  (April  10,  1875). 

28.  Handbill  in  the  Callanan  collection,  BCA.  Some  rules  omitted. 

29.  Fulton,  Diary,  under  date  1875. 

30.  Noted  in  a  fragmentary  "Diary  of  the  College"  (1866-1885),  Maryland  Provin- 
cial S.J.  Archives,  under  "Boston,"  Georgetown  University  Library. 

31.  Catalogue  .  .  .  of  Boston  College  .  .  .  1877-78,  p.  3. 

32.  Catalogue  1876-77,  p.  12. 

33.  Ibid.,  p.  27. 

34.  Fulton,  Diary,  under  date  June  26,  1877.  Georgetown  University  Archives. 

35.  Ibid.,  June  27,  1877. 

36.  Ibid. 

37.  This  first  valedictory  address  is  transcribed  completely  in  Callanan,  "Reminis- 
cences," The  Stylus,  13(March  1899):166-171. 

38.  Fulton,  Diary,  under  date  June  28,  1877. 

39.  Letter  of  W.  H.  O'Connell  to  "Carl,"  dated  Boston,  March  3,  1879,  from  The 
Letters  of  His  Eminence  William  Cardinal  O'Connell,  Archbishop  of  Boston 
(Cambridge:  The  Riverside  Press,  1915),  Vol.  1,  pp.  34-35. 

40.  O'Connell,  Letters,  Vol.  1,  pp.  37-40.  Letter  to  "Oliver,"  dated  Lowell,  Mass., 
November  20,  1880. 

41.  Cf.  letter  of  W.  H.  O'Connell  to  "Henry,"  dated  Lowell,  Mass.,  August  15, 
1881,  in  O'Connell,  Letters,  pp.  41-46. 

42.  The  material  which  follows  was  drawn  from  the  manuscript  "Diary  of  Father 
Yukon,"  passim,  1879-1880. 

43.  "Faculty  and  Students  at  Boston  College,"  a  manuscript  chart  of  statistics 
evidently  compiled  in  1885.  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  under  "Boston," 
Georgetown  University  Library. 

44.  Fulton,  Diary,  March  22,  1880. 

45.  Ibid.,  March  25,  1880. 

46.  Joseph  H.  Farren,  "The  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association  of  Boston,"  The  Pilot 
(March  8,  1930),  in  which  the  entire  poem  is  printed. 

47.  Fulton,  Diary,  February  5,  1880. 

48.  The  Pilot  (January  24,  1880). 


CHAPTER 


The  College  in  the  1880s 


Father  O'Connor's  term  in  the  presidency  of  Boston  College  passed 
smoothly,  efficiently,  and  almost  uneventfully.  It  was  not  a  period  of 
growth  in  the  number  of  students,  which  remained  just  under  250,  but  two 
institutions  very  prominent  now  in  the  students'  life  trace  their  origins  to 
Father  O'Connor's  regime:  The  Stylus  and  the  Athletic  Association. 

The  Stylus 

The  Boston  College  magazine,  The  Stylus,  was  founded  in  January  1883  in 
response  to  a  student  petition,'  chiefly  by  members  of  the  class  of  1884. 
Father  Thomas  J.  Stack,  S.J.,  was  the  first  faculty  moderator  of  the  paper.^ 
The  format  of  the  magazine  during  its  first  decade  differed  considerably 
from  that  adopted  later.  The  original  page  size  was  10  by  12  inches,  and 
there  were  about  twelve  pages  to  an  issue,  exclusive  of  the  tan  coated  paper 
cover.  The  reading  matter  was  presented  in  two  columns  to  a  page,  and 
evidently  financial  considerations  prevented  the  use  of  any  illustrations. 
The  usual  offerings  in  fiction  and  poetry  occupied  the  first  five  pages, 
followed  by  editorials,  news  items  ("Domi"  column),  exchanges,  alumni, 
and  notices  concerning  the  various  school  societies.  Advertising,  generally 
in  the  form  of  "business  cards,"  occupied  the  final  three  pages. 

82 


REV.  JEREMIAH  O'CONNOR,  S.J. 
Fourth  President 


Father  O'Connor  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ire- 
land, on  April  10,  1841,  and  was  brought  to 
America  as  a  young  boy.  He  attended  pub- 
lic grammar  and  high  schools  in  Philadel- 
phia and  was  a  student  at  St.  Joseph's  Col- 
lege in  the  same  city.  He  entered  the 
Society  of  Jesus  on  July  30,  1860.  Ordained 
in  1874,  he  was  assigned  to  Boston  College 

as  a  teacher  of  rhetoric  in  1876.  Two  years  later  he  took  up  parochial  duties  at  the 
College's  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  and  became  a  distinguished 
pulpit  figure.  In  his  autobiography,  George  Santayana  recalled  his  visits  to  the 
Jesuit  church  and  commented  on  Father  O'Connor's  pulpit  eloquence.  As  men- 
tioned in  the  previous  chapter,  Father  O'Connor  assumed  the  presidency  in  1880. 


The  first  number  of  the  new  magazine  was  distinguished  by  the  appear- 
ance of  a  "christening  song"  written  especially  for  The  Stylus  by  Father 
Abram  J.  Ryan,  the  priest-poet  of  the  South.  Incidentally,  in  what  is  now 
the  O'Neill  room  of  Bapst  Library,  Father  Ryan  is  commemorated  in  a 
stained  glass  window  along  with  such  other  American  poets  as  Bryant, 
Whittier,  and  Longfellow. 

Less  than  two  years  after  its  inception,  The  Stylus  could  boast  of  a 
circulation  of  600  copies,^  which  appears  remarkably  good  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  the  student  enrollment  for  that  year  was  only  263.  Nevertheless, 
the  editor,  erroneously  estimating  the  alumni  and  former  students  at  1500 
in  number,  felt  that  these  friends  could  easily  double  that  circulation  if  they 
would." 

As  it  was,  the  paper  enjoyed  popularity  with  the  students,  and  was 
termed  by  the  professional  press  "unquestionably  one  of  the  best  college 
papers  published."^  Moreover,  it  succeeded,  through  the  ability  of  its 
managing  editors,  in  establishing  itself  on  a  firm  financial  footing.  When 
the  alterations  on  the  building  in  which  it  had  offices  were  begun  in  the 
spring  of  1889,  however.  The  Stylus  found  itself  without  quarters,  and  it 
was  forced  temporarily  to  suspend  publication.  For  over  four  and  a  half 


84        History  of  Boston  College 

years,  nothing  was  done  to  restore  it,  until  in  December  1893  the  class  of 
1894,  under  the  faculty  directorship  of  Father  Timothy  Brosnahan,  S.J., 
finally  brought  it  once  more  into  being.''  Since  that  time,  although  it  has 
come  on  thin  days  more  than  once,  it  has  never  suffered  another  interrup- 
tion in  publication. 


-^0SJP0_^^ 


/iOSrOAT  COLLEGH,  JANVAUT, 


THE  STTLVS, 


TrmiuloDx  «U1I  wtth  ifHT  truth  >ubHin«. 
i'hnt  cratrn«  r  midnight  to  brlv-tttvit  at)  ll 
With  t>u^  tiKtit  of  «>c  wonitruiis  Blrth,- 
(  come — l>i>t »  towly  flud  h«mbl«  ihlnjt. 


T<\\  me  »«ir  .tort 

-.ii.ij  i>t 

r  vour  M-i.ii 

o^rifThv-  Jilor' 

ic»„ri'j 

'I'r.'i'm. 

Uhcn  tti?  TrtK  t* 

.l,J-.„J 

Ilic  KiiW  1 

wTalVrl'm" 

:;:r 

:,..... „ 

„..,_.....„ 

::::-::r:::: 

„„:,, 

■:::''! 

ro  »f 7/0.1/  /r  ,i/,j  r  coxcerx. 


\Vh>'  KhfHtld  Itustun  Cullcfcc  bff  l>cttind?  AU  the  lending 
ImtiUiHuitK  <>f  Icmritini;  in  the  laixl  arc  lUditng  un  cditoria) 
efl'ott ;  tbtit  !&  L)uri>.  Wc  are  Mi^ttiiiir  uf  Micceak.  Our«  U  the 
motto  of  the  Alpiiic  lad.  "EkvImwI"  Yet  we  arc  ibcx- 
ptTtciKWtJ  Klitors,  niwl  sliou'd  "  ftomclxMly  liluntk-r."  in  tt  not 
"•  liiimati  tw  err,  dh'mo  to  (bt^ive?  "* 


To  a  csKuul  tilHflmcr  of  Iiuman  nature*  {t  t. 
pvdr  •ttaxy^  that  ihc  man  whoM;  laborK  air  cmtftned  to  tbr 
di>in»tii  oftlKKightniKl  itAt'xptVMi'Kl,  ahottldbc  lorq^tr  retncm- 
hfucd  than  he  who  Ikw  ac«oniptit<hcfl  fiw  the  world  ♦«««;  great 
work  of  harjd;  thiit  fame  should  6»\-or  htm  who  writcf.  well 
rnttit-r  than  him  w>h>  <)oeft  wcH ;  that  often  tht-  tittle  ^ttxv^-arah 
ciiu  ti.'H  v<iu  Hk-  HUtht>r  of  "  Diivi<1  CoppcrlicM.*'  while  the 
immt-  of"  iIh"  iiivciHur  of  the  cottuu-Hin,  H  ac  uokuo^vo  to  him 
iM  thf  f..umk-(  uf  the  Ctiati  dyoaktv;  that  even-  word-weuvcr 
in  ;i  in;i(,'.-o!im'.  mav  hj-jx-  fiir  hi^  »liatf  of  rtMxmru  while  ll»e 
mKtU  uoiker  ;tl  the  i.,..ni.  v»  [k.^.-  weavinj.  <(,-<■>  .rnw  <:— 1.  ix-r- 
hup-*,  i)a>*M-'<  rtvviiy  inicarcil  fiM  jiii.l  ittikttouu.      Vol.  Hiis  !«.  tin,- 


f  the 


■  (h.- 


.ts  uf  lt..^t,.(.  CmIUt;. 
le.lM  tit  lhv-iu-v..Kv-  I 


F;Vs?  page  of  the  first  issue  o/'The  Stylus. 


REUNION    OF    THE 


<2]a,'),)  *  tj  4  )Pc<>tyji 


The  College  in  the  1 880s        85 


Programme 


BOSTON     COLLEGE. 
WEDMESDAY,    JUKE    21,    1882. 


mi 


The  "reunion"  announced  on  the 
cover  of  the  program  is  not  a  get-to- 
gether of  graduates.  It  was  an  aca- 
demic exhibition  by  undergraduates, 
in  this  case  the  equivalent  of  freshmen 
with  two  years  to  go  before  graduat- 
ing in  the  class  of  1 884. 


Athletics  Come  of  Age 

The  second  institution  established  during  Father  O'Connor's  presidency 
was  the  Athletic  Association.^  Until  this  time,  athletics  had  not  enjoyed  any 
official  notice,  nor  were  teams  organized  in  any  sport  except  on  a  game-to- 
game  basis. ^  This  situation  was  explained  by  the  lack  of  facilities  in  the 
early  days  of  the  College,  by  the  fact  that  Boston  College  was  for  day 


86        History  of  Boston  College 

scholars,  and — until  the  mid-1 870s — by  the  fact  that  the  upper  academic 
years  of  college,  from  which  the  boys  old  enough  for  intercollegiate 
competition  would  be  drawn,  had  not  been  established.  In  his  "Reminis- 
cences," Father  Callanan  recounts  some  of  the  attempts  at  forming  baseball 
teams  in  the  period  from  1870  to  1877.'  The  problem  of  a  playing  field 
was  solved  at  various  times  by  the  "fair  grounds"  (a  field  opposite  the 
buildings  on  Harrison  Avenue)  and  by  various  fields  in  the  suburbs  at 
"picnic  distance"  from  the  College.  But  there  was  never  an  organized  effort 
to  train  teams  and  to  provide  facilities  for  games  until  shortly  after  the 
opening  of  school  in  the  fall  of  1883.  The  Stylus  reported: 

The  enthusiasm  of  some  of  the  students  on  the  subject  of  athletics  has  at  last 
found  practical  expression  in  the  formation  of  the  Boston  College  Athletic 
Club.  Towards  the  end  of  October,  a  committee  consisting  of  Messrs.  T.  W. 
Coakley,  '84,  J.  P.  McGuigan  and  T.  J.  Hurley,  '85,  and  one  or  two  others, 
waited  upon  the  President,  and  obtained  his  sanction  to  the  organization  of 
an  athletic  club.  The  first  step  being  thus  successful,  the  same  committee 
called  a  meeting  of  those  interested  in  the  question;  and,  after  the  usual  and 
necessary  preliminaries,  the  association  was  formed.  The  membership  is 
already  very  large;  and  the  energy  shown  at  the  meetings  thus  far,  augurs 
well  for  the  future.  So  that,  with  proper  management  on  the  part  of  the 
officers,  we  think  great  things  may  now  be  expected.  i° 

Mr.  D.  Leo  Brand,  S.J.,  was  appointed  the  first  faculty  moderator,  and 
at  the  "semiannual  meeting"  of  the  association,  evidently  held  sometime  in 
February  1884,  officers  were  elected."  In  announcing  the  formation  of  the 
Athletic  Association,  the  catalog  for  1883-1884  stated,  "Its  object  is  to 
encourage  the  practice  of  manly  sports,  and  to  promote  by  these  the  esprit 
de  corps  of  the  College  Students,  who  are  its  members. "^-  The  first  contests 
played  under  the  auspices  of  the  new  association  were  baseball  games, 
which  were  reported  by  The  Stylus: 

The  baseball  team  has  been  reinforced  by  many  efficient  players.  Under 
Manager  Hopwood,  it  is  prepared  to  do  some  good  work  in  the  field.  Already 
it  has  defeated  the  South  Boston  Athletic  Club  14—3,  the  Roxbury's  15—5, 
the  Adams  Academy  nine  21—12,  and  though  defeated  by  the  Lynns,  it  owes 
its  defeat  not  to  the  superior  playing  of  its  adversaries,  but  to  the  superior 
friendship  of  the  Umpire  to  that  nine.  Our  greatest  victory  has  been  the 
defeat  of  the  X.Q.Z.  Club  of  Lowell,  by  a  score  of  8  to  0.  This  club  is  one  of 
the  strongest  in  the  state,  and  the  vanquisher  of  the  Lynns." 

"The  First  Annual  Spring  Games,"  a  field  day  of  track  events,  was  also 
scheduled  by  the  association  for  late  in  May  1884." 

Father  Boursaud 

Father  O'Connor's  term  in  office  came  to  a  close  on  July  31,  1884.  He  was 
succeeded  by  a  former  professor  of  poetry  and  rhetoric  at  the  College,  the 
Reverend  Edward  Victor  Boursaud,  S.J.  When  classes  reconvened  in  Sep- 


REV.  EDWARD  V.  BOURSAUD,  S.J. 
Fifth  President 


Father  Boursaud  was  born  in  New  York  of 
French  parents  on  September  1,  1840.  Dur- 
ing his  youth  his  family  returned  to  France, 
and  there  he  received  part  of  his  education. 
On  his  return  to  America  he  attended 
Mount  Saint  Mary's  College,  Emmetsburg, 
Maryland,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1863.  He  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus  on 
August  14,  1863.  After  ordination  he  was  sent  to  Boston  College  for  two  years  as 
a  teacher  of  poetry  and  rhetoric.  He  served  in  Rome  as  secretary  to  the  assistant 
from  England  on  the  Jesuit  General's  staff  for  four  years,  and  then  was  recalled 
to  Boston  to  become  president  of  Boston  College  on  July  31, 1884." 


tember,  the  new  president  was  greeted  warmly  by  the  students.  The  man 
they  saw  before  them  was  a  mild-mannered,  kindly  scholar,  an  accom- 
plished linguist,  and  one  who,  although  only  44  years  old  at  the  time,  had 
already  been  entrusted  with  a  post  of  great  confidence  in  the  government 
of  the  Society  of  Jesus. 

One  of  the  first  tasks  he  set  for  himself  on  assuming  office  was  to 
remodel  the  basement  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  Church,  much  used 
by  the  students  of  the  College  as  the  chapel.  The  area  was  deepened  three 
feet,  lengthened,  and  completely  redecorated  with  most  pleasing  results."^ 

He  was  remembered  by  those  who  knew  him  in  Boston  as  devoted  to  the 
poor  and  to  workers.  A  strike  of  streetcar  employees  occurred  during  his 
term  as  president  of  Boston  College,  and  Father  Boursaud  manifested  his 
sympathy  with  the  cause  of  labor  by  avoiding  the  streetcars  and  riding  in 
the  strikers'  barges.'^  He  was  extremely  popular  with  the  students,"  but  his 
influence  beyond  the  College  walls  was  not  as  wide  as  that  of  Father 
Fulton.i' 

During  the  years  of  Father  Boursaud's  administration,  attendance  rose 
slowly  but  steadily.  The  year  before  he  took  office  there  were  250  students 
registered;  two  years  later  he  had  brought  the  number  to  297,  an  increase 
just  under  19  percent.-" 


88        History  of  Boston  College 

In  the  catalog  issued  at  the  end  of  Father  Boursaud's  first  year  as 
president,  mention  is  made  for  the  first  time  of  the  master  of  arts  degree 
and  of  the  conditions  under  which  it  was  to  be  granted:  "For  the  .  .  .  degree 
of  A.M.,  it  will  be  required  that  the  applicant  shall  have  continued  his 
studies  in  College  for  one  year,  or  studied,  or  practiced  a  learned  profession 
for  two  years. "^'  The  degree  was  not,  however,  conferred  on  anyone  by 
Father  Boursaud,  and  later  was  granted  only  seven  times  in  the  history  of 
the  College  prior  to  1913.^^ 

The  Alumni  Organize 

In  the  meantime,  a  need  was  felt  among  the  alumni  for  an  organization  to 
bring  their  numbers  together.  An  editorial  writer  in  The  Stylus  as  early  as 
March  of  1884  had  written: 

We  feel  that  if  these  Alumni  would  organize,  it  would  materially  aid  us  by 
making  the  college  more  widely  known  and  esteemed,  and  by  infusing  a 
lively  and  kindlier  interest  among  the  older  students  for  us  of  the  present.  It 
would  also  be  the  means  of  bringing  about  those  pleasant  annual  reunions 
which  do  so  much  to  cement  friendships  begun  in  early  life,  and  reflect  lustre 
upon  the  college  which  was  their  other  home.  Such  a  step,  we  believe,  would 
not  be  at  this  moment  premature,  and  certainly  is  not  impracticable.^^ 

The  appeal  brought  some  response,  but  due  to  the  unwillingness  of  any 
individual  to  come  forward  at  this  time  as  organizer,  the  project  was 
postponed  indefinitely.-"*  Doctor  Eugene  A.  McCarthy  ('84)  recalled  that 
when  he  and  some  other  graduates  at  a  later  period  approached  Father 
Boursaud  to  obtain  his  approval  of  an  alumni  association,  they  found  the 
rector  rather  skeptical  that  enough  alumni  would  be  interested  in  organiz- 
ing such  a  body  to  make  it  worthwhile.  Young  McCarthy  and  his  friends 
withdrew  undiscouraged  and  proceeded  to  sound  out  alumni  opinion  by 
mail.  When,  some  months  later,  indisputable  proof  of  the  graduates' 
willingness  to  support  such  a  venture  was  gathered,  it  was  brought  to 
Father  Boursaud,  and  he  at  once  gave  the  undertaking  his  approval.^^ 

There  were  only  136  living  alumni  of  Boston  College,-*  but  a  large 
number  of  these  met  in  the  spring  of  1886  and  agreed  to  form  an 
association.  It  was  arranged  to  have  the  first  reunion  and  banquet  at 
Young's  Hotel  on  June  28,  1886.  The  success  of  this  initial  gathering 
encouraged  the  new  organization  to  make  the  function  an  annual  affair.'^ 
The  first  president  of  the  alumni  association  was  Edward  A.  McLaughlin, 
and  the  first  "first  vice  president"  was  the  Reverend  Thomas  I.  Coghlan 
('78).^8 

Changes  of  Command 

On  August  5,  1887,  Father  Boursaud  terminated  his  period  in  office  and 
was  succeeded  in  the  presidency  of  Boston  College  by  the  Reverend  Thomas 


REV.  THOMAS  H.  STACK,  S.J. 
Sixth  President 


Father  Stack  was  born  on  July  3,  1845,  near 
Union,  Virginia  (now  West  Virginia).  He 
attended  the  Virginia  Military  Institute  at 
Lexington,  but  his  classes  were  interrupted 
by  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War.  He  en- 
listed in  the  army  of  the  Confederacy  and 
served  for  four  years.  After  the  war  he  at- 
tended Georgetown  College  and  on  Sep- 
tember 1,  1868,  he  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus.  He  was  ordained  in  1881.  He 
taught  physics  at  Holy  Cross  and  Georgetown  and  during  three  separate  assign- 
ments at  Boston  College. 


H.  Stack,  S.J.,  remembered  as  the  founder  of  The  Stylus  and,  at  this  time, 
a  popular  professor  of  physics  and  chemistry. 

The  news  of  his  appointment  as  president  of  the  College  in  the  summer 
of  1887  was  greeted  with  joy  by  the  students  who  knew  him,  but  their 
pleasure  was  short-lived.  Father  Stack  was  stricken  with  a  fatal  fever  on 
August  22,  only  17  days  after  his  appointment,  and  on  August  30  he  died.^' 

Because  of  the  suddenness  of  this  loss,  there  was  not  time  before  the 
beginning  of  school  to  go  through  the  lengthy  formalities  usually  connected 
with  the  selection  of  a  new  president;  therefore,  a  vice  rector  was  appointed 
to  carry  on  temporarily  the  administration  of  the  College.  Father  Nicholas 
Russo,  S.J.,  a  professor  of  philosophy  at  the  College  of  whom  mention  has 
been  made  previously,  thus  became  vice  rector  and  seventh  president  of 
Boston  College.^" 


The  Return  of  Father  Fulton 

Father  Russo's  term  of  office  was  brief  and  uneventful.  On  July  4,  1888, 
less  than  a  year  after  taking  over  the  presidency,  he  was  relieved  by  Father 
Fulton,  who  returned  after  an  interim  spent  in  filling  positions  of  great 
trust  in  the  government  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  Since  leaving  Boston,  Father 


^^ 

J^J 

REV.  NICHOLAS  RUSSO,  S.J. 

Seventh  President 

MBm^ 

Father  Russo  was  born  on  April  24,  1845,  at 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B 

Ascoli  in  Italy.  His  father,  a  physician,  envi- 

^H^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B 

sioned  a  medical  career  for  his  son,  but 

^I^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Hi 

young  Nicholas  hoped  to  become  a  Jesuit. 

'^^H^^^^^^^HHH^^'' ' 

Fearing  his  parents  would  block  his  plans. 

^^'WlPPHIi^^^^ 

in  August  1862  he  ran  away  from  home  and 

in  France  applied  for  admission  to  the  So- 

ciety  of  Jesus.  The  Fathers  of  the  Society 
could  not  receive  him  under  these  conditions,  but  parental  consent  was  finally 
obtained  and  he  became  a  Jesuit  novice.  His  early  Jesuit  studies  were  made  in 
France,  but  in  1875  he  was  sent  to  the  United  States  for  theological  training. 
Ordained  in  1877,  he  became  a  teacher  of  philosophy  at  Boston  College.  He  was 
the  first  faculty  member  to  publish  a  book;  three  scholarly  works  on  philosophy 
and  religion  were  published  during  the  years  1885  to  1890. ^^ 


Fulton  had  been  successively  rector  of  St.  Lawrence's  Church  (now  St. 
Ignatius  Loyola  Church)  in  New  York,  rector  of  Gonzaga  College  in 
Washington,  D.C.,  and  then  Provincial  of  the  New  York— Maryland  Prov- 
ince of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  While  in  this  latter  post,  he  was  summoned  to 
Europe  to  participate  in  a  general  congregation  of  his  order,  and  in  1886 
he  was  sent  by  the  Jesuit  General  to  Ireland  as  Visitor  (Inspector  General) 
to  the  Irish  Province  of  the  Society.^- 

For  several  years  prior  to  Father  Fulton's  second  sojurn  in  Boston,  the 
question  of  adequate  room  for  the  growing  College  had  been  much 
discussed.  There  were  two  considerations  which  now  urged  immediate 
action  upon  Father  Fulton.  First  was  the  insistent  demand  of  the  archbishop 
of  Boston  that  an  independent  "high  school"  be  formed  to  take  the  place 
of  part  of  the  seven-year  European  plan  which  was  then  in  force,  in  order 
to  cope  with  the  rising  popularity  of  the  public  high  schools  and  to  provide 
a  terminal  course  for  those  students  who  did  not  wish  to  continue  beyond 
the  first  four  years.  The  second  reason,  also  put  forward  by  the  archbishop, 
was  the  need  for  a  well-designed  and  independent  four-year  commercial 
course." 


The  College  in  the  1880s        91 

Neither  of  the  suggested  changes  was  entirely  new  to  the  College.  The 
four  years  of  high  school,  or  a  close  equivalent,  had  been  offered  under 
another  name  for  years;  the  fact,  however,  that  they  were  not  administra- 
tionally  distinct  from  the  college  years  was  now  considered  a  disadvantage. 
A  commercial  course  of  a  kind  had  been  offered  previously,  but  it  had  been 
an  insignificant  branch  of  the  regular  school— perhaps  considered  a  refuge 
for  the  less  capable  in  the  standard  arts  course.  The  numbers  following  the 
commercial  subjects  certainly  were  never  very  large.  The  reasons  given  to 
the  archbishop  for  not  acceding  to  his  request  at  once  centered  on  lack  of 
classroom  and  office  space. ^'' 

To  these  arguments  for  a  new  building,  which  were  drawn  from  the 
needs  of  the  school  itself,  may  be  added  another  extrinsic  reason  very  close 
to  the  heart  of  Father  Fulton:  the  pressing  need  for  enlarged  quarters  for 
the  Young  Men's  Cathohc  Association. 

In  the  light  of  all  these  considerations,  therefore.  Father  Fulton  placed 
the  enlargement  of  the  school  building  first  on  his  agenda  upon  taking 
office.  Fortunately  for  this  cause,  he  had  a  large  number  of  friends  who 
were  willing  to  undertake  the  management  of  a  drive  to  obtain  funds;  in 


■.^ 


^.    M.    E).    Gr. 


-H'gtudents'  -t-  Qpand  -t-  Goncert,^-^ 


BOSTON     COLLEGE, 
COliUEGE      HAUU, 

■1388. 


Or-anist,  WALTER  J.  Kl'GLER, 

Accompanist,  JOHN  RANDOLPH. 


Music  had  a  prominent  role  in 
student  life. 


92        History  of  Boston  College 

addition  to  this,  he  made  appeals  to  the  congregation  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception  Church  and  enlisted  the  enthusiastic  aid  of  the  Young  Men's 
Cathohc  Association.  When  ordinary  means  threatened  to  be  inadequate, 
he  had  resort,  against  the  advice  of  some,  to  a  "fair,"  to  bring  the  amount 
up  to  the  desired  $125,000.^^ 

Further  Expansion 

The  fund-raising  was  successful,  and  work  began  on  the  James  Street 
building  in  the  spring  of  1889. ^^  The  plan  was  to  extend  the  building  in  the 
direction  of  Newton  Street  at  one  end  and  in  the  direction  of  Concord 
Street  at  the  other.  Roughly,  this  would  increase  the  frontage  on  James 
Street  from  about  150  feet  to  some  250  feet. 

The  work  was  held  up  considerably  by  strikes  among  the  workmen  in 
May  1889,  and  the  alterations  were  consequently  not  completed  until  the 
spring  of  the  following  year.'^  In  addition  to  the  changes  made  in  the  main 
school  building,  the  opportunity  was  taken  to  enlarge  the  connecting 
passageway  from  the  priests'  house  on  Harrison  Avenue  to  the  College 
building  on  James  Street.  This  part  was  enlarged  to  twice  its  width^*  to 
provide  additional  living  quarters  for  the  faculty,  more  library  room,  and  a 
faculty  dining  room. 

Not  everyone  was  enthusiastic  in  appraising  these  alterations.  Father 
Devitt,  who  succeeded  Father  Fulton  in  the  presidency  of  the  College, 
wrote: 

The  result  [of  the  alterations]  in  the  connecting  building  at  least,  was  a 
combination  of  structural  mistakes:  dark  corridors;  extravagantly  large  and 
inconvenient  dwelling-rooms;  a  library  in  separate  sections;  and  a  dining  hall 
in  the  cellar.^' 

According  to  Father  Devitt,  the  basic  cause  of  all  these  defects  was  the 
decision  to  place  the  designing  and  construction  of  the  new  additions  in  the 
hands  of  one  of  the  lay  brothers  of  the  community  rather  than  in  the  care 
of  a  professional  architect.''° 

Academic  Separation  of  the  Secondary  School 
and  the  College 

The  enlarged  building  facilities,  however,  were  but  one  contribution  which 
Father  Fulton  made  to  a  growing  Boston  College  during  his  second  term  in 
office.  Another  change,  no  less  important,  was  the  introduction  of  an 
English  "high  school,"  which  has  already  been  mentioned  in  passing  and 
which  was  begun  in  September  1889  at  the  request  of  the  archbishop.  This 
is  the  first  mention  of  the  term  "high  school"  used  officially  in  connection 
with  this  institution,  and  in  the  beginning  it  was  employed  exclusively  to 
designate  the  four-year  English  or  commercial  course,  as  distinct  from  the 
seven-year  classical  course  which  led  to  the  A.B.  degree. 


The  College  in  the  1 880s        93 

The  English  course  Archbishop  WilUams  had  requested  was  begun  in 
September  1879/^  This  was  a  four-year  course  at  high  school  level, 
emphasizing  English,  bookkeeping,  and  various  branches  of  mathematics. 
Father  Fulton  backed  the  new  course,  but  one  may  conclude  that  the  school 
administration  was  somewhat  ill  at  ease  in  placing  the  English  course  in  the 
catalog  next  to  the  favored  classical  program,  since  every  catalog  from 
1879  to  1900  made  the  point  that  the  English  course  was  the  archbishop's 
idea.  The  1879  catalog  spoke  of  the  "earnest  solicitation"  of  the  archbishop 
for  the  course,  and  the  next  20  annual  catalogs  said  the  new  course  was 
established  at  the  "special  instance"  of  the  archbishop.  The  high  hopes  of 
the  archbishop,  who  spoke  of  a  possible  enrollment  of  over  600  in  the 
English  course"*-  were  never  realized.  The  highest  enrollment  in  the  course 
was  31  in  1891''^  and  five  years  later  the  course  had  become  a  branch  of 
the  preparatory  division."'' 

In  the  meantime,  the  terminology  describing  the  classes  of  the  classical 
course  had  gone  through  an  evolution.  Until  the  publication  of  the  1894- 
1895  catalog,  the  description  of  courses  and  textbooks  was  simply  headed, 
"Course  of  Studies  in  the  Classical  Department."  In  1894-1895  a  division 
was  made  in  hsting  the  classes  for  the  coming  year  (1895—1896)  and  the 
following  were  termed  "Preparatory  Classes":  rudiments  (second  division 
and  first  division),  third  class  of  grammar,  and  second  class  of  grammar."^ 

Another  step  in  the  direction  of  separating  the  secondary  school  and  the 
college  classes  was  taken  in  the  catalog  for  1896—1897,  when  the  phrase 
"preparatory  school"  was  used  in  describing  the  lower  classes  for  the  school 
year  1897-1898.''''  In  September  1898  the  distinction  between  the  College 
and  the  preparatory  school  was  further  emphasized  by  the  introduction  of 
separate  entrances  to  the  building  for  the  two  divisions."^  In  this  connec- 
tion, it  must  be  noted  that  both  classical  and  English  classes  were  embraced 
in  the  category  of  "preparatory  school."  This  point  is  important  in  answer- 
ing the  question:  "When  was  Boston  College  High  School  begun?"  As  may 
now  be  seen,  some  distinctions  are  necessary  in  making  a  reply  to  that 
question. 

If  by  "high  school"  is  meant  the  early  classes  in  the  course,  then  the  high 
school  existed  from  September  1864  on.  If  the  question  is  intended  to  ask 
when  the  term  "high  school"  was  first  used  in  connection  with  the  lower 
classes  at  Boston  College,  another  distinction  must  be  made:  The  term 
"high  school"  was  used  off  and  on  in  a  vague  sense  in  connection  with  the 
English  course  from  September  1889  on;  in  the  strict  sense  of  indicating 
all  the  preparatory  classes,  classical  and  English,  it  was  not  employed  until 
1903.''« 

Father  Fulton's  Farewell 

In  the  meantime,  the  task  of  gathering  the  money  necessary  for  the  new 
building  operations  and  the  worries  and  criticism  attending  the  construc- 
tion itself  were  taking  their  toll  on  the  already  fragile  health  of  Father 


94        History  of  Boston  College 

Fulton.  He  had  the  gratification  of  witnessing  a  marked  increase  of  students 
entering  the  College  in  September  1890,  which  brought  the  enrollment  to 
a  new  high  of  Sli/'  He  mapped  out  plans  for  the  current  year  and  set 
them  in  motion,  but  found  the  severe  rheumatic  complaint  from  which  he 
suffered  growing  worse  as  time  went  on.  Samples  of  his  handwriting  during 
this  period  give  eloquent  testimony  of  the  heroic  efforts  he  was  obliged  to 
make  even  to  write  the  briefest  note.  Despite  this  handicap,  he  had 
composed  and  preached  the  eulogy  at  the  funeral  of  John  Boyle  O'Reilly  in 
August^"  and  had  been  celebrant  at  a  Solemn  Mass  of  Requiem  for  the  poet 
attended  by  all  the  students  of  the  College  in  the  latter  part  of  September.^ ' 

On  the  evening  of  October  15,  1890,  a  date  which  marked  the  fifteenth 
anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association  of 
Boston  College,  the  new  wing  of  the  building  to  be  devoted  to  the 
association  was  formally  opened.  Archbishop  Williams,  former  Mayor 
P.  A.  Collins,  and  Father  Fulton  were  the  speakers  on  the  occasion.^^  This 
function,  which  was  the  crowning  of  his  long  labors  in  behalf  of  that 
organization,  was  to  be  the  last  he  ever  attended  in  Boston.  The  following 
morning  he  left  the  city  for  Hot  Springs,  Arkansas,  in  quest  of  his  health.^^ 

When  no  improvement  in  Father  Fulton's  condition  was  evident  by  mid- 
winter, the  Provincial  decided  to  appoint  a  vice  rector  to  assume  manage- 
ment of  the  College.  He  chose  for  the  post  a  professor  of  philosophy  at 
Holy  Cross  College  in  Worcester,  Father  Edward  J.  Devitt,  S.J.  This  priest 
recorded  in  his  diary  under  date  of  January  8,  1891,  that  the  Provincial 
(Father  Campbell),  while  making  his  yearly  visitation  at  Holy  Cross,  had 
spoken  to  him  of  going  to  Boston  as  vice  rector.  He  respectfully  protested 
against  the  idea,  but  on  the  following  day  he  learned  that  his  objections  had 
been  overruled  and  that  he  was  to  go  to  Boston  that  very  afternoon.  The 
appointment  came  as  a  complete  surprise  to  his  fellow  Jesuits,  "no  one 
having  any  inkling  of  it  either  at  Worcester  or  Boston."^'' 

It  is  a  commentary  on  the  College's  position  and  influence  in  the  eyes  of 
non-Catholic  Boston  that  the  change  of  presidents  received  no  mention  at 
all  in  the  columns  of  the  Boston  Daily  Advertiser  and  merited  only  41 
words  at  the  bottom  of  page  6  in  the  Boston  Evening  Transcript  three  days 
after  the  appointment."  Father  Devitt's  temporary  status  of  vice  rector  was 
changed  to  that  of  full  rector  and  president  of  the  College  by  the  Jesuit 
General,  Father  Anderledy,  on  September  3,  1891." 


Not  only  because  of  his  long  service  as  leader  of  Boston  College,  but 
because  of  his  personality  and  intellectual  force.  Father  Fulton  was  the 
most  influential  Jesuit  in  Boston  cultural  circles  in  the  19th  century.  His 
passing  from  the  Boston  scene  definitely  marked  the  end  of  an  era. 

ENDNOTES 

1.     The  Boston  Globe  (?)  (April  1895).  Clipping  in  Georgetown  University  Archives 
(Lamson  Collection). 


The  College  in  the  1 880s        95 


2.  The  Stylus,  6(October  1887):11. 

3.  Ibid.,  3  (November  18  84):  6. 

4.  Ibid.  Actually,  there  were  about  125  living  alumni  at  the  time.  Cf.  Boston 
College  Catalogue,  1884-1885. 

5.  The  Pilot  (February  16,  1884). 

6.  The  Boston  Globe  (?)  (April  1895).  Clipping  in  Georgetown  University  Archives 
(Lamson  Collection). 

7.  A  history  of  athletics  at  Boston  College  written  by  Nathaniel  J.  Hasenfus  of  the 
class  of  1922  was  pubhshed  by  the  author  in  1943. 

8.  Cf.  The  Stylus,  2(September  1883):5.  Letter  referring  to  Holy  Cross  game,  spring 
1883. 

9.  Callanan,  "Reminiscences,"  The  Stylus,  13(March  1899):155-157;  and  Henry 
C.  Towle,  "Pioneer  Days,"  The  Stylus,  ll(June  1897):333. 

10.  The  Stylus,  2(December  1883):18. 

11.  Ibid.,  2(March  1884):43;  and  Boston  College  Catalogue  for  1883-1884,  p.  30. 

12.  Boston  College  Catalogue  for  1883-1884,  p.  30. 

13.  The  Stylus,  2(May  1884):53. 

14.  Ibid.,  2(May  1884):55. 

15.  The  Messenger  (New  York),  37(May  1902):577-579;  and  Woodstock  Letters, 
31(1902):277. 

16.  The  Stylus,  4(December  1885):14-15. 

17.  The  Pilot  (?)  (c.  March  18,  1902);  clipping  in  Georgetown  University  Archives, 
Lamson  Collection. 

18.  Ibid. 

19.  Devitt,  "History  of  the  Province;  XVI.  Boston  College,"  Woodstock  Letters, 
64(1935):409. 

20.  "Number  of  Students  in  Our  Colleges  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,"  Wood- 
stock Letters,  13(1884):425;  and  15(1886):352. 

21.  Catalogue  of  Boston  College  for  1884-1885,  p.  6. 

22.  According  to  the  Boston  College  Alumni  Directory  for  June  1924,  the  following 
seven  persons  received  the  M.A.  degree  prior  to  1913:  1877,  Edward  A.  Mc- 
LaughUn;  1878,  James  Herrmann;  1879,  John  F.  Cummins;  1890,  Michael  A. 
Carroll;  1892,  Henry  V.  Cunningham;  1904,  Manuel  de  Moreira;  and  1910, 
William  F.  Kenney. 

23.  The  Stylus  2(March  1884):37. 

24.  Ibid.,  2(May  1884):56. 

25.  From  a  verbal  statement  of  Doctor  McCarthy  to  Father  John  W.  Ryan,  S.J.,  July 
9,  1944. 

26.  The  Boston  College  Catalogue,  1885-1886,  Appendix. 

27.  The  Stylus,  4(July  1886):75. 

28.  The  Boston  Daily  Globe  Qune  29,  1886). 

29.  Halloran,  op.  cit.,  pp.  1-3;  Woodstock  Letters,  16(1887):317-319;  Catalogus 
Provinciae  Marylandiae  S.J.,  passim;  Catalogus  Provinciae  Marylandiae—Neo 
Eboracensis,  1881,  et  ff.,  passim. 

30.  Anon.,  "Father  Nicholas  Russo,"  Woodstock  Letters,  31(1902):281-285. 

31.  Father  Russo's  works  were: 

(1)  Summa  Philosophica  juxta  Scholasticorum  Principia,  complectens  Logi- 
cam  et  Metaphysicam  (Bostoniae:  Apud  Thomas  B.  Noonan  et  Socium, 
1885). 

(2)  The  True  Religion  and  Its  Dogmas  (Boston:  Thomas  B.  Noonan  &:  Co., 
1886). 

(3)  De  Philosophia  Morale  Praelectiones  (Neo-Eborace:  Benziger  Fratres, 
1890). 


96        History  of  Boston  College 

32.  Catalogus  Provinciae  Marylandiae—Neo  Eboracensis,  passim.  Also,  "Father  Rob- 
ert Fulton;  a  Sketch,"  Woodstock  Letters  25,  (1896):109-110. 

33.  "Historia  Collegii  Bostoniensis,  pro  anno  1889."  Manuscript  report  in  Latin 
written  for  the  Jesuit  General  and  Provincial,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives, 
under  "Litterae  Annuae — Collegium  Bostoniense."  Georgetown  University  Li- 
brary. 

34.  Ibid. 

35.  Ibid,  and  Woodstock  Letters,  18(1889):114. 

36.  Anon.,  "Boston  College,  Its  History  and  Influence,"  Donahoe's  Magazine, 
29(January  1893):68. 

37.  Ibid. 

38.  Woodstock  Letters,  18(1889):256. 

39.  Edward  I.  Devitt,  S.J.,  "History  of  the  Maryland— New  York  Province;  XVI. 
Boston  College,"  Woodstock  Letters,  64(1935):410. 

40.  Devitt,  "History  of  the  Maryland— New  York  Province  .  .  . ,"  manuscript,  with 
material  omitted  in  the  published  version,  Georgetown  University  Archives.  MS., 
p.  21. 

41.  E.g.,  The  Boston  College  Catalogue,  1881-82,  pp.  3  and  12. 

42.  The  Pilot  (October  25,  1890). 

43.  English  enrollment.  Catalogue,  1891-1892,  pp.  15-24. 

44.  Catalogue,  1896-1897. 

45.  Ibid.,  1894-1895,  pp.  21-25. 

46.  Ibid.,  1S96-1897,  p.  31. 

47.  The  Stylus,  12{1898):441. 

48.  First  official  use  of  the  term  "high  school"  in  describing  the  entire  preparatory 
division  occurred  in  the  Catalogue,  1903-1904,  p.  34,  in  a  statement  outhning 
admission  requirements  in  the  college  department.  Up  to  that  time,  the  phrase 
"preparatory  school"  had  been  used. 

49.  "Number  of  Students  in  our  Colleges  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  October 
1,  1890,"  Woodstock  Letters,  19{1890):441. 

50.  The  Pilot  (August  16,  1890). 

51.  Ibid.  (September  27,  1890). 

52.  Ibid.  {Oaoher  25,  IS90). 

53.  Ibid. 

54.  Manuscript  Diary  of  Fr.  Edward  I.  Devitt,  S.J.,  preserved  at  Georgetown  Univer- 
sity Archives. 

55.  Boston  Evening  Transcript  (January  12,  1891). 

56.  Anderledy  to  Devitt,  September  3,  1891,  Georgetown  University  Archives,  Devitt 
papers. 


CHAPTER 


10 


Growing  Is  Done  Slowly 


Father  Devitt  is  remembered  as  the  nineteenth  century  president  who  made 
the  hbrary  his  special  priority.  Up  to  that  time,  since  the  hbrary  was  the 
least  urgent  demand  made  on  a  very  limited  budget,  it  had  suffered  from 
neglect.  How  this  book  collection  was  begun  and  the  changes  of  fortune 
visited  upon  it  are  described  in  a  short  history  of  the  library  written  by 
Father  Devitt  himself  for  the  1893-1894  issue  of  the  College  catalog.'  In 
this  history,  he  explains  that  financial  conditions  at  the  inception  of  the 
College  did  not  permit  the  establishment  of  an  adequate  library.  The  first 
gift  of  books  was  made  over  a  decade  before  the  College  opened  by  the 
Reverend  Joseph  Coolidge  Shaw,  S.J.,  who  after  his  conversion  went  abroad 
and,  with  the  money  supplied  by  a  well-to-do  father,  bought  many  volumes 
in  Paris  and  Rome. 

A  second  patron  of  the  library  was  Colonel  Daniel  S.  Lamson  of  Weston, 
Massachusetts,  who  gave  more  than  a  third  of  his  own  personal  hbrary  to 
Boston  College  and  in  1865  transferred  to  the  trustees  a  proprietor's  share 
of  the  Boston  Athenaeum,  which  he  had  inherited  from  his  father. - 

A  priest  of  the  Boston  Archdiocese,  Father  Manasses  P.  Dougherty,  left  a 
collection  strong  in  Irish  history  and  biography  to  the  College.  In  1882  the 
library  acquired  the  books  of  the  recently  deceased  Robert  Morris,  Esq., 
which  aided  immeasurably  in  the  departments  of  English  and  American 

97 


REV.  EDWARD  IGNATIUS  DEVITT,  S. 
Ninth  President 


Father  Devitt  was  born  in  St.  John,  New 
Brunswick,  on  November  26, 1840.  His  fam- 
ily moved  to  Boston  and  settled  in  the 
North  End,  where  he  attended  public 
schools.  He  graduated  from  Boston  English 
High  School  and  attended  Holy  Cross  Col- 
lege for  two  years.  On  July  28,  1859,  he 
entered  the  Society  of  Jesus.  He  taught  at 
Gonzaga  College  in  Washington,  D.C.  during  the  Civil  War  and  walked  with  a 
group  of  Gonzaga  students  in  Lincoln's  funeral  procession.  After  ordination  he 
taught  philosophy  at  Woodstock  College  and  at  Holy  Cross  before  assuming  the 
presidency  at  Boston  College  in  1891 . 


literature.  Other  donations  were  made,  and  accessions  by  purchase — on  a 
modest  scale — were  finally  authorized. 


In  1875  a  secular  priest,  the  Reverend  Stanislas  Buteux,  bequeathed  his 
collection  of  5000  volumes  to  Boston  College.  The  gift  assumed  a  new  value 
when  one  learned  that  the  donor  was  an  invalid  through  much  of  his  life 
and  in  straitened  financial  circumstances,  and  that  he  had  gathered  this 
library  with  discrimination  and  at  great  personal  sacrifice  with  the  intention 
of  presenting  it  one  day  to  the  Jesuit  Fathers.  Thanks  to  Father  Buteux,  the 
College  library  was  enriched  with  full  lines  on  slavery,  the  Civil  War,  and 
education,  as  well  as  with  long  files  of  periodical  literature. 


Until  1876  the  library  had  rather  restricted  quarters  in  the  small  connect- 
ing building,  but  when  this  section  was  enlarged  by  Father  Fulton  that  year, 
provision  was  made  for  adequate  housing  of  the  books  on  hand  at  the  time. 
In  the  years  that  immediately  followed.  Father  Russo  (who  acted  as  librar- 
ian) and  Father  Francis  Barnum  (later  a  missionary  in  Alaska)  did  much  to 
make  the  library's  holdings  available  by  instituting  an  accurate  card  index. 

When  the  alterations  of  the  years  1889—1890  took  place,  the  library. 


Growing  Is  Done  Slowly        99 

strangely  enough,  was  forgotten,  and  the  collection  had  to  be  divided  and 
housed  in  various  rooms.  On  becoming  rector,  Father  Devitt  succeeded  in 
enlarging  the  number  of  books  by  some  25  percent,  and  he  did  what  he 
could  to  provide  accessible  space  for  them.  In  May  1894  the  College  was  in 
possession  of  28,319  volumes  "arranged  in  137  cases,  distributed  over 
three  rooms. "^ 

Among  other  improvements  made  during  Father  Devitt's  term  in  office 
was  the  enlargement  of  the  science  department,  an  improvement  that  was 
found  worthy  of  mention  in  the  Woodstock  Letters.'^ 

In  1890  the  debating  society,  under  Mr.  A.  J.  Mullen,  S.J.,  as  moderator, 
took  the  name,  "The  Fulton  Debating  Society."  An  orchestra  was  organized 
among  the  students  by  Father  Buckley  during  the  school  year  1890-1891, 
and  a  dramatic  society,  which  called  itself  the  "Boston  College  Athen- 
aeum," was  organized  the  same  year  under  Mullen  to  take  over  the  thespian 
chores  until  then  performed  by  members  of  the  debating  society.^  A  natural 
history  club  called  the  "Agassiz  Association"  was  formed  in  October  of 
1892  under  the  direction  of  Father  FuUerton.  The  Stylus,  which  had 
suspended  pubhcation  in  1889,  resumed  publication  as  a  monthly  with  the 
December  1893  issue,  under  the  faculty  directorship  of  Father  Timothy 
Brosnahan.*^ 


Father  Brosnahan  Takes  Charge 

On  July  16,  1894,  Father  Timothy  Brosnahan  succeeded  Father  Devitt  as 
president  of  Boston  College.  During  his  four  years  in  office  he  won  the 
reputation  of  being  an  energetic,  thorough,  and  progressive  executive.  His 
concomitant  duties  as  prefect  of  studies  required  him  to  attend  to  the 
marks  of  the  boys,  to  be  present  at  the  class  "specimens,"  to  counsel 
individuals  and  follow  their  school  careers,  and  to  maintain  general  direc- 
tion over  the  extracurricular  activities  of  the  students.  According  to  one 
who  knew  him,  he  apphed  himself  rather  "strenuously"  to  these  tasks,  but 
the  results  were  welcomed  by  pupils  and  teachers  alike. ^ 

A  singular  contribution  of  Father  Brosnahan  was  the  extended  exposition 
of  the  Jesuit  philosophy  of  education  that  he  introduced  into  the  College 
catalog.  The  statement  was  so  forceful  that  it  was  embodied  in  whole  or  in 
part  in  the  catalogs  of  a  number  of  other  Jesuit  colleges  from  coast  to 
coast,  and  it  appeared  annually  in  the  Boston  College  catalog  until  the 
early  1950s.  It  remains  an  important  document  in  the  history  of  Jesuit 
higher  education. 

Father  Brosnahan  was  no  narrow  traditionalist.  He  introduced  a  course 
in  physiological  psychology,  which  was  taught  by  a  medical  doctor  who 
was  a  Boston  College  alumnus.  He  offered  geology  as  an  elective  and  added 
90  hours  of  laboratory  work  to  the  chemistry  course.  Besides  being  an 
outstanding  educator,  Father  Brosnahan  was  also  a  skilled  manager.  Dur- 


in  1887 
College 
College 


Father  Brosnahan  was  born  in  Alexandria, 
Virginia,  January  8,  1856."  His  early  educa- 
tion was  in  private  and  parochial  schools, 
and  he  attended  the  preparatory  school  of 
Gonzaga  College  in  Washington,  D.C.  He 
entered  the  Society  of  Jesus  on  August  21, 
1872.  During  his  training  he  taught  at  Bos- 
ton College  for  four  years.  After  ordination 
he  taught  at  Woodstock  College,  and  in  1892  he  returned  to  Boston 
as  a  professor  of  philosophy.  Two  years  later  he  became  president  of  the 


ing  his  term,  enrollment  rose  to  450.  Finances  were  in  good  order,  and  in 
his  last  year  he  was  able  to  make  arrangements  for  the  purchase  of  a  large 
piece  of  property  on  both  sides  of  Massachusetts  Avenue  not  far  from  the 
College.'' 

Following  his  rectorship  at  Boston  College,  Father  Brosnahan  was  a 
professor  and  later  a  prefect  of  studies  at  Woodstock  College  until  1909. 
In  that  year  he  was  sent  as  professor  of  ethics  to  Loyola  College,  Baltimore, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death  on  June  4,  1915. 


Gentlemen  of  the  Opposition 

In  looking  back  from  the  vantage  point  of  the  present,  it  is  difficult  to 
understand  the  excitement  which  attended  the  announcement  in  1894  that 
Boston  College  would  meet  Georgetown  in  the  first  intercollegiate  debate 
ever  held  between  Jesuit  institutions.  But  excitement  there  was,  and  the 
respective  presidents  negotiated  for  months  on  such  details  as  the  choice  of 
judges  and  the  necessary  permissions  that  would  have  to  be  procured  from 
the  Provincial. '°  Father  Brosnahan  wrote  to  Father  Richards,  the  rector  of 
Georgetown: 

I  asked  that  three  boys  be  allowed  to  come  and  promised  that  they  should  be 
given  quarters  at  the  College  &  consequently  all  appearance  of  undue  liberty 


Growing  Is  Done  Slowly        101 

to  be  taken  away.  They  are  to  come  direct  from  Georgetown  to  Boston  and 
to  return  in  like  manner.  This  is  important,  because  if  anything  should 
happen  ...  to  give  grounds  for  complaint,  the  scheme  would  end  with  its 
beginning." 

The  much-heralded  event  took  place — after  two  postponements — on 
May  1,  1895.  Among  the  distinguished  guests  in  a  capacity  audience  in 
Boston  College  Hall  that  night  were  Bishop  Brady,  Vicar-General  Byrne, 
Father  Devitt  (the  former  rector  of  Boston  College),  who  had  accompanied 
the  debaters  from  Georgetown,  and  Father  Richards,  the  president  of 
Georgetown,  who  had  come  from  an  engagement  in  Buffalo  for  the 
occasion.  It  is  recorded  that  the  Boston  debaters,  Michael  J.  Scanlan  ('95), 
Michael  J.  Splaine  ('97),  and  John  J.  Kirby  ('95),  brought  credit  to  their 
alma  mater  by  their  able  defense  of  "The  Equity  of  the  Income  Tax  Law  as 
Passed  by  the  Last  Congress,"  but  in  a  close  decision,  decided  finally  by 
the  vote  of  the  chairman,  they  lost  to  the  young  men  from  the  shores  of  the 
Potomac.'^  The  philosophic  Bostonians  found  consolation  in  the  thought 
"that  victory  still  remained  in  the  Society  [of  Jesus]. "'^ 

Other  innovations  at  this  period  took  the  form  of  improving  and 
extending  the  school  plant.  On  May  6,  1895,  the  Board  of  Trustees 
authorized  Father  Brosnahan  to  buy  a  small  brick  apartment  house  on  39 
Newton  Street,  and  the  following  March  authorized  the  purchase  of  the 
adjoining  building.  No.  41.'"*  This  acquisition  permitted  the  authorities  to 
transfer  the  quarters  of  the  Young  Men's  Cathohc  Association  from  the 
College  building  to  41  Newton  Street,  thus  obtaining  imperatively  needed 
classroom  space.  The  vacated  YMCA  wing  of  the  building  was  occupied  by 
the  College  for  the  opening  of  school  in  September  1898,'^  but  the 
association  did  not  have  a  formal  dedication  of  their  new  quarters  until 
January  24,  1899.i« 

The  Sports  Field  Mirage 

In  June  of  1898  the  trustees  had  authorized  another  long-desired  acquisi- 
tion, grounds  for  an  athletic  field.'^  This  land,  purchased  from  the  Oakes 
A.  Ames  Estate,  consisted  of  some  402,000  square  feet  situated  on  both 
sides  of  Massachusetts  Avenue  beyond  the  then  New  England  Railroad 
tracks.  It  had  a  frontage  of  about  500  feet  on  Massachusetts  Avenue  and 
ran  back  to  Norfolk  Avenue  on  one  side,  a  distance  of  about  850  feet,  with 
a  mean  width  of  425  feet.  It  had  about  the  same  frontage  on  the  other  side 
of  the  avenue,  with  a  depth  of  about  200  feet.  On  the  easterly  side  of  the 
property  there  was  a  row  of  tenement  houses  fronting  on  Willow  Street."* 
This  site,  now  occupied  in  large  part  by  the  Boston  Edison  Company's 
plant  and  employees'  club,  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  being  within  easy 
walking  distance  of  the  College.  Moreover,  there  were  rumors  that  the  city 
would  drain  the  adjacent  marshes  and  put  through  a  boulevard  connecting 
Boston  proper  with  South  Boston  and  Dorchester.  ^^  Because  of  these 


102        History  of  Boston  College 


projected  improvements,  it  was  regarded  as  probable  that  some  of  the 
departments  of  the  College  would  be  moved  to  this  new  site.-° 

The  announcement  that  the  immediate  purpose  of  the  acquisition  was  to 
provide  a  large  athletic  field  for  the  students  was  greeted  with  enthusiasm. 
The  Stylus  exulted,  "There  is  nothing  that  brings  greater  joy  to  all  than  the 
final  crowning  of  the  efforts  for  an  athletic  field. "^'  The  students  were  given 
to  understand  that  by  the  following  spring,  a  portion  of  the  land  would 
have  been  cleared,  enclosed,  and  laid  out  for  baseball  and  track.  There  was 
even  thought  given  to  opening  the  field  with  a  joint  meet  of  some  kind.'^ 
But  these  hopes  were  doomed  to  disappointment.  Time  went  on,  and 
nothing  was  done  with  the  land,  either  by  way  of  building  on  it  for  the 
school  or  of  preparing  it  for  athletics.  In  June  1900  the  then  president, 
Father  MuUan,  reported  to  the  Alumni  Association  that  it  would  cost 
$15,000  to  prepare  the  new  athletic  field  for  use,  and  that  this  sum  was 
not  forthcoming.^^ 

No  competitive  games  ever  were  played  on  the  tract,  but  some  use  was 
made  of  it  as  a  practice  field  in  the  years  that  followed.  The  purchase, 
nevertheless,  reflects  credit  on  Father  Brosnahan,  despite  the  fact  that  the 
original  plans  for  the  land  were  never  carried  out,  for — as  he  had  sur- 
mised— the  land  gained  so  much  in  value  (though  for  a  reason  different 
from  that  which  he  had  foreseen)  that  one  might  say  its  original  intention 
was  achieved  when  the  proceeds  from  its  sale,  which  took  place  in  1912— 
1914,  helped  to  finance  the  first  part  of  the  new  Boston  College.^'* 


Toward  the  close  of  Father  Brosnahan's  period  in  office,  he  instituted 
some  far-reaching  changes  which  were  destined  to  be  brought  to  comple- 


Growing  Is  Done  Slowly        103 


In  the  1 9th  century,  inscribed  sterling  silver  medals  were 
awarded  for  excellence  in  each  academic  discipline.  In 
1876  Stephen  J.  Hart  was  medalist  in  rhetoric.  Twenty 
years  later  John  C.  Sweeney,  for  excellence  in  analytical 
chemistry,  received  a  medal  depicting  a  laboratory  flask 
over  a  flame. 


tion  by  his  successor.  The  College  had  gone  through  periods  of  alteration 
in  1876  and  1899  under  Father  Fulton,  and  was  now,  for  the  third  time,  to 
undergo  extensive  physical  modification.  One  of  these  changes,  the  transfer 
of  the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association  to  41  East  Newton  Street,  has 
already  been  mentioned.  Other  adjustments  affected  the  school  itself, 
particularly  with  respect  to  the  physical  separation  of  college  and  high 
school  studies. 

From  the  College's  inception  in  1864,  there  was  no  separation  of  it  from 
the  preparatory  classes.  But  in  the  Brosnahan  years  there  were  separate 
entries  for  the  two  student  bodies  and  their  classes  were  held  in  separate 
wings.  With  the  moving  of  the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association,  their 
former  gymnasium  was  upgraded  and  given  to  the  College  students,  leaving 
the  original  gymnasium  to  the  preparatory  division.  Thus  a  firm  distinction 
between  the  College  and  the  high  school  was  established.'^ 


ENDNOTES 


Authorship  of  this  article  appears  indicated  by  a  passage  in  Father  Devitt's 
manuscript  history  of  the  College,  omitted  in  the  printed  version.  He  wrote,  "It  is 
characteristic  of  the  Rector  of  that  time  [e.g.,  Father  Devitt  himself]  that  there 
appeared  in  the  College  Catalogue  of  1893-94  a  monograph  of  the  college 
history.  .  .  ."  (the  manuscript  version  of  the  history  of  Boston  College  is 
preserved  in  the  Georgetown  University  Archives,  Washington,  D.C.). 
Share  No.  393  was  first  purchased  by  John  Lamson  in  1845  and  bequeathed  to 
Daniel  Sanderson  Lamson  in  1859,  who  made  a  gift  of  the  share  to  Boston 
College  in  1865.  This  transaction  is  noted  under  the  number  of  the  share  in  an 
appendix  to  The  Influence  and  History  of  the  Boston  Athenaeum  from  1807  to 
1907  (Boston:  The  Boston  Athenaeum,  1907). 
The  Boston  College  Catalogue,  1893-1894,  pp.  18-21. 


104        History  of  Boston  College 

4.  "Varia:  Boston  College,"  Woodstock  Letters,  20(1891):295. 

5.  The  Boston  College  Catalogue  for  the  years  1890-1891;  1891-1892;  1893- 
1894. 

6.  /fc/J.,  1893-1894,  p.  73. 

7.  "Father  Timothy  Brosnahan,"  Woodstock  Letters,  45(1916):105. 

8.  Ibid.,  p.  99-117.  The  following  account  is  based  on  this  source. 

9.  Ibid.,  p.  106. 

10.  Brosnahan  to  Richards,  October  12,  1894,  Georgetown  University  Archives. 

11.  Ibid. 

12.  "Boston  College — The  Intercollegiate  Debate,"  Woodstock  Letters, 
24(1895):32-323. 

13.  Ibid.,  p.  323. 

14.  "Records  of  the  Trustees  of  Boston  College,"  under  dates  May  6,  1895,  and 
March  26,  1896.  Manuscript  volume  in  the  Archives  of  Boston  College. 

15.  T/7e5f>'/«5,  12(1898):440-441. 

16.  Farren,  "The  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association,"  The  Pilot  (March  8,  1930). 

17.  "Records  of  the  Trustees  of  Boston  College,"  under  date  June  25,  1898. 

18.  The  Pilot  (July  9,  1H98). 

19.  "Father  Timothy  Brosnahan,"  Woodstock  Letters,  45(1916):106-107. 

20.  TAePr/of  yuly9,  1898). 

21.  The  Stylus,  12{1S9S):453. 

22.  Ibid. 

23.  The  Boston  Globe  (June  29,  1900). 

24.  "Father  Timothy  Brosnahan,"  Woodstock  Letters,  45(1916):106-107. 

25.  The  Pilot,  September  1S9S. 


CHAPTER 


11 


Conflict  and  Adjustments 


On  June  30,  1898,  the  Reverend  W.  G.  Read  Mullan,  S.J.,  succeeded  Father 
Brosnahan  as  president  of  Boston  College.  Father  Mullan  is  remembered 
as  a  poised,  soft-spoken  man  whose  unaffected  pleasure  in  being  among 
students  made  him  one  of  the  most  personally  popular  executives  the 
College  had  known  up  to  that  time. 

A  Program  for  Improvement 

Father  Mullan  was  a  courageous  leader  interested  in  improving  Catholic 
education,  and  to  that  end  he  spoke  his  mind  in  unmistakable  terms.  At  a 
meeting  of  representatives  of  Catholic  colleges  in  the  United  States  in 
Chicago  less  than  a  year  after  his  inauguration,  he  delivered  a  paper  on 
"The  Drift  Toward  Non-Catholic  Colleges  and  Universities"  in  which  he 
pleaded  vigorously  for  a  modification  of  the  then  current  Catholic  board- 
ing-school hfe  and  discipline,  "so  as  to  make  both  many  times  more 
attractive  to  young  men.">  He  urged  the  separation  of  an  institution's 
college  department  from  the  preparatory  department,  both  in  place  and  in 
administration,  although  not  necessarily  in  the  type  of  studies  or  the 
methods  of  instruction.  He  held  that  Catholic  colleges: 

.  .  .  should  make  some  of  the  present  courses  of  study  optional,  and  enlarge 
and  strengthen  courses  in  History,  History  of  Philosophy,  Philosophy  of 

105 


REV.  W.  G.  READ  MULLAN,  S.j. 
Eleventh  President 


Father  Mullan  was  born  in  Baltimore  on 
January  28,  1860.  He  entered  the  Society  of 
Jesus  on  February  8, 1877,  and  was  ordained 
after  14  years  of  classical  and  theological 
training  and  teaching  experience  at  several 
Jesuit  colleges.  His  promise  of  future  lead- 
ership was  acknowledged  by  his  appoint- 
ment shortly  after  ordination  as  dean  at 

Fordham  College.  He  was  serving  as  a  professor  of  rhetoric  at  Holy  Cross  College 

when  he  was  called  to  the  presidency  of  Boston  College. 


History,  Political  Economy,  Constitutional  History,  advanced  courses  in 
English  and  the  other  modern  literatures.  They  should  raise,  in  many  cases, 
the  value  of  the  A.B.  degree,  by  stricter  requirements  for  entrance  and 
graduation,  by  a  more  thorough  grading  of  classes,  and  by  more  masterly 
instruction. - 

For  the  improvement  of  his  own  college,  he  carried  out  with  enthusiasm 
the  program  of  changes  begun  by  Father  Brosnahan.  At  the  opening  of 
classes  in  the  fall  of  1898,  he  effected  the  establishment  of  three  completely 
distinct  departments  within  the  institution:  the  college  proper,  consisting 
of  four  regular  classes  leading  to  the  degree  of  A.B.;  the  academic  depart- 
ment, consisting  of  three  classes  preparatory  for  the  college  course;  and  the 
EngUsh  department,  consisting  of  graded  classes  in  which  English,  modern 
languages,  and  the  sciences  were  studied.  In  addition  there  was  also  a  class 
for  young  students  not  old  enough  or  well  enough  prepared  to  enter  the 
academic  department.^ 

In  May  1899  he  announced  to  the  Catholics  of  Boston  the  plans  he  had 
for  a  better  college,  while  admitting  candidly  the  limitations  under  which 
the  institution  labored  at  the  time."*  He  pointed  out  the  advantages  of 
developing  the  English  department  into  a  full-fledged  English  high  school 
and  of  making  the  academic  department  a  separate  Latin  high  school.  If 
endowments  could  be  secured,  he  said,  it  was  his  ambition  to  establish 
professorships  to  which  men  of  eminence  outside  the  clergy  could  be 


Conflict  and  Adjustments        107 

elected — an  accomplishment  which,  under  existing  conditions,  was  impos- 
sible at  Boston  College,  since — apart  from  a  few  scholarships — no  funds 
were  available  for  professors'  salaries. 

Another  point  which  deserved  the  attention  of  Boston  CathoUcs  was  the 
lack  of  adequate  room  in  the  College.  Growth,  he  informed  them,  was  no 
longer  possible  within  the  existing  building;  classroom  space  for  more  than 
the  present  460  students  simply  did  not  exist.  He  added  a  promise  that  if 
circumstances  permitted,  no  tuition  would  be  asked:  "At  the  present  time 
[he  claimed],  no  student,  however  poor,  is  refused  admission  because  he  is 
unable  to  pay  tuition,  and  of  the  four  hundred  young  men  registered  in  the 
college,  scarcely  more  than  half  do  so."^ 

A  Question  of  Accrediting 

Because  Father  Mullan  constantly  and  sincerely  endeavored  to  insure  high 
scholastic  standards,  his  indignation  was  understandable  when  Harvard 
University  withdrew  the  name  of  Boston  College  from  the  list  of  institutions 
whose  graduates  would  be  admitted  as  regular  students  to  the  Harvard  Law 
School.  The  new  president  of  Boston  College  became  engaged  in  a  contro- 
versy with  Charles  W.  Eliot,  at  that  time  approaching  his  thirtieth  year  as 
president  of  Harvard.  The  occasion  was  the  decision  of  the  Harvard  Law 


iBanquet... 

Saint  €ecilia  Society 


fftusicalc... 


Cbc  6iee,  mandolin  mi  mm  e,m 


SSoBton  CoUcfle... 
JSoeton,  Aase. 


December  29th,  1898. 


Voices  and  strings  after  dinner. 


108        History  of  Boston  College 

School  in  1896  to  admit  only  students  with  a  bachelor's  degree  from  an 
approved  college.  In  drawing  up  the  first  list  of  approved  colleges,  the 
Harvard  authorities  included  only  one  Jesuit  college,  Georgetown,  where- 
upon representatives  of  Boston  College  and  Holy  Cross  pointed  out  that 
their  curricula  were  the  same  as  that  of  Georgetown.  On  a  revised  list,  these 
two  colleges  did  appear,  but  when  subsequently  St.  John's  College,  Ford- 
ham,  made  a  similar  claim,  instead  of  granting  the  petition,  the  Harvard 
faculty  committee  reconsidered  its  former  action  and  not  only  did  not 
grant  the  Fordham  request  but  on  March  11,  1898,  dropped  Boston 
College  and  Holy  Cross  from  the  Ust.*" 

There  followed  a  somewhat  heated  exchange  of  letters  between  Father 
Mullan  and  President  Ehot  in  which  the  Harvard  president  made  some 
rather  disparaging  generalizations  about  Jesuit  colleges  and  Father  Mullan 
repeatedly,  but  futilely,  pressed  Dr.  Eliot  to  give  the  evidence  that  underlay 
his  generalizations.^ 

Thus  the  dispute  stood  by  the  summer  of  1900;  but  another  incident  had 
occurred  in  the  meantime  which  had  the  effect  of  arousing  partisan  feeling 
still  more.  In  an  article  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly  for  October  1899  proposing 
the  adoption  of  the  elective  system  by  the  nation's  high  schools.  President 
Eliot  turned  his  guns  on  Jesuit  education.  Eliot,  of  course,  had  shocked  the 
collegiate  world  a  quarter  of  a  century  earlier  by  introducing  the  elective 
system  at  Harvard  and  had  spent  considerable  energy  defending  it  against 
the  criticism  of  some  of  the  most  distinguished  scholars  and  educators  in 
the  country.  So,  in  attacking  the  fixed  Jesuit  curriculum  in  the  waning  hours 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  Eliot  was  firing  one  more  defiant  salvo  at  his 
critics  of  many  years. 

In  his  Atlantic  article  Eliot  ridiculed  two  examples  of  prescribed  curric- 
ula: that  found  in  Moslem  countries,  where  the  Koran  dictated  a  uniform 
education  for  all;  and  the  curriculum  of  Jesuit  colleges.  That  both  examples 
were  ecclesiastical,  said  Eliot,  was  significant,  because  only  direct  revelation 
from  on  high  could  justify  a  uniform  curriculum.*  Such  public  aspersion 
from  a  person  of  President  EHot's  stature  in  a  respected  national  journal 
called,  the  Jesuits  felt,  for  a  pubhc  response.  The  man  chosen  to  speak  for 
all  the  Jesuit  colleges  was  a  man  of  sharp  mind  and  elegant  pen,  Father 
Timothy  Brosnahan,  recently  retired  as  president  of  Boston  College. 

Brosnahan's  rejoinder  to  the  Eliot  article  was  submitted  to  the  Atlantic 
Monthly,  but  was  rejected  on  the  grounds  that  the  magazine  did  not 
encourage  controversy — even  though  an  article  by  Professor  Andrew  West 
of  Princeton  University  attacking  Eliot's  educational  principles  appeared  in 
the  Atlantic  a  month  later.'  (The  editor  of  the  Atlantic,  Bliss  Perry,  himself 
a  distinguished  man  of  letters,  years  later  acknowledged  that  his  rejection 
of  the  Brosnahan  article  was  a  mistake.'") 

Father  Brosnahan  had  his  article  published  in  the  Sacred  Heart  Review. 
Because  this  publication  hardly  reached  the  audience  that  had  read  Eliot's 
remarks,  the  reply  to  Eliot  was  also  printed  in  pamphlet  form  and  distrib- 


Conflict  and  Adjustments        109 

uted  to  educators  and  editors  in  all  parts  of  the  country."  It  was  well 
received.  The  editor  of  the  Bookman,  Professor  T.  H.  Peck  of  Columbia 
University,  praised  it  as  containing  "so  much  dialectical  skill,  so  much 
crisp  and  convincing  argument,  and  so  much  educational  good  sense."" 
And,  indeed,  one  of  Boston  College's  vice  presidents  was  visited  in  the  late 
1960s  by  a  senior  who  had  taken  a  student-style  "sabbatical"  after  his 
junior  year  to  sample  academic  offerings  elsewhere  and  who  had  sat  in  on 
a  writing  course  at  Harvard  where  the  class  was  studying  Brosnahan's  reply 
to  Eliot  as  a  model  of  rhetorical  excellence! 

Father  Brosnahan  might  have  taken  wry  satisfaction  had  he  lived  to  read 
in  the  history  of  Harvard  written  by  Samuel  Ehot  Morison  (who  was 
awarded  an  honorary  degree  at  Boston  College  in  1960)  this  judgment:  "It 
is  a  hard  saying,  but  Mr.  Eliot,  more  than  any  other  man,  is  responsible  for 
the  greatest  educational  crime  of  the  century  against  American  youth — 
depriving  him  of  his  classical  heritage."" 

The  cause  of  the  original  disagreement  between  administrators  at  Boston 
College  and  Harvard — namely,  the  Law  School's  privileged  list — appeared 
in  the  Harvard  University  catalog  each  year  until  the  1905—1906  issue 
when,  in  place  of  the  list,  applicants  for  admission  were  advised  to  make 
inquiries  concerning  the  status  of  their  particular  college  to  the  secretary  of 
the  law  faculty.'"* 

Experimentation  and  Adjustment 

Meanwhile,  by  the  year  1902  a  program  of  unification  of  studies  had  been 
successfully  put  into  practice  by  the  colleges  of  the  Jesuit  province  of 
Maryland  after  some  three  years  of  experimentation  and  adjustment.  The 
authorities  at  Boston  College  reported  to  the  Provincial  at  the  close  of  that 
year  that  their  part  in  the  change  had  been  carried  out  satisfactorily.'^ 

As  early  as  1900  Father  MuUan  had  announced  that  more  rigorous 
entrance  requirements  were  in  force  and  that  the  preparatory  school  would 
thereafter  comprise  a  full  four-year  course  which,  among  other  results, 
would  render  more  time  available  for  modern  languages,  mathematics,  and 
history.'*  A  history  program  providing  for  two  lectures  a  week  on  the 
Reformation  during  freshman  year  and  on  the  Middle  Ages  during  sopho- 
more was  instituted.  To  strengthen  the  distinctively  Catholic  features  of  the 
curriculum,  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  catechism  recitations,  four  distinct 
sets  of  weekly  lectures  on  Christian  doctrine  were  laid  out  for  the  various 
student  levels.  Written  examinations  at  the  end  of  the  school  year  on  the 
matter  covered  by  the  lectures  were  required  of  those  following  the  courses, 
with  special  cash  prizes  offered  for  the  most  proficient.'^ 

Among  the  laymen  engaged  at  this  time  for  a  series  of  special  lectures 
were  Herbert  S.  Carruth,  who  lectured  on  the  constitutional  history  of  the 
United  States;  Doctor  James  Field  Spalding,  on  modern  English  literature; 
and  Manuel  de  Moreira,  on  French  literature.  The  latter  also  conducted  a 


110        History  of  Boston  College 

French  academy  among  the  more  advanced  French  students  in  the  College 
and  directed  the  annual  French  play. 

On  July  30,  1903,  Father  Mullan  was  succeeded  in  office  by  the  Reverend 
William  F.  Gannon,  S.J.,  who  continued  without  interruption  the  program 
of  improvements  begun  by  his  predecessor.  At  the  first  high  school  gradua- 
tion during  his  term  in  office.  Father  Gannon  inaugurated  the  presentation 
of  diplomas  to  the  high  school  graduates.'"*  In  the  same  year  (1904)  he 
contributed  to  the  increasing  dignity  of  the  annual  commencement  by 
securing  an  orator  of  national  importance,  the  Honorable  W.  Bourke 
Cockran,  to  deliver  the  principal  address.*' 

In  a  speech  to  the  Alumni  Association  at  that  organization's  banquet  on 
June  23,  1904,  he  voiced  his  hope  that  athletics  might  be  built  up  at  the 
College,  and  he  reviewed  with  satisfaction  the  success  of  the  preparatory 
school  sports  during  the  past  year.-"  The  baseball  nine  had  been  re- 
established, he  reported,  but  the  students  training  for  the  various  teams 
were  confronted  by  serious  difficulties  which  apparently  would  hinder 
indefinitely  the  development  of  strong  teams  in  the  major  sports.  One  may 
presume  that  he  had  in  mind  the  lack  of  a  gymnasium  and  a  suitable 
playing  field  as  prime  requisites  for  an  athletic  program. 

In  May  of  1905  a  writer  from  The  Stylus  reported  that  the  rector  was 
persevering  in  his  efforts  to  provide  physical  training  for  the  students 
through  athletics.  Efforts  were  made  to  have  the  athletic  field  ready  for 
baseball  that  spring,  and  the  rector  even  encouraged  by  his  presence  the 
various  intramural  teams  that  had  been  organized.  At  the  time,  intercolle- 
giate competition  in  baseball  was  impractical  because  of  existing  handicaps, 
but,  The  Stylus  reported,  "Our  various  class  teams  afford  no  end  of  interest 
and  exercise  to  all  the  students.  Witness  the  fields  on  Massachusetts  Avenue 
on  almost  every  afternoon  and  say  not  that  true  college  athletics  are  dead 
at  the  college."^' 


Although  in  1900  Boston  College  had  had  the  largest  college  department 
and  the  largest  high  school  department  of  any  Jesuit  institution  in  the 


Eighth  Annual  Prize  Debstc 


The  Pulton  Debating  5ociety.^T&o^t©n  College 

"  Should   the  Lmited^1^eA|fflerven6  to  terminate  tl\e 
'Sfrt^hf'cuba?" 

COLWS£.ffM.L,  TUESDAY,  APRIL  27,  1897, 

Rt  B^t  (ydodi  P.  M. 

NO  BRMIiraNCE  DUBINn  THE  DEBBTC ^ 


The  Boston  College  Debating  Society 
ivas  started  in  1 868.  It  took  the  name 
of  Fulton  in  1890. 


REV.  WILLIAM  F.  GANNON,  S.J. 
Twelfth  President 


Father  Gannon  was  born  on  March  31, 1859, 
and  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus  on  August 
5,  1876.  His  academic  preparation  for  ordi- 
nation was  interrupted  by  six  years  of  teach- 
ing mathematics  and  French  at  Holy  Cross 
College  and  Fordham  College.  He  was  or- 
dained in  June  1891.  Later  he  taught  French 
at  Holy  Cross  and  St.  Francis  Xavier  College 
in  New  York,  and  he  served  as  assistant  dean  of  discipline  at  Georgetown  and  as 
dean  at  St.  Peter's  College  in  New  Jersey.  During  the  years  before  his  elevation  to 
the  presidency.  Father  Gannon  became  a  well-known  preacher  and  member  of 
the  Jesuit  Mission  Band. 


United  States,--  both  branches  began  to  experience  a  discouraging  falling 
off  in  attendance  during  the  first  years  of  the  new  century.  The  official 
figures  for  the  entire  student  body  beginning  with  the  year  1898  were:  477, 
475,  412,  370,  375,  350,  335  (the  low  point,  in  1904),  350,  and  457."  No 
reason  was  ever  discovered  for  this  fluctuation. 

In  1905  St.  Thomas  Aquinas  College  in  Cambridge,  Massachusetts, 
closed  its  doors,  and  some  of  the  students  who  were  attending  the  two-year 
course  there  transferred  to  Boston  College.-''  The  increment  at  James  Street 
was  not  large,  but  it  did  constitute  part  of  a  definite  trend  toward  recovery 
which  became  noticeable  by  1906.  The  movement  upward  was  made 
permanent  shortly  afterward  when  the  College  received  an  impetus,  the 
effects  of  which  have  been  felt  up  to  the  present  day.  That  impetus  was  the 
elevation  to  the  presidency  on  January  6,  1907,  of  Father  Thomas  I. 
Gasson,  S.J. 


ENDNOTES 

1.  The  Pilot  {April  12,  IS9 

2.  Ibid. 

3.  Ibid.  {August  20,  U98). 

4.  Ibid.  (May  13,  1899). 

5.  Ibtd. 


112        History  of  Boston  College 

6.  Letter  of  Doctor  Eliot  to  Rev.  John  F.  Lehy,  S.J.,  president  of  Holy  Cross 
College,  October  24,  1898.  Copy  preserved  in  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives, 
Georgetown  University  Library.  This  letter  is  evidently  substantially  the  same  as 
the  one  which  Father  Mullan  mentions  as  having  received  from  President  Eliot 
under  the  same  date,  cf.  Father  Mullan's  covering  letter  for  the  published  corre- 
spondence, The  Boston  Globe  (June  25,  1900). 

7.  The  Boston  Globe  Qune  25,  1900). 

8.  Charles  W.  Eliot,  "Recent  Changes  in  Secondary  Education,"  The  Atlantic 
Monthly,  84(October  1899):443. 

9.  The  Editors  to  Rev.  Timothy  Brosnahan,  December  9,  1899,  Woodstock  Letters, 
45(1916):109. 

10.  Bliss  Perry,  And  Gladly  Teach  (Boston:  Houghton  Mifflin  Co.,  1935),  pp.  170- 
171. 

11.  Sacred  Heart  Review,  January  13,  1900.  The  pamphlet:  President  Eliot  and 
Jesuit  Colleges,  by  Timothy  Brosnahan,  S.J.  (no  publisher;  no  date),  36  pp. 

12.  The  Bookman  (New  York),  11:111-112,  April  1900.  Cf.  also  Woodstock  Let- 
ters, 29{1900):143. 

13.  Samuel  Ehot  Morison,  Three  Centuries  of  Harvard  (Cambridge:  Harvard  Uni- 
versity Press,  1936),  pp.  389-390. 

14.  The  Harvard  University  Catalogue  for  1904—1905,  under  law  school  admission 
regulations. 

15.  "Historia  Domus,  1899—1902,"  official  triennial  report  to  the  Provincial  from 
Boston  College.  Manuscript  preserved  in  the  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives, 
Georgetown  University  Library. 

16.  The  Boston  Globe  (June  29,  1900). 

17.  Anonymous  letter  entitled  "Boston  College  and  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception," dated  June  29,  1903,  in  Woodstock  Letters,  32(1903):112-113. 

18.  The  Stylus,  HQune  1904):113. 

19.  Ibid. 

20.  Ibid.,  17(July  1904):205. 

21.  The  Stylus,  18(May  1905):20. 

22.  The  Boston  Globe  (June  29,  1900);  Woodstock  Letters,  29(1900):354. 

23.  Official  figures  from  supplement  entitled:  "Students  in  Our  Colleges  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada,"  occurring  each  year  in  Woodstock  Letters,  1898  to 
1906. 

24.  Seventy-Five  Years:  St.  Mary's  of  the  Annunciation,  1867-1942  (Cambridge, 
Mass.,  n.n.,  1942),  pp.  19  and  23.  St.  Thomas  Aquinas  College  had  developed 
from  the  high  school  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Annunciation  parish  in  1881. 


CHAPTER 


12 


Brave  Vision 


Thomas  Ignatius  Gasson  was  born  September  23,  1859,  at  Seven  Oaks,  a 
small  town  in  Kent,  England,  25  miles  southeast  of  London.'  His  father 
came  from  a  French  Huguenot  family  and  his  mother  was  descended  from 
an  old  Kent  family  by  the  name  of  Curtis,  several  of  whose  members  had 
held  the  rectorship  of  the  parish  church  of  St.  Nicholas  at  Seven  Oaks. 
Thomas  did  preparatory  studies  in  St.  Stephen's  School  in  London.  At  age 
11  he  was  placed  under  the  tutelage  of  the  Reverend  Allen  Edwards,  a 
clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England.  Two  years  later  in  1872  he  left 
England  for  the  United  States. 

Thomas'  plans  to  settle  with  an  older  brother  in  Philadelphia  did  not 
come  to  pass.  As  he  set  about  to  support  himself,  he  was  befriended  by  two 
Catholic  women,  Catherine  Doyle  and  Anne  McGarvey,  who  in  time 
arranged  for  his  instruction  in  the  Catholic  faith.  He  was  received  into  the 
Church  in  October  1874  in  the  Chapel  of  The  Holy  Family,  now  the  Jesuit 
Church  of  the  Gesu  in  Philadelphia.  He  joined  the  Society  of  Jesus  on 
November  17,  1875.  During  his  preparation  for  ordination  he  taught  at 
Loyola  College,  Baltimore,  and  St.  Francis  Xavier  College,  New  York  City, 
before  being  sent  for  his  theological  studies  to  the  University  of  Innsbruck 
in  Austria. 

On  July  26,  1891,  Father  Gasson  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  by  the 
Prince-Bishop  of  Brixen  in  the  University  Church  in  Innsbruck.  He  re- 

113 


114        History  of  Boston  College 


Rev.  Thomas  Ignatius  Gasson,  S.J.,  the  "second  founder.' 


Brave  Vision        115 


mained  at  the  university  for  an  additional  year  of  theology  and  performed 
the  duties  of  chaplain  in  one  of  the  charitable  institutions  of  the  city. 

His  first  appointment  upon  his  return  to  the  United  States  in  the  summer 
of  1892  was  to  teach  poetry  for  two  years  to  juniors  at  Frederick,  Mary- 
land, before  devoting  a  year  to  the  required  study  of  ascetical  theology  at 
the  same  institution.  In  August  1895  he  was  assigned  to  Boston  College  to 
teach  the  junior  class,  and  two  years  later  was  made  professor  of  ethics  and 
economics,  continuing  to  teach  these  subjects  until  his  appointment  as 
president  of  the  College  on  January  6,  1907. 

A  New  Site  Is  Considered 

On  March  13,  a  little  over  two  months  after  his  inauguration.  Father 
Gasson  suggested  to  the  Jesuit  Provincial  that  the  College  purchase  the 
"magnificent  site  on  Commonwealth  Avenue  towards  Brighton."-  One  of 
the  earliest  references  to  this  location  had  been  made  seven  years  before  on 
July  21,  1900,  in  a  letter  from  Henry  Witmore,  of  the  realty  firm  of 
Meredith  and  Grew  in  Boston,  to  Father  W.  G.  Read  MuUan,  S.J.,  then 
president  of  the  College.^  Among  the  parcels  of  land  which  he  described  to 
Father  Mullan  was  the  following: 

.  .  .  known  as  the  old  Lawrence  farm,  and  I  think  [it]  may  safely  be  called 
one  of  the  very  finest  pieces  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston.  It  lies  to  the 
west  of  Chestnut  Hill  Reservoir,  bordered  on  the  east  by  the  Park  around  the 
reservoir,  and  commands  a  superb  view  across  the  water  over  Brighton  and 
Brookline  toward  Boston.  .  .  .  It .  .  .  seems  almost  intended  by  nature  for  the 
site  of  a  large  institution.  It  divides  naturally  into  three  parts.  In  the  centre  is 
a  nearly  level  plateau  .  .  .  ;  buildings  placed  thereon  would  command  the 
magnificent  view  before  referred  to,  and  themselves  would  be  the  central 
objects  in  the  charming  landscape  to  the  west  of  the  reservoir.  South  of  this 
plateau,  between  it  and  Beacon  Street,  is  a  nearly  level  field  .  .  .  admirably 
suited  to  an  athletic  field.  North  of  the  plateau  ...  is  a  tract .  .  .  sloping  from 
the  higher  land  toward  the  Avenue  and  Reservoir  Park. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  two  other  parcels  of  land  proposed  in  this 
letter  as  alternative  sites  for  Boston  College  have  since  been  occupied  by 
Catholic  institutions:  Mount  Alvernia  Academy  on  Waban  Hill  and  St. 
Elizabeth's  Hospital  on  the  old  Nevins  estate  at  Washington,  Cambridge, 
and  Warren  streets  in  Brighton. 

Whether  or  not  Father  Mullan  was  already  aware  of  the  availability  of 
the  Lawrence  land  is  not  known,  nor  is  there  any  record  of  his  reaction  to 
this  offer.  No  further  mention  of  it  is  found  until  1907,  when,  with  all 
authorities  in  agreement  that  the  Harrison  Avenue  location  was  no  longer 
suitable  for  Boston  College,  the  Commonwealth  Avenue  site  was  brought 
into  discussion  again. 

Father  Gasson  pointed  out  that  the  cost  might,  on  investigation,  prove 
too  great,  but  on  the  credit  side  was  the  fact  that  Archbishop  Williams  had 


116        History  of  Boston  College 

already  given  his  approval  to  the  proposed  change  and  appeared  disposed 
to  grant  parish  rights  to  a  church  at  the  new  location.  What  to  do  with  the 
existing  buildings — particularly,  the  Immaculate  Conception  Church — was 
a  problem;  the  Fathers  had  reason  to  believe  that  the  archbishop  would  be 
unwilling  to  change  the  church's  status  from  collegiate  to  parish.  Evidently, 
Father  Gasson  seemed  to  doubt  that  a  new  college  and  the  old  institution 
could  be  maintained  simultaneously.  In  any  case,  the  project  was  destined 
to  remain  in  the  realm  of  wishful  thinking  for  several  months  more. 

In  May  of  1907  Father  Gasson  aroused  the  enthusiastic  interest  of  the 
alumni  in  the  project  by  announcing  at  the  annual  alumni  dinner  that  new 
buildings  and  a  new  location  for  the  College  were  imperative  and  that  a 
fund  of  $10  million  would  be  needed."  He  eloquently  described  the  role  of 
higher  education  in  maintaining  the  dignity  and  welfare  of  the  Church,  and 
he  pointed  out  that  Boston  College  could  not  do  its  part  in  achieving  this 
high  purpose  in  its  present  location  and  without  being  separated  from  the 
high  school.  He  concluded  by  saying  that  funds  should  also  be  made 
available  for  the  hiring  of  distinguished  lay  professors  and  for  the  establish- 
ment of  an  expanded  program  in  the  natural  sciences. 

One  immediate  result  of  this  appeal  was  the  creation  of  a  board  of 
advisers  for  Father  Gasson,  selected  by  him  from  among  the  prominent 
businessmen  in  the  group.  The  function  of  this  board  was  to  suggest  ways 
and  means  of  securing  the  financial  assistance  needed. 

On  July  24,  1907,  the  question  of  securing  property  was  again  brought 
up  by  Father  Gasson.  He  reported  to  the  Provincial  that  priests  and 
prominent  citizens  of  the  city  were  urging  the  College  authorities  to  buy  at 
once,  warning  that  soon  it  would  be  too  late.  Father  Gasson  seemed  to 
think  that  this  action  should  be  taken  at  this  time,  even  if  it  meant  yielding 
the  hopes  of  having  a  parish  connected  with  the  new  institution.^ 

Meanwhile,  the  energetic  rector  had  caused  the  entire  school  to  be 
renovated.  Classrooms  and  corridors  had  been  painted  during  the  summer 
months  and  a  broad  stairway  had  been  constructed  to  provide  easier  access 
from  the  street  floor  to  the  gymnasium."^  When  school  opened  that  Septem- 
ber, there  were  140  young  men  registered  at  the  college  level  and  360  in 
the  high  school — the  largest  entering  classes  in  the  history  of  the  institution 
up  to  that  time.^ 

The  Chestnut  Hill  Location 

On  August  30,  1907,  Archbishop  Williams  died  and  Archbishop  William 
H.  O'Connell  succeeded  to  the  See  of  Boston.  This  change  meant,  of 
course,  renewing  all  permissions  and  approvals  granted  by  Archbishop 
Williams  in  connection  with  the  proposed  new  Boston  College.  So,  on 
October  24,  the  Jesuit  Provincial,  his  Socius,  and  Father  Gasson  visited 
Archbishop  O'Connell  to  lay  their  plans  before  him.  The  prelate  showed 
the  keen  interest  of  an  alumnus,  as  well  as  that  of  head  of  the  diocese,  in 
the  proposals,  and  gave  them  his  full  approval,  including  permission  to  buy 


Brqve  Vision        117 


io^^^^ 


I'i- 


9  i  'i 


.'ih' 


£ar/y  m  J  934  Father  Gallagher  was 
pleased  to  receive  this  letter  of  his- 
toric interest  from  William  Law- 
rence, the  Episcopal  Bishop  of  Bos- 
ton, accompanying  two  photographs 
of  the  old  Lawrence  farm  upon 
which  the  College  buildings  are  now 
located. 


118        History  of  Boston  College 

property  and  build.^  It  was  still  undecided  which  of  three  available  sites 
would  be  more  desirable,'  although  the  archbishop  evidently  was  strongly 
in  favor  of  the  Chestnut  Hill  location.'"  As  it  turned  out,  the  Chestnut  Hill 
land  was  selected,  and  on  November  11,  1907,  a  special  meeting  of  the 
Trustees  of  Boston  College  was  called.  It  was  voted  to  purchase  two  parcels 
of  land:  one  owned  by  E.  S.  Eldridge  on  Commonwealth  Avenue,  Newton, 
and  the  other,  an  adjoining  parcel,  owned  by  the  Provident  Institution  for 
Savings."  At  the  same  meeting,  the  president  of  the  College  was  authorized 
to  petition  the  legislature  for  amendments  to  the  charter  of  the  corporation 
(1)  changing  its  name  to  the  Trustees  of  Boston  College  (instead  of  ''the 
Boston  College"),  (2)  for  authority  to  grant  medical  degrees,  and  (3)  for 
authority  to  hold  additional  real  and  personal  estate.'^ 

Two  weeks  later,  on  November  25,  another  special  meeting  of  the 
trustees  was  held  to  authorize  the  corporation  (of  the  College)  to  purchase 
a  tract  of  land  owned  by  Henry  S.  Shaw  and  the  Mt.  Auburn  Cemetery 
Association  adjoining  the  parcels  of  land  voted  on  previously  and  fronting 
on  Beacon  Street  and  the  driveway.  The  purchase  of  the  fourth  and  last 
section,  situated  on  Beacon,  Hammond,  and  South  streets  (the  latter  now 
College  Road)  and  owned  by  the  Massachusetts  Hospital  Life  Insurance 
Company,  was  also  approved  at  this  meeting.'^ 

Papers  were  passed  on  the  new  property  on  December  12,  bringing  to 
the  College  a  total  area  of  some  thirty-one  acres'"*  with  an  assessed 
evaluation  of  $187,500. ''  Pubhc  announcement  of  the  purchase  was  made 
in  the  newspapers  of  December  18.'^ 

The  Drive  for  Funds 

Immediately  there  was  enthusiastic  talk  of  erecting  buildings — a  group  that 
would  include  dormitories  and  that  would  eventually  house  "the  greatest 
Catholic  College  in  America."'^  A  mass  meeting  was  called  for  Monday 
night,  January  20,  1908,  at  the  College  hall,"*  to  which  the  most  distin- 
guished alumnus.  Archbishop  O'Connell,  was  invited."  Eight  hundred 
former  students  and  friends  of  the  College  answered  the  call  and  heard 


In    a^ltiiL-wlcdamcol    of  11k    kminess 


in  prchcnMnq  cue  fe^uorc  feet  of  lun^  to  the  new 
f^cston  College,  «c  hereby  tvjcrd  cur  ohldinq 
qpjiitude, 

Prenidcnt 


-^, 


with  the  fe'atultij 


In  the  fund  drive  for  the  new 
campus,  donors  were  asked  to 
buy  one  square  foot  of  the  for- 
mer Lawrence  property  for  the 
College. 


Brave  Vision        119 


Father  Gasson  read  the  archbishop's  address,  when  the  latter  was  prevented 
by  illness  from  attending.  Fifty  thousand  dollars  were  pledged  by  the 
audience  in  response  to  the  pleas  of  the  speakers,  and  thus  a  beginning  was 
made  for  the  establishment  of  a  new  Boston  College.-" 

Under  the  direction  of  Doctor  John  F.  O'Brien  of  Charlestown,  who  had 
been  chairman  of  the  first  meeting,  a  second  mass  meeting  was  held  on 
February  17,  at  which  an  additional  $137,000  was  pledged.-'  A  week  later 
another  impetus  was  given  the  drive  by  the  formation  of  a  "Boston  College 
Club,"  with  membership  open  to  those  "interested  in  the  extension  of 
Boston  College."-- 

On  June  20,  1908,  the  first  of  the  well-remembered  lawn  parties  was  held 
at  Chestnut  Hill  for  the  benefit  of  the  new  institution.  The  grounds  for  the 
campus  were  dedicated  by  Father  Gasson  and  named  by  him  "University 
Heights"  upon  this  occasion.  Throughout  the  day,  some  25,000  persons 
witnessed  the  exhibits  and  patronized  the  many  booths,  with  some  12,000 
gathering  to  hear  the  Honorable  Bourke  Cockran  deliver  the  principal 
address.-^ 


Designs  and  Plans 

During  the  late  fall  of  1908,  Father  Gasson  devoted  some  weeks  to  an 
inspection  of  several  of  the  larger  colleges  and  universities  east  of  the 
Mississippi  in  order  to  obtain  ideas  that  might  be  utilized  in  the  design  and 
equipment.  Of  the  institutions  visited,  Chicago  University  impressed  Father 
Gasson  most  favorably.  He  felt  that  this  group  of  buildings  showed  a  unity 
of  idea  that  was  admirable  and  a  flexibility  of  design  that  would  permit 
symmetrical  growth  in  the  years  to  come." 

On  January  25,  1909,  a  competition  to  determine  the  best  general  plans 
for  the  new  buildings  was  announced,  and  14  architects  were  invited  to 
compete.^^  The  contest  was  held  in  accordance  with  the  regulations  govern- 
ing general  professional  practice  laid  down  by  the  American  Institute  of 
Architects.  The  first  of  the  three  prizes  offered  was  an  award  of  $1000  for 
the  best  general  plan  of  the  grounds  and  positioning  of  the  buildings;  the 
second,  $500  for  the  next  best  general  plan;  and  the  third,  a  commission 
to  design  and  supervise  the  construction  of  the  recitation  building,  for  the 
best  plan  of  this  building.  All  entries  were  prepared  in  a  uniform  manner, 
with  the  only  indication  of  the  architect's  identity  being  a  code  mark  placed 
on  each  set  of  plans  by  a  neutral  referee  to  correspond  with  the  marking  of 
a  sealed  envelope  containing  the  architect's  name.  The  contest  closed  on 
March  15,  1909,  and  the  decisions  were  to  be  announced  on  or  before 
April  12. 

The  committee  of  judges  consisted  of  the  president,  Father  Gasson;  a 
member  of  the  faculty.  Father  David  W.  Hearn,  S.J.,  vice  president  of 
Boston  College  and  formerly  president  of  St.  Francis  Xavier  College,  New 
York  City;  two  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  Father  J.  Havens 
Richards,  S.J.,  formerly  president  of  Georgetown  University,  and  Father 


120        History  of  Boston  College 


wm 


Several  fairs,  drawing  as  many  as  25,000  people,  were  held  on  the  new  Chestnut  Hill 
property  to  raise  funds  for  the  new  buildings. 


Joseph  T.  Keating,  S.J.,  treasurer  of  Boston  College;  an  architect,  William 
D.  Austin;  a  builder,  Charles  W.  Logue;  and  a  landscape  architect,  Arthur 
A.  Shurtleff. 

On  Saturday,  April  10,  1909,  after  meeting  several  times  to  discuss  the 
entries,  the  judges  finally  agreed  on  the  plans  to  be  given  first  prize,  but  the 
name  of  the  winning  architect  was  not  made  known  until  the  following 
Monday,  when  it  was  announced  that  the  Boston  firm  of  Maginnis  and 
Walsh  had  won  first  and  third  prizes  and  that  Edward  T.  P.  Graham  of 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  had  won  second  prize.-*^ 

According  to  the  prize-winning  general  plan,  provisions  were  made  for  a 
group  of  about  15  buildings,  with  large  sports  fields  and  a  landscaped 
campus.  The  architectural  style  adopted  for  the  group  was  English  Colle- 
giate Gothic,  which  appealed  to  the  architects  as  most  suitable  because  of 
the  natural  characteristics  of  the  site — uneven  topography  and  lack  of 
parallelism  in  bounding  streets — and  because  of  the  appropriate  sentiment 
of  this  architectural  tradition  in  relation  to  collegiate  life.-^ 

According  to  the  architects,  the  plan  was  intended  roughly  to  suggest 
that  of  a  cathedral,  the  buildings  being  disposed  "...  so  as  to  form 
longitudinal  and  transverse  courts,  at  the  junction  of  which  is  placed  the 
recitation  building.  .  .  .  This  building,  surmounted  by  a  massive  Gothic 
tower,  will  be  the  dominating  centre  of  the  group."-*  The  plan  envisioned 
separate  buildings  for  faculty,  library,  chapel,  philosophy,  biology,  physics, 
chemistry,  a  gymnasium,  and  a  dining  hall,  and  it  provided  a  great 
quadrangle  framed  with  trees.  Friends  of  Boston  College  who  regret  the 
loss  of  open  space  and  greenery  as  building  has  followed  building  in  the 


Brave  Vision        111 


latter  twentieth  century  would  have  had  little  space  or  meadows  to  mourn 
had  the  College  been  in  a  position  financially  to  carry  out  the  ambitious 
Maginnis  and  Walsh  plans,  all  sited  on  the  present  central  campus. 

At  the  time  these  plans  were  drawn  up,  it  was  expected  that  work  would 
commence  on  the  recitation  building  during  the  summer  of  1909  and  be 
ready  for  the  first  influx  of  students  by  September  1910,  permitting  the 
class  of  1911  to  have  the  honor  of  being  the  first  to  graduate  from  the  new 
College. ^^  As  will  be  seen,  these  hopes  proved  too  optimistic. 

Meanwhile,  steps  were  being  taken  to  raise  funds  for  the  building 
program.  The  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association  omitted  its  annual  "Col- 
lege Ball,"  a  tradition  of  30  years,  to  sponsor  a  gigantic  musical  festival  at 


The  architects'  conception  of  the 
entire  campus  (the  present  central 
campus).  Note  that  their  large 
central  building,  now  Gasson 
Hall,  dominates  the  design,  as  it 
still  does. 


122        History  of  Boston  College 

Mechanics  Building  in  Boston  on  April  19,  1909,  featuring  a  chorus  of  400 
voices.  For  this  function,  the  association  achieved  the  almost  unbelievable 
advance  sale  of  10,000  tickets  at  one  dollar  each.^" 

By  the  beginning  of  June  1909,  the  plans  for  the  recitation  building  had 
been  submitted  to  and  approved  by  the  Jesuit  Provincial  and  General.^*  At 
the  same  time,  it  was  tentatively  decided  to  rebuild  the  stone  barn  which 
was  located  on  the  Chestnut  Hill  property  as  a  temporary  faculty  residence, 
pending  the  erection  of  the  faculty  building,  in  preference  to  repairing  the 
lodge  house  on  the  property  or  renting  a  dwelling  house  in  the  vicinity.  As 
it  turned  out,  none  of  these  plans  was  put  into  effect;  the  faculty,  as  will  be 
seen,  was  obliged  to  commute  each  day  from  Harrison  Avenue  throughout 
the  College's  first  three  years  at  Chestnut  Hill. 

On  June  19  a  second  garden  party  was  held  on  the  grounds  at  University 
Heights  under  the  direction  of  the  alumni  association  president,  Dr.  Eugene 
A.  McCarthy,  of  Cambridge.  This  function  was  even  more  successful  than 
the  party  of  the  previous  year  had  been,  drawing  an  attendance  of  over 
30,000  persons.  The  feature  of  the  afternoon  was  the  turning  of  the  first 
sod  for  the  recitation  building,  which  took  place  in  the  presence  of  a 
distinguished  gathering.  Father  Gasson  spoke  the  words: 

In  the  name  of  the  August  Trinity,  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  Saviour  of  the  world,  and  who  has  given  us  the  only 
civilization  by  which  a  nation  can  endure,  in  the  name  of  all  that  is  high  and 
noble,  we  perform  the  first  act  of  this  series  of  tremendous  acts  which  are  to 
result  in  this  great  blessing  for  the  people  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massa- 
chusetts." 

Then,  with  a  silver  spade,  he  formally  turned  the  first  sod. 


Father  Gasson  breaking 
ground  for  the  first  building. 


Brave  Vision        123 


Cast  of  Macbeth,  1913. 

The  Irish  Hall  of  Fame 

The  very  month  of  the  ground-breaking  for  the  first  building  on  the 
Chestnut  Hill  campus,  another  project  was  announced  in  the  Boston 
papers:  the  "Daniel  O'Connell  Memorial  Building  and  Irish  Hall  of  Fame." 
Had  the  project  succeeded,  it  might  have  been  America's  first  hall  of  fame!^^ 
An  energetic  Jesuit  attached  to  the  Immaculate  Conception  Church,  Father 
James  Maguire,  S.J.,  secured  the  support  of  all  the  Irish-American  clubs  in 
Boston  for  the  plan.  The  scheme  called  for  a  gigantic  building  with  a  large 
circular  hall  with  high  Gothic  arches  and  massive  stone  piers  surrounded 
by  32  alcoves,  each  serving  as  a  museum  for  one  of  the  counties  of  Ireland. 
It  was  proposed  to  locate  the  building  on  the  site  where  Bapst  now  stands. 
One  cannot  beheve  Father  Gasson  welcomed  this  competitive  fund- 
raising  effort  at  a  time  when  his  own  drive  for  funds  was  faltering.  When 
the  sponsors  of  the  O'Connell  Memorial  project  realized  that  financial 
considerations  would  postpone  their  scheme  indefinitely,  they  turned  over 
to  Father  Gasson  the  money  they  had  collected;  it  later  funded  the  stately 
Irish  assembly  hall  in  the  building  later  appropriately  named  Gasson  Hall.^" 


Father  Gasson  had  an  incredibly  bold  dream  for  a  new  Boston  College. 
Credit  must  be  given  to  his  Jesuit  colleagues,  especially  his  superiors,  who 
backed  his  dream.  But  on  Father  Gasson  himself  fell  the  burden  of  translat- 
ing the  dream  to  reality. 


124        History  of  Boston  College 


ENDNOTES 

1.  These  paragraphs  on  the  hfe  of  Father  Gasson  are  based  on  Wilham  J.  Conway, 
S.J.,  "Father  Thomas  I.  Gasson,  S.J.,"  Woodstock  Letters,  60{1931):76— 86,  and 
The  Pilot  (January  12,  1907). 

2.  Thomas  I.  Gasson,  S.J.,  to  Joseph  Hanselman,  S.J.,  March  13,  1907,  Maryland 
Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 

3.  Letter  preserved  in  the  Boston  College  Archives. 

4.  T^eP/7of  (June  1,1907). 

5.  Thomas  I.  Gasson,  S.J.,  to  Joseph  Hanselman,  S.J.,  July  24,  1907,  Maryland 
Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 

6.  The  Pilot  (September  14,  1907). 

7.  Ibid.  (September  21,  1907). 

8.  Thomas  I.  Gasson,  S.J.,  to  Joseph  Hanselman,  S.J.,  October  26,  1907,  Maryland 
Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 

9.  Ibid. 

10.  Monsignor  Jeremiah  F.  Minihan  to  Rev.  Robert  H.  Lord,  June  14,  1941,  Dioce- 
san Archives,  Boston.  After  consulting  with  His  Eminence,  Cardinal  O'Connell, 
in  answer  to  Father  Lord's  inquiry,  Monsignor  Minihan  reported,  "Father  Gas- 
son inspected  and  bought  the  Lawrence  Estate  on  the  advice  and  suggestion  of 
His  Eminence." 

11.  "Records  of  the  Trustees  of  Boston  College,"  under  date  November  11,  1907, 
Boston  College  Archives. 

12.  Ibid. 

13.  Ibid.,  under  date  November  25,  1907. 

14.  Thomas  I.  Gasson,  S.J.,  to  Joseph  Hanselman,  S.J.,  December  9,  1907,  Maryland 
Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 

15.  The  Pilot  (December  28,  1907). 

16.  The  Boston  Herald  (December  18,  1907). 

17.  The  Pilot  (December  28,  1907). 

18.  7fcz^.  (January  11,  1908). 

19.  The  Boston  Herald  (January  12,  1908). 

20.  The  Boston  Globe  (January  21,  1908). 

21.  The  Boston  Herald  (February  15,  1908);  and  The  Pilot  (February  22,  1908). 

22.  The  Boston  Herald  (February  25,  1908);  and  The  Pilot  (February  29,  1908). 

23.  The  Pilot  Qune  27,  1908). 

24.  The  Boston  Post  (December  24,  1908). 

25.  This  account  of  the  competition  is  based  on  the  official  announcement  and 
statement  of  conditions  of  the  contest,  and  correspondence  concerning  it,  pre- 
served in  the  Boston  College  Archives.  Charles  D.  Maginnis  of  Boston,  a  member 
of  the  firm  which  won  the  competition,  supplied  additional  details. 

26.  The  Boston  Herald  (April  13,  1909). 

27.  Ibid. 

28.  Ibid.;  also  The  Boston  Evening  Transcript  (May  4,  1909). 

29.  The  Boston  Herald  (April  13,  1909). 

30.  The  Pilot  (April  24,  1909),  and  The  Boston  American  Qanuary  31,  1909). 

31.  Thomas  I.  Gasson,  S.J.,  to  Joseph  Hanselman,  S.J.,  June  5,  1909,  Maryland 
Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 

32.  The  Pilot  {]unt  16,  \9Q9]. 

33.  The  Boston  Globe  (June  27,  1909). 

34.  Father  Dunigan  was  indebted  to  Father  James  I.  Maguire,  S.J.,  of  St.  Joseph's 
Church  in  Philadelphia  for  his  kindness  and  to  Charles  D.  Maginnis  of  Boston 
for  details  concerning  the  Irish  Hall  of  Fame  movement. 


CHAPTER 


13 


The  Towers  on  the  Heights 


Excavation  of  the  foundation  area  for  the  Tower  Building  began  in  the  fall 
of  1909.'  Since  the  foundations  had  to  be  blasted  out  of  solid  rock,  the 
work  was  necessarily  slow,  but  the  stone  which  was  removed  provided 
material  for  the  walls,  thereby  reducing  expenses.  The  laying  of  masonry 
began  in  the  spring  of  1910,-  after  the  Board  of  Trustees  authorized  Father 
Gasson  to  contract  for  the  building  operations.^  By  the  following  October, 
a  roof  was  already  over  two  wings  of  the  structure." 

That  month  the  grounds  were  visited  by  Cardinal  Vannutelli,  the  Papal 
Legate,  who  was  passing  through  Boston  on  his  way  to  attend  the  Eucharis- 
tic  Congress  in  Canada.  The  cardinal  expressed  his  enthusiastic  admiration 
for  the  plans  of  the  College  and  seemed  most  impressed  by  the  fact  that 
such  admirable  style  was  achieved  without  resort  to  elaborate  and  expen- 
sive ornamentation.^ 

Sacrifices,  Delays,  Disappointments 

No  large  donations  to  the  building  fund  were  received,  and  the  many 
parties  and  functions  held  during  these  years  to  benefit  the  College  did  not 
realize  enough  to  meet  even  a  sizable  fraction  of  the  building  costs.  The 
income  from  the  Immaculate  Conception  Church  at  this  period  was  devoted 

125 


126        History  of  Boston  College 

almost  exclusively  to  the  College  fund.  Whatever  the  Jesuit  Community 
could  realize  through  stipends  offered  for  religious  retreats,  sermons, 
lectures,  and  other  activities  was  put  aside  for  the  new  building.*  The  self- 
denial  and  hardships  undergone  by  the  Community  in  their  efforts  to  save 
every  available  penny  for  the  fund  has  never  been  sufficiently  appreciated. 
But  despite  these  gallant  attempts  on  the  part  of  so  many  friends  of  Boston 
College,  both  lay  and  religious,  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  new  undertak- 
ing, the  burden  of  debt  mounted  so  swiftly  that  it  soon  threatened  to  put 
an  end  to  the  whole  project.  Father  William  J.  Conway,  S.J.,  administrative 
assistant  to  Father  Gasson  at  the  time,  afterward  wrote,  "Father  Gasson 
saw  all  too  clearly  that  unless  the  unforeseen  happened,  the  building  would 
never  reach  completion.  The  winter  of  1910  saw  him  face-to-face  with 
failure."^  The  same  authority  claims  that  at  one  point  in  the  construction 
of  the  building,  the  delay  due  to  shortage  of  funds  threatened  to  be  so 
lengthy  that  some  kind  of  temporary  covering  was  rigged  over  the  work 
which  had  already  been  completed.'* 

To  meet  this  financial  crisis.  Father  Gasson  obtained  permission  from 
the  Jesuit  authorities  in  Rome  in  1910  to  sell  the  tract  of  land  on  Massachu- 
setts Avenue  in  Boston  purchased  by  the  College  as  an  athletic  field  12 
years  before.  On  March  6,  1911,  the  trustees  authorized  the  sale  of  the 
land  to  a  public  utilities  company  at  a  favorable  price,  thereby  enabling  the 
rector  to  continue  the  construction.' 

In  May  1911,  when  work  was  resumed,  the  tower  part  of  the  building 
had  been  built  up  to  the  level  of  the  roof,  and  some  of  the  roof  tiling  had 
been  done.'"  During  the  summer,  the  tower  was  completed,  and  by  October 
practically  all  the  heavy  masonry  work  had  been  finished  and  the  heating 
and  ventilating  systems,  as  well  as  the  steel  stairways,  had  been  installed.  It 
had  even  been  thought  that  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  might  take  place 
during  the  fall,  but  the  date  was  postponed  until  the  following  May  or 
June,  with  no  one  foreseeing  that  further  delays  would  push  the  date  back 
for  another  full  year." 

One  consolation  in  this  period  of  trial  was  the  phenomenal  growth  of 
the  high  school  and  college  enrollments  at  James  Street.  The  combined 
registration  in  September  1911  exceeded  the  thousand  mark — a  growth  of 
100  per  cent  in  five  years!  The  Boston  College  enrollment  was  the  largest, 
next  to  that  of  Holy  Cross  College,  of  any  purely  prescribed  and  classical 
college  in  America.  Boston  College  High  School,  at  the  same  time,  had  the 
distinction  of  being  the  country's  largest  classical  high  school  for  boys.^- 
To  provide  for  this  growth,  two  rooms  in  the  faculty  residence  on  Harrison 
Avenue  had  to  be  converted  into  classrooms." 

Father  Gasson  found  comfort,  also,  in  the  reflection  that  during  the  year 
he  had  had  the  opportunity  of  refusing  "an  enormous  and  magnificent 
sum — a  sum  which  would  erect  a  number  of  our  proposed  buildings — if  I 
would  part  with  a  portion  of  our  grounds.  But  I  concluded  that  if  our  site 
was  so  good  and  fitting  for  other  institutions,  it  was  worthy  of  Boston 


The  Towers  on  the  Heights        127 

College.""  Oral  tradition  has  it  that  this  offer  was  made  by  the  authorities 
of  a  local  university. 

Throughout  the  following  winter  (1911-1912)  work  on  the  new  building 
was  pushed  forward.  From  the  exterior,  the  building  presented  an  almost- 
finished  appearance.  The  windows  were  in  place  except  those  in  the 
assembly  hall  and  in  the  tower,  where  it  was  hoped  that  stained  glass  might 
be  used.  Electrical  wiring  and  the  last  of  the  heating  apparatus  were  being 
installed,  but  the  task  of  proper  grading  and  landscaping  of  the  grounds 
remained.'^  Nevertheless,  it  was  still  felt  that  the  building  might  be  dedi- 
cated in  the  spring  and  classes  held  on  the  Heights  in  September."^  But 
again,  the  unforeseen  delays,  which  were  now  becoming  so  familiar,  and 
the  length  of  time  required  to  put  the  grounds  in  proper  order'^  operated 
against  the  scheduled  opening.  By  October  (1912)  it  was  hoped  that,  if  all 
went  well,  classes  would  be  transferred  to  University  Heights  the  following 
Easter.'* 

An  Adult  Education  Program 

The  winter  of  1912-1913  witnessed  an  attempt  to  initiate  a  night  school 
of  graduate  caHber  for  adults."  In  response  to  a  request  from  a  group  of 
prominent  Catholic  laymen.  Father  Gasson  had  dehvered  a  series  of  lectures 
on  the  philosophy  of  history  during  1912.  At  the  close  of  the  course,  when 
another  series  was  demanded.  Father  Matthew  L.  Fortier,  S.J.,  of  the 
College  staff,  was  appointed  to  conduct  further  series  in  Catholic  philoso- 
phy. Father  Fortier  felt  that  something  more  could  be  achieved  than  mere 
casual  attendance  at  these  talks,  if  several  courses  of  lectures  were  offered 
simultaneously  and  if  academic  credit  were  granted  in  connection  with 
them. 

Father  Gasson  approved  of  the  plan,  and  by  December  1912  a  postgrad- 
uate department  was  in  operation,  with  the  modest  schedule  of  two  series 
of  lectures  on  the  philosophy  of  literature,  by  Father  Gasson,  and  on 
professional  ethics,  by  Father  Fortier.  The  postgraduate  course  was  open 
only  to  those  already  having  an  A.B.  degree  and  whose  applications  were 
acted  on  favorably  by  the  faculty  board  of  admissions.  To  obtain  a  degree, 
candidates  were  obliged  to  attend  at  least  two  of  the  prescribed  courses 
and  to  pass  satisfactory  examinations  in  the  matter  of  the  courses.  Also, 
they  had  to  have  a  thesis  accepted,  said  thesis  to  be  an  original  study  of 
some  subject  related  to  the  matter  of  the  course  and  equivalent  in  length  to 
100  pages  of  print.  A  familiarity  with  Catholic  philosophy  was  assumed, 
and  for  those  not  acquainted  with  the  subject  sufficiently  there  were 
prerequisite  courses  offered  by  the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association. 
Twenty-five  students  enrolled  the  first  year. 

This  new  department  granted  the  master's  degree  to  19  candidates  in 
1913,  to  42  in  1914,  and  to  22  in  1915.  In  addition,  several  A.B.  degrees 
were  granted  to  adults  who  had  never  had  the  opportunity  to  finish  their 


128        History  of  Boston  College 

college  course  in  the  day  division.-"  The  difficulties  involved  in  providing 
adequate  faculty  and  library  facilities  for  this  postgraduate  work  and  the 
possible  conflict  with  the  regular  College  department  in  the  matter  of 
degrees  led  several  members  of  the  College  staff  to  petition  Father  Lyons, 
shortly  after  his  accession  to  the  presidency,  to  discontinue  the  courses.  In 
May  1914  it  was  decided  that  new  students  would  not  be  admitted  to 
postgraduate  courses  in  the  night  school  when  classes  reconvened  in 
September.-'  The  question  of  graduate  classes  was  not  taken  up  again  until 
after  World  War  I. 

The  Day  Approaches 

Through  the  winter  and  spring  of  1913,  construction  on  the  new  building 
consisted  largely  of  finishing  work.  The  plasterers  had  completed  their 
work  by  December,  and  four  months  were  allowed  for  drying  of  the  plaster 
before  the  work  of  mural  decoration  was  to  commence.  Father  Gasson  had 
secured  for  this  latter  task  the  services  of  Brother  Francis  C.  Schroen,  S.J., 
who  had  been  a  professional  decorator  before  entering  the  Society  of  Jesus 
and  who  had  recently  won  wide  praise  for  his  artistic  decoration  of  Gaston 
Flail  and  the  Philodemic  Debating  Society  room  at  Georgetown  University. 
Jesuit  churches  and  other  institutions  throughout  the  country  bore  on  their 
walls  paintings  that  were  a  glorious  testimony  to  this  famous  lay  brother's 
skill  and  genius,  so  it  was  with  pleasurable  excitement  that  his  coming  was 
awaited.--  In  March  Father  Gasson  announced  the  painter's  arrival,  and  the 
work  was  begun  which  would  take  until  late  that  year  to  finish. 

The  newspapers  early  in  March  carried  the  long-awaited  news  that  the 
recitation  building  at  Boston  College  would  open  for  classes  later  that 
month. -3  It  was  decided  at  this  time  that  the  entire  student  body  would  not 
be  transferred  to  the  new  quarters  because  of  limited  laboratory  facilities 
and  lack  of  suitable  living  accommodations  for  the  faculty,  but  the  seniors, 
forming  the  golden  anniversary  class  of  the  College,  would  have  the  honor 
of  finishing  the  scholastic  year  at  the  Heights.  Speculation  arose  as  to  which 
professors  would  be  assigned  to  the  new  building,  but  it  was  soon  an- 
nounced that  one,  at  least,  had  been  settled  upon.  This  was  to  be  the 
Reverend  William  P.  Brett,  S.J.,  professor  of  ethics,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  first  class  ever  graduated  from  Boston  College  and  who  now  was  to 
have  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  Jesuit  to  teach  a  class  in  the  new 
surroundings.  Father  Fortier  also  taught  seniors,  but  since  he  also  had  a 
junior  class  which  was  scheduled  to  remain  at  James  Street,  it  was  thought 
better  to  have  Father  Gasson  take  over  the  lectures  in  psychology  at 
Chestnut  Hill.^" 

Open  for  Class 

On  Friday  morning,  March  28,  1913,  groups  of  young  men  wearing  derby 
hats  and  carrying  "Boston  bags"  crowded  streetcars  for  the  long  trip  to 


The  Towers  on  the  Heights        129 


The  class  of  1913  entering  the  campus  for  the  dedication  of  the  Tower 
building  on  March  28,  1913. 


Lake  Street.  Those  who  had  been  foresighted  enough  to  purchase  newspa- 
pers read  the  tragic  news  of  the  Dayton  flood  and  perhaps  skimmed  the 
advertisements  of  the  now-defunct  Henry  Seigal  and  Company  and  the 
Shephard-Norwell  Stores.  On  the  amusement  page,  they  read  that  Maclyn 
Arbuckle  was  still  playing  in  "The  Round-up"  at  the  Boston  and  Otis 
Skinner  in  "Kismet"  at  the  Holhs.  Somewhere  on  the  inside  pages  they 
would  come  upon  a  brief  notice  that  the  new  Boston  College  was  opening 
that  day.  These  lads,  71  in  number,  left  the  cars  at  the  end  of  the  line  and, 
with  the  enthusiasm  of  a  new  adventure,  began  the  long  trudge  up  Com- 
monwealth Avenue  to  the  campus. 

At  about  half-past  nine,  the  students  assembled  at  the  South  Street 
(College  Road)  entrance  to  the  grounds,  where  they  were  met  by  Father 
Gasson  and  some  members  of  the  faculty,  in  the  presence  of  a  number  of 
newspaper  photographers  who  recorded  the  scene  for  posterity.-^  The  group 
formed  a  procession  and  entered  the  building  through  the  west  porch, 
coming  to  a  halt  in  the  rotunda.  There  the  students  gathered  informally 
about  Father  Gasson,  who  turned  to  them  and  spoke  these  simple  words  of 
dedication: 

Gentlemen  of  the  Class  of  1913;  this  is  an  historic  moment.  We  now,  in  an 
informal  manner,  take  possession  of  this  noble  building,  which  has  been 
erected  for  the  greater  glory  of  God,  for  the  spread  of  the  true  faith,  for  the 
cultivation  of  solid  knowledge,  for  the  development  of  genuine  science,  and 
for  the  constant  study  of  those  ideals  which  make  for  the  loftiest  civic  probity 
and  for  the  most  exalted  personal  integrity.  May  this  edifice  ever  have  upon 
it  the  special  blessing  of  the  Most  High,  may  it  ever  be  a  source  of  strength 
to  the  Church  and  her  rulers,  a  source  of  joy  to  the  Catholics  of  Boston  and 
its  vicinity,  a  strong  bulwark  of  strength  for  our  Country  and  a  stout  defence 
for  the  illustrious  State  of  which  we  are  justly  proud." 


130        History  of  Boston  College 

Following  the  dedication,  the  group  left  the  rotunda  and  began  a  tour  of 
inspection  throughout  the  building  from  the  basement  to  the  turrets.  The 
seniors  were  permitted  to  select  their  own  classroom,  and  they  chose  a 
large,  sunny  room  in  the  southeast  wing.^^  The  mural  decorations  in  the 
president's  office  (now  the  office  of  the  dean  of  Arts  and  Sciences),  in  the 
office  of  the  prefect  of  studies,  and  in  the  senior  assembly  hall,  which  were 
in  the  process  of  being  painted  at  the  time  by  Brother  Schroen,  drew  the 
appreciative  attention  of  the  visitors.^*  The  building's  main  art  piece,  the 
statue  of  St.  Michael,  had  not  yet  been  moved  from  James  Street  to  its 
destined  position  in  the  rotunda.-' 

The  building  was  opened  for  inspection  by  the  public  on  the  occasion  of 
a  party  to  aid  the  building  fund,  on  May  17.^°  At  this  time  it  was 
understood  that  the  graduation  exercises  in  June  would  be  held  in  the  hall 
on  James  Street,  since  the  new  building  would  not  as  yet  be  formally 
opened,^'  but  the  date  for  the  dedication  of  the  building  was  later  advanced, 
permitting  the  graduation  to  be  held  at  University  Heights.^^ 

The  ceremony  of  laying  the  cornerstone  took  place  on  the  afternoon  of 
Sunday,  June  15,  1913,  before  a  crowd  of  15,000  people.  In  the  absence  of 
Cardinal  O'Connell,  who  was  in  Rome,  the  Right  Reverend  Joseph  G. 
Anderson,  Auxihary  Bishop  of  Boston  and  member  of  the  class  of  1887, 
performed  the  ceremony,  assisted  by  Father  Gasson  and  by  the  Very 
Reverend  Anthony  J.  Maas,  S.J.,  Provincial  of  the  Maryland-New  York 
Province  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  Six  Monsignori,  100  priests.  Mayor  John 
F.  Fitzgerald  of  Boston,  and  state  and  civic  leaders  were  among  the 
audience  which  heard  the  Reverend  Walter  Drum,  S.J.,  deliver  the  dedica- 
tory sermon  and  E.  A.  McLaughlin  give  the  principal  address.  That  after- 
noon the  friends  of  Boston  College  applauded  the  news  that  the  Golden 
Jubilee  Fund  had  passed  the  $30,000  mark." 

Three  days  later,  at  the  commencement  exercises  celebrating  the  golden 
anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  College,  degrees  were  conferred  in  the 
presence  of  Bishop  Anderson  upon  79  candidates,  including  students  in  the 
evening  division.  The  Honorable  Joseph  C.  Pelletier,  of  the  class  of  1891, 
was  awarded  an  honorary  doctor  of  laws  degree  on  this  occasion,  and  he 
delivered  the  address  to  the  graduates.^'* 

On  September  17,  1913,  the  first  complete  collegiate  year  in  the  new 
building  began  with  a  record  enrollment  of  almost  400  freshman  students 
alone.^^  At  the  same  time,  the  high  school,  with  430  freshmen,  making  a 
total  of  1100  students,  outgrew  in  one  registration  the  additional  room 
made  available  in  the  James  Street  building  by  the  departure  of  the  college 
sections.^* 

One  Task  Completed,  Another  Begun 

During  the  fall,  the  interior  of  the  new  building  was  graced  by  the  erection 
of  five  marble  statues  in  the  hall  beneath  the  rotunda.'^  The  smaller  of  these 


The  Towers  on  the  Heights        131 


The  inspiring  rotunda  of  Gasson  Hall. 


132        History  of  Boston  College 


statues  represented  Saints  Aloysius,  Stanislaus,  John  Berchmans,  and 
Thomas  Aquinas;  the  group  in  the  center  of  the  rotunda  depicted  St. 
Michael  overthrowing  Lucifer.  The  latter  was  completed  in  1868  at  Rome 
by  M.  le  Chevaher  Scipione  Tadolini,  on  the  commission  of  Gardner  Brewer 
of  Boston.  It  took  three  years  to  model  the  allegorical  figure  and  the 
elaborate  pedestal  and  to  reproduce  them  in  marble.  On  the  completion  of 
the  work,  the  statue  was  placed  on  exhibition  for  a  period  in  Rome,  where 
it  was  received  with  praise  by  the  critics.  Among  the  many  distinguished 
persons  who  viewed  the  figure  was  Pope  Pius  IX,  who  smilingly  com- 
mented, "The  devil  is  not  as  black  as  he  has  been  painted!"^^ 

On  February  11,  1913,  Father  Gasson  contracted  to  have  the  Tower  bells, 
which  have  since  become  so  closely  associated  with  Boston  College  by 
thousands  of  students  and  visitors,  manufactured  and  installed  in  May  by 
Meneely  and  Company  of  Watervliet,  New  York.  The  four  bells  are  do  (F), 
the  largest,  christened  Ignatius  of  Loyola;  fa  (B''),  Franciscus  Xavierius;  sol 
(C),  Aloysius  Gonzaga;  and  la  (D),  Joannes  Berchmans.  When  this  clock 
chime  was  ordered.  Father  Gasson  evidently  considered  enlarging  it  ulti- 
mately to  a  tune-playing  chime,  for  the  frame  was  made  of  sufficient 


Skn 


9^ 
hi 


Official  Score  Card 

Bo^on  College 

vs. 

Holy  Cross 


Dedication  of  Athletic  Field 
University  Heights 

CHESTNUT  HILL,  NEWTON 


Saturday,  Odl.  30,  1915 


i«HiQHrS.Ci?nrS- 


At  long  last,  an  athletic  field  of  their 
own. 


The  Towers  on  the  Heights        133 

strength  and  size  to  carry  the  six  or  seven  additional  bells  required.  As  late 
as  1936  the  possibility  of  such  a  change  was  contemplated  by  the  then- 
president,  Father  Louis  J.  Gallagher.^" 

The  Fulton  Room,  a  small  amphitheater  equipped  and  decorated  for  the 
use  of  the  Fulton  Debating  Society  as  a  gift  of  the  Boston  College  Club  of 
Cambridge,  was  formally  opened  on  November  19/°  The  seating  arrange- 
ments of  the  room  were  changed  years  later  to  make  it  a  conventional 
lecture  hall,  but  in  the  renovation  of  Gasson  Hall  in  the  1970s,  the  original 
amphitheater  arrangement  of  the  room  was  restored  and  the  mural  deco- 
rations of  Brother  Schroen  retouched. 

In  the  latter  part  of  November  1913,  Boston  College  alumni  were 
reminded,  on  the  occasion  of  a  bazaar  held  at  the  high  school  under  the 
direction  of  St.  Catherine's  Guild  for  the  benefit  of  the  Faculty  Building 
Fund,  that  the  need  for  accommodations  for  the  Jesuit  staff  at  the  Heights 
was  acute.'"  As  early  as  August  of  1912,  Father  Gasson  had  recognized  the 
great  inconvenience  that  would  be  caused  the  professors  by  their  daily 
journeys  to  and  from  the  city,  and  he  had  petitioned  the  Jesuit  provincial 
authorities  for  permission  to  have  preliminary  plans  drawn  for  a  faculty 
residence.  The  permission  was  granted  and  the  slow  work  of  consultation 
and  drawing  up  trial  sketches  was  begun.''^  But  he  himself  was  not  to  see 
the  completion  of  this  work,  for  on  January  11,  1914,  his  term  of  office  as 
president  of  the  College  came  to  an  end  and  he  was  succeeded  by  the 
Reverend  Charles  W.  Lyons,  S.J. 


During  his  six-year  term  as  president.  Father  Gasson  was  able  to  com- 
plete only  one  of  the  projected  buildings,  the  centerpiece,  Gasson  Hall.  But 
he  left  a  plan  to  which  his  successors  were  faithful  through  two  wars  and  a 
depression. 

ENDNOTES 

L     William  J.  Conway,  S.J.,  "Obituary:  Father  Thomas  I.  Gasson,  S.J."  Woodstock 
Letters,  60{193l):84. 

2.  Woodstock  Letters,  39(1910):109. 

3.  Records  of  the  Trustees  of  Boston  College,  under  date  January  5,  1910. 

4.  The  Stylus,  24(October  1910):1:28. 

5.  /ferW.,  24(Novemberl910):2:25. 

6.  James  T.  McCormick,  S.J.,  to  James  M.  Kilroy,  S.J.,  "A  Proposal  for  Financial 
Adjustment"  (date  uncertain:  1926[?]),  BCA. 

7.  William  J.  Conway,  S.J.,  "Obituary:  Father  Thomas  I.  Gasson,  S.J.,"  Woodstock 
Letters,  60(1931):84. 

8.  Ibid.,  p.  85. 

9.  Records  of  the  Trustees  of  Boston  College,  under  date  March  6,  1911,  BCA. 

10.  T/;e%/«s,  24(January  1911):29;and24(May  1911):33. 

11.  ifczcf.,  25(October  1911):24. 

12.  Ibid.,  and  The  Boston  Sunday  Post  (December  8,  1912),  p.  "A." 

13.  The  Stylus,  25(November  1911):2,  p.  34. 


134        History  of  Boston  College 

14.  Ibid.,  24{Junel9n):9,  p.  27. 

15.  The  Boston  Sunday  Globe  (November  5,  1911);  also  The  Stylus,  25Qanuary 
1912):4,  p.  36. 

16.  The  Stylus,  25(November  1911):2,  p.  34. 

17.  Ibid.,  26(October  1912) :1,  p.  24. 

18.  Ibid. 

19.  The  Stylus,  26(December  1912):3,  pp.  43-44;  and  Woodstock  Letters, 
64(1935):446-447. 

20.  From  records  preserved  in  the  office  of  the  Boston  College  Graduate  School.  Cf. 
also  The  Boston  Post  (June  19,  1913). 

21.  Charles  Lyons,  S.J.,  to  Anthony  Maas,  S.J.,  Provincial,  May  28,  1914,  Maryland 
Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 

22.  The  Stylus,  26(December  1912):3,  pp.  44-45;  and  26(March  1913):6,  p.  225. 

23.  The  Boston  Sunday  Post  (March  9,  1913). 

24.  Ibid.  (March  23, 1913),  p.  "C." 

25.  Woodstock  Letters,  42(1913):246-247;  The  Boston  Post  (March  29,  1913),  p. 
6.  The  Post  article  carries  a  photograph  showing  Fathers  Gasson,  Goeghan,  Brett, 
and  Conway  with  a  group  of  students. 

26.  Woodstock  Letters,  42(1913):246-247;  The  Stylus,  26(April  1913):7,  pp.  274- 
275;  Sub  Turri,  l(1913):28-29. 

27.  The  Stylus,  42(1913):246-247. 

28.  Ibid.,  26(May  1913):8,  p.  335;  The  Boston  Sunday  Post  (March  23,  1913),  p. 
"C." 

29.  The  Stylus,  26(April  1913):7,  pp.  274-275. 

30.  The  Boston  Sunday  Post,  loc.  cit. 

31.  The  Stylus,  26Qune  1913):9,  p.  388. 

32.  The  Boston  Post  (June  19,  1913). 

33.  Ibid.,  June  16,  1913,  pp.  1  and  4;  The  Pilot  (June  13  and  21,  1913);  (New  York) 
World  (June  29,  1913).  "In  the  box  placed  within  the  stone  were  a  yearbook 
(Sub  Turri)  of  1913;  envelope  containing  pious  articles;  envelope  containing 
coins  of  the  United  States;  history  of  the  building;  list  of  names  of  ecclesiastical 
and  civic  authorities;  copies  of  the  Boston  Sunday  Globe,  Sunday  Post,  Sunday 
Herald,  Sunday  American,  and  a  Boston  Transcript  of  March  26,  1913;  cata- 
logue of  Boston  College  High  School;  catalogue  of  Boston  College;  book  of 
spiritual  exercises,  Roman  breviary,  Roman  missal;  list  of  officers  of  the  Boston 
College  Alumni  Association;  programme  of  the  exercises  of  the  day,  and  pro- 
gramme of  music  by  the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association"  (Boston  Post,  June 
16,  1913). 

34.  The  Boston  Post  (June  19,  1913). 

35.  The  Stylus,  27(October  1913):  1,  p.  42. 

36.  Ibid.,  p.  60. 

37.  Ibid.,  27(November  1913):2,  p.  116. 

38.  Prose  e  Poesie  Intorno  al  Celerre  Gruppo  Rappresentante  San  Michele  (Roma: 
Tipografia  di  G.  Aurelj,  1869),  p.  10.  Preserved  in  the  Boston  College  Archives. 
Cf.  also  article  by  F.  Franzoni  in  Osservatore  Romano,  March,  1869,  the  main 
portion  of  which  was  translated  and  published  by  Joseph  E.  Kelly,  "A  Great  Art 
Gift  to  Boston  College,"  The  Stylus,  23(April  1909):27-30. 

39.  F.  P.  Latz  to  Rev.  Thomas  L  Gasson,  S.J.,  February  11,  1913;  and  Andrew  E. 
Meneely  to  Rev.  Louis  J.  Gallagher,  S.J.,  August  12,  1936.  (Letters  preserved  in 
the  Boston  College  Archives.) 

40.  The  Stylus,  27(December  1913):169. 

41.  Ibid. 

42.  Thomas  L  Gasson,  S.J.,  to  Joseph  Hanselman,  S.J.,  Provincial,  August  2,  1912, 
Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 


CHAPTER 


14 


The  Pre-World'War  I  Era 


It  was  agreed  by  all  that  Father  Charles  W.  Lyons  was  a  fortunate  choice  to 
succeed  Father  Gasson  at  this  critical  period  in  the  history  of  Boston 
College.  He  was  already  experienced  both  as  an  administrator  and  as  a 
builder.  His  most  recent  concern  before  coming  to  Boston  had  been  the 
erection  of  a  faculty  residence  for  St.  Joseph's  College,  along  much  the 
same  lines  as  the  one  planned  for  Boston.  He  was  familiar  with  the 
problems  connected  with  such  an  enterprise,  and  he  brought  to  his  new 
task  a  wealth  of  ideas  and  suggestions  and  a  sound  knowledge  of  what  was 
practical  for  such  an  edifice. 

Progress  on  the  Faculty  House 

Father  Lyons  devoted  himself  at  once  to  the  business  of  pushing  forward 
the  preparations  for  the  new  residence.  Maginnis  and  Walsh,  the  architects 
of  the  first  building,  had  been  selected  to  design  the  new  hall,  and  they  were 
able  in  March  1914  to  provide  Father  Lyons  with  complete  plans  to  show 
to  Jesuit  provincial  authorities  in  New  York.^  As  envisioned  by  Father 
Gasson,  the  building  would  rise  no  more  than  three  stories  above  the 
ground,  and  the  community  chapel  in  the  building  would  be  no  larger  than 

135 


REV.  CHARLES  W.  LYONS,  S.J. 
Fourteenth  President 


Father  Lyons  was  born  in  Boston  on  January 

31, 1869.  He  attended  the  public  schools  ot 

Boston  and   graduated   from  the   English 

High   School.   He  entered  the  Society  of 

Jesus  August  14,  1890,  and  was  ordained  a 

priest  in  1904.  He  taught  metaphysics  at  St. 

Francis  Xavier  College  in  New  York  and  at 

Boston   College.   When   he  assumed  the 

presidency  of  Boston  College,  he  was  already  a  seasoned  administrator,  having 

previously  been  president  of  Gonzaga  College  in  Washington,  D.C.,  and  of  St. 

Joseph's  College  in  Philadelphia. 


necessary  to  accommodate  the  Jesuit  Community  at  common  prayers. 
Father  Lyons,  however,  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  building  should  provide 
more  rooms  to  accommodate  the  future  growth  of  the  faculty;  conse- 
quently, he  had  the  architects  add  another  entire  floor  to  its  height. 
Moreover,  he  caused  the  plans  for  the  chapel  to  be  altered  to  accommodate 
250  people. 

In  June  1914  the  Alumni  Association  presented  Father  Lyons  with  a 
check  for  almost  $40,000  to  be  added  to  the  building  fund,-  and  in  the  fall 
faculty  and  alumni  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  ground  broken  for  the  new 
residence  hall.  On  September  8,  exactly  as  the  College  chimes  were  sound- 
ing the  noon  hour.  Father  Lyons,  surrounded  by  several  members  of  the 
faculty,  blessed  the  ground  where  the  new  building  would  be  erected. 

Each  fall  had  witnessed  an  increased  enrollment  in  the  College,  and  1914 
was  no  exception.  Registration  at  the  opening  of  classes  reached  a  new 
high  of  432.3 


The  Philomatheia  Club 

The  year  1915  witnessed  the  formation  of  an  auxiliary  organization  which 
was  to  enjoy  extraordinary  social  prestige,  while  at  the  same  time  providing 
unfailing  assistance  to  numberless  College  projects.  The  new  group  was  the 


The  Pre-World-War  I  Era        137 

Philomatheia  Club,  which  united  a  number  of  prominent  Cathohc  women 
from  Greater  Boston  for  the  purpose  of  forwarding  the  general  interests  of 
the  College. 

The  idea  of  such  an  organization  was  conceived  by  James  Carney, 
chairman  of  the  Boston  College  Athletic  Board.  In  March  1915  he  arranged 
the  attendance  of  16  representative  Catholic  women  at  a  meeting  sponsored 
by  the  Boston  College  Athletic  Board  at  the  Boston  Art  Club  to  discuss  the 
feasibility  of  such  a  project.  Charles  D.  Maginnis,  the  architect,  was  host 
on  this  occasion.  As  originally  outUned,  the  purpose  of  the  proposed  club 
was  to  provide  moral  and  financial  support  for  the  athletic  program  at 
Boston  College.  Although  the  idea  was  well  received,  nothing  further  was 
done  to  carry  it  into  action  until  the  early  fall  of  1915,  when  a  larger  group 
of  women  and  the  Athletic  Board  met  with  Father  Lyons  and  reopened  the 
question. 

At  this  meeting,  James  Carney  achieved  wider  interest  for  the  proposed 
society  by  broadening  its  purpose  to  include  not  only  the  promotion  and 
fostering  of  the  athletic  affairs  of  the  College  but  its  scholastic  and  social 
interests  as  well.  It  was  thereupon  agreed  to  organize  such  a  club,  and  at 
the  election  which  ensued  Mrs.  Edwin  A.  Shuman  was  named  president. 
Mr.  George  McFadden,  S.J.,  faculty  director  of  athletics,  acted  as  the 
College  representative  during  the  club's  formative  period,  and  upon  its 
final  approval.  Father  Michael  Jessup,  S.J.,  became  the  organization's  first 
spiritual  director.  The  name  "Philomatheia,"  or  "Devotion  to  Learning," 
was  chosen  for  the  club. 

Elected  third  president  of  the  Philomatheia  Club  in  1919  was  one  of  the 
great  friends  and  benefactors  of  Boston  College,  Mrs.  Vincent  P.  Roberts. 
For  over  half  a  century  she  retained  that  office  and  led  the  club  in  a  rich 


Mrs.  Vincent  P.  Roberts,  for  over  a  half  century 
president  of  the  Philomatheia  Club. 


138        History  of  Boston  College 


m  m  fi 


The  first  library  at  Chestnut 
Hill,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
rotunda. 


array  of  benefactions  to  the  College.  These  included  gifts  such  as  the 
flagstaff  and  flag  for  the  original  Alumni  Field,  equipment  for  science 
laboratories,  and  gold  prizes  for  various  student  achievements,  as  well  as 
such  major  contributions  as  promoting  the  building  fund  drive  of  1921 
and  purchasing  the  gracious  Norwegian  chalet  on  Commonwealth  Avenue. 
(This  building  was  razed  in  1988  for  a  new  residence  hall.)  The  club 
donated  one  of  the  stained  glass  windows  in  Bapst  library  as  well  as  one  of 
the  library's  prizes,  a  letter  of  St.  Francis  Xavier.  In  addition  many  a  needy 
Boston  College  student  received  partial  tuition  support  from  the  Philoma- 
theia  Club. 

A  Junior  Philomatheia  Club  was  begun  in  1931.  The  two  organizations 
gave  significant  moral  and  material  support  to  the  College  in  the  decades 
when  an  institutional  development  program  was  nonexistent  or  in  embryo 
form. 


Maroon  Goal  Posts 

In  the  fall  of  1915,  the  hopes  of  25  years  were  realized  with  the  formal 
opening  of  the  College's  own  athletic  field.''  The  gridiron,  track,  and 
surrounding  campus  had  been  laid  out  by  the  Boston  landscape  architects 
Pray,  Hubbard,  and  White,  and  in  its  setting,  the  new  field  won  the 
enthusiastic  admiration  of  all.  One  of  the  students  writing  in  The  Stylus 
found  particular  delight  in  the  vision  of  "maroon  goal-posts  ...  on  a  field 
of  green."^  Before  the  formal  dedication  of  this  portion  of  the  campus,  the 
alumni — at  the  instance  of  Messrs.  Francis  R.  Mullin  ('00)  and  Thomas  D. 
Lavelle  ('01) — raised  $1600  in  the  space  of  four  days  for  the  erection  of  a 
semipermanent  grandstand  to  accommodate  2200  persons.* 

Shortly  after  one  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  October  30,  1915,  a 
procession  including  distinguished  civic  guests,  members  of  the  faculty,  and 
alumni  formed  in  the  rotunda  of  the  recitation  building  and  marched  down 


The  Pre-World-War  I  Era        139 

to  the  field  to  the  strains  of  a  military  band.  There  were  speeches  for  the 
occasion,  and  in  one  of  them  Father  Lyons  bestowed  upon  the  new  facility 
the  title  "Alumni  Field,"  as  a  memorial  to  "the  boys  that  were."^  The  new 
grandstand  was  filled  that  day  and  the  sidelines  were  crowded.  The  weather 
was  fine,  too.  Only  one  detail  marred  the  almost-perfect  dedication  cere- 
mony: Holy  Cross  won  the  afternoon's  football  game  in  the  last  six  minutes 
of  play,  9  to  0.^ 

That  evening,  the  Boston  Saturday  Evening  Transcript  appeared  with 
one  of  the  most  sympathetic  and  appreciative  articles  on  the  new  institution 
that  had  yet  appeared  in  the  secular  press.  It  described  Boston  College  as 
"Chestnut  Hill's  Touch  of  Oxford"  and  "one  of  the  sights  of  Boston,"  and 
it  sought  to  correct  the  misapprehension  that  the  institution  was  a  theolog- 
ical seminary.  The  tone  as  well  as  the  content  of  this  article,  occurring  in 
what  many  considered  the  "official  organ"  of  Yankee  Boston,  attracted 
favorable  attention  from  Catholics  and  non-Catholics  alike.' 

St.  Mary's  Hall 

Shortly  before  New  Year's  Day  1917,  it  was  announced  that  St.  Mary's 
Hall  would  be  opened  after  the  holidays.  On  the  evening  of  January  4,  the 
last  day  before  the  cloister  restriction  was  put  on  St.  Mary's  Hall,  a  small 
gathering  of  friends,  including  Mayor  Curley,  Mr.  Maginnis,  the  architect, 
Mr.  Logue,  the  builder,  J.  B.  Fitzpatrick,  and  others  interested  in  the 


A  bucolic  scene:  the  view  from 
the  road  circling  the  smaller 


reservoir. 


140        History  of  Boston  College 

College,  sat  down  to  a  supper  served  in  the  assembly  hall  of  the  recitation 
building  by  members  of  the  Philomatheia  Club  under  the  direction  of  Mrs. 
Edwin  A.  Shuman.  In  the  course  of  the  evening,  Father  Lyons  was  pleasantly 
surprised  to  receive  from  the  Philomatheia  president  a  purse  of  $2500 
toward  the  furnishing  of  the  new  building.  Later,  the  guests  made  a  tour  of 
inspection  of  the  new  edifice,  with  Mr.  Maginnis  acting  as  guide. '° 

The  new  building,  he  explained,  was  modified  Gothic,  in  conformity 
with  the  organic  architectural  scheme  of  the  assemblage.  Its  massive  gray 
walls  were  relieved  by  elaborate  Gothic  traceries,  carved  plaques,  and  the 
graceful  arches  of  the  Gothic  windows  which  encircled  the  lower  floor.  At 
that  time  the  building  contained  64  rooms,  of  which  50  were  living 
quarters,  including  a  bishop's  suite  on  the  second  floor.  A  unique  feature 
of  the  structure  was  the  large,  tiled  recreation  area  on  the  roof,  extending 
almost  the  entire  length  and  breadth  of  the  building  and  completely 
concealed  from  the  ground  below.  From  this  vantage  point,  guests  enjoyed 
a  magnificent  panorama  of  Arlington,  Watertown,  Cambridge,  Boston, 
and  Brookline. 

The  Jesuit  faculty  took  informal  possession  of  the  new  building  on  the 
following  evening,  January  5,  1917,  by  a  simple  ceremony  of  filing  into  the 
long  oak-paneled  refectory  for  their  evening  meal.  All  stood  in  their  places 
silently  as  Father  Lyons  offered  a  special  prayer  of  thanksgiving  and  a  plea 
for  God's  blessing  on  the  new  residence.  The  following  morning,  the  Feast 
of  the  Epiphany,  Father  Lyons  celebrated  the  first  Mass  in  St.  Mary's  Chapel 
at  six -thirty,  and  a  short  time  later  other  priests  of  the  faculty  began  their 
Masses  at  the  eight  side  altars."  Their  new  home  was  open. 


As  the  year  1917  began,  there  was  a  mood  of  joy  at  Boston  College  as 
the  Jesuits  occupied  their  majestic  residence.  That  mood  was  short-hved. 
Four  months  later  international  events  cast  a  pall  of  gloom  over  the  world. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  Charles  W.  Lyons,  S.J.,  to  Anthony  Maas,  S.J.,  Provincial,  March  11,  1914, 
Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 

2.  The  Stylus,  28(October  1914):1,  p.  53. 

3.  Ibid.,  p.  53. 

4.  Boston  Sunday  Post  (October  17,  1915),  p.  "A." 

5.  The  Stylus,  29(October  1915):1,  p.  38. 

6.  Ibid.,  p.  39. 

7.  Ibid.,  29(November  1915):2,  pp.  82-83. 

8.  Ibid.,  p.  96. 

9.  RoUin  Lynde  Hartt,  "Chestnut  Hill's  Touch  of  Oxford,"  Boston  Saturday  Eve- 
ning Transcript  (October  30,  1915).  The  article  was  reprinted  in  Woodstock 
Letters,  45(1916):131-134;  and  in  The  Stylus,  29(November  1915):2,  pp.  88-90. 

10.  The  Stylus,  30(January  1917):4,  p.  201. 

11.  The  Boston  Journal  (January  6,  1917);  The  Evening  Record  (Boston)  (January  5, 
1917);  The  Stylus,  30(January  1917),  p.  201. 


CHAPTER 


15 


Two  Months  in  Khaki 


On  April  16,  1917,  the  United  States  entered  World  War  I  against  Ger- 
many. One  of  the  early  government  programs  to  prepare  American  troops 
for  the  war  effort  was  the  establishment  of  an  officer  training  camp  at 
Plattsburg,  New  York,  which  was  destined  to  draw  heavily  upon  the 
colleges  in  New  England  and  New  York.  There  was  no  lack  of  patriotic 
response  among  the  students  at  Boston  College:  As  soon  as  the  first  camp 
at  Plattsburg  was  announced  in  May,  a  hundred  students  volunteered.  To 
their  dismay,  however,  only  one  was  accepted.  A  vigorous  protest  by  the 
Boston  College  men  eventually  found  its  way  to  Washington,  and  a  better 
representation  of  volunteers  from  the  Heights  were  enrolled  in  the  August 
class.' 

Because  of  conscription  and  voluntary  enlistment,  the  enrollment  at 
Boston  College,  which  had  stood  at  671  in  October  1916,  dropped  to  125 
in  October  1918 — a  loss  of  81  percent.- 

First,  the  SATC 

In  August  1918,  under  an  amendment  to  the  Selective  Service  Act,  the 
Students'  Army  Training  Corps  (SATC)  was  authorized,^  and  Boston  Col- 
lege was  one  of  the  565  institutions  selected  to  provide  training  for  men 
needed  as  officers,  engineers,  scientists,  and  administrators.  A  quota  of  750 

141 


142        History  of  Boston  College 


Students'  Army  Training  Corps  parade  on  Alumni  field.  Barracks  may 
be  seen,  east  of  Gasson  Hall. 


soldiers  were  assigned  to  Boston  College.  Toward  the  end  of  the  summer 
four  sleeping  barracks  and  a  large  mess  hall  were  erected  at  a  cost  of 
$90,000  in  the  areas  now  occupied  by  Devlin  and  Campion  halls.  The 
regular  arts  curriculum  was  suspended  and  a  new  curriculum  drawn  up 
stressing  scientific  and  military  subjects."  Fifteen  hundred  young  men 
apphed  for  admission  to  the  Boston  College  SATC  program,  but  only  half 
could  be  accepted.  The  devastating  influenza  epidemic  that  swept  the 
country  forced  the  postponement  of  the  start  of  the  program  until  October 
15,  1918,  less  than  a  month  before  the  armistice  was  signed.^ 

The  Boston  College  SATC  enrollment,  comprised  entirely  of  local  youths, 
was  divided  into  four  companies.  They  were  reviewed  on  November  27  by 
Major  General  Clarence  R.  Edwards  and  Governor  Samuel  McCall.*  The 
following  day  the  College  authorities  were  notified  that  all  units  of  the 
SATC  had  been  directed  to  demobilize  the  men,  commencing  the  week  of 
December  IJ  By  December  12  the  last  elements  of  the  Boston  College  unit 
had  been  disbanded. 

To  assist  colleges  adjust  to  the  dislocations  encountered  with  the  cessa- 
tion of  SATC  programs,  the  government  re-established  the  Reserve  Officers' 


Two  Months  in  Khaki        143 

Training  Corps,  which  had  been  suspended  during  the  war.  Boston  College 
was  one  of  over  300  institutions  applying  for  the  establishment  of  ROTC 
units.* 

Early  in  January  1919,  Father  Lyons  wrote  the  Provincial  of  his  satisfac- 
tion at  learning  that  Colonel  J.  S.  Parke,  the  former  commandant,  and 
Captain  Andrew  B.  Kelly,  the  former  adjutant  of  the  Boston  College  SATC, 
were  available  to  organize  and  direct  a  ROTC  unit  at  the  college.' 


Then,  ROTC 

The  inception  of  the  program  was  announced  in  "General  Orders,  Number 
1,"  published  from  the  headquarters  of  the  ROTC  at  Boston  College  on 
February  27,  1919,'°  and  the  actual  training  began  in  the  first  week  of 
March.  It  was  decided  after  some  discussion  that  the  membership  was  to 
be  voluntary  for  all  those  who,  upon  examination,  could  qualify  as  officer 
material,  and  some  137  students  enrolled." 

The  ROTC  demanded  only  two  hours  weekly  of  drill,  and  only  one  hour 
a  week  of  class  in  military  science,  yet  the  program  apparently  became 
irksome  to  many  of  the  student  soldiers  after  it  was  started.  Perhaps  the 
students  shared  the  widespread  reaction  of  distaste  in  the  postwar  period 
for  everything  connected  with  the  military;  in  any  case,  disturbing  numbers 
applied  for  release  from  the  corps  during  the  spring  months  of  1919,  and 
this  undoubtedly  motivated  the  College  authorities  to  discontinue  the 
program  the  following  September.'^ 

During  World  War  I,  Boston  College  sent  more  than  540  students  and 
alumni  to  the  armed  forces,  of  whom  263  were  commissioned  officers;  it 
also  trained  761  SATC  soldiers.  Her  honor  roll  includes  the  names  of  15 
dead,  17  wounded,  and  23  cited  or  decorated  by  the  United  States  or 
foreign  governments." 

If  these  numbers  seem  small  in  contrast  to  the  College's  service  figures 
for  World  War  II,  it  must  be  recalled  that  the  United  States'  armed  forces 
in  1918  were  less  than  half  the  size  of  the  American  forces  in  World  War  II 
and  that  Boston  College  at  the  outset  of  World  War  I  had  only  761  students 
compared  with  a  student  body  of  some  1800  in  1941.  Moreover,  because 
the  College  had  but  recently  increased  its  enrollment  from  that  of  a  little 
over  one  hundred,  her  alumni  were  not  relatively  numerous. 

The  history  of  Boston  College  in  World  War  I  is  a  proud  record  of 
service,  "not  only  for  the  men  whose  names  are  written  therein,  but  also 
for  those  who  in  future  ages  will  bear  their  names."'"* 


With  the  war  over,  the  Boston  College  construction  program  was  re- 
sumed. In  the  1920s  two  presidents  would  surmount  daunting  obstacles  to 
add  to  the  campus  the  third  and  fourth  Gothic  buildings. 


144        History  of  Boston  College 


ENDNOTES 

1.  The  Stylus,  30{May  1917),  p.  370;  31(October  1917),  p.  23. 

2.  Woodstock  Letters,  45(1916):467;  47(1918):  Supplement,  "Students  in  Our 
Colleges  in  the  United  States.  .  .  ." 

3.  War  Department,  Committee  on  Education  and  Special  Training,  Circular  Aa— 1, 
1918. 

4.  Records  of  the  SATC  at  Boston  College,  Boston  College  Archives.  A  transcript  of 
the  more  important  War  Department  circulars  concerning  the  SATC  and  a  listing 
of  authorized  units  will  be  found  in  Parke  Rexford  Kolbe,  The  Colleges  in  War 
Time  and  After  (New  York:  D.  Appleton  and  Co.,  1919),  Appendix  III. 

5.  Boston  College  in  the  World  War,  1917-1 91 8,  p.  304. 

6.  Ibid.,  p.  305. 

7.  School  and  Society,  8:206(December  7,  1918):675-676. 

8.  School  and  Society,  8:209(December  28,  1918):765-766. 

9.  Charles  W.  Lyons,  S.J.,  to  Joseph  Rockwell,  S.J.,  Provincial,  January  7,  1919, 
New  York  Province  Archives,  S.J. 

10.  The  Stylus,  32(March  1919),  359-360. 

11.  Records  of  the  ROTC  at  Boston  College,  Boston  College  Archives.  A  complete 
roster  of  officers  and  men  in  the  B.C.  ROTC  will  be  found  in  The  Stylus, 
32(April  1919),  425-426. 

12.  Applications  for  dismissal  on  file  in  ROTC  records,  Boston  College  Archives; 
and  discontinuance  noted  in  letter  of  William  Devhn,  S.J.,  to  Joseph  Rockwell, 
S.J.,  Provincial,  September  3,  1919,  New  York  Province  Archives,  S.J. 

13.  Boston  College  in  the  World  War,  191 7-1918,  pp.  351-352. 

14.  Ibid.,  p.  12. 


CHAPTER 


16 


Boston  College 
Will  Be  Big  Enough  .  .  . 


As  we  have  seen,  a  physical  separation  of  college  and  high  school  faculties 
took  place  early  in  1917  with  the  removal  of  the  professors  to  the  new 
faculty  building  at  the  Heights.  The  separation  was  not  perfect,  however, 
for  Father  Lyons,  the  rector  of  Boston  College,  was  also  rector  of  Boston 
College  High  School;  the  treasurer  of  the  College,  Father  James  F.  Mellyn, 
S.J.,  was  also  treasurer  of  the  high  school;  and  both  lived  on  Harrison 
Avenue.  The  prefect  of  studies  at  the  College,  Father  Michael  Jessup,  S.J., 
was  acting  superior  at  the  new  building,  and  the  prefect  of  discipline  at  the 
College,  Mr.  William  V.  Corliss,  S.J.,  was  acting  treasurer.  This  was 
understood,  of  course,  to  be  only  a  temporary  arrangement  to  last  until 
such  time  as  the  College  was  thought  sufficiently  well  organized  to  be 
administered  as  an  independent  unit.  That  time  was  judged  to  have  come 
in  July  1919,  and  the  change  was  announced  in  advance  to  Cardinal 
O'Connell  by  the  Provincial  in  a  letter  dated  July  16.^  "It  is  difficult,"  he 
wrote,  "for  one  superior  to  bear  the  responsibility  of  two  houses  as  widely 
separated  as  the  College  at  Chestnut  Hill  and  the  High  School  on  Harrison 
Avenue."  Hence,  Father  John  J.  Geoghan  was  appointed  rector  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception  Church  and  Boston  College  High  School,  and 
Father  William  J.  Devlin  succeeded  Father  Lyons  as  rector  of  Boston 
College,  the  appointments  taking  place  on  July  20,  1919.' 

145 


REV.  WILLIAM  J.  DEVLIN,  S.J. 
Fifteenth  President 


Father  Devlin  was  born  in  New  York  City 
December  15,  1875,  but  spent  most  of  his 
youth  abroad,  attending  schools  in  England 
or  traveling  in  Europe  and  spending  the 
summer  vacations  with  his  family  in  Ireland. 
While  he  was  a  student  at  Stonyhurst,  the 
distinguished  Jesuit  school  in  England,  he 
was  accepted  into  the  English  province  of 
the  Society  of  Jesus.  Before  he  entered,  however,  his  father  died  in  New  York  and 
young  Devlin  returned  to  America.  Shortly  thereafter  he  decided  to  seek  admis- 
sion to  the  Maryland  province,  where  he  was  accepted  on  September  24,  1893. 
Before  his  ordination  he  taught  at  Boston  College  for  four  years.  After  his 
ordination  in  1908,  Father  Devlin  was  on  the  faculty  of  Boston  College  from  1910 
to  1913.  in  1914  he  became  dean,  the  position  he  held  when  named  to  the 
presidency.' 


Postwar  Milestones 

One  of  Father  Devlin's  first  tasks  in  office,  shortly  after  the  opening  of 
school  in  1919,  was  arranging  a  reception  at  Boston  College  for  Cardinal 
Mercier,  the  heroic  prelate  of  Belgium  who  was  visiting  America  at  the 
time.  An  enthusiastic  assembly  of  faculty,  students,  and  alumni  greeted  the 
Belgian  patriot  and  Cardinal  O'Connell  in  the  College  hall  on  October  6.'* 

A  few  weeks  later  a  Boston  College  football  team  came  into  national 
prominence  for  the  first  time  by  defeating  a  favored  Yale  team  5  to  3  on  an 
historic  47-yard  field  goal  made  by  "Jimmie"  Fitzpatrick.  The  team,  the 
first  coached  by  the  now-legendary  "Iron  Major,"  Frank  Cavanaugh,  was 
hailed  upon  its  return  from  New  Haven  with  a  welcome  which  verged  on 
hysteria.^  The  following  year,  the  victory  was  repeated,  21  to  13.* 

The  first  issue  of  The  Alumni  Bulletin,  published  in  October  1919, 
announced  the  creation  of  a  new  office,  that  of  alumni  secretary,  to  which 
Frank  Cronin  was  appointed  by  action  of  the  executive  committee  of  the 
association  on  September  11,  1919  J  The  Bulletin  unfortunately  experi- 
enced a  rather  hectic  career  during  its  first  years,  with  change  of  title  and 
suspended  publication  of  frequent  occurrence. 


Boston  College  Will  Be  Big  Enough 


147 


Within  a  month,  another  pubHcation  was  inaugurated,  an  undergraduate 
weekly  called  The  Heights,  which  printed  Volume  I,  Number  1,  on  Novem- 
ber 19,  1919,  under  the  editorship  of  John  D.  Ring  ('20).  The  first  issues 
of  the  paper  were  only  six  by  nine  inches  in  size,  giving  it  the  distinction  of 
being  the  smallest  college  newspaper  in  the  country,  but  on  April  16,  1920, 
the  format  was  changed  to  approximately  what  it  is  at  present.  The  twenty- 
fifth  and  final  edition  issued  that  season  was  an  ambitious  12-page  pictorial 
presenting  a  review  of  the  persons  and  incidents  that  had  made  Boston 
College  news  during  the  year. 

Incidentally,  it  was  in  an  early  issue  of  The  Heights  that  the  eagle  was 
suggested  as  mascot  and  symbol  of  the  Boston  College  athletic  teams.'  The 
sponsor  concealed  his  identity  under  a  pseudonym,  but  tradition  identifies 
him  as  the  Reverend  Edward  J.  McLaughlin  ('14). 

An  Appeal  to  the  Alumni 

Shortly  after  the  turn  of  the  year  in  1920,  Father  Devlin  devoted  his 
attention  to  finding  ways  and  means  to  erect  another  building.  The  need 
for  room  was  pressing,  particularly  in  the  form  of  laboratory  space  for  the 


Pledge  card  used  in  Father  Devlin's  building  fund  drive.  The  drawing  on  the  certificate 
is  from  the  Maginnis  and  Walsh  projection  of  the  campus.  It  shows  that  the  architects 
meant  the  east  entrance  of  the  first  building  to  be  the  main  entrance.  A  plaza  such  as 
they  envisioned  is  now  in  place. 


148        History  of  Boston  College 

rapidly  growing  science  courses.  Two  science  classes  had  to  be  transferred 
to  St.  Mary's  Hall  to  secure  room,  and  there  was  no  hall  on  the  campus 
large  enough  to  accommodate  even  a  representative  portion  of  the  student 
body  at  one  time.'  Two  sections  of  the  third  corridor  had  been  cut  off  to 
make  temporary  laboratories  for  the  physics  department.  Equipment,  too, 
was  in  demand.  The  proceeds  from  the  Philomatheia  Ball  that  year  had 
been  spent  on  much  needed  apparatus  for  the  physics  laboratory,  and  an 
additional  thousand  dollars  was  expended  for  microscopes  and  other 
instruments  for  biology.'" 

In  February  1920,  with  the  Provincial's  approval.  Father  Devlin  sent  a 
letter  to  all  Boston  College  graduates  outlining  the  need  for  a  science 
building  and  asking  for  financial  support."  Once  again  the  firm  of  Magin- 
nis  and  Walsh  was  engaged  to  draw  up  plans  for  the  proposed  building. 
This  initial  appeal  to  the  alumni  had  disappointing  results,  with  less  than 
$100,000  realized  in  cash  and  pledges.'^  It  was  decided  that  an  appeal  had 
to  be  made  to  a  wider  public. 

The  Campaign  of  '21 

Father  Devlin  courageously  determined  that  this  new  effort  should  be  a 
large-scale  drive,  not  only  to  finance  construction  of  a  science  building,  but 
to  meet  the  needs  of  a  rapidly  growing  student  body  by  providing  three 
additional  new  buildings — a  chapel,  a  gymnasium,  and  a  library — at  one 
bold  stroke."  His  first  step  was  to  engage  professional  direction  for  the 
proposed  drive,  and  by  the  first  week  in  October  a  rough  plan  of  action 
had  already  been  blocked  out.'"  The  campaign,  which  would  have  as  its 
objective  the  raising  of  $2  million,  would  begin  October  8  in  its  organiza- 
tional aspects  and  run  for  30  weeks,  ending  May  31,  1921.  The  actual 
public  "drive,"  as  such,  was  to  occupy  10  days,  from  May  3  to  May  12. 

Father  Devlin  met  the  editors  and  publishers  of  the  Boston  newspapers 
at  a  dinner  at  the  City  Club  on  November  10.  He  outlined  the  purposes  of 
the  campaign  and  appealed  for  the  friendly  cooperation  of  the  Boston 
press.  The  following  morning  the  newspapers  of  the  city  featured  an- 
nouncements of  the  new  drive  and  descriptions  of  the  pressing  needs 
experienced  at  the  Heights. 

As  the  time  for  the  intensive  collection  period  approached,  the  press 
devoted  more  and  more  space  to  accounts  of  the  campaign  and  to  feature 
stories  concerning  the  College.  A  slogan  contest  during  the  spring  contrib- 
uted a  motto:  "Boston  College  will  be  big  enough  if  your  heart  is!"  and  it 
soon  appeared  on  numberless  billboards,  telephone  posts,  streetcar  ads, 
shop  windows,  and  doorstep  flyers. 

On  the  eve  of  the  drive,  a  large  reproduction  of  the  Gothic  Tower  on  the 
Heights  was  unveiled  on  Boston  Common  near  the  corner  of  Tremont  and 
Park  Streets,  and  smaller  replicas  were  placed  at  South  Station,  Upham's 
Corner  (Dorchester),  Lynn,  Lowell,  Waltham,  and  Brockton.  On  these 

A  1 922  invitation  to  a  Philomatheia  Ball. 


Campaign  flag  at  downtown  head- 
quarters. 


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150        History  of  Boston  College 


The  crane  beside  the  Tower  Building 
shows  the  science  building  under 
construction. 


Work  has  begun  on  the  library  site  at 
the  right  and  young  lindens  line  the 
road  in  1924. 


The  football  teams  were  in  the  na- 
tional spotlight  in  1919  and  1 920 
with  victories  over  Yale. 


Boston  College  Will  Be  Big  Enough  ...        151 


BOSTON  COLLEGE    BASEBALL  Sa^EDULE 

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152        History  of  Boston  College 

"towers"  were  conspicuous  campaign  clocks  to  indicate  the  daily  progress 
of  the  drive. 

When  May  3  finally  arrived,  Cardinal  O'Connell  opened  the  drive  with 
a  gift  of  $10,000  (which  he  doubled  a  few  days  later),  and  a  legion  of 
volunteer  workers  set  out  on  the  heroic  task  of  approaching  every  person 
in  Greater  Boston  to  solicit  from  each  a  donation  for  the  new  Boston 
College.  Meanwhile,  the  volume  of  newspaper  publicity  multiplied  until 
the  drive  became  the  topic  of  greatest  interest  in  the  city.  A  gigantic  benefit 
concert,  starring  the  great  Victor  Herbert  and  including  Fritzi  Scheff  and 
many  other  artists,  was  staged  in  the  Boston  Arena  to  signal  the  drive's 
halfway  mark  on  Sunday,  May  8. 

The  collectors  and  their  leaders  who  had  labored  untiringly  for  10  days 
were  cheered  at  the  close  of  the  campaign  by  the  headlined  news  that  the 
drive  had  gone  over  the  top.  A  careful  check  completed  several  days  later, 
however,  revealed  that  of  the  $2  million  sought,  only  $1,746,069  had  been 
paid  or  pledged,  and  of  this  amount  only  $710,756  had  been  realized  in 
cash.  Later,  complete  records  show  that  of  the  outstanding  pledges  amount- 
ing to  $1,035,313,  only  $575,000  was  ever  redeemed.  Expenses  connected 
with  the  1920-1921  campaign  ran  to  $158,070.  When  it  was  decided  in 
1929  that  no  further  redemptions  would  be  made,  the  net  cash  return  from 
the  drive  was  calculated  at  $1,127,712. 


Hopes  for  four  new  buildings  thus  vanished,  for  the  cost  of  the  science 
building  and  library  alone  would  exceed  by  several  hundred  thousands  the 
total  receipts  of  the  drive.  But  a  beginning  had  been  made,  and  the  great 
amount  of  favorable  publicity  received  by  the  College  during  the  drive  was 
to  prove  of  incalculable  value.  Boston  College  was  now  definitely  knoivn, 
and  within  two  decades  its  student  body  was  to  double  and  treble. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  Joseph  H.  Rockwell,  S.J.,  to  Most  Rev.  William  H.  O'Connell,  July  16,  1919, 
Boston  Diocesan  Archives. 

2.  Catalogus  Provinciae  Marylandiae-Neo  Eboracensis  S.J.,  ineunte  anno  1920. 

3.  Woodstock  Letters,  67(1938):293-298. 

4.  W.  Devlin,  S.J.,  to  the  Alumni  of  Boston  College  (circular  letter),  October  4, 
1919,  Boston  Diocesan  Archives.  Also,  The  Stylus,  33(October  1919):40-41. 

5.  The  Stylus,  33(November  1919):106-107  and  118-122. 

6.  Ibid.,  34(October  1920):51-62. 

7.  A  copy  of  the  first  issue  of  the  Alumni  Bulletin  is  preserved  in  the  Boston 
Diocesan  Archives.  In  May  1924  a  fresh  attempt  to  publish  the  Alumni  Bulletin 
was  made  under  the  editorship  of  John  R.  Taylor,  to  appear  "from  time  to  time" 
(p.  2).  The  introductory  editorial  gives  the  impression  that  Taylor  considered  this 
to  be  the  initial  effort  at  a  Bulletin  (pp.  1-2).  In  1933  the  Bulletin  was  begun 
once  more  as  a  "new  publication"  under  the  title,  Boston  College  Alumnus. 

8.  The  Heights  (May  14,  1920). 


Boston  College  Will  Be  Big  Enough  . 


153 


9.     William  Devlin,  S.J.,  to  Joseph  Rockwell,  S.J.,  January  27,  1920,  New  York  S.J. 
Provincial  Archives;  and  William  Devlin,  S.J.,  to  the  Boston  College  Alumni 
(circular  letter),  February  6,  1920,  Boston  Diocesan  Archives. 

10.  William  Devlin,  S.J.,  to  His  Eminence,  William  Cardinal  O'Connell,  February  9, 
1920,  Boston  Diocesan  Archives. 

11.  William  Devlin,  S.J.,  to  the  Alumni  (circular  letter),  February  6,  1920,  Boston 
Diocesan  Archives. 

12.  The  Official  Report  of  the  Treasurer,  the  Reverend  Michael  J.  Doody,  preserved 
in  the  Treasurer's  Office  files,  Boston  College. 

13.  William  Devlin,  S.J.,  and  William  D.  Nugent  to  the  Alumni  of  Boston  College 
(circular  letter),  December  8,  1920,  Boston  College  Archives. 

14.  The  following  account  is  based  on  the  official  records  of  the  drive  which  have 
been  bound  and  preserved  in  the  Boston  College  Archives. 


CHAPTER 


17 


Gothic  Newcomers 


At  the  commencement  exercises  on  June  22,  1921,  Cardinal  O'Connell 
broke  ground  for  the  science  building,  the  first  of  the  structures  to  be 
erected  with  the  funds  realized  in  the  recent  drive.'  The  excavation  for  the 
basement  required  blasting  of  rock,  so  concrete  could  not  be  poured  for 
the  first  section  of  the  foundation  until  March  16  of  the  following  year.^  The 
cornerstone  for  the  science  building  was  laid  in  the  presence  of  Cardinal 
O'Connell  at  the  graduation  in  June  1922,^  and  ground  was  broken  for  the 
library  by  Mayor  Childs  of  Newton  in  the  following  October.'' 

The  prospect  of  increased  library  facilities  encouraged  Father  Stinson, 
the  librarian,  to  appeal  to  friends  of  the  College  to  donate  books  for  the 
new  library  during  a  drive  which  opened  November  10,  1922,  and  contin- 
ued for  several  months.  The  Carnegie  Foundation  in  Washington,  D.C., 
congratulated  the  College  on  its  efforts  to  secure  a  representative  library 
and  offered  to  send  all  the  yearbooks  and  other  sets  of  publications  issued 
by  the  foundation.  Harvard  University  likewise  responded  with  a  generous 
offer  of  books  and  duplicate  sets.^ 


In  the  fall  of  1923  the  status  of  the  College  chapel,  which  had  hitherto 
been  private,  was  changed  by  Cardinal  O'Connell  to  permit  the  faithful  of 
the  locality  to  fulfill  their  obligation  to  hear  Mass  on  Sundays  and  holy 
days.o 


154 


Gothic  Newcomers        155 


The  science  building  won  for 
its  architects  the  J.  Harleston 
Parker  medal  as  the  most 
beautiful  new  structure  in  the 
Greater  Boston  area  during  a 
three-year  period. 


After  the  conferring  of  degrees  on  commencement  day,  June  19,  1924, 
Cardinal  O'Connell,  accompanied  by  the  faculty  and  student  body,  pro- 
ceeded to  the  site  of  the  new  library  building  opposite  St.  Mary's  Hall. 
There  with  simple  ceremony  he  laid  the  cornerstone,  after  placing  within  it 
a  copper  box  containing  records,  coins,  and  newspapers  of  the  day.^ 


New  Quarters  for  the  Sciences 

When  classes  reconvened  in  September  of  1924,  the  new  science  building, 
although  not  entirely  ready,  was  used  for  the  first  time.  The  workmen  who 
were  engaged  in  finishing  the  interior  of  the  building  did  not  complete  their 
task  until  almost  Christmas,  but  in  the  meantime  the  science  departments, 
which  had  occupied  the  basement  of  the  Tower  Building,  were  able  to 
transfer  their  equipment  to  the  new  structure.  This  change  freed  the  former 
chemistry  lecture  hall  for  history  classes  and  permitted  the  former  labora- 
tories to  be  converted  into  much-needed  dressing  rooms  for  the  athletic 
teams.  The  road  near  the  science  building  was  finished  that  fall  and  a 
beginning  made  on  the  extensive  landscaping  required  in  the  vicinity.  The 
new  edifice  itself  had  become  the  pride  of  the  campus. 

The  original  plan  of  the  architects  and  College  authorities  had  called  for 
separate  buildings  for  chemistry,  physics,  and  biology,  but  restricted  re- 
sources obliged  them,  at  least  for  the  time  being,  to  house  all  of  these 
sciences  within  one  building.  The  location  of  the  science  building  on  the 
campus  had  also  undergone  change;  as  late  as  the  drive  of  1921  it  was 
spoken  of  as  occupying  the  position  now  held  by  Bapst,  opposite  St.  Mary's 
Hall. 

The  arrangement  of  laboratories  and  lecture  halls  was  drawn  up  after  an 


156        History  of  Boston  College 

inspection  of  the  facilities  at  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,  Har- 
vard, Yale,  and  other  leading  institutions  and  after  conferences  with  science 
instructors  from  several  Jesuit  colleges  and  other  universities.  The  result 
was  the  erection  of  a  science  building  which  represented  the  highest 
efficiency  in  design  at  the  time  it  was  built  and  which  won  for  the  architects 
the  J.  Harleston  Parker  Medal,  awarded  triennially  by  the  Boston  Society 
of  Architects  for  the  most  beautiful  new  structure  in  Greater  Boston.^ 

The  basement  was  divided  into  storage  rooms,  locker  rooms  to  serve 
1000  students,  an  electric  generator  room,  and  machine  shops.  When  the 
building  was  planned  it  was  hoped  that  a  seismograph  station  might  be 
located  in  the  basement.'  By  October  1925,  however,  it  had  been  deter- 
mined that  the  ledge  upon  which  the  building  rested  extended  under 
Commonwealth  Avenue  and  that  recording  by  the  instruments  would  be 
affected  by  the  traffic.'"  Hence,  the  seismograph  apparatus  was  installed  in 
Weston  on  property  owned  by  the  New  England  Province  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus. 

Construction  of  the  Library 

The  Ubrary  foundations  were  completely  laid  by  September  1924,"  and 
work  on  the  walls  of  the  superstructure  was  begun  on  October  20  in  the 
hope  of  continuing  until  the  basement  and  first  floor  were  completed.'-  By 
the  following  March,  the  cutstone  border  of  the  first  floor  and  the  base  of 
the  main  stairway  had  been  laid,"  and  in  May  Father  Devhn  could  report 
to  the  alumni  that  the  structure  was  "nearing  the  second  floor."'''  He  found 


The  library  under  construction 
in  1925.  Note  that  there  is  no 
wing  on  St.  Mary's  Hall  to- 
ward the  reservoir.  The  wing 
was  added  in  1931. 


REV.  JAMES  H.  DOLAN,  S.J. 
Sixteenth  President 


Father  Dolan  was  born  in  Roxbury  on  June 
4,  1885.  After  attending  St.  Josepii's  school 
and  Boston  College  High  School,  he  be- 
came a  student  at  Boston  College,  but  after 
his  freshman  year  he  entered  the  Society  of 
Jesus  on  August  14, 1905.  During  his  studies 
preparatory  for  the  priesthood,  he  spent  a 
five-year   period  teaching  at  Georgetown 

University.  He  was  ordained  in  1920  by  the  great  James  Cardinal  Gibbons  shortly 
before  the  prelate's  death.  Father  Dolan  was  a  professor  of  psychology  at  Holy 
Cross  at  the  time  he  was  summoned  to  the  presidency  of  Boston  College." 


it  necessary,  however,  to  plead  for  financial  assistance  from  them  in  order 
that  the  first  floor  might  be  finished,  thereby  supplying  at  least  an  assembly 
hall,  which  was  much  needed  on  the  campus. 

A  newspaper  account  in  the  summer  of  1925  stated  that  the  assembly 
hall  and  some  library  facilities  in  the  new  building  would  be  ready  for  the 
opening  of  school,  but  further  work  on  the  structure  was  halted  and  a 
temporary  roofing  erected  at  the  second-floor  level  due  to  shortage  of 
funds. '^  This  was  the  situation  when  Father  James  H.  Dolan,  S.J.,  was 
announced  to  succeed  Father  Devlin  as  president  of  Boston  College  on 
August  23,  1925. 

During  Father  Dolan's  first  few  months  in  office,  the  roofed-over  library 
auditorium  was  placed  in  use,'^  and  the  stacks  and  circulation  desk  of  the 
library  were  put  in  operation  in  the  library  basement.  The  latter  arrange- 
ment was  effected  by  screening  off  a  portion  of  what  is  now  the  stack  space 
for  book  storage  and  by  placing  at  the  entrance  of  this  "cage"  a  desk  where 
books  might  be  charged  out.  A  large  open  area  in  front  of  the  desk  was 
used  by  the  students  as  a  supplement  to  the  regular  library  reading  room 
in  the  Tower  Building. 

As  early  as  October  1925  the  auditorium  was  sufficiently  finished  to 
warrant  the  cardinal's  permission  to  have  Sunday  Masses  said  there  for  the 


158        History  of  Boston  College 

faithful  who  had  been  attending  Masses  in  the  small  domestic  chapel  in  St. 
Mary's  HalL^^ 

During  the  next  month,  the  first  of  a  series  of  benefactions  was  made 
which  permitted  Father  Dolan  to  make  plans  for  the  finishing  of  the  library. 
This  first  gift  was  made  by  Mrs.  Helen  Gargan  of  Washington,  who 
donated  the  main  reading  hall  of  the  library  in  memory  of  her  husband,  the 
late  Thomas  J.  Gargan,  prominent  Boston  lawyer,  philanthropist,  and 
member  of  the  Boston  Transit  Commission.'' 

In  September  1926  Father  Dolan  was  in  a  position  not  only  to  resume 
building  but  to  contract  for  the  entire  remaining  work.-"  By  Christmas  of 
that  year,  steel  shelves  were  ready  in  the  stack  rooms  to  accommodate 
100,000  books. ^'  The  rest  of  the  structural  work  went  forward  so  rapidly 
that  within  two  years  the  entire  building  was  completed  except  for  some 
furnishings  and  the  stained-glass  windows.  The  long-awaited  dedication 
was  announced  for  commencement  day  in  1928.^^ 

The  ceremonies  which  took  place  on  June  13  opened  with  Benediction 
of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  in  the  domestic  chapel  in  St.  Mary's  Hall,  after 
which  the  faculty  and  guests  proceeded  to  the  new  library  where  they  were 
welcomed  in  the  assembly  hall  by  Father  Dolan  in  the  name  of  Boston 
College.  Charles  D.  Maginnis,  of  the  architectural  firm  which  had  designed 
the  building,  gave  an  interesting  explanation  of  the  various  features  of  the 
building,  then  made  a  symboUc  transfer  of  the  library  to  Boston  College  by 
a  formal  presentation  of  the  keys  to  Father  Dolan.  The  blessing  of  the 


For  lack  of  funds,  the  new  li- 
brary structure  was  roofed 
over  in  1 925  above  the  audito- 
rium, but  the  building  was 
used  for  library  and  parish  li- 
turgical purposes.  The  build- 
ing was  completed  in  1 928. 


—  __.A     -    A     _ 

Gothic  Newcomers        159 

building  was  performed  by  the  rector.  Following  this,  the  dedicatory 
address  was  delivered  by  His  Excellency,  the  Honorable  Alvan  T.  Fuller, 
Governor  of  Massachusetts,  whose  personal  generosity  had  aided  in  bring- 
ing the  library  to  successful  completion. ^^ 

The  auditorium,  on  the  level  below  Gargan  Hall,  originally  had  a  seating 
capacity  of  1200.  But  the  demand  for  classrooms  soon  forced  an  alteration 
whereby  the  length  of  the  hall  was  reduced  in  order  to  provide  space  for 
two  additional  classrooms  facing  Commonwealth  Avenue.  The  seating 
capacity  of  the  auditorium  was  thereby  reduced  to  720.  When  St.  Ignatius 
Church  opened  in  1951,  the  auditorium  was  no  longer  used  for  parish 
Masses.  It  nonetheless  remained  the  principal  place  for  academic  and 
religious  assemblies  until  1970,  when  stacks  for  books  were  installed  which 
remained  on  that  level  until  the  grand  renovation  of  Bapst  Library  after  the 
opening  of  O'Neill  Library. 

When  the  library  was  opened,  only  a  section  of  the  steel  stack  shelving 
was  in  position.  Later,  in  the  presidency  of  Father  William  J.  McGarry, 
S.J.,  the  entire  steel  stack  structure — comprising  two  basement  levels — was 
completed,  making  room  for  300,000  books. 


With  the  completion  of  adequate  quarters,  the  library  service,  the  intel- 
lectual heart  of  the  institution,  could  function  unimpeded,  and  the  estab- 
lishment of  university  departments  could  now  be  looked  forward  to  as  the 
next  step  in  the  achievement  of  Father  McElroy's  dream. 


ENDNOTES 

1.  The  Boston  Post  (June  23,  1921). 

2.  William  Devlin,  S.J.,  to  the  Alumni  of  Boston  College  (undated  circular  letter), 
Boston  College  Alumni  Bulletin,  1:2—3,  May  1924. 

3.  The  Boston  Post  (June  22,  1922);  The  Pilot  Qune  24,  1922). 

4.  The  Boston  Post  (November  1,  1922);  The  Boston  Traveler  (November  1,  1922); 
The  Heights  (November  9,  1922);  The  Boston  Sunday  Post  (November  12, 
1922). 

5.  The  Boston  Globe  (November  13,  1922);  The  Pilot  (December  2,  1922). 

6.  Litterae  Annuae  Collegii  Bostoniensis,  November  1923. 

7.  The  Boston  Post  (June  20,  1924). 

8.  The  Heights  (May  4,  1926). 

9.  The  Boston  Herald  (July  23,  1925). 

10.  The  Heights  (October  6,  1925). 

11.  The  Heights  (September  30,  1924). 

12.  Ibid.  (October  14,  1924). 

13.  Ibid.  (March  3,  1925). 

14.  William  Devlin,  S.J.,  to  members  of  the  Alumni  (circular  letter),  May  1925, 
Boston  College  Archives. 

15.  The  Boston  Globe  (August  24,  1925,  and  August  30,  1925). 

16.  The  Boston  American  (July  18,  1925). 

17.  The  Heights  (March  16,  1926). 


160        History  of  Boston  College 

18.  Litterae  Annuae  Collegii  Bostoniensis,  October  1925.  The  auditorium  and  the 
college  chapel  in  St.  Mary's  Hall  were  together  designated  as  the  temporary 
"church"  of  a  newly  created  St.  Ignatius  Parish  by  the  cardinal  in  October  1926. 
The  parish  was  to  be  served  by  Fathers  connected  with  the  college,  and  when 
circumstances  permitted,  it  would  have  a  church  of  its  own  (Litterae  Annuae 
Collegii  Bostoniensis,  October  1926;  The  Boston  Globe,  November  11,  1926). 

19.  Litterae  Annuae  Collegii  Bostoniensis,  November  1925;  The  Pilot  (August  8, 
1908;  October  24,  1908;  October  31,  1908);  T/7e  Boston  Evening  Transcript 
(June  13,  1928). 

20.  Litterae  Annuae  Collegii  Bostoniensis,  September  1926. 

21.  Ibid.  (December  1926). 

22.  The  Boston  Post  (November  19,  1927,  and  June  14,  1928);  The  Boston  Herald 
Qune  14,  1928);  The  Boston  Globe  (June  14,  1928);  The  Boston  Evening 
Transcript  (June  13,  1928);  and  invitations  preserved  in  the  Boston  College 
Archives. 

23.  The  Boston  Evening  Transcript  (June  13,  1928);  The  Boston  Herald  (June  14, 
1928);  and  programs  preserved  in  the  Boston  College  Archives. 


CHAPTER 


18 


The  Many-Rooted  Tree 


Although  the  charter  granted  to  Boston  College  is  a  university  charter,  the 
privileges  conferred  by  it  were  not  fully  utilized  until  the  institution  was  in 
its  sixth  decade.  The  problems  connected  with  organizing  and  operating 
the  preparatory  and  undergraduate  branches  during  the  College's  early 
years  so  occupied  the  attention  of  the  staff  that  little  if  any  heed  was  paid 
to  the  still  more  venturesome  task  of  commencing  classes  for  graduate 
students. 

A  Master's  Program  for  Boston 

At  the  close  of  World  War  I,  however,  circumstances  arose  which  changed 
this  situation  and  led  Father  DevUn  to  announce  the  inauguration  of  the 
School  of  Education  in  the  fall  of  1919.  This  project  had  grown  out  of 
negotiations  begun  during  the  previous  year  by  the  former  president.  Father 
Lyons,  and  Jeremiah  E.  Burke,  superintendent  of  schools  for  the  City  of 
Boston.'  The  purpose  of  the  new  school  was  to  alleviate  Boston's  postwar 
dearth  of  male  teachers,  especially  in  the  high  schools,  because  at  the  time, 
the  city's  normal  school  was  not  yet  qualified  to  grant  degrees. 

By  a  plan  mutually  agreed  on,  candidacy  for  the  master's  degree  with  a 
major  in  education  would  be  offered  young  men  who  had  previously 
completed  a  full  undergraduate  course  of  four  years  at  a  recognized  college 

161 


162        History  of  Boston  College 


Margaret  Ursula  Magrath  was  the 
first  woman  to  earn  a  degree  at  Bos- 
ton College.  She  was  awarded  a  mas- 
ter of  arts  degree  on  June  16,  1926. 


and  who  had  successfully  taken  the  entrance  examinations  conducted  by 
the  Boston  Normal  School.  A  one-year  course  for  the  degree  was  outlined, 
in  which  the  first  semester  was  to  be  devoted  to  practical  training  in  the 
elementary,  intermediate,  and  high  schools  of  Boston  under  the  direction 
of  the  Department  of  Practice  and  Training  of  the  City  of  Boston  Public 
Schools.  Those  students  satisfactorily  completing  the  assignments  of  this 
period  would  enter  upon  a  second  semester  of  related  academic  work  at 
either  the  new  School  of  Education  at  Boston  College  or  at  Boston 
University.  When  the  first  examination  conducted  by  the  board  of  superin- 
tendents was  held  on  September  12,  1919,  eight  young  men  qualified  for 
the  period  of  training,  and  all  elected  to  attend  Boston  College.^ 

Soon  after  the  school  year  began,  Father  Mellyn  asked  the  City  of  Boston 
School  Committee  to  accept  the  master's  degree  in  education  earned  at 
Boston  College  as  equivalent  to  two  years'  experience  in  teaching  for 
candidates  for  the  high  school  certificate  and  for  the  intermediate  certifi- 
cate. Early  in  October  1919  the  board  examined  the  outline  of  the  course 
as  given  at  the  College  and  granted  the  request.^  This  act  was  not  only  a 
gratifying  commendation  for  the  quality  of  work  planned  at  Boston  College 
but  offered  an  advantage  which  attracted  many  aspiring  teachers  to  the 
new  school  on  the  Heights. 

At  the  opening  of  the  fall  term  in  1922,  Father  Mellyn  received  the 
approval  of  the  trustees  of  Boston  College  for  the  following  requirements 


The  Many-Rooted  Tree        163 

for  the  degree  of  master  of  education,  which  was  being  offered  for  the  first 
time:'' 

1.  The  degree  of  A.B.  or  B.S.  from  an  approved  college. 

2.  Ten  half-courses  (i.e.,  30-hour  courses),  with  appropriate  examinations. 

3.  A  master's  thesis  of  5000  words  on  some  pedagogical  subject  originally 
treated,  the  thesis  to  count  as  one  of  the  ten  required  half-courses. 

In  January  1923  the  Boston  School  Committee  gave  formal  approval  to  the 
new  program  and  voted  to  give  Boston  College's  degree  of  master  of 
education  full  credit  on  the  committee's  rating  plan.^ 

During  the  first  few  years,  the  tuition  for  the  academic  semester  under 
the  School  Committee's  plan  was  paid  by  the  City  of  Boston.  In  May  1922, 
however.  Father  Mellyn  was  notified  that  commencing  with  the  next 
entering  class,  the  plan  would  be  modified  to  require  each  student  to  pay 
his  own  tuition.^ 

Meanwhile,  the  Normal  School  of  the  City  of  Boston  had  been  undergo- 
ing a  metamorphosis.  For  the  academic  year  1924-1925  the  title  was 
changed  to  "The  Teachers'  College  of  the  City  of  Boston,"^  and  this  new 
institution  conferred  the  bachelor's  degree  for  the  first  time  upon  members 
of  the  class  of  1925.*  The  next  step,  presentation  of  courses  leading  to  the 
master's  degree,  soon  followed;  consequently,  the  city-sponsored  training 
course  for  college  graduates  at  Boston  College  and  Boston  University  was 
considered  no  longer  necessary,  and  in  April  1926  the  School  Committee 
gave  notice  to  Father  Mellyn  that  the  plan  would  be  discontinued  at  the 
close  of  the  current  school  year.' 


The  Number  of  Advanced  Degrees  Awarded  by  Boston  College 

During  the  Years  1920-1927'" 

Year 

M.A.                                     M.S. 

M.Ed. 

June  1920 

9                                      1 



June  1921 

24                                   — 

— 

June  1922 

21                                      3 

— 

June  1923 

1                                      1 

18 

June  1924 

9                                  — 



June  1925 

27                                    1 



June  1926 

39                                    1 

3 

June  1927 

25                                  — 

2 

1 

Higher  Education  for  Religious  Teachers 

When  the  plan  for  the  School  of  Education  at  Boston  College  was  first 
announced  in  the  fall  of  1919,  Father  Augustine  F.  Hickey,  the  diocesan 
supervisor  of  schools,  immediately  saw  in  it  a  means  for  improving  the 


164 


Jesuit  poet  Leonard  Feeney  wrote  the 
words  for  a  dramatic  song  on  the 
University's  colors.  It  appeared  in 
Songs  of  Boston  College,  published 
in  1938  and  dedicated  "to  the  Ladies 
of  the  Philomatheia  Club." 


SONGS 

OF 

BOSTON  COLLEGE 


Compiled  and  Arranged 

by 
JAMBS  A.  ECKER 

Director  Boston  College  Music  Clubs 


PabllBhed  for  The  Boston  College  Music  CIubB 


training  of  the  teaching  Sisters  of  the  archdiocese.  On  October  9  he  wrote 
to  the  cardinal  to  present  certain  propositions  for  the  betterment  of  the 
parish  school  system,  among  which  was  the  following: 

To  arrange  a  course  of  twenty  lectures  to  be  given  on  Saturday  mornings 
after  January  1st,  1920,  in  the  Cathedral  School  Hall  by  Reverend  James  F. 
Mellyn,  S.J.,  Dean  of  the  new  School  of  Education  at  Boston  College.  In 
January  1920  Boston  College  is  to  offer  courses  in  Education  to  college 
graduates  training  for  positions  in  the  Boston  Public  School  system.  These 
courses  are  to  be  accredited  by  the  Boston  School  Committee.  Father  Mellyn 
is  very  willing  to  give  to  our  teaching  Sisters  a  share  in  the  work  done  at  the 
new  School  of  Education.  This  could  be  done  most  effectively  in  the  form  of 
an  extension  course  on  Saturday  mornings  in  Cathedral  School  Hall." 

His  Eminence  replied  at  once,  giving  permission  to  carry  out  the  plan  as 
outlined.  Thereupon,  Father  Hickey  called  a  conference  of  all  the  superiors 
of  the  parish  schools  for  October  18,  at  which  he  announced  the  course, 
with  the  opening  date  as  the  second  Saturday  in  January  1920.'"  The 
response  exceeded  all  expectations,  with  some  700  Sisters  following  the 
courses,^'  despite  their  already  heavy  schedules  and,  as  Father  Hickey 


To  the  Colors 


Worrts  t,v 
lONARD  FEFNKY.S.J 


*—^^  r   'p  p  p  ji'ji  I  p  [I  I    |i  I    '  h  ii  I 


th«  f*Bl,  Wh*ii    ihf 


-f^^rrTT  p  p'  -^M  J' 


gold        la     for       the   glo  -    py 


*    Ji  J>  >   JiJi  i>  'j'  J>  l*P   I'    II   '|i  I     'li   |i    I 


iD-rlse  meets  tbe  noon-tide,  «ee    your 


'Ii*  i-r  -r  f   T  U    r    r 


?M     J    J    Ji    3  ^^ 


^ffr*ff    f  f^ 


m_j  I  u 


;*  ji  J,  J)  JL.p  j>  p  p  I  n  |i  |)   p  !••  ^ 


Id       the  fliuh     of    niEbt-fftU,  wfaen    on; 


yBuiton  College  MdiIcC 


observed,  the  unusual  inclemency  of  the  weather  during  the  latter  part  of 
that  winter.'" 

During  the  following  years,  the  educational  courses  were  extended 
throughout  the  entire  school  year,  and  special  courses  were  given  at  the 
cathedral  hall  during  the  summer. '^  Other  extension  schools  were  set  up 
under  the  joint  direction  of  Fathers  Hickey  and  Mellyn  for  the  Sisters  at 
centers  on  the  North  Shore  and  elsewhere.'*"  In  addition  to  Father  Mellyn 
and  Fathers  of  the  Boston  College  faculty,  lay  professors  were  engaged  for 
several  of  these  series  of  lectures,'^  and  in  1923  college  credit  was  given  in 
connection  with  the  courses  to  quahfying  Sisters.  (Heretofore,  only  a 
certificate  of  attendance  at  the  classes  had  been  issued  to  them.'*) 

Father  Mellyn's  desire  to  have  the  School  of  Education  classes  on  the 
Heights  open  to  women  students  as  well  as  men  required  a  change  of  Jesuit 
regulations  for  the  conduct  of  their  colleges.  When  he  sought  permission 
for  this  innovation  in  1920,  however,  provincial  superiors  felt  that  the 
situation  at  the  time  did  not  justify  the  change." 

But  at  the  Teachers'  Institute  in  August  1922,  Cardinal  O'Connell  voiced 
the  hope  that  a  formal  summer  school  for  religious  teachers  would  soon  be 


166        History  of  Boston  College 

organized,^°  and  the  following  February  he  instructed  Father  Hickey  to 
ascertain  if  Boston  College  would  be  in  a  position  to  provide  such  training 
leading  to  advanced  degrees.'^  In  the  light  of  this  expressed  interest  of  His 
Eminence  in  the  summer  school,  the  case  was  reopened,  and  permission  for 
the  attendance  of  women  at  these  classes  at  the  Heights  was  granted  by  the 
Jesuit  authorities  in  Rome  on  April  7,  1923.-^  Difficulties  connected  with 
assembling  a  teaching  staff  prevented  the  inauguration  of  the  school  that 
summer,^^  but  on  June  30,  1924,  the  first  classes  on  the  Boston  College 
campus  admitting  women  were  opened  with  the  Mass  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
offered  by  the  president,  Father  Devlin.  An  enrollment  of  230  religious  was 
recorded,  and  the  cardinal  told  the  new  students  during  the  dedicatory 
address  that  the  occasion  marked  an  epoch  in  Catholic  education."'' 

The  school  was  in  session  for  five  weeks,  with  six  school  days  each  week. 
Courses  of  college  grade  in  English,  foreign  languages,  sciences,  mathemat- 
ics, history,  philosophy,  and  education  were  conducted  by  regular  members 
of  the  Boston  College  faculty  under  Father  Mellyn  as  director  of  the  school. 
That  fall  and  winter  (1923-1924)  a  30-hour  extension  course  was  offered 
as  usual  at  the  cathedral  center  by  the  Boston  College  School  of  Education; 
it  was  attended  by  600  of  the  teaching  Sisters.  During  this  period,  145 
theses  prepared  in  connection  with  the  course  were  accepted  as  worthy  of 
college  credit." 

In  the  school  year  1923-1924,  lay  women  were  admitted  for  the  first 
time  to  the  series  of  lectures  offered  in  the  evening  school  of  the  Young 
Men's  Catholic  Association  and  were  given  credit  toward  degrees  by  the 
Boston  College  School  of  Education.  Classes  were  held  in  the  Boston 
College  High  School  building  on  James  Street,  and  the  low  fee  of  $5  was 
charged  for  an  entire  course.  Five  hundred  students  registered  for  Father 
Charles  Lyons'  course  in  the  history  of  philosophy,  and  other  classes 
similarly  well  attended  were  the  psychology  of  thought,  given  by  Father 
F.  W.  Boehm,  and  the  history  of  education,  given  by  Father  Mellyn.^' 

Reorganization  of  the  Graduate  Division 

At  the  opening  of  the  school  year  1925-1926,  the  term  "Graduate  School" 
was  employed  for  the  first  time  on  an  official  basis.^^  According  to  the 
announcement,  this  school  was  situated  on  the  campus  and  was  restricted 
to  male  students,  and  it  was  under  the  direction  of  Father  Mellyn  as  dean. 
In  other  words,  it  was  a  continuation  of  the  previous  School  of  Education 
arrangement  as  far  as  that  pertained  to  the  public  school  teachers'  courses 
at  Chestnut  Hill. 

On  September  15,  1926,  however,  an  important  reorganization  of  all 
graduate  and  extension  classes  was  announced,  to  take  place  on  October 
1 .  Under  the  new  system,  the  Graduate  School  would  be  open  to  men  and 
women,  and  would  hold  classes  in  the  afternoon  and  evening  at  Boston 
College  High  School  on  James  Street  rather  than  at  the  Heights.  The  new 


The  Many-Rooted  Tree        167 

dean  in  charge  of  the  program  was  Father  John  B.  Creeden,  S.J.,  formerly 
president  of  Georgetown  University.^* 

The  reorganized  Graduate  School  would  supersede  the  School  of  Educa- 
tion on  the  campus  for  male  public  school  teachers,  the  cathedral  center  for 
religious  teachers  of  the  archdiocese,  and  the  advanced  courses  at  the 
evening  classes  of  the  Young  Men's  Catholic  Association  for  the  general 
public.  But  the  new  project  was  broader  in  scope  than  all  of  these  combined. 
Now,  not  only  education  but  many  of  the  fields  of  concentration  usually 
available  to  graduate  students  at  a  university  were  provided  for.  In  addition, 
approved  undergraduates  were  admitted  to  certain  classes  for  credit  toward 
the  bachelor's  degree. 

The  establishment  of  this  school  was  to  prove  of  service  to  the  religious 
teachers  in  the  vicinity,  who  now  had  the  opportunity  of  pursuing  a  full 
schedule  of  higher  studies  during  the  school  year.  The  enrollment  of  such 
students  during  the  first  scholastic  year  (1926—1927)  numbered  157  Sisters 
and  5  Brothers.  The  following  commencement  day  at  Boston  College  on 
June  16,  1927,  was  a  memorable  one  in  the  history  of  Catholic  education 
in  the  archdiocese,  for  on  that  occasion  14  master's  degrees  and  one 
bachelor's  degree  were  conferred  upon  Sisters  by  Cardinal  O'Connell.^' 
The  interest  of  the  teaching  religious  in  the  new  Graduate  School  was 
further  reflected  in  the  summer  session  by  an  enrollment  of  321  Sisters  and 
20  Brothers,  an  increase  of  75  over  the  previous  year.^" 

The  year  1927  witnessed  further  growth  in  the  university  organization 
by  the  affiliation  of  the  novitiate  and  house  of  studies  of  the  New  England 
Province  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  at  Lenox,  Massachusetts,  and  the  large 

Philomatheia  Club. 


168        History  of  Boston  College 

Jesuit  seminary  at  Weston,  Massachusetts,  with  Boston  College  under  the 
titles  of  the  Normal  School,  the  School  of  Philosophy  and  Sciences,  and  the 
School  of  Divinity.  Thus,  with  the  permission  and  approval  of  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Massachusetts,  the  courses  in  these  institutions  were  recog- 
nized as  accreditable  for  degrees,  and  the  Jesuit  seminarians  received  their 
degrees  from  Boston  College.  (This  arrangement  ceased  in  1974.) 

The  Law  School  Inaugurated 

On  April  29,  1929,  Father  Dolan  published  his  plans  for  the  opening  of  a 
school  of  law  connected  with  Boston  College  the  following  September.^* 
The  staff  of  the  new  school  would  be  headed  by  Father  Creeden,  hitherto 
director  of  the  graduate  school,  as  regent,  and  Dennis  A.  Dooley  as  dean. 

The  announcement  of  the  new  venture  at  once  received  praise  from  the 
public  press  for  the  high  standards  which  had  been  established  for  it.^^ 
Only  those  students  who  had  completed  at  least  two  years  of  collegiate 
academic  work  at  an  approved  institution  were  to  be  admitted,  and 
undergraduates  were  advised  to  complete  their  collegiate  training  before 
matriculating  in  the  Law  School,  because  preference  would  be  given  to 
apphcants  with  degrees.-*^ 

Both  day  and  evening  courses  were  instituted,  the  first  leading  to  the 
degree  of  bachelor  of  laws  in  three  years  and  the  second  requiring  four 
years.  Day  students  were  required  to  attend  lectures  and  conferences  for 
14  hours  a  week,  while  the  evening  students  were  obliged  to  schedule  10 
hours.  Members  of  one  section  were  not  permitted  to  take  courses  in  the 
other  section  for  credit.^''  Only  first-year  students  were  received  during  the 
opening  year,  but  the  very  gratifying  enrollment  of  102  students  in  both 
day  and  evening  divisions  was  recorded.  This  figure  rose  to  122  the 
following  year,  to  202  the  third  year,  to  230  in  1933,  and  to  258  in  1934.^' 

Formal  instruction  was  begun  September  26,  1929,  and  the  first  class 
graduated  on  June  15,  1932.  With  the  graduation  of  this  first  class,  the 
school  was  officially  approved  by  the  American  Bar  Association  through 
its  section  on  Legal  Education  and  Admission  to  the  Bar,  and  in  1937  the 
school  became  a  member  of  the  Association  of  American  Law  Schools. 

In  1939  the  Law  School  moved  from  its  original  Boston  site  in  the 
Lawyers'  Building  at  11  Beacon  Street  to  the  New  England  Power  Building 
at  441  Stuart  Street,  where  it  remained  until  it  was  transferred  to  the 
Kimball  Building  at  18  Tremont  Street  in  the  summer  of  1945. 

Intown  Classes 

At  the  same  time  the  Law  School  was  established  and  at  the  same  location, 
an  undergraduate  center  was  begun  which  was  the  joint  undertaking  of  the 
Law  School  and  the  Graduate  School.  It  was  directly  under  the  supervision 
of  the  Law  School  regent,  Father  Creeden,  and  it  was  designed  to  provide 


The  Many-Rooted  Tree        169 


The  Lawyers  Building  at  11 
Beacon  Street,  Boston,  first  lo- 
cation of  the  Boston  College 
Law  School. 


an  opportunity  for  those  who  had  only  a  high  school  diploma  or  one  year 
at  college  to  obtain  an  equivalent  of  the  two  years  of  college  work  necessary 
to  enter  the  Law  School.  Classes  were  scheduled  for  the  late  afternoon  and 
evening,  and  they  covered  in  three  years'  time  a  special  program  of  studies 
embracing  English,  logic,  accounting,  economics,  Latin  for  lawryers,  public 
speaking,  modern  languages,  apologetics,  psychology,  ethics,  government, 
and  sociology.  The  response  to  this  plan  was  immediate,  and  60  students 
enrolled  the  opening  year.^i^ 

In  1929,  when  this  "Downtown  Center"  was  opened  at  the  Law  School, 
the  classes  for  undergraduates  which  had  been  offered  afternoons  and 
evenings  at  James  Street  in  affiliation  with  the  Graduate  School  were  united 
in  a  semi-independent  organization  called  "The  Extension  School,"  under 
the  direction  of  the  new  dean  of  the  Graduate  School,  Father  John  F. 
Doherty,  S.J.  This  school  differed  from  the  other  extension  branch  at  the 
Law  School  by  offering  the  equivalent  of  a  complete  four-year  college 
course  leading  to  an  A.B.  degree  and  by  presenting  a  variety  of  major  fields 
of  concentration.  These  extension  classes  continued  to  be  held  at  the  high 
school  building  on  James  Street. 

The  Downtown  Center,  embracing  the  prelegal  extension  classes,  was 
accorded  a  section  of  the  combined  Graduate  School— Extension  School 
catalog  until  the  1933-1934  issue,  when  it  became  "The  Junior  College" 
and  issued  a  separate  catalog.  Father  Patrick  J.  McHugh,  S.J.,  the  dean, 
was  also  dean  of  the  Arts  College  at  Chestnut  Hill. 

The  following  year,  the  Graduate  School  and  the  Extension  School  were 
moved  to  Chestnut  Hill,  and  the  first  steps  were  taken  in  January  1935  to 
make  them  entirely  distinct  and  independent.  September  1935  saw  the 


170        History  of  Boston  College 

Extension  School  separated  from  the  Graduate  School  and  merged  with  the 
Junior  College  in  new  quarters  at  126  Newbury  Street  under  the  name 
"Boston  College  Intown."  Father  George  A.  O'Donnell,  S.J.,  became  dean 
of  the  reorganized  Graduate  School  at  Chestnut  Hill,  and  Father  Walter  F. 
Friary,  S.J.,  became  dean  of  the  new  Boston  College  Intown. 

The  Intown  College  published  separate  catalogs  for  the  extension  courses 
and  for  the  junior  college  courses  until  the  entire  curriculum  was  revised 
and  consolidated  into  progressive  divisions,  or  "stadia,"  by  Father  Michael 
J.  Harding,  S.J.,  the  new  dean,  in  September  1938.  At  that  time,  the  terms 
"extension  school"  and  "junior  college"  were  discontinued,  and  a  single 
catalog  was  issued  henceforth  by  the  Intown  College. 

The  School  of  Social  Work 

Growth  was  meanwhile  noticeable  in  another  direction.  Soon  after  Father 
Louis  J.  Gallagher's  inauguration  as  president  of  Boston  College  in  1932, 
he  began  to  encourage  Father  Walter  McGuinn  in  his  investigation  of  the 
possibihty  of  starting  a  school  of  social  work  in  connection  with  the 
College.  In  preparation  for  such  an  undertaking.  Father  McGuinn  engaged 
in  graduate  studies  in  social  work  at  Fordham  University  in  New  York, 
where  in  1935  he  achieved  the  unusual  distinction  of  being  granted  a  Ph.D. 
degree  with  a  major  in  social  work. 

Turning  his  attention  to  Boston,  Father  McGuinn  was  convinced  that 
there  was  a  need  for  professionally  trained  social  workers  taught  to  view 
their  problems  in  the  hght  of  Catholic  social  principles.  He  saw  that  in  this 
comparatively  young  field  of  formal  education,  there  was  often  lacking  a 
satisfactory  synthesis  of  the  principles  of  Christian  philosophy — especially 
of  ethics  and  psychology — with  the  various  methods  and  techniques  that 
had  been  developed  in  social  work.  Aid  in  the  solution  of  these  problems, 
he  felt,  would  be  achieved  by  the  institution  of  social  work  schools  in 
Cathohc  universities,  from  which  proper  leadership  would  emanate. 

Local  and  higher  Jesuit  superiors  shared  Father  McGuinn's  view,  and  in 
May  1936  permission  was  granted  by  the  General  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  in 
Rome  to  open  such  a  school.  On  the  eighth  of  the  same  month,  Father 
McGuinn  outlined  his  plans  to  Cardinal  O'Connell,  who  at  once  gave  his 
generous  and  enthusiastic  approval  to  the  project  and  graciously  became 
honorary  patron  of  the  school. 

The  program  of  training  and  studies  was  drawn  up  in  accordance  with 
the  specifications  of  the  American  Association  of  Schools  of  Social  Work. 
For  this  task.  Father  McGuinn  engaged  the  assistance  of  Dorothy  L.  Book, 
who  had  wide  professional  training  and  experience  in  social  work  and  who 
became  director  of  field  work  for  the  new  school.  The  syllabus  was 
organized  to  meet  all  professional  requirements,  and  it  provided  experience 
in  recognized  social  agencies  under  competent  supervision.  The  training 
period  from  the  beginning  required  two  years  to  complete,  the  first  devoted 


The  Many-Rooted  Tree        171 


126  Newbury  Street,  original  loca- 
tion of  the  Graduate  School  of  Social 
Work,  the  School  of  Business  Admin- 
istration, the  School  of  Nursing,  and 
the  Intown  College  (precursor  of  the 
Evening  School). 


to  a  general  foundation  in  the  study  of  fundamental  principles  and  methods 
common  to  all  forms  of  social  work,  while  the  second  afforded  the  student 
opportunities  to  specialize  in  some  particular  phase  of  social  work.  The 
training  was  of  graduate  cahber,  open  only  to  holders  of  a  baccalaureate 
degree  from  an  accredited  college,  and  led  to  the  degree  of  master  of 
science  in  social  work.^^ 

A  distinguished  faculty  was  recruited  from  the  professional  field,  and  the 
first  classes  were  held  in  September  1936  at  the  school's  quarters  at  126 
Newbury  Street.  The  initial  enrollment  was  40  students.  Two  years  later 
the  first  class,  numbering  34,  graduated,  and  the  school  received  its  accred- 
itation by  the  American  Association  of  Schools  of  Social  Work  on  June  28, 
1938. 

When  war  broke  out.  Father  McGuinn  was  called  to  serve  on  the  New 
England  regional  branch  of  the  War  Labor  Board,  where  the  exacting 
nature  of  his  new  duties,  in  addition  to  the  administrative  work  at  the 
school,  gradually  took  a  toll  on  his  health.  He  developed  a  serious  heart 
condition  in  the  spring  of  1944  and  died  suddenly  on  April  1.  Upon  his 
death,  Miss  Book  acted  as  dean  until  the  following  September,  when  she 


172        History  of  Boston  College 

was  appointed  permanently  to  that  office,  with  Father  James  D.  Sullivan, 
S.J.,  as  regent. 

The  College  of  Business  Administration 

The  next  development  at  Boston  College  was  the  College  of  Business 
Administration.^^  For  several  years  previous  to  the  introduction  of  this 
school,  four  courses  in  accounting  had  been  offered  yearly  as  electives  for 
juniors  and  seniors  in  the  art  course.  The  classes  proved  so  popular  that  the 
question  arose  in  1938  of  providing  a  fuller  curriculum  in  business  subjects. 
Father  William  J.  McGarry,  S.J.,  president  of  the  college,  decided  that  the 
situation  demanded  not  additional  courses  but  the  institution  of  a  separate 
school  designed  to  furnish  basic  training  in  business  at  the  same  time  that 
the  necessary  cultural  subjects  were  studied.  Consequently,  early  in  March 
1938  he  appointed  Father  James  J.  Kelley,  S.J.,  of  the  College  staff,  director 
of  the  new  undertaking  and  gave  him  full  authority  to  assemble  a  faculty 
and  to  draw  up  a  four-year  undergraduate  program  leading  to  the  degree 
of  bachelor  of  science  in  business  administration. 

The  curriculum  embraced  the  full  philosophy  course,  with  much  of  the 
literary  training  and — for  Catholic  students — the  regular  religion  course 
(taken  in  the  arts  division)  in  addition  to  the  standard  business  subjects.  In 
outlining  this  syllabus,  the  recommendations  of  the  American  Association 
of  Collegiate  Business  Schools  were  followed,  requiring  a  distribution  of 
subjects  in  the  following  proportions:  at  least  40  percent  business  subjects; 
40  percent  cultural  subjects;  and  up  to  20  percent,  "border"  subjects, 
which  might  be  common  to  both  business  and  arts. 

At  the  invitation  of  Father  McGarry,  over  30  prominent  businessmen 
and  bankers  from  the  Boston  and  New  York  areas  consented  to  become 
members  of  an  advisory  committee  for  the  Business  School  and  to  assist 
with  their  counsel  and  experience  in  the  efficient  direction  of  the  school. 
The  main  committee  operated  through  four  smaller  subcommittees  which 
devoted  their  attention,  respectively,  to  curriculum,  publicity,  lectures,  and 
resources.  The  early  success  of  the  school  was  in  no  small  part  due  to  the 
generous  interest  of  these  business  leaders. 

At  the  time  the  original  plans  were  made,  it  appeared  that  the  museum 
building  on  Hammond  Street  would  serve  as  quarters  for  the  school,  but 
further  investigation  showed  the  structure  not  suitable  for  this  purpose 
without  extensive  alterations.  Hence,  space  was  taken  in  the  building  on 
Newbury  Street  which  housed  the  Intown  College  and  the  School  of  Social 
Work,  and  the  opening  of  classes  was  announced  for  September  16,  1938. 

Over  100  applications  arrived  at  the  school  offices  throughout  the  spring 
and  summer,  and  from  this  number  72  candidates  were  accepted  for  the 
first  class.  The  following  year,  75  entered  the  new  freshman  class,  and  this 
number  taxed  the  available  space  to  the  point  of  serious  inconvenience.  The 
third  year  (1940—1941),  the  school  had  to  move  to  the  main  buildings  at 


The  Many-Rooted  Tree        173 

Chestnut  Hill  to  accommodate  the  incoming  class  of  100  students,  but  this 
location  also  proved  inadequate.  In  September  1941,  the  College  of  Busi- 
ness Administration  was  finally  granted  spacious  quarters  of  its  own  in  the 
newly  acquired  Cardinal  O'Connell  Hall,  formerly  the  Liggett  Estate,  on 
Hammond  Street  in  Chestnut  Hill. 

The  new  school  now  had  a  full  four-year  program  in  operation  for  the 
first  time,  and  it  enjoyed  a  total  enrollment  of  some  330  students.  The  first 
graduating  class  numbered  52  in  June  1942;  the  following  February,  on  a 
wartime  accelerated  program,  another  54  graduated;  and  in  November  of 
1943,  40  more  took  their  degrees.  The  College  of  Business  Administration 
had  come  of  age,  but  the  demands  of  war  upon  the  student  personnel 
caused  a  postponement  of  further  development  and  made  it  advisable  in 
the  summer  of  1943  for  the  school  to  transfer  its  quarters  temporarily  from 
O'Connell  Hall  to  the  Tower  Building  on  the  main  campus. 


Within  approximately  twenty  years,  Boston  College  had  grown  in  a 
direction  and  to  an  extent  never  anticipated  by  Father  Fulton  or  even  by 
Father  Gasson.  The  foundation  of  the  Intown  College,  the  Graduate  School, 
the  Law  School,  the  Social  Work  School,  and  the  College  of  Business 
Administration  had  extended  immeasurably  the  educational  service  Boston 
College  offered  to  the  community.  And  it  pleased  the  friends  of  the 
institution  to  observe  that  the  development  was  not  merely  at  the  under- 
graduate level. 


ENDNOTES 

1.  Charles  W.  Lyons,  S.J.,  to  Joseph  Rockwell,  S.J.,  February  14,  1919,  Province 
Records,  Maryland  Provincial  S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 

2.  Woodstock  Letters,  48(1919):402. 

3.  Thornton  D.  ApoUonio,  Secretary  to  the  Committee,  to  Reverend  James  F. 
Mellyn,  S.J.,  October  6,  1919,  Boston  College  Graduate  School  files. 

4.  Notice  dated  January  27,  1923,  signed  by  Father  Mellyn,  Graduate  School  files. 
A  student's  account  of  the  course  is  given  in  The  Heights  (April  1,  1924). 

5.  Arthur  L.  Gould,  assistant  superintendent,  to  Reverend  James  F.  Mellyn,  S.J., 
January  13,  1923,  Graduate  School  files. 

6.  J.  E.  Burke,  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools,  to  Reverend  James  F.  Mellyn,  S.J., 
May  17,  1922,  Graduate  School  files. 

7.  Annual  Report  of  the  Superintendent,  October,  1925,  School  Document  No.  9, 
1925,  Boston  Public  Schools,  pp.  22-23. 

8.  Ibid.,  p.  37. 

9.  Ellen  M.  Cronin,  Secretary  to  the  School  Committee,  to  Reverend  James  F. 
Mellyn,  S.J.,  April  23,  1926,  Graduate  School  files. 

10.  Compiled  from  records  in  the  office  of  the  Boston  College  Graduate  School. 

11.  Augustine  F.  Hickey  to  the  Reverend  James  F.  Mellyn,  S.J.,  October  11,  1919, 
Graduate  School  files. 

12.  Ibid.,  and  Father  Hickey  to  Father  Mellyn,  October  14,  1919. 

13.  Boston  College  Catalogue,  1920,  p.  74. 


174        History  of  Boston  College 

14.  Father  Hickey  to  Father  Mellyn,  March  20,  1920. 

15.  Ibid.,  April  26,  1921;  September  13,  1921. 

16.  Ibid.,  February  2,  1922. 

17.  Ibid.,  September  13,  1921;  February  2,  1922;  January  30,  1926. 

18.  Ibid.,  April  26,  1921,  and  April  18,  1923,  Boston  College  Graduate  School  files. 

19.  William  Devlin,  S.J.,  to  Joseph  Rockwell,  S.J.,  June  9,  1920;  Joseph  Rockwell, 
S.J.,  to  William  Devhn,  S.J.,  June  13,  1920,  New  York  Province  Archives,  S.J. 

20.  The  Pilot,  September  13,  1924. 

21.  William  Devlin,  S.J.,  to  Joseph  Rockwell,  S.J.,  March  8,  1923,  Maryland  Provin- 
cial S.J.  Archives,  Georgetown  University  Library. 

22.  William  Devlin,  S.J.,  to  Joseph  Rockwell,  S.J.,  April  11,  1924,  New  York 
Province  Archives,  S.J. 

23.  William  Devhn,  S.J.,  to  Joseph  Rockwell,  S.J.,  May  23,  1924,  New  York  Prov- 
ince Archives,  S.J.,  supplemented  with  information  supplied  to  Father  Dunigan 
by  the  late  Father  Mellyn  in  a  personal  interview,  March  2,  1943. 

24.  The  Pilot  (July  5,  1924  and  September  13,  1924). 

25.  The  Pilot  (September  24,  1924). 

26.  Ibid.  (November  3,  1923);  and  The  Heights  (November  13,  1923). 

27.  An  eight-page  brochure  issued  by  the  College  in  connection  with  the  courses 
being  offered  at  Chestnut  Hill  for  male  public  school  teachers. 

28.  The  Boston  Herald  (September  16,  1926);  The  Boston  Post  (September  16, 
1926);  The  Pilot  (September  25,  1926). 

29.  The  Pilot  (September  24,  1927). 

30.  Ibid. 

31.  The  Boston  Post  (April  29,  1929);  The  Boston  Globe  (a.m.)  (April  29,  1929); 
The  Boston  Transcript  (April  29,  1929). 

32.  The  Boston  Herald  (editorial)  (April  30,  1929);  The  Boston  Transcript  (editorial) 
(April  29,  1929). 

33.  Boston  College  Bulletin.  The  Law  School.  Announcement  of  the  First  Session, 
1929-1930,  pp.  11-14. 

34.  Ibid. 

35.  Boston  College  Bulletin,  The  Law  School  Announcement,  for  the  respective 
years. 

36.  Boston  College  Bulletin  of  the  Graduate  and  Extension  Schools,  1929—1930,  pp. 
47-49;  and  The  Heights  (October  1,  1929). 

37.  This  description  of  the  School  of  Social  Work  is  based  upon  information  supphed 
Father  Dunigan  by  the  Reverend  James  D.  Sullivan,  S.J.,  regent  of  this  school. 

38.  This  description  of  the  College  of  Business  Administration  is  based  upon  infor- 
mation supplied  Father  Dunigan  by  the  Reverend  James  J.  Kelly,  S.J.,  dean  of  that 


CHAPTER 


19 


Depression  Decade 


The  period  immediately  before  World  War  II  was  one  of  continued  growth 
and  consolidation,  although  on  the  side  of  physical  expansion  only  one 
project,  the  wing  on  St.  Mary's  Hall,  could  be  listed  as  new  construction. 
The  rapidly  increasing  Jesuit  faculty  had  rendered  the  accommodations  of 
the  residence  hall  inadequate  as  early  as  the  fall  of  1927.  At  that  time  a 
temporary  remedy  was  arranged  and  finally  achieved  in  January  1928  by 
transferring  the  faculty  library,  which  occupied  the  end  of  St.  Mary's  Hall 
over  the  chapel,  to  the  new  library  building  and  converting  the  space  thus 
obtained  into  four  hving  rooms,  a  bishop's  suite,  and  three  private  chapels. 

Expanding  St.  Mary's,  and  the  Cohasset  Resthouse 

The  problem  of  insufficient  room  was  constantly  pressing,  however,  until 
Father  Dolan,  late  in  1930,  decided  that  St.  Mary's  Hall  should  be  substan- 
tially enlarged.  He  engaged  the  architects  Maginnis  and  Walsh  to  design  an 
addition  that  would  preserve  the  pleasing  proportions  and  general  appear- 
ance of  the  building  as  well  as  protect  the  overall  campus  pattern  which 
had  been  agreed  on  for  future  development. 

Work  was  actually  begun  on  October  7  of  that  year  and  proceeded 
throughout  the  following  winter  and  spring.  When  completed,  the  L-shaped 
addition  provided  35  more  individual  living  rooms,  in  addition  to  7  rooms 

175 


176        History  of  Boston  College 

on  the  southeast  end  of  the  third  floor  which  were  designed  as  infirmary 
quarters.  Among  the  changes  effected  was  a  new  and  enlarged  refectory, 
planned  to  accommodate  104;  a  recreation  room  for  the  Fathers  and  a 
faculty  reading  room,  on  the  first  floor  of  the  new  section;  offices  for  the 
president  and  treasurer,  made  by  remodeling  the  old  refectory;  and  visitors' 
parlors  created  by  adaptation  of  the  former  offices.  The  new  basement 
provided  area  for  a  large  garage,  as  well  as  extended  facilities  for  the 
wardrobe  and  a  number  of  new  rooms  for  workmen.  The  new  wing  was 
completed  in  the  summer  and  formally  occupied  on  the  feast  of  St.  Ignatius 
on  July  31,  1931.' 

In  May  1932  the  trustees  announced  the  purchase  of  the  Brown  estate, 
comprising  some  eight  and  a  half  acres  in  Cohasset,  Massachusetts,  and 
bordering  the  entrance  to  Cohasset  harbor.  The  purpose  of  this  acquisition 
was  to  provide  a  resthouse  for  the  Jesuit  faculty  within  easy  motoring 
distance  of  the  College,  where  some  hours  each  week  during  the  summer 
could  be  spent  at  the  shore.  This  relaxation  was  considered  advisable 
because  teaching  schedules,  including  summer  school,  were  arranged  on 
almost  a  52-weeks-a-year  basis. 

Father  Gallagher  Becomes  Rector 

On  January  1,  1932,  Father  Dolan  was  succeeded  in  the  presidency  of 
Boston  College  by  the  Reverend  Louis  J.  Gallagher,  S.J.,  until  then  Socius 
to  the  Provincial  and  Prefect  General  of  Studies  for  Jesuit  institutions  in  the 
New  England  area.^  Father  Gallagher  began  his  administration  at  Boston 

John  O'Loughlin,  assistant  li- 
brarian in  Bapst  from  its  early 
days  well  into  the  postwar  era. 


REV.  LOUIS  J.  GALLAGHER,  S.J. 
Seventeenth  President 


Father  Gallagher  was  born  in  Boston  on  July 
22,  1885.  He  attended  public  schools  in 
Dorchester  and  the  immaculate  Concep- 
tion school  in  Maiden.  He  entered  Boston 
College  High  School  in  1900,  and  was  at- 
tending Boston  College  in  1905  when  he 
was  accepted  into  the  Society  of  Jesus.  Dur- 
ing his  pre-ordination  course  he  spent  five 
years  on  the  faculty  of  Fordham  University.  In  1920,  along  with  the  Jesuit  he 
would  succeed  as  president.  Father  James  Dolan,  he  was  ordained  by  Cardinal 
Gibbons.  He  served  briefly  as  principal  of  Xavier  High  School  in  New  York  and 
then  was  assigned  to  help  administer  the  Vatican  Relief  Mission  to  Russia  during 
the  famine  of  1922.  He  remained  in  Russia  for  two  years  during  the  establishment 
of  Communism  there.  On  returning  to  America  he  was  appointed  assistant  to  the 
Provincial  of  the  newly  established  New  England  Jesuit  Province  in  1926.  At  the 
time  of  his  selection  as  president  of  Boston  College,  he  had  overall  supervision 
of  the  educational  enterprises  of  the  province. 


College  when  the  full  impact  of  the  1929  depression  was  being  felt 
everywhere.  In  March  1932  he  reported  that  the  depression  had  forced  a 
policy  of  financial  retrenchment  upon  the  College.^  The  deficit  in  the 
payment  of  tuitions,  which  had  increased  with  every  semester  of  the 
previous  two  years,  was  particularly  large  during  that  term  because  of 
conditions  prevailing  in  various  banks.  Deferred  payment  and  installment 
paying  had  affected  about  20  percent  of  the  tuitions,  and  the  number  of 
students  receiving  financial  aid  from  the  College  had  increased  100  per 
cent  over  the  previous  year.  He  stated  that  the  enforced  forfeiture  of  tuition 
income  did  not  result  in  the  dropping  of  any  students,  partly  because  some 
balance  was  effected  by  the  reduction  of  expenditures  for  equipment  or 
developmental  projects  and  by  the  frugal  administration  of  the  community 
house  of  the  nonsalaried  Jesuit  faculty.  Father  Gallagher  was  also  able  to 
report  that,  up  to  that  time,  no  reduction  had  been  made  in  the  salary  of 
anyone  employed  by  the  College,  nor  was  any  contemplated. 


178        History  of  Boston  College 

Alumni  Field  Stadium 

The  depression  necessarily  obliged  him  to  postpone  indefinitely  any  plans 
for  expansion,  but  he  effected  many  improvements  which  were  extraordi- 
nary in  the  light  of  the  difficulties  under  which  he  labored.  Financial 
restrictions,  for  instance,  had  caused  the  de-emphasis  of  intercollegiate 
athletics  at  Boston  College  during  the  last  years  of  Father  Dolan's  term  in 
office.  A  steady  increase  in  the  seriousness  of  the  depression  forced  Father 
Gallagher  either  to  discover  a  means  of  reducing  in  a  substantial  way  the 
expenditures  involved  in  the  athletic  program  or  to  suspend  the  major 
sports  altogether. 

In  selecting  the  first  alternative.  Father  Gallagher  felt  that  a  transfer  of 
the  home  football  games  from  the  professional  park  in  Boston,  which 
charged  20  percent  of  the  gross  receipts  of  a  game  for  rental,  to  University 
Heights  would  effect  a  saving  which  would  enable  football  to  continue  on 
a  satisfactory  scale.  Some  rather  discouraging  difficulties,  however,  lay  in 
the  way  of  such  a  change.  The  grandstands  on  the  campus  were  small, 
wooden,  and,  in  several  sections,  of  secondhand  materials;  age  had  contrib- 
uted to  make  them  so  unsafe  that  the  city  authorities  finally  condemned 
them.  The  first  step,  therefore,  in  carrying  out  a  program  for  campus 
athletics  was  to  provide  a  suitable  set  of  stands.  A  large  stadium  was,  of 
course,  out  of  the  question  for  many  reasons,  the  chief  of  which  was  the 
enormous  cost,  which  had  led  even  heavily  endowed  universities  to  discon- 
tinue the  practice  of  building  them.  Further,  at  Boston  College  the  authori- 
ties were  unwilling  to  commit  a  large  portion  of  the  campus  which  would 
eventually  be  needed  for  college  buildings  to  this  distinctly  part-time  use. 

The  answer  to  this  problem,  announced  in  May  1932,  was  the  installa- 
tion of  prefabricated  steel  stands  which  provided  strength  at  a  minimum 
cost,  were  easy  to  erect,  and  were  relatively  inconspicuous."  The  permit  to 
put  up  the  stands  was  granted  by  the  City  of  Newton  on  June  25,  1932, 
and  the  work  of  pouring  the  concrete  foundations  and  assembling  the  steel 
sections  was  begun  shortly  after  the  closing  of  school.^  In  order  to  reduce 
expenses  as  far  as  possible  and  at  the  same  time  provide  a  number  of 
students  with  employment  at  a  time  when  work  was  at  a  premium,  the  task 
of  erecting  the  stands  was  given  to  a  number  of  students  under  the  direction 
of  professional  steel  workers.  This  arrangement  occasioned  a  protest  from 
one  of  the  labor  unions,  which  objected  to  the  employment  of  "amateur" 
help;  but  the  labor  officials,  after  investigating  the  situation,  gave  the  project 
their  approval. 

The  completed  stands  were  low-lying  and  rested  in  a  natural  declivity  of 
the  land.  The  field  was  landscaped  in  such  a  manner  that  the  structure  not 
only  blended  into  the  general  scene  but  game  audiences  were  protected  in 
some  measure  from  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun.  The  capacity  of  the  stands, 
with  both  permanent  and  temporary  sections  included,  was  planned  to  be 
20,000;  for  the  convenience  of  these  patrons,  parking  space  for  3000  cars 
was  arranged  on  the  campus.  The  entire  stands  were  not  erected  the  first 


Depression  Decade        179 


Father  Gallagher  with  three 
shapers  of  Boston  College  ath- 
letics: John  Curley  ('13),  long- 
time athletic  director;  Jack  Ry- 
der, veteran  track  coach;  Jo- 
seph McKenney  {'27,  '83 
HON),  football  captain,  1926, 
and  football  coach,  1928- 
1934. 


year,  however,  and  the  season — which  opened  with  the  dedication  of  the 
new  "stadium"  on  October  1  and  included  games  with  Fordham  and  Holy 
Cross — was  played  on  a  field  which  seated  only  15,000.  The  full  comple- 
ment of  portable  temporary  stands  was  used  during  the  two  following 
years  (1933  and  1934).  The  largest  crowd  to  gather  on  Alumni  Field  was 
probably  the  one  in  attendance  at  the  Diocesan  band  concert  in  1941, 
estimated  at  over  25,000. 

In  the  years  immediately  before  the  war,  the  national  prominence  of  the 
football  team,  with  a  consequent  large  following  at  its  games,  caused  the 
transfer  of  the  contests  back  to  Fenway  Park  and  later  to  Braves'  Field, 
since  the  installation  of  facilities  to  accommodate  large  crowds  properly  on 
the  campus  would  not  only  entail  great  expense  but  could  not  be  effected 
without  defacing  the  property. 

The  Thompson  Collection 

An  example  of  the  academic  accomplishments  that  were  rivaling  nonaca- 
demic  activities  for  attention  at  this  period  is  found  in  the  dramatically 
successful  efforts  of  Father  Terence  L.  Connolly,  S.J.,  head  of  the  English 
Department,  to  gather  documentary  material  for  firsthand  study  of  English 
Catholic  poets.  In  the  fall  of  1933  Father  Connolly  arranged  for  a  loan 
exhibit  at  Boston  College  of  manuscripts  and  first  editions  of  the  Catholic 
Victorian  poet,  Francis  Thompson.  The  exhibition,  the  first  dedicated  to 
that  poet  in  America,  was  held  from  October  5  to  8,  1933,  through  the 
kindness  of  the  owner  of  the  collection,  Seymour  Adelman  of  Chester, 
Pennsylvania.  Loans  from  the  Widener  and  the  Boston  Public  Library 
augmented  the  display,  which  drew  the  interest  of  scholars  throughout  the 
East. 


180        History  of  Boston  College 

Since  eight  years  of  devoted  labor  and  great  wealth  had  been  employed 
by  Mr.  Adelman  in  assembling  the  collection,  Father  Connolly's  surprise 
and  pleasure  can  be  understood,  when,  some  four  years  later,  Mr.  Adelman 
offered  his  treasures  to  Father  Connolly  for  a  sum  considerably  less  than 
their  estimated  value,  with  the  understanding  that  the  various  items  would 
always  be  known  as  belonging  to  the  Seymour  Adelman  Collection.  Within 
three  weeks  after  Mr.  Adelman's  offer,  loyal  friends  of  the  College  had 
raised  a  fund  to  buy  the  manuscripts,  and  on  April  22,  1937,  title  to  the 
Adelman  Collection  was  transferred  to  Boston  College.  The  administration 
readily  gave  permission  for  the  faculty  reading  room  of  the  library  to  be 
converted  into  a  permanent  display  center  for  the  Thompsoniana  and 
related  items,  and  the  collection  was  formally  opened  for  public  inspection 
on  November  5,  1937. 


Bapst  auditorium,  1928-1967. 


Kresge  reading  room  in  Bapst 
(former  auditorium)  after  the 
renovation  of  1986. 


Depression  Decade        181 

On  hearing  of  Boston  College's  acquisition  of  this  material,  Wilfrid 
Meynell,  the  patron  and  closest  friend  of  the  poet,  donated  to  Father 
Connolly  the  manuscript  of  "From  the  Night  of  Forebeing."  Later,  upon 
the  occasion  of  Father  Connolly's  visit  to  Meynell  in  England  during  the 
summer  of  1938,  he  presented  to  Father  Connolly  several  Thompson 
notebooks  and  manuscripts,  including  the  complete  manuscript  of  the  Life 
of  Saint  Ignatius.  The  story  of  this  meeting  and  some  of  the  interesting 
details  accompanying  the  presentation  of  Wilfrid  Meynell's  gift  can  be 
found  in  Father  Connolly's  Francis  Thompson:  In  His  Paths.^ 

Since  that  time  the  Thompson  Room  has  been  enriched  by  additions  to 
the  collection  through  Mr.  Meynell's  beneficence  and  by  four  portraits 
presented  by  Mrs.  Edward  C.  Donnelly  as  a  memorial  to  her  late  husband. 
The  paintings  are:  Mr.  Wilfrid  Meynell,  by  Sir  John  Lavery;  Alice  Meynell, 
by  the  Honorable  Neville  Lytton;  Coventry  Patmore,  by  Sir  John  Lavery; 
and  Francis  Thompson,  by  John  Lavalle.  The  portraits  of  Patmore  and 
Thompson  are  hung  to  face  a  valuable  copy  of  Raphael's  Madonna  del 
Gran  Duca,  symbolizing  the  dependence  of  both  of  these  poets  upon  the 
Blessed  Mother  for  their  inspiration.^ 

Remembrances,  Honors,  Treasures 

The  library  was  enriched  in  February  1934  by  the  accession  of  over  4000 
rare  volumes  which  were  bequeathed  to  the  College  in  the  will  of  the  late 
Monsignor  Arthur  L.  Connolly,  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  Church  in  Ja- 
maica Plain,  Massachusetts.*  The  collection  was  particularly  strong  in  Irish 
literature  but  also  contained  other  items  of  great  value,  among  which  were 
St.  Bonaventure's  Life  of  Christ,  printed  in  1475,  and  a  Commentaries  on 
the  Gospel,  printed  in  the  same  period.  In  addition  to  these  books,  a  large 
number  of  letters  written  by  English  and  American  literary  figures  were 
included  in  the  collection.' 

In  the  early  summer  of  1934,  the  College  assisted  in  the  celebration  of 
Cardinal  O'Connell's  Golden  Jubilee  of  his  ordination  to  the  priesthood, 
culminating  on  June  9  with  an  outdoor  Mass  celebrated  by  His  Eminence 
on  Alumni  Field  before  a  crowd  estimated  at  over  20,000.'° 

Father  Joseph  J.  Williams,  S.J.,  director  of  the  Department  of  Anthropol- 
ogy at  Boston  College,  was  appointed  one  of  the  three  representatives  of 
the  American  Anthropological  Association  and  the  American  Council  of 
Learned  Societies  to  attend  the  International  Congress  of  Anthropological 
and  Ethnological  Sciences  in  London  during  the  summer  of  1934.  At  the 
congress,  Father  Williams  presented  dissertations  before  the  religious  as 
well  as  the  African  sections  of  ethnology,  and  was  quoted  in  65  dailies 
throughout  England  and  Scotland."  Further  distinction  came  to  him  in  his 
election  as  a  fellow  of  both  the  Royal  and  the  American  Geographical 
Societies  and  also  of  the  Royal  Anthropological  Institute  and  the  Royal 
Society  of  Arts.  The  previous  year  Father  Williams  had  established  at 


182        History  of  Boston  College 

Boston  College  the  Nicholas  M.  Wilhams  Ethnological  Collection,  consist- 
ing of  several  thousand  volumes  and  with  5000  items  in  the  African  section. 
The  collection  proved  to  be  the  only  one  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States 
recognized  by  the  International  Institute  of  African  Languages  and  Cul- 
tures. 

Along  with  the  varied  activities  of  the  depression  years  that  showed  the 
vitality  of  the  institution  in  trying  circumstances,  a  decision  was  made 
regarding  the  curriculum  of  the  College  that  some  faculty  members  found 
sad:  the  offering  of  an  A.B.  degree  without  Greek.  From  the  day  of  its 
opening,  Greek  as  well  as  Latin  had  been  required  by  Boston  College  for 
the  A.B.  degree.  As  fewer  and  fewer  applicants  to  the  College  in  the  20th 
century  were  equipped  or  interested  in  taking  the  classical  course,  various 
curricula  without  Latin  and  Greek  were  offered,  terminating,  however,  in  a 
bachelor  of  science  degree.  In  1935  Boston  College  and  Holy  Cross 
authorities,  working  with  the  Jesuit  Provincial  Prefect  of  Studies,  Father 
William  J.  Murphy,  modified  the  age-old  curriculum  to  include  an  A.B. 
degree  still  requiring  Latin  but  without  Greek.  This  was  indeed  a  major 
concession,  and  it  earned  notice  in  the  Boston  press. >^  The  reluctance  of 
the  College  to  make  this  decision  was  shown  in  the  details  of  the  new  A.B. 
program.  Any  honors  student  had  to  include  Greek  in  his  course.  Non- 
honors  students  were  designated  either  A.B.  (Greek)  or  A.B.  (mathematics). 
It  would  be  another  20  years  before  Latin  would  join  Greek  as  an  elective 
instead  of  a  required  course  for  the  A.B.  degree. 

Meanwhile,  further  interesting  developments  were  occurring  outside  the 
curriculum.  On  May  29,  1935,  the  Boston  College  Library  acquired  an 
original  letter  (in  Portuguese)  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  signed  by  the  saint  and 
addressed  to  Don  John  III,  King  of  Portugal.  The  manuscript  is  composed 
of  three  foUo  pages  and  is  dated  "Cochin,  January  31,  1552,"  the  last  year 
of  the  saint's  life,  just  after  his  return  from  Japan  and  shortly  before  he 
sailed  to  China  and  his  death.  It  is  a  confidential  report  to  the  king 
referring  to  the  Portuguese  subjects  in  the  Far  East,  whom  the  saint 
recommends  for  reward  and  recognition.  He  also  records  the  work  of  some 
of  the  historical  personahties  with  whom  he  came  into  contact  in  Japan, 
India,  and  Malacca,  and  the  missionary  work  carried  on  in  those  countries. 
Careful  study  on  the  part  of  the  Reverend  George  Shurhammer,  S.J., 
biographer  of  St.  Francis  Xavier  and  greatest  hving  authority  on  documents 
pertaining  to  the  Saint,  established  the  Xavier  letters  as  authentic."  The 
letter  which  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Boston  College  was  dictated, 
addressed  and  signed  by  the  saint,  but  the  body  of  the  message  is  apparently 
in  the  handwriting  of  an  amanuensis,  very  probably  Anthony  of  China, 
who  acted  as  Xavier's  secretary  on  other  known  occasions  and  who  was 
his  sole  attendant  when  the  saint  died  on  Sancien.  The  Philomatheia  Club 
of  Boston  College  purchased  the  letter  and  presented  it  to  the  College  as  a 
gift  to  commemorate  the  twentieth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the 
club.i" 


Depression  Decade        183 

Late  in  1935  the  borders  of  the  campus  on  Beacon  Street  were  ahered  to 
conform  with  a  street-widening  program  being  carried  out  at  the  time  by 
the  City  of  Newton.  The  payment  made  by  the  city  for  the  narrow  strip  of 
land  ceded  by  the  College  aided,  with  private  gifts,  in  defraying  the  cost  of 
the  graceful  wrought-iron  fence  supported  by  granite  pillars  which  was 
erected  along  the  entire  Beacon  Street  side  of  the  property.  The  expanse  of 
fence  was  broken  almost  opposite  Acacia  Street  by  an  ornate  gate  which 
was  dedicated  by  Father  Gallagher  as  part  of  the  alumni  day  activities  on 
June  8,  1936.'' 


His  Eminence,  Eugenic  Cardinal  Pacelli,  Papal  Secretary  of  State  and 
future  Pope  Plus  XII,  paid  the  College  a  surprise  visit  on  the  morning  of 
October  15, 1936,  in  the  company  of  the  Most  Reverend  Francis  J.  Spellman, 
at  that  time.  Auxiliary  Bishop  of  Boston. i'  The  cardinal  was  greeted  at  St. 
Mary's  Hall  by  Father  Gallagher  and  members  of  the  Jesuit  faculty,  and  from 
there  he  was  escorted  to  the  porch  of  the  library  building,  from  which  he 
briefly  addressed  the  student  body  gathered  on  the  campus.  He  then  made 
a  presentation  to  Boston  College  of  a  beautifully  illuminated  fifteenth- 
century  missal  as  a  memento  of  his  visit. 


The  depression  years  may  have  impeded,  but  they  did  not  thwart,  Boston 
College's  academic  expansion.  The  Law  School  was  inaugurated  in  the  year 
of  the  stock  market  crash.  The  School  of  Social  Work  was  begun  in  1936. 
Two  years  later  the  College  would  start  its  first  new  undergraduate  school 
since  1864. 


ENDNOTES 

1.  The  Boston  Globe  (October  11,  1930);  Woodstock  Letters,  60(1931):457-459; 
Boston  College:  Seventy-Fifth  Anniversary,  1863-1938,  p.  35. 

2.  The  Boston  Post  (January  2,  1932);  The  Boston  Herald  (January  2,  1932);  The 
Boston  Sunday  Post  (January  10,  1932);  The  Boston  Sunday  Globe  (January  10, 
1932). 

3.  The  Boston  Transcript  (March  19,  1932). 

4.  The  Boston  Traveler  (May  5,  1932);  The  Boston  Post  (May  5,  1932). 

5.  The  Boston  Post  (June  30,  1932). 

6.  Milwaukee:  The  Bruce  Pubhshing  Co.,  1944. 

7.  Further  details  on  the  Thompson  Collection  will  be  found  in  Terence  L.  Con- 
nolly, S.J.  (editor).  An  Account  of  Books  and  Manuscripts  of  Francis  Thompson 
(Chestnut  Hill,  Massachusetts,  Boston  College,  n.d.);  Terence  L.  Connolly,  S.J., 
"Seymour  Adelman's  Thompsoniana,"  America,  50:16-17  (October  7,  1933). 

8.  It  is  heartening  that  benefactions  to  the  special  collections  continue.  See  Chapter 
39  for  recent  acquisitions  for  Burns  library. 

9.  The  Boston  Globe  (February  15,  1934);  The  Boston  Post  (February  18,  1934). 
10.     The  Boston  Sunday  Globe  (June  10,  1934);  The  Boston  Sunday  Advertiser  (June 

10,  1934). 


184        History  of  Boston  College 

11.  The  Heights  (October  3,  1934). 

12.  The  Boston  Herald  (March  27,  1935). 

13.  George  Schurhammer,  S.J.,  "Zwei  ungedruckte  Briefe  des  hi.  Franz  Xaver,' 
Archivum  Historicum  Societatis  lesu  (Rome),  II,  44—45,  1933. 

14.  The  Boston  Globe  (May  29,  1935);  The  Boston  Traveler  (May  29,  1935). 

15.  The  Boston  Post  Qune  9,  1936). 

16.  The  Heights  (October  16,  1936). 


CHAPTER 


20 


An  Expanded  Campus 


On  the  evening  of  July  1,  1937,  Father  WiUiam  J.  McGarry,  S.J.,  dean  of 
the  Jesuit  seminary  at  Weston  College,  was  appointed  to  succeed  Father 
Gallagher  as  president  of  Boston  College.  It  was  Father  McGarry's  inten- 
tion on  taking  office  to  assume  a  full  teaching  schedule  for  himself  in  both 
the  graduate  and  undergraduate  divisions,  but  a  semester's  trial  of  this 
work  in  addition  to  his  administrative  duties  had  such  a  negative  effect 
upon  his  health  that  he  was  forced  to  abandon  his  lecture  courses  for  the 
balance  of  the  year. 

Father  McGarry's  Short  Tenure 

Other  plans  which  he  sought  to  put  into  effect  soon  after  taking  office 
included  improvement  of  the  library  facilities,  which  he  accomplished  not 
only  by  completing  the  steel  stackroom  accommodations  but  by  launching 
an  extensive  purchasing  program  to  strengthen  the  library  holdings  in 
several  departments.  Father  McGarry  also  took  a  keen  interest  in  the 
undergraduate  curriculum  at  the  Fleights  and  made  several  changes  to 
assure  continued  high  standards.  The  Intown  Division  also  had  his  atten- 
tion, with  the  result  that  a  reorganized  educational  and  administrational 
structure  went  into  effect  in  the  fall  of  1938. 

The  week  of  February  20,  1938,  was  set  aside  for  celebration  of  the 
diamond  jubilee  of  the  founding  of  the  College.'  A  downtown  theater  was 

185 


REV.  WILLIAM  J.  McGARRY,  S.J 
Eighteenth  President 


Father  McCarry  was  born  in  Hamilton,  Mas- 
sachusetts on  March  14,  1894.  After  attend- 
ing Hamilton  grammar  school,  he  entered 
Boston  College  High  School,  and  upon  fin- 
ishing his  course  there  in  1911  he  entered 
the  Society  of  Jesus.  During  his  theological 
studies  he  focused  on  biblical  scholarship, 
pursuing  graduate  studies  at  Fordham  and 
being  awarded  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Sacred  Theology  by  Woodstock  College. 
He  was  ordained  in  1925  and  later  attended  the  Pontifical  Biblical  Institute  in 
Rome,  where  he  was  awarded  the  degree  of  Licentiate  in  Sacred  Scriptures  with 
Honors.  He  was  professor  of  Sacred  Scriptures  and  dean  at  Weston  College,  the 
New  England  Province  center  for  theology  study,  from  1930  to  1936.- 


engaged  for  the  week  and  a  program  of  events  was  arranged  for  every 
evening.  On  Sunday  afternoon  the  opening  session  was  a  symposium  on 
Catholic  marriage  by  an  intercollegiate  Catholic  Action  unit;  that  evening 
the  Student  and  Alumni  Musical  clubs  presented  a  joint  concert.  The 
Philomatheia  Club  sponsored  a  public  lecture  on  Monday  evening,  and  on 
Tuesday  Father  McGarry  met  the  alumni  at  their  convocation  and  read  to 
them  the  Papal  Benediction  which  had  been  sent  to  the  College  from  Rome. 
An  intercollegiate  debate  with  Harvard  took  place  on  Wednesday  evening, 
and  the  evenings  throughout  the  balance  of  the  week  were  occupied  with 
performances  of  the  Dramatic  Society's  play.  On  Friday  afternoon  members 
of  the  Spanish,  Italian,  and  German  societies  enacted  scenes  from  selected 
masterpieces  of  the  three  countries,  and  the  French  Academy  sponsored  the 
Saturday  matinee.  A  large  pictorial  and  historical  brochure  on  the  College 
and  a  Boston  College  song  book  were  published  to  mark  the  anniversary. 
Later,  on  April  1,  a  Solemn  High  Mass  commemorating  the  founding  of 
the  College  was  sung  at  the  Immaculate  Conception  Church  in  the  presence 
of  His  Eminence,  Cardinal  O'Connell. 

Early  in  March  1938  a  departure  from  the  former  compulsory  entrance 
examinations  for  all  and  the  introduction  of  a  new  method  for  admission 
by  certification  was  announced  with  the  publication  of  the  1938-1939 


An  Expanded  Campus        187 

Boston  College  Bulletin.  Under  the  new  system,  candidates  might  qualify 
for  entrance  in  any  one  of  three  ways:  (1)  full  certification  by  an  approved 
secondary  school,  (2)  partial  certification  and  passing  grades  in  some  of  the 
approved  forms  of  college  entrance  examinations  in  all  required  subjects  in 
which  the  candidate  had  not  been  certified,  or  (3)  passing  grades  in  some 
one  of  the  approved  forms  of  college  entrance  examinations  in  all  required 
subjects.  Of  course,  all  who  wished  to  be  considered  for  scholarships  were 
to  take  the  entrance  examinations  as  usual.  This  arrangement  was  consid- 
ered by  the  College  authorities  a  more  equitable  method  of  determining 
suitable  candidates  for  admission  in  that  it  stressed  the  secondary  school 
record  as  a  better  norm  of  fitness  than  an  isolated  examination.^ 

Father  McGarry's  career  as  a  college  president  was  prematurely  brought 
to  a  close  in  the  summer  of  1939  by  the  imperative  need  of  an  experienced 
writer  and  prominent  theologian  to  become  the  first  editor  of  a  new 
theological  review.  Theological  Studies,  which  was  in  the  process  of  orga- 
nization. The  creation  of  this  magazine  was  the  result  of  a  meeting  in  July 
1938  of  professors  of  theology  representing  the  five  Jesuit  houses  of 
theology  in  the  United  States.  The  participants  determined  to  launch  the 
new  theological  quarterly  as  the  official  publication  of  the  American  Jesuit 
provinces.  It  was  unanimously  agreed  that  an  urgent  request  be  transmitted 
to  the  Jesuit  General  in  Rome  that  Father  McGarry  be  released  from  his 
current  duties  at  Boston  College  and  that  he  be  appointed  to  the  new  office 
of  editor.  When  the  Jesuit  authorities  reluctantly  consented  to  the  proposed 
release,  Father  Wilham  J.  Murphy,  S.J.,  was  appointed  to  the  presidency  of 
Boston  College  on  the  Feast  of  the  Assumption  on  August  15,  1939. 

A  New  President,  a  New  War 

Sixteen  days  after  Father  Murphy  was  installed  as  rector,  the  armies  of 
Adolf  Hitler  marched  into  Poland  and  Europe  was  once  more  at  war.  The 
conflict  did  not  immediately  affect  life  in  the  United  States,  particularly  life 
on  college  campuses.  Boston  College  carried  on  that  year  much  as  usual. 

A  program  for  the  graduate  training  of  Jesuit  scholastics  was  begun,  with 
19  of  these  students  living  together  as  a  semi-independent  community  in 
the  brick  parish  house  on  Commonwealth  Avenue  near  Lake  Street  and 
devoting  the  time  usually  allotted  to  the  teaching  period  (or  "regency")  to 
advanced  studies  in  the  classics,  history,  or  the  sciences. 

Another  milestone  in  the  College's  progress  was  reached  in  the  summer 
of  1941,  when  arrangements  were  made  to  purchase  the  Louis  K.  Liggett 
estate  to  house  the  rapidly  growing  College  of  Business  Administration. 
When  the  proposed  transaction  was  brought  before  Cardinal  O'Connell 
for  his  approval,  he  not  only  granted  it  with  enthusiasm  but  insisted  that 
he  be  permitted  to  donate  the  entire  cost  of  the  property.  His  generous 
offer  was  gratefully  accepted,  and  it  was  determined  to  name  the  new 
building  "Cardinal  O'Connell  Hall."  The  transfer  of  the  property  took 
place  on  July  25,  1941,  and  provided  the  College  with  an  additional  nine 


REV.  WILLIAM  J.  MURPHY,  S. 
Nineteenth  President 


Father  Murphy  was  born  in  Lawrence,  Mas- 
sachusetts, on  October  20, 1895.  After  com- 
pleting his  sophomore  year  at  Boston  Col- 
lege, he  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus  on 
September  7,  1914.  He  taught  classics  at 
Fordham  University  and  FHoly  Cross  Col- 
lege. Fie  was  ordained  at  Weston  College 
in  1927.  F-Je  spent  two  years  of  advanced 
study  of  literature  in  England  and  Italy,  and  in  1932  he  became  a  lecturer  in 
literature  at  the  Boston  College  Graduate  School.  In  1934  he  was  named  director 
of  studies  of  the  Jesuit  schools  in  New  England,  and  in  1937  he  assumed  the 
added  role  as  assistant  to  the  Provincial. 


and  a  half  acres  of  land  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  main  campus,'' 
bounded  by  Hammond  Street,  Beacon  Street,  and  Tudor  Road. 

When  the  College  took  over  the  property,  the  rooms  in  the  master  section 
were  converted  into  classrooms  for  the  Business  School  and  those  in  the 
servants'  quarters  into  offices  for  the  extracurricular  activities  of  the  entire 
College.  The  magnificent  Reception  Hall,  rising  through  two  stories  in  the 
center  of  the  building,  served  as  the  students'  foyer,  adjoining  which  were 
the  administrative  offices  and  some  of  the  classrooms.  The  quadrangle  of 
stables,  carriage  houses,  a  garage,  and  a  gardener's  lodge,  surrounding  a 
court  which  resembled  an  old  English  inn  yard,  was  made  over  into 
quarters  for  the  Athletic  Association  and  dressing  rooms  for  the  teams.  The 
second  floor  of  this  area  was  taken  up  with  the  workshop  and  scene  lofts 
of  the  dramatic  society. 

The  College  of  Business  Administration  occupied  O'Connell  Hall  from 
the  fall  of  1941  until  June  1943  when,  due  to  reduced  numbers  of  students 
as  well  as  to  the  pressing  need  of  the  hall  as  a  Jesuit  residence  during  the 
use  of  St.  Mary's  Hall  by  the  army  program,  the  business  classes  were 
transferred  to  the  Tower  Building. 

On  October  4,  1941,  the  Solemn  Votive  Mass  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  known 
in  a  tradition  which  goes  back  many  centuries  in  Rome,  Paris,  and  London 


An  Expanded  Campus        189 

as  the  "Red  Mass,"  was  celebrated  for  the  first  time  in  Massachusetts  to 
mark  the  opening  of  the  judicial  year.  The  ceremony,  which  took  place  in 
the  Immaculate  Conception  Church,  was  under  the  auspices  of  Cardinal 
O'Connell  and  the  Boston  College  Law  School. 

The  function  drew  the  most  distinguished  legal  assemblage  ever  gathered 
in  the  state  for  a  religious  service.  Governor  Leverett  Saltonstall  and  Mayor 
Maurice  J.  Tobin  led  the  procession,  which  formed  in  the  rectory,  moved 
along  Harrison  Avenue  to  the  main  entrance  of  the  church,  and  then  up  the 
center  aisle.  Among  the  participants  were  the  chief  justice  and  the  full 
bench  of  the  Massachusetts  Supreme  Court;  the  judges  of  the  Massachusetts 
probate  courts  and  the  United  States  Courts;  judges  of  the  land  courts, 
district  courts,  and  Boston  municipal  courts;  the  attorney  general  of  the 
state  and  his  entire  staff;  the  United  States  attorney  and  his  entire  staff; 
district  attorneys  and  assistant  district  attorneys;  and  representatives  from 
all  the  law  schools  and  law  societies  in  the  state.  The  Mass  was  said  by 

1 940  football  team — national  champions. 


26  "48^  &3      k    lie 


/ 


NATIONAL     CHAMPIONS 

/  1 9  4  O  \ 


}°      50  36  47  43  27  44  37  49   gg  13  4S 


fim^ 


190        History  of  Boston  College 
BBIttH^  ^^  '*1SKB.  ^/^Sl^^il-Silt      O'Connell  Hall. 


Father  Murphy,  president  of  the  College,  and  the  sermon  was  delivered  by 
the  Reverend  William  J.  Kenealy,  S.J.,  dean  of  the  Boston  College  Law 
School. 

As  the  months  passed  during  this  period,  an  interest  in  national  defense 
was  gradually  taking  form,  and  attractive  opportunities  in  the  various 
military  reserves  were  offered  to  college  men.  From  time  to  time  students 
withdrew  to  begin  training  for  commissions,  but  their  numbers  were  few 
enough  to  draw  special  mention  in  the  College  newspaper.  The  feature  of 
that  era  most  clearly  stamped  in  the  memories  of  both  students  and  alumni 
was  the  meteoric  rise  to  nation-wide  prominence  of  the  College's  football 
teams;  on  three  New  Year's  Days,  they  participated  in  national  bowl  games. 
Enthusiastic  friends  hailed  this  success  as  the  beginning  of  an  epoch,  but 
the  hand  of  war  was  already  lowering  the  intermission  curtain  upon  sports 
and  on  all  normal  college  life. 


In  a  little  more  than  20  years,  Boston  College  had  withstood  rather  well 
two  external  traumas:  World  War  I  and  the  Great  Depression.  But  neither 
of  those  events  brought  the  institution  so  close  to  the  brink  as  did  World 
War  II. 


ENDNOTES 

1.  The  Boston  Sunday  Post  (February  20,  1938). 

2.  The  Boston  Globe  (July  2,  1937). 

3.  The  Boston  Globe  (March  5,  1938);  The  Heights  (March  4,  1938). 

4.  Middlesex  South  District  Registry  of  Deeds,  Book  6520,  p.  365. 


CHAPTER 


21 


Soldiers  with  Schoolbooks 


Long  before  Japanese  bombs  broke  the  Sunday  morning  silence  at  Pearl 
Harbor  on  December  7,  1941,  Boston  College — like  the  country  at  large — 
had  been  making  readjustments  to  meet  the  demands  of  national  defense. 
As  early  as  1938  a  Boston  College  unit  of  the  United  States  Marine  Corps 
Reserve  Fleet  was  inaugurated  at  the  Boston  Navy  Yard.'  In  1939  in 
cooperation  with  the  Civil  Aeronautics  Administration,  the  College  began 
a  program  for  civilian  pilot  training.  Flight  training  was  given  by  instruc- 
tors of  the  E.  W.  Wiggins  Airways,  under  contract  to  the  government,  at 
the  Norwood  Airport.  Seventy-two  hours  of  late  afternoon  classes  in 
aeronautics  were  offered  on  campus.  During  its  three  years  of  operation, 
the  Civilian  Pilot  Training  course  graduated  90  qualified  pilots,  almost  all 
of  whom  were  later  commissioned  in  the  Army  or  Navy  air  branches.  The 
coordinator  of  the  program,  Father  John  A.  Tobin,  S.J.,  chairman  of  the 
Physics  Department,  took  the  flight  training  himself  and  secured  a  pilot's 
license.- 

Boston  College  was  one  of  six  institutions  in  metropolitan  Boston  to 
offer  college-level  courses  to  prepare  skilled  defense  workers.  The  program, 
subsidized  by  the  government,  was  known  as  the  "Engineering,  Science, 
and  Management  Defense  Training  Course,"  and  it  began  at  Boston 

191 


192        History  of  Boston  College 

College  in  October  1941.  It  was  estimated  that  over  a  thousand  people 
attended  the  course  at  Boston  College.^ 

The  Draft 

The  Selective  Training  and  Service  Act,  constituting  the  first  peacetime 
conscription  in  the  history  of  the  nation,  was  passed  by  Congress  on 
September  14,  1940  and  made  law  by  the  president's  signature  two  days 
later.  Under  this  legislation,  which  made  men  from  21  to  36  liable  for 
military  training,  a  first  registration  was  ordered  for  October  16,  1940, 
and  a  lottery  to  determine  the  order  of  call,  for  October  29,  1940.  Since 
only  a  relatively  small  percentage  of  college  students  were  over  21,  and 
since  draft  boards  were  inclined,  in  the  period  before  the  war,  to  grant 
deferments  to  students  to  permit  them  to  finish  their  course,  this  act  did 
not  at  once  cause  great  concern  to  college  administrators. 

Various  branches  of  the  armed  forces  continued,  meanwhile,  to  present 
attractive  opportunities  leading  to  commissions  for  those  students  who 
would  enlist  on  a  deferred  basis.  Later,  enough  requests  for  advice  in 
matters  of  draft  deferment  were  received  by  the  Boston  College  authorities 
to  cause  them  to  establish  an  organized  method  of  counseling  the  students. 
This  system  was  centered  about  a  faculty  board  composed  of  Father  John 
A.  O'Brien,  S.J.,  Dr.  Harry  Doyle,  and  Professor  Fred  Bryan,  who  were 
appointed  by  Father  John  J.  Long,  S.J.,  dean  of  the  College  of  Arts  and 
Sciences,  early  in  May  1941  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  students  in  preparing 
statements  of  information  for  their  local  draft  boards.  At  the  same  time  the 
attention  of  the  students  was  drawn  to  the  College's  Placement  Bureau, 
directed  by  George  Donaldson,  which  was  equipped  to  give  full  informa- 
tion on  the  various  officer-training  opportunities  and  which  acted  as  a 
liaison  office  between  the  recruiting  services  and  the  student  body.  Both  the 
Counseling  Board  and  the  Placement  Bureau  had  representatives  available 
for  student  conferences  every  day  of  the  school  week,  with  the  aim  of 
making  sure  that  the  individual  student  would  be  placed  where  he  would 
be  of  greatest  service  to  his  country,  whether  in  some  particular  branch  of 
the  armed  forces,  in  a  certain  position  in  the  ranks  of  a  vital  industry,  or  at 
his  college  desk. 

Three  days  after  Pearl  Harbor,  Father  Murphy  and  the  deans  of  the 
various  divisions  addressed  an  assembly  of  the  students  on  the  seriousness 
of  the  national  situation  and  cautioned  them  to  remain  calm,  thoughtful, 
and  prayerful  until  the  situation  would  clear  and  they  would  know  best 
how  to  serve  their  country.  Five  days  later,  the  College  celebrated  Bill  of 
Rights  Day  with  a  solemn  blessing  of  the  national  colors  on  Alumni  Field. 
At  the  same  time,  it  was  announced  that  the  curricula  and  semesters  of  the 
entire  system  would  be  accelerated  to  enable  those  students  who  were  soon 
to  be  called  to  service  to  finish  as  much  as  possible  of  their  course.  The 


Soldiers  with  Schoolbooks        193 

Christmas  vacation  period  would  not  be  altered,  but  the  time  usually 
allotted  to  the  mid-year  examinations  would  be  substantially  curtailed. 

In  January  1942,  the  presidents  of  Holy  Cross  and  Boston  College, 
Fathers  Joseph  R.  N.  Maxwell,  S.J.,  and  William  J.  Murphy,  S.J.,  and  the 
deans  of  both  colleges  met  with  the  Jesuit  Provincial,  Father  James  H. 
Dolan,  S.J.,  to  discuss  the  changes  in  curricula  and  schedules  made  neces- 
sary by  the  war.  As  an  outcome  of  this  meeting,  an  accelerated  program 
affecting  the  entire  college  course  was  approved  by  the  officials  of  both 
colleges  and  went  into  effect  with  the  opening  of  the  second  semester  on 
January  12,  1942. 

Enlistments  on  a  deferred  basis  in  the  United  States  Navy  Reserve 
continued  briskly  through  the  spring  and  into  the  summer  of  1942.  The 
College,  cooperating  with  the  government,  arranged  for  a  Navy  indoctri- 
nation course  to  be  conducted  on  the  campus  for  the  benefit  of  the 
reservists.  The  lectures  were  delivered  by  Navy  officers  attached  to  the 
Causeway  Street  headquarters. 

Meanwhile,  the  Army  took  steps  to  institute  a  program  similar  to  the 
Navy's  to  obtain  reserve  officer  candidates  on  a  deferred  basis.  On  May 
18,  1942,  the  president  of  Boston  College  was  requested  to  participate  in  a 
program  for  the  pre-induction  training  of  students  in  the  Army  Enlisted 
Reserve  Corps  and  to  cooperate  in  an  enlistment  campaign  for  this  branch. 
Father  Murphy  nominated  Father  John  A.  Tobin,  S.J.,  as  Army  faculty 
adviser,  and  this  selection  was  approved  in  Washington.  Shortly  after,  a 
quota  of  509  students  for  Boston  College  was  announced  and  enlistments 
began.  The  drive  was  successful,  but  on  July  8,  1942,  the  officer-candidate 
recruiting  efforts  of  all  branches  of  the  armed  services  were  combined  into 
a  joint  procurement  program.  When  this  went  into  effect,  Father  Stephen 
A.  Mulcahy,  S.J.,  dean  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  was  appointed 
armed  forces  representative. 

On  November  16,  1942,  an  impressive  mass  induction  of  47  students 
into  the  V-1  and  V-7  classes  of  the  Navy  was  held  in  the  auditorium  in  the 
presence  of  College  and  Navy  officials.  On  December  5,  1942,  enlistments 
in  the  reserve  were  closed,  and  it  was  announced  that  henceforth  officer- 
candidate  material  would  be  drawn  from  the  enlisted  personnel  obtained 
through  the  ordinary  operation  of  the  draft.  About  three  weeks  later,  on 
December  24,  all  members  of  the  Army  Enlisted  Reserve  Corps  were 
notified  that  they  would  be  called  to  active  duty  on  the  completion  of  the 
semester  ending  after  December  31,  1942.  In  order  that  the  freshman 
reservists  at  Boston  College  might  secure  the  maximum  benefit  provided 
by  that  directive,  the  opening  of  their  new  term  was  advanced  to  December 
30. 

The  freshman  class  entering  in  February  1943  was  admitted  on  the  basis 
of  a  new  wartime  schedule  planned  to  permit  a  student  to  finish  his  entire 
college  course  in  two  years'  time,  by  means  of  curtailments  already  in 


Proud  Refrain 

What  are  you  dreaming,  Soldier, 
What  is  it  you  see? 

A  tall  grey  Gothic  tower. 
And  a  linden  tree. 

You  speak  so  sadly,  Soldier, 
Sad  and  wistfully — 

/  cannot  hear  the  tower  bell 
In  the  swirling  sea. 

What  meaning  has  it,  Soldier, 
A  tower  bell,  and  tree? 

Nothing,  nothing — only  once 
It  meant  my  life  to  me. 

Thomas  Heath,  '43 


Thomas  Heath  became  a  priest  of  the  Dominican 
Order  and  is  working  in  Africa. 


Soldiers  with  Schoolbooks        195 

practice  and  by  omission  of  the  customary  vacation  periods.  This  acceler- 
ated schedule  permitted  the  seniors  in  the  class  of  1943  to  finish  three 
months  earlier  than  usual;  thus,  in  the  first  mid-winter  commencement  in 
the  institution's  history,  247  arts  seniors  and  50  business  seniors  were 
graduated  at  ceremonies  held  in  the  Immaculate  Conception  Church  on 
Harrison  Avenue  on  Sunday,  February  28,  1943. 

The  Army  Proposes  a  Program 

In  March  1943  the  War  Department  announced  a  plan  known  as  the  Army 
Specialized  Training  Program  (A.S.T.P.)  whose  purpose  was  to  provide 
technicians  and  specialists  for  the  Army.  Those  selected  for  the  program 
would  study,  at  government  expense,  at  colleges  and  universities  in  fields 
determined  largely  by  their  own  qualifications.  Civilians  from  17  to  22 
could,  in  advance  of  induction,  be  designated,  by  success  in  a  special  test, 
for  participation  in  A.S.T.P.  They  would  be  soldiers  on  active  duty:  in 
uniform,  under  military  discipline,  and  on  regular  Army  pay. 

Since  the  Army  was  to  need  the  facilities  of  hundreds  of  colleges  through- 
out the  country  for  this  training  program.  Father  Murphy  immediately 
offered  to  the  War  Department  the  staff  and  physical  equipment  of  Boston 
College  if  the  government  desired  it  as  a  training  center.  Negotiations  were 
opened  in  the  spring  and  were  continued  through  the  early  summer.  Late 
in  June  there  was  a  series  of  inspections  of  the  College  facilities  by  military 
groups,  and  on  July  5  the  College  received  the  War  Department's  Letter  of 
Intent.  With  this  official  designation  of  Boston  College  as  one  of  the 
institutions  selected  as  a  center  of  training  came  the  appointment  of  Father 
Stephen  A.  Mulcahy,  S.J.,  as  local  coordinator  of  the  program.  On  July  7 
the  newly  appointed  commandant  of  the  post.  Major  John  R.  Canavan, 
U.S.A.,  visited  the  Heights  and  took  lunch  with  the  Jesuit  Community. 

Under  the  arrangements  agreed  on,  the  Jesuit  Fathers  would  vacate  St. 
Mary's  Hall  and  take  up  residence  in  small  groups  in  O'Connell  Hall  and 
other  properties  owned  by  the  College.  A  central  kitchen  and  dining  room 
for  the  faculty  would  be  built  in  the  basement  of  the  Tower  Building.  St. 
Mary's  Hall,  meanwhile,  would  be  re-equipped  as  a  barracks  to  accommo- 
date over  400  soldiers. 

On  Monday,  July  12,  1943,  moving  of  the  Jesuit  faculty's  personal 
effects  was  begun.  All  that  week  and  through  part  of  the  next,  a  number  of 
large  moving  vans  were  engaged  in  distributing  the  contents  of  St.  Mary's 
Hall  among  the  outlying  houses.  As  soon  as  the  rooms  were  cleared,  the 
soldiers'  two-tier  bunks,  plain  tables,  chairs,  and  study  lamps  were  brought 
in,  and  mess  hall  equipment  was  installed.  The  majority  of  the  individual 
living  rooms  were  arranged  to  accommodate  four  soldiers,  with  an  occa- 
sional larger  room  providing  space  for  six.  The  faculty  dining  room  and 
the  faculty  recreation  room  were  converted  into  mess  halls  in  which  the 
meals  were  prepared  and  served  by  Howard  Johnson,  Incorporated,  a 


196        History  of  Boston  College 

restaurateur  approved  by  the  Army.  Since  only  about  200  men  could  be 
accommodated  in  the  mess  halls  at  one  time,  meals  were  served  at  successive 
intervals. 


Marching  to  Class 

The  soldiers  began  arriving  on  July  25,  and  the  influx  continued  for  several 
days.  Among  them  were  natives  of  37  states;  they  represented  Army  posts 
in  every  part  of  the  country  and  were  drawn  from  every  branch  of  the 
service.  The  two  qualifications  which  these  young  men  had  in  common 
were  intelligence  above  the  average  and  a  record  which  indicated  that  they 
could  profit  from  academic  instruction. 

On  July  27  the  first  general  assembly  of  "Army  Specialized  Training  Unit 
Number  1189"  was  called  by  Major  Canavan.  The  soldiers  were  welcomed 
by  the  College  authorities  and  their  new  duties  explained  to  them.  The  first 
activity  confronting  them  was  an  interview  by  members  of  the  College's 
four  civilian  boards,  which  would  classify  them  for  homogeneous  grouping 


Drill  on  Alumni  Field. 


Soldiers  with  Schoolbooks        197 

and  assign  them  to  the  proper  term  of  work.  This  processing  of  the  men 
was  carried  on  until  the  opening  of  classes  on  August  9.  In  the  meantime, 
refresher  courses  in  the  subjects  to  be  studied  by  the  soldiers  were  opened 
as  a  voluntary  service  of  the  Boston  College  faculty  to  enable  men  who  had 
been  away  from  books  and  classrooms  for  some  time  to  take  up  their 
classwork  without  a  feeling  of  disadvantage. 

Although  the  original  quota  designated  for  Boston  College  was  425 
soldiers,  432  were  present  for  the  opening  of  classes.  Of  these,  132  were  in 
the  language  and  foreign  area  group,  which  studied  conversational  lan- 
guage, geography,  and  customs  of  certain  countries,  and  300  were  in  basic 
engineering,  which  stressed  the  study  of  mathematics. 

The  first  12-week  term  for  the  Army  Speciahzed  Training  Unit  was 
finished  on  October  30,  and  the  soldiers  were  granted  a  one-week  furlough 
before  commencing  the  work  of  the  next  semester.  During  November  the 
unit  was  visited  by  Colonel  Morton  Smith,  military  director  of  the  program 
for  the  First  Corps  Area,  General  Perry  Miles,  commander  of  the  First 
Corps  Area,  and  Dr.  Henry  W.  Holmes,  civilian  educational  coordinator 
of  the  program. 

Termination  of  the  Army  Program 

On  February  7,  1944,  22  men  were  called  from  the  language  and  foreign 
area  group  to  active  duty,  presumably  in  Italy.  This  left  only  97  men  in 
that  section  and  206  in  basic  engineering.  Suddenly  in  March  the  A.S.T.P. 
programs  around  the  country  were  informed  that  the  operation  would  be 
terminated  by  April  1.  The  decision  was  not  understood  at  the  time  even 
by  the  military  officers  in  charge  of  the  program.  Later,  of  course,  it  was 
clear  that  the  decision  was  related  to  the  D-Day  invasion  in  June. 

The  contract  between  the  Army  and  Boston  College  ran  until  June  30, 
1944,  and  the  rental  for  facilities  was  paid  accordingly.  One  result  of  this 
arrangement  was  that  St.  Mary's  Hall  remained  vacant  until  summer  before 
being  repainted  and  reoccupied  by  the  Jesuit  Community. 

Meanwhile,  the  civihan  students  continued  to  feel  the  effects  of  the  war 
in  many  ways.  In  June  1943  the  sophomore  and  junior  members  of  the 
Naval  and  Marine  Reserves  were  notified  that  they  would  be  called  to  active 
duty  on  July  1,  and  freshman  members  were  told  that  they  would  be 
summoned  at  the  end  of  the  semester.  Army  reservists  who  had  not  been 
previously  called  (premedical,  engineering,  and  science  majors)  were  also 
to  report  for  duty  on  July  1,  making  a  grand  total  of  some  381  Boston 
College  men  affected. 

An  emergency  summer  schedule  was  drawn  up  to  provide  seniors  with 
45  hours  of  each  philosophy  course  and  30  hours  of  religion  in  the  period 
from  June  28  to  July  31,  to  make  sure  that  they  would  have  had  the  main 
portion  of  their  senior  matter  even  if  they  were  called  out  before  graduation 
in  November.  In  September  the  wisdom  of  this  plan  was  demonstrated 


198        History  of  Boston  College 

when  14  senior  marine  reservists  and  40  V-7  naval  reservists  were  activated, 
in  addition  to  15  sophomore  army  reservists. 

On  November  28  commencement  exercises  were  held  at  which  73 
graduated,  of  whom  19  V-7  seniors  were  ordered  to  report  immediately 
after  graduation.  The  problems  confronting  the  College  administration 
with  regard  to  the  civihan  student  body  can  be  exemplified  by  an  exami- 
nation of  the  records  for  the  period  following  the  civilian  registration  of 
February  8,  1944.  On  that  day,  the  Arts  and  Science  course  had  an 
enrollment  of  306;  less  than  three  weeks  later,  the  figure  had  dropped  to 
266;  and  on  April  27,  it  was  down  to  236 — a  loss  of  70  students  in  a  httle 
over  two  months. 

The  War  Fund  and  Adjustments 

In  the  operation  of  a  college  there  is  a  threshold,  or  minimum  level,  below 
which  expenses  cannot  be  lowered  and  still  have  the  institution  function. 
When  it  became  evident  at  Boston  College  that  tuition  fees  from  a  greatly 
reduced  student  body  could  no  longer  meet  that  minimum  level,  the  trustees 
decided  early  in  January  1944  to  inaugurate  a  Boston  College  War  Fund 
Drive  among  the  alumni,  friends  of  the  College,  and  businessmen  of  New 
England  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  the  College  to  continue,  without 
abandoning  any  of  its  services,  through  the  straitened  period  of  the  war.  A 
number  of  prominent  business  and  professional  men  volunteered  to  act  as 
a  committee  under  Jeremiah  Mahoney  as  chairman  to  secure  a  fund  of 
$250,000.  Cardinal  O'Connell  began  the  drive  on  January  25  with  a 
donation  of  $5,000,  and  the  appeal  progressed  so  well  that  the  committee 
was  able  to  announce  on  September  18  that  the  goal  had  been  achieved. 
Although  the  drive  had  been  formally  terminated,  contributions  continued 
to  be  received  during  the  next  two  months,  until  the  amount  reached 
$277,000. 

On  April  22,  1944,  Boston  College's  distinguished  alumnus,  William 
Cardinal  O'Connell,  died  in  his  85th  year,  and  the  College  shared  in  the 
grief  and  sense  of  loss  experienced  by  the  entire  community.  After  the 
cardinal's  death,  another  son  of  Boston  College,  the  Most  Reverend  Rich- 
ard J.  Cushing,  D.D.,  Coadjutor  Bishop  of  Boston,  was  elected  administra- 
tor of  the  archdiocese.  The  universal  satisfaction  felt  at  this  announcement 
was  increased  when,  on  September  28,  1944,  he  was  named  as  the  next 
archbishop  of  Boston. 

Although  the  new  archbishop  did  not  graduate  from  Boston  College,  he 
entered  the  College  from  Boston  College  High  School  in  September  1913 
as  a  member  of  the  first  freshman  group  to  attend  class  at  the  Heights,  and 
he  remained  until  the  end  of  his  sophomore  year,  when  he  entered  St. 
John's  Ecclesiastical  Seminary  in  Brighton,  Massachusetts,  to  commence 
his  studies  for  the  priesthood. 

The  opening  of  the  fall  term  on  August  21,  1944,  coincided  with  the 


Soldiers  with  Schoolbooks        199 


During  the  war.  Father  John  Louis 
Bonn's  theatrical  summer  sessions  li- 
vened the  campus. 


d.d..  ciL. 


^ckoei   oi 


return  of  the  faculty  to  St.  Mary's  Hall.  The  elder  members  of  the  Jesuit 
Community  had  found  the  long  walks  several  times  a  day  between  their 
temporary  residence  and  the  College  buildings  a  trying  experience,  and 
they  were  grateful  when  circumstances  permitted  them  to  resume  living 
once  more  in  St.  Mary's  Hall  where  dining  and  chapel  facilities  were 
centrahzed  and  where  classrooms  were  within  a  few  steps. 

On  September  8  an  unprecedented  innovation  took  place  on  the  Heights 
when  168  Boston  College  High  School  seniors  took  up  temporary  quarters 
in  one  section  of  the  Tower  Building.  This  transfer  was  caused  by  a  high 
school  enrollment  which  exceeded  the  accommodations  at  James  Street  and 
obliged  the  high  school  authorities  to  make  some  immediate  arrangement 
elsewhere.  Since  the  military  call  for  men  of  college  age  had  left  many  of 
the  classrooms  at  the  Heights  unused,  Father  Murphy  proffered  the  high 
school  the  loan  of  needed  classroom  space  for  the  scholastic  year  1944- 
1945.  The  high  school  students  were  under  the  direction  of  their  own 
prefect  of  studies,  Father  Joseph  E.  McGrady,  S.J.,  and  were  taught  by  two 
experienced  high  school  teachers,  aided  by  several  of  the  College  instructors 
whose  schedules  permitted  the  additional  work.  One  side  of  the  Tower 
Building,  on  the  second  and  third  floors,  was  assigned  to  the  high  school 
classes,  and  their  time  schedule  was  so  arranged  that  there  was  no  conflict 
with  the  College  students  in  the  use  of  recreational  or  lunchroom  facilities. 
The  occupancy  terminated  in  June  1945. 


200        History  of  Boston  College 

Distinctions  and  Changes 

In  the  summer  of  1945  Father  Edward  J.  Keating,  S.J.,  dean  of  Boston 
College  Intown,  announced  that  a  course  leading  to  the  degree  of  bachelor 
of  science  in  business  administration  with  a  major  in  marketing  would  be 
offered  at  the  Intown  Division  beginning  in  September  of  that  year.  This 
course  was  distinct  from  a  similar  series  of  courses  offered  at  the  College 
of  Business  Administration  on  the  Heights,  and  it  required  six  years  of 
evening  attendance  to  complete. 

Another  innovation  scheduled  by  the  College  at  that  time  was  an  Institute 
of  Adult  Education  at  the  Intown  Center,  to  be  opened  in  September  1945 
under  the  direction  of  Father  James  L.  Burke,  S.J.  Three  sessions  a  year 
were  formed  during  the  fall,  winter,  and  spring  seasons,  each  offering  a 
choice  of  six  or  more  lecture-discussion  courses  in  the  fields  of  religion, 
philosophy,  hterature,  and  public  affairs.  No  academic  requirements  were 
established  for  these  programs,  nor  was  academic  credit  given. 


The  official  announcement  of  the  new  undertakings  constituted  the  final 
major  act  in  Father  Murphy's  term  as  president.  On  August  19,  only  five 
days  after  the  abrupt  end  of  the  war  with  Japan,  Father  Murphy's  six-year 
tenure  of  office  was  automatically  terminated  according  to  Jesuit  custom, 
and  the  problem  of  finding  answers  to  the  many  questions  connected  with 
the  College's  postwar  readjustment  devolved  on  his  successor,  the  Reverend 
William  Lane  Keleher,  S.J.,  twentieth  president  of  Boston  College. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  The  Heights  (January  21,  1938;  March  11,  1938). 

2.  The  Heights  (October  20,  1939;  September  27,  1940;  October  10,  1941);  The 
Boston  Globe  (September  22,  1939);  The  Boston  Herald  (September  23,  1939). 

3.  This  account  of  the  Defense  Training  Program  is  based  upon  records  preserved  in 
the  Boston  College  Engineering,  Science,  and  Management  War  Training  Courses 
Office,  Chemistry  Department. 


iT'fe^^ 


Pi'   l)f  > 


■I     I       i^*^ 


ItainhJ^^DB 

t     -c^^^Hi 

■^^^^        .. — ^ 

Hb-_;__, 

■■Hmiii     IBllJUJ^UliLlJI 

jBjXIJiJ-LlUJ"'   IH 

iLJ       g^BKsCtfMuia 

tan  J  i  IB 

.iiJjUflJ.- 


Aerial  photograph  of  the  central  campus,  including  O'Neill  Library,  taken  at  dawn. 
(Photograph  by  Dan  Dry) 

Bapst  Library  at  night.  The  illumination  at  the  top  of  Ford  Tower  is  from  Alumni 
Stadium,  lit  for  evening  sports.  (Photograph  by  Lee  Pellegrini) 


\\       1  Ai 


m  m  III  till  iiif  i?H  m 

ki^   Vill  ,vllt   llil   \^   k;;i  Bill 

li^k  'I  IS  '  m  BZio  sSiS  \iv\  i^m 


III 

III    Si 

The  Newton  campus,  with  Trinity  Chapel  in  the  foreground.  The  main  Law 
School  building,  Stuart  Hall,  is  opposite  the  chapel,  with  Kenny-Cottle  Li- 
brary to  the  right  and  Barat  House  in  the  center.  {Photograph  by  Dan  Dry] 


Tadolini's  1868  sculpture  of  St.  Michael's  triumph  over  Lucifer  dominates  a 
group  of  religious  representations  in  Gasson  Hall's  gracious  rotunda.  (Photo- 
graph by  Pam  Perry,  courtesy  of  the  Boston  Globej 


A  springtime  view  from  inside 
the  doorway  of  Bapst  Library. 
(Photograph  by  Lee  Pellegrini) 


Rainbow's  end:  distribution  of 
diplomas  on  Bapst  Library 
lawn.  (Photograph  by  Dan 
Dry) 


»^*^.  ■  S^'^f'^'^f^^^^  ■^ 


-f^, 


mirtimm>im^ 


When  Bapst  Library  was  renovated,  a  graceful  enclosure  for  an  elevator  and  air 
conditioning  apparatus  luas  placed  inconspicuously  behind  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
new  Burns  Library.  (Photograph  by  Lee  Pellegrini) 


The  campus  green  looking  toward  Lyons  and  Fulton  halls.  (Photograph  by  Dan  Dry.) 


A  glimpse  of  fall.  (Photograph  by  Dan  Dry.) 


An  eagle's  eye  view  of 
the  B.C.  eagle.  {Photo- 
graph by  Dan  Dry.) 


The  central  window  of  the  assembly  room  in  Gasson  Hall  depicts  St.  Patrick 
preaching  to  King  Laoghaire  at  Tara.  (Photograph  by  Dan  Dry.) 


CHAPTER 


22 


Postwar  Adjustments 


Father  Keleher  assumed  the  presidency  at  a  critical  moment  in  national  and 
collegiate  history.  World  War  II  had  come  to  an  end  in  Europe  with  the 
surrender  of  Germany  in  May  1945;  in  the  Far  East,  Japan  capitulated 
three  months  later  in  August.  Four  years  of  global  war,  which  had  involved 
mobilization  of  the  manpower  and  vast  industrial  resources  of  the  United 
States,  had  interrupted  the  normal  collegiate  programs  of  thousands  of 
American  students.  With  the  cessation  of  hostilities  on  all  fronts,  it  was 
now  necessary  to  restore  the  orderly  rhythm  of  the  campus. 

It  soon  became  apparent,  however,  that  the  typical  American  college, 
whether  independent  or  public,  would  never  be  quite  the  same  as  it  had 
been  before  the  war.  The  returning  veterans,  financially  assisted  by  the 
Federal  Government  under  the  G.I.  Bill,  brought  with  them  a  maturity  and 
earnestness,  sometimes  lacking  in  younger  students,  that  would  change  the 
character  and  curriculum  of  the  campus.'  President  Truman,  in  his  letter  to 
members  of  the  President's  Commission  on  Higher  Education,  summed  it 
up:  "As  veterans  return  to  college  by  the  hundreds  of  thousands,  the 
institutions  of  higher  education  face  a  period  of  trial  which  is  taxing  their 
resources  and  resourcefulness  to  the  utmost."^ 

On  the  very  day  Father  Keleher  was  elected  president,  the  trustees  voted 
to  amend  a  regulation  which  had  previously  applied  to  those  entering  the 
armed  forces.  The  administration  now  required  that  returning  veterans 

201 


REV.  WILLIAM  LANE  KELEHER,  S.J. 
Twentieth  President 


Father  Keleher  was  born  January  27,  1906, 
in  Woburn,  Massachusetts.  After  attending 
Boston  College  High  School,  he  graduated 
from  the  College  of  the  Holy  Cross  and 
entered  the  Society  of  Jesus  in  1926.  He  was 
ordained  a  priest  in  June  1937.  Before  his 
appointment  as  president  he  served  as  as- 
sistant to  the  Jesuit  Provincial  and  as  direc- 
tor of  Jesuit  novices. 


who  planned  to  graduate  must  complete  "one  semester  of  senior  philoso- 
phy and  religion  in  residence  at  Boston  College  or  its  equivalent."^  "Or  its 
equivalent"  was  one  of  several  concessions.  Two  months  earlier,  on  May 
23,  1945,  it  had  been  agreed  that  the  regulations  for  the  granting  of  degrees 
which  had  applied  to  students  entering  the  armed  forces  could  now  be 
applied  to  veterans  of  the  armed  forces.  The  ruling  was  that,  at  the  time  he 
applied  for  the  degree,  the  inductee  must  have  acquired  127  credits  if  a 
Catholic,  or  120  if  not;  also,  the  student  must  show  that  he  had  completed 
one  semester  of  senior  philosophy  and  one  of  religion  in  residence  at 
Boston  College. ■'  War  or  no  war,  philosophy  was  the  capstone  of  a  Jesuit 
education. 

The  same  problem  affected  all  Jesuit  colleges.  The  Jesuit  delegates  to  the 
1944  meeting  of  the  Association  of  American  Colleges  discussed  the 
question  of  granting  credit  to  former  students  for  work  done  at  other 
institutions.  The  group  agreed  "that  it  is  acceptable  policy  during  the 
emergency  to  grant  a  degree  to  a  former  student  who,  for  military  reasons, 
is  in  another  college  and  hence  cannot  complete  his  work  in  the  Jesuit 
institution  whence  he  came,  provided  the  student  has  completed  the  re- 
quirements considered  essential  to  a  degree  from  a  Jesuit  institution."^  In 
responding  to  a  brief  questionnaire  from  the  National  Secretary  of  the 
Jesuit  Educational  Association,  Stephen  Mulcahy,  dean  of  the  College  of 
Arts  and  Sciences  at  Boston  College,  reported  that  he  had  many  requests  to 
grant  degrees  to  former  students  now  in  other  institutions.  He  insisted  that 
such  students  must  complete  a  semester  of  senior  year  at  Boston  College 
and  fulfill  the  other  requirements  already  mentioned.*^ 


Postwar  Adjustments        203 


Return  of  the  Veterans 


Under  these  conditions,  veterans  began  to  return  to  the  campus — both 
former  students  of  Boston  College  and  those  from  other  institutions.  In  a 
cordial  message  to  veterans  in  1945,  Father  William  Murphy  had  written, 
"Boston  College  sends  you  this  word  of  welcome  and  explanation  in 
anticipation  of  the  day  you  .  .  .  will  return  to  your  family  and  friends." 
Referring  to  their  wartime  experiences  in  foreign  lands,  he  added,  "This  is 
a  novel  type  of  college  preparation  and  demands  a  new  set  of  entrance 
procedures."^  In  a  preamble  to  the  course  curricula,  the  new  catalog 
acknowledged  that,  in  the  circumstances,  more  emphasis  must  be  placed 
on  the  study  of  mathematics  and  the  natural  sciences;  more,  not  less, 
emphasis  must  be  placed  on  social  sciences,  "for  students  must  be  made 
aware  of  their  social  responsibilities  as  citizens  of  America  and  of  the 
world."*  Through  the  exigencies  of  war,  the  natives  of  Dorchester  and 
Jamaica  Plain  were  now  familiar  with  the  cultures  of  Europe,  India,  and 
the  Far  East. 

As  the  eager  veterans  began  to  take  advantage  of  the  G.I.  Bill,  the 
enrollment  picture  changed  immediately  and  dramatically.  To  appreciate 
the  contrast,  it  should  be  remembered  that  in  April  1944  there  were  236 
students  registered  in  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  One  hundred 
freshmen  registered  in  June  1944:  88  in  Arts  and  Sciences  and  12  in 
Business  Administration.  When  the  academic  year  began  in  September 
1945  under  Father  Keleher's  presidency,  there  was  a  total  undergraduate 
enrollment  of  453  students:  358  in  Arts  and  Sciences  and  95  in  Business 
Administration.' 

The  real  acceleration  began  in  March  1946  when,  restricting  considera- 
tion to  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  there  was  a  total  of  1067  students. 
Of  these,  546  were  veterans,  395  were  civilians  (as  they  were  called),  and 
126  were  in  the  category  of  pre-matriculation.  In  the  fall  of  1946  The 
Heights  had  a  banner  headline:  "Enrollment  Breaks  Record."  There  were 
2811  students  in  Arts  and  Sciences  and  Business  Administration,  including 
894  new  veterans.  The  combined  enrollment  of  Arts  and  Sciences  and 
Business  Administration  in  September  1947  was  4572.  That  year,  for  the 
first  time  in  the  postwar  period,  ex-servicemen  comprised  a  minority  (only 
40  percent  of  the  freshmen  class).  Two  years  later,  in  the  academic  year 
1949-1950,  in  all  schools  of  the  University — undergraduate,  graduate,  and 
professional — there  were  5766  full-time  students  and  1760  part-time  stu- 
dents, making  a  grand  total  of  7526.'°  Although  the  College  of  Arts  and 
Sciences  was  probably  the  largest  among  the  Jesuit  colleges  in  the  United 
States,  overall  enrollment  at  Boston  College  trailed  that  at  Fordham,  Saint 
Louis,  Marquette,  and  Detroit." 

The  faculty  had  also  been  affected  by  the  war  effort.  Seventeen  Jesuits 
had  left  the  classroom  to  serve  as  chaplains  in  the  various  branches  of  the 
armed  services.  At  least  20  lay  members  of  the  undergraduate  faculty,  most 


204        History  of  Boston  College 

of  the  Law  School  faculty,  and  others  had  either  volunteered  or  been 
inducted  into  the  armed  forces.  With  the  end  of  the  war  and  the  numerical 
expansion  of  the  student  body,  the  administration  began  the  recruitment  of 
new  faculty  and  welcomed  back  those  who  had  served  their  country. 

The  Need  for  Housing 

For  the  administration,  the  enrollment  figure  was  good  news.  Among  other 
reasons,  income  available  from  tuitions  enabled  the  trustees  to  allocate 
funds  with  more  freedom  and  to  secure  loans  for  necessary  projects.  ^^  To 
provide  proper  facilities  for  these  new  students,  however,  was  a  problem. 
As  The  Heights  reported,  "With  the  walls  literally  bulging  at  Boston 
College,  it  took  bewildered  freshmen  and  even  the  more  collected  upper 
classmen  the  full  interclass  break  to  worm  their  way  to  the  next  assign- 
ments."" There  was,  in  brief,  an  acute  shortage  of  space.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  O'Connell  Hall  (acquired  in  1941)  and  the  museum  on  Hammond 
Street  (acquired  in  1936),  there  had  been  no  addition  to  the  Chestnut  Hill 


Students  and  other  volunteers  went  from 
house  to  house  selling  "bricks"  for  the  first 
postwar  building,  Fulton  Hall. 


(Sl;is  IB  to  Crrttfji 

That 


(Official  MkitonUilgHieiil 
willplUiwI 


HAS   PURCHASED 
Bricks 

FOR   THE   NEW 

SCHOOL  OF  BUSINESS  ADMINISTRATION 

AT 

BOSTON  COLLEGE 


Postwar  Adjustments        205 

campus  since  the  dedication  of  the  library  in  1928.  While  O'Connell  Hall 
had  been  renovated  for  academic  purposes,  there  were,  strictly  speaking, 
only  two  classroom  buildings:  the  Tower  Building  (Gasson  Hall)  and  Devlin 
Hall,  which  housed  the  science  laboratories.  Since  these  were  now  patently 
inadequate  for  the  3000  undergraduates  who  frequented  the  Heights  every 
day,  the  administration  searched  for  immediate  relief. 

Off-campus  facilities  were  less  critical  but  also  needed  attention.  In  May 
1946  the  trustees  approved  a  new  contract  for  the  lease  of  the  building  at 
126  Newbury  Street  for  the  use  of  the  Intown  College  and  the  School  of 
Social  Work.'''  The  Law  School,  which  had  a  history  of  peregrinations,  was 
now  housed  in  quarters  that  were  notably  inadequate.  From  its  original  site 
in  the  Lawyers  Building  at  11  Beacon  Street,  the  school  had  moved  in  1937 
to  a  new  home  in  the  New  England  Power  Building  at  441  Stuart  Street. 
With  a  dramatic  drop  in  World  War  II  enrollment,  it  became  financially 
impossible,  even  with  the  help  from  the  College,  to  provide  rent  for  these 
relatively  commodious  quarters. 

After  an  intense  search,  space  was  finally  acquired  in  the  Kimball 
Building  at  18  Tremont  Street  in  the  heart  of  ScoUay  Square.  Besides  the 
well-known  attractions  of  that  area,  it  was  also  handy  to  the  courts.  In  the 
interest  of  economy,  students  assisted  in  moving  the  library.  The  enrollment 
continued  to  dwindle  and  in  June  1945  there  were  only  six  graduates.  In 
an  interview  some  years  later.  Professor  WiUiam  J.  O'Keefe  ("Mr.  Chips" 
of  the  Law  School,  who  taught  there  for  30  years)  said,  "We  never  knew 
from  one  day  to  the  next  how  long  we  were  going  to  keep  going,  but 
somehow  we  managed  to  keep  the  school  alive."'^  And  again,  when  it 
seemed  impossible  to  find  suitable  space,  he  said,  "If  necessary,  we'll  meet 
in  my  living  room,  but  meet  we  will!" 

The  G.I.  Bill  came  to  the  rescue.  By  the  fall  of  1945,  five  months  after 
the  war  ended  in  Europe,  250  students  were  enrolled  and  the  increase 
continued  every  semester  thereafter.  Father  William  J.  Kenealy,  who  had 
just  returned  from  his  tour  as  chaplain  in  the  United  States  Navy,  was 
appointed  dean.  With  accelerated  programs  for  veterans,  the  Law  School 
began  to  overflow  its  cramped  quarters.  There  would  be  yet  two  more 
moves  to  take  the  Law  School  to  its  present  campus  on  Centre  Street  in 
Newton. 

It  was  at  the  Heights,  however,  that  the  pressure  for  space  was  becoming 
explosive.  Fortunately,  the  presence  of  veterans  who,  in  the  early  years  after 
the  war,  accounted  for  more  than  half  of  the  undergraduates,  opened  the 
door  to  the  acquisition  of  surplus  government  property  under  legislation 
passed  by  the  Truman  Administration.  Congress  had  appropriated  funds 
whereby  the  Federal  Public  Housing  Authority  (FPHA)  had  been  assigned 
responsibility  for  assisting  educational  institutions  to  acquire  surplus  fed- 
eral structures  to  be  used  to  house  distressed  veterans  and  servicemen  and 
their  families.  This  appropriation  also  authorized  the  reimbursement  of 
funds  already  expended  by  educational  institutions  who  had  acted  before 


206        History  of  Boston  College 

the  appropriation  had  been  passed.  The  College  took  immediate  advantage 
of  this  federal  generosity.  In  July  1946,  after  the  application  had  been 
processed,  the  Boston  Office  of  the  FPHA  authorized  the  relocation  from 
Fort  Devens  Air  Base  in  Ayer,  Massachusetts,  to  Boston  College  of  three 
two-story  army  barracks.'*  Comprising  137  dormitory  units,  these  wooden 
structures  were  re-erected  on  what  was  known  as  Freshman  Field,  the  area 
fronting  on  Beacon  Street  and  now  occupied  by  Campion  Hall.  At  the  same 
time,  the  Housing  Authority  authorized  alterations  in  the  basement  of  the 
Tower  Building  to  provide  dining  facilities  for  the  veterans  who  occupied 
the  dormitories. 

These  resident  halls — although  scarcely  meriting  such  an  elegant  desig- 
nation— were  by  law  reserved  to  the  veterans.  Later  on,  however,  permis- 
sion was  granted  by  the  government  to  Jesuit  scholastics  who  attended 
summer  school  to  occupy  the  Mead-Lantham  dormitories,  as  they  were 
officially  known. '^  Still  later,  permission  was  extended  to  nonveterans  if 
space  remained  after  veterans  had  been  accommodated. 

Expansion  of  Classroom  Space 

While  easing  the  veterans'  housing  shortage  was  important,  it  only  exacer- 
bated the  need  for  classroom  space,  which  now  became  the  number  one 
priority.  In  this  crisis,  turning  again  to  the  government,  the  Board  of 
Trustees  voted  to  submit  an  application,  under  existing  legislation,  request- 
ing educational  facilities  "to  alleviate  an  acute  shortage  of  such  facilities  at 
Boston  College."'*  The  plan  called  for  classroom  space  for  1000  students, 
500  in  Arts  and  Sciences  and  500  in  Business  Administration.  From  the 
beginning  of  Father  Keleher's  tenure  there  had  been  talk  of  a  permanent 
building,  but  that  type  of  structure  would  be  months  in  construction  and 
therefore  would  not  solve  the  immediate  problem. 

In  the  spring  of  1947  Father  Keleher  authorized  the  Bennett-Stewart 
Company  to  proceed  with  the  dismantling,  transportation,  and  re-erection 
of  Building  No.  26,  then  standing  at  the  South  Boston  Navy  Yard  exten- 
sion." This  building,  with  extensive  alterations  and  additional  safety 
features  made  at  the  College's  expense,  was  erected  along  Beacon  Street 
where  McGuinn  Hall  now  stands.  Furnished  as  a  temporary  wooden 
classroom  building  for  undergraduates,  veterans,  and  others,  its  use  was  so 
urgent  that  the  contract  called  for  it  to  be  in  place  by  September  1 947. 

The  third  building  obtained  from  government  surplus  and  designed  to 
meet  still  another  emergency  was  the  so-called  "Recreation  Building," 
which  served  as  an  auditorium  and  gymnasium.  Contractually  part  of  the 
classroom  project  and  acquired  under  Pubhc  Law  697,  this  acquisition 
consisted  of  "the  transfer  of  government  surplus  building  No.  A-14  from 
Gallups  Island,  Boston  Harbor,  to  the  campus  of  the  College  for  use  for 
recreation,  luncheonette,  and  laboratory."-"  This  multipurpose,  three-story 
structure,  completed  in  September  1947  where  Cushing  Hall  now  stands. 


Postwar  Adjustments       207 

was  used  as  an  auditorium  (where  several  commencements  took  place),  for 
ROTC  drills,  and  for  other  functions.  In  view  of  its  humble  origins,  the 
interior  was  rather  lavishly  outfitted  by  John  H.  Pray  and  Sons,  who  laid 
carpets,  rugs,  and  linoleum. 


As  the  administration  discovered,  the  federal  agencies  were  much  more 
accommodating  than  the  City  of  Newton.  The  Garden  City,  so  it  seemed  to 
authorities  at  the  Heights,  went  beyond  the  call  of  duty  in  its  insistence 
upon  conformity  in  these  temporary  buildings  with  all  the  regulations  of 
the  city  which  applied  to  any  structure.  Since  wooden  buildings  were  under 
discussion,  however,  the  city  was  undoubtedly  correct  in  imposing  strict 
standards  regarding  the  boiler  room,  electric  systems,  and  exits. ^^  In  any 
case,  conformance  was  an  added  expense  for  the  College,  which  had  no 
choice  but  to  cooperate. 


With  the  army  dormitories,  classrooms,  and  recreation  center  in  place, 
the  College  managed  to  survive  the  accelerated  increase  in  campus  enroll- 
ments. Father  Keleher  was  understandably  delighted  with  this  somewhat 
unexpected  solution  to  his  space  problems.  While  it  was  meant  to  be  only 
a  temporary  and  partial  solution,  he  showed  himself  to  be  a  realist  when  he 
remarked  to  the  contractors  who  had  set  up  the  war  surplus  buildings,  "I 
have  a  feeling  that  Boston  College  will  have  them  on  the  property  for  a 
long,  long  while. "'^  It  would  be  nearly  20  years  before  the  last  of  these 
most  valued  "temporary"  buildings  was  dismantled. 


Accommodation  with  the  City 

In  July  1947  President  Truman  signed  Public  Law  239,  which  terminated 
certain  acts  of  the  Congress  connected  with  postwar  emergencies.  As  a 
result,  educational  institutions  were  instructed  to  review  their  contracts  for 
veterans'  temporary  housing  with  a  view  to  the  removal  of  those  accom- 
modations. Two  years  were  allowed  to  comply  with  this  legislation.  How- 
ever, there  was  a  proviso  by  which  the  use  of  units  that,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  institution,  were  still  necessary  could  be  extended  for  successive  peri- 
ods.-^ The  following  year,  the  president  signed  the  McGregor  Bill,  which 
"provided  for  the  release  of  government  property  to  institutions."^"  Boston 
College,  of  course,  wished  to  take  immediate  possession  of  the  temporary 
units. 

In  this  procedure,  however,  it  was  necessary  to  obtain  permission  and 
approval  from  the  City  of  Newton.  The  city,  as  already  hinted,  was  not  at 
all  anxious  to  see  these  examples  of  early  Army  architecture  converted  into 
permanent  structures  along  historic  Beacon  Street.  The  specific  reason 
given  by  the  aldermen  was  that  the  buildings  probably  did  not  conform 


208        History  of  Boston  College 


At  a  special  convocation  in  Octo- 
ber 1 947  in  Bapst  auditorium. 
Father  Keleher  conferred  an  hon- 
orary LL.D.  degree  on  Boston's 
auxiliary  bishop  (later  cardinal) 
John  J.  Wright  ('31). 


with  the  building  code  of  the  City  of  Newton.-^  Represented  by  the  Boston 
law  firm  of  Stone,  Bosson,  Mason  and  Gannon,  the  College  finally  won  its 
case.  In  order  to  accomplish  a  settlement  and  at  the  urging  of  Attorney 
Gannon,  President  Keleher  wrote  a  strong  letter  of  intent  to  the  Newton 
aldermen,  two  of  whom  were  clearly  skeptical  of  the  intentions  of  the 
College.  In  his  effort  to  placate  these  officials,  he  said  he  assumed  that  they 
"realized  that  the  College  is  not  at  all  anxious  to  have  these  temporary 
structures  on  the  property,"  and  that  "it  is  the  intention  of  the  College  to 
remove  these  buildings  as  soon  as  the  current  housing  difficulty  for  veterans 
can  be  taken  care  of."  "Moreover,"  he  continued,  "it  is  also  the  intention 
of  the  College  to  erect  as  soon  as  possible  a  permanent  dormitory  unit 
which  will  take  care  of  out-of-town  students  and  which  will  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  City  of  Newton  in  every  respect."^* 

Finally  the  precious  document  arrived  which  "relinquished  and  trans- 
ferred, without  monetary  consideration,  to  the  trustees  of  Boston  College 
all  contractual  rights  and  all  property  rights,  title,  and  interest  of  the  United 
States  in  and  with  respect  to  the  veterans'  temporary  housing  located  in 


Postwar  Adjustments        209 

Newton,  Massachusetts,  designated  as  Project  No.  MASSV-19137."-^  Nei- 
ther the  aldermen  nor  Father  Keleher  could  envision  at  the  time  the  number 
of  permanent  buildings  that  would  one  day  line  Beacon  Street  from  the  old 
Freshman  Field  to  the  corner  of  Beacon  and  Hammond  streets. 

Helping  the  Veterans'  Transition 

While  the  administration  was  making  every  effort  to  supply  physical 
facilities  for  veterans,  the  dean  and  teaching  staff  were  setting  up  a  program 
to  facihtate  the  resumption  of  studies  by  some  veterans  and  the  initiation 
of  a  collegiate  program  by  others.  The  1945-1946  catalog  included  a 
notice  to  veterans  at  Boston  College,  each  of  whom  was  promised  assis- 
tance "to  continue  his  education  and  complete  it  successfully  at  the  earliest 
possible  time  consonant  with  good  scholarship."  Every  consideration 
would  be  given  to  courses  taken  in  the  Army  and  Navy  Schools.  More 
importantly,  perhaps,  "a  special  educational  advisor  has  been  appointed  to 
care  for  the  individual  problems  of  each  veteran."  In  addition,  certain 
courses  were  specifically  fashioned  to  give  veterans  a  brief  review  of 
material  that  would  be  required  for  advanced  courses,  "and  every  effort 
will  be  made  to  prepare  them  for  entrance  at  the  next  opening  date."-" 
Because  of  accelerated  programs,  "opening  dates"  occurred  frequently 
during  those  years. 

Consequently,  veterans  returning  to  the  campus  found  a  professionally 
staffed  guidance  center  available  to  them.  The  two  Jesuits  who  operated  the 
clinic  were  particularly  well-qualified.  Father  James  F.  Moynihan,  S.J.,  was 
awarded  the  Ph.D.  in  Psychology  by  the  Catholic  University  of  America  in 
1942.  A  licensed  psychologist,  he  was  a  senior  consultant  (1944—1948)  at 
the  Veterans  Guidance  Center  at  Harvard  University,  a  director  of  the 
Rosary  Child  Guidance  Center  in  Boston,  and  consultant  to  state  and 
national  committees.  Father  Moynihan's  collaborator  at  the  center  was 
David  R.  Dunigan,  S.J.  Awarded  a  Ph.D.  in  Education  by  Fordham  Univer- 
sity in  1945,  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Boston  College  faculty  and  a 
counselor  at  the  U.S.  Veterans  Guidance  Center  at  Harvard.  The  guidance 
clinic  was  of  inestimable  value  to  the  returning  veterans  who,  after  several 
years  in  the  regimentation  of  the  service,  had  to  sharpen  tools  of  scholarship 
which  had  grown  rusty  amid  the  harsh  realities  of  global  war.  They  sought 
advice  in  matching  their  abilities  and  goals  with  the  degree  programs  and 
courses  offered  at  Boston  College.  Mature  in  approach,  anxious  to  succeed, 
and  industrious  in  application,  they  often  needed  direction  to  compete 
academically  with  the  bright  young  men  who  had  just  received  their  high 
school  diplomas. 

In  some  cases,  to  compound  the  problem,  there  was  also  the  question  of 
credits.  To  remedy  deficiencies  and  to  assist  in  orientation,  there  was  a 
separate  program  called  "Veterans'  Matriculation  (or  Pre-Matriculation) 
Course."  This  program  was  devised  and  designed  by  Father  Michael  G. 


210        History  of  Boston  College 

Pierce,  S.J.,  dean  of  freshmen  in  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  Father 
Pierce,  who  was  also  the  official  contact  with  the  government  for  the 
purchase  of  surplus  property,  had  been  very  active  in  keeping  in  touch  with 
the  students  who  were  drafted.  He  was  even  more  concerned  with  the 
returning  veterans.  It  would  be  difficult  to  exaggerate  his  contribution  to 
Boston  College  during  the  trying  years  of  the  war  and  in  the  immediate 
postwar  years  of  adjustment.  A  key  figure  in  assimilating  veterans  into  the 
College,  Father  Pierce's  Matriculation  Course  at  one  time  numbered  160 
students. 

A  Return  to  Normalcy 

As  the  months  went  by,  the  campus  gradually  returned  to  normal,  both  in 
curricular  and  extracurricular  activities.  The  Jesuits  and  their  lay  colleagues 
deserve  credit  for  preserving,  as  far  as  possible,  the  traditions  of  Boston 
College  during  the  war  and  effecting  a  smooth  transition  from  war  to 
peace.  Complementing  the  diplomacy  of  President  Keleher,  Father  Stephen 
Mulcahy,  S.J.,  who  presided  over  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  kept  the 
classical  tradition  alive  when  the  accent  was  on  physics,  engineering, 
cartography,  chemistry,  and  geography.  In  point  of  fact,  at  this  very  time, 
there  were  those  who,  in  1945,  questioned  the  validity  of  the  strict  classical 
curriculum.  Only  seven  years  earlier  in  June  1938,  the  Bachelor  of  Arts 
degree  at  Boston  College  was  conferred  for  the  first  time  without  the  Greek 
requirement.^'  Whether  the  discussion  reflected  the  exigencies  of  a  wartime 
curriculum  is  not  clear.  However,  at  meetings  held  in  November  1945  and 


"Government  surplus" 
buildings  were  placed 
where  Gushing  and 
Gampion  halls  now 
stand.  This  new  building 
was  used  for  assemblies, 
theatricals,  and  basket- 
ball, as  well  as  ROTG 
and  student  activities; 
the  others  were  dormito- 


Postwar  Adjustments        111 

February  1946,  the  department  heads  voted  13  to  2  (with  2  abstentions) 
that  Latin  should  not  be  required  for  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree.^°  After 
further  discussion,  it  was  resolved  that  "in  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  curriculum, 
a  substitute  for  Latin  in  the  original,  the  classics  in  translation,  be  offered, 
either  from  a  literary  or  social  sciences  standpoint."  Since  the  resolution 
was  never  submitted  to  the  entire  faculty,  it  was  not  accepted  by  Father 
Keleher.  But  it  was  an  indication  of  things  to  come. 

Faculty  Remuneration 

At  the  same  time,  the  administration  began  to  take  a  more  professional 
posture  in  addressing  the  needs  of  the  faculty.  This  development  was  due 
to  the  normal  progress  of  events  but  more  especially  to  the  increase  in  lay 
faculty  members.  In  the  first  place,  faculty  salaries  began  to  improve.  In 
1947  Boston  College's  first  salary  scale  was  approved  by  the  trustees  and 
appeared  in  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  of  April  22. 


1947  SALARY  SCALE 

Salaries 

Salary  Range 

Term 

Increment 

Instructor 

$2400  to  $3200 

5  years 

$160  per  year 

Assistant  Professor 

$3200  to  $3800 

4  years 

$150  per  year 

Associate  Professor 

$3800  to  $4500 

4  years 

$175  per  year 

Professor 

$4500  to  $6000 

On  recommendation 

N.B.  All  increments 

are  on  merit,  not  automatic. 

Student  tuition,  which  still  reflected  the  origin  and  mission  of  Boston 
College,  was  now  subject  to  an  annual  increase  to  balance  the  budget  of 
the  institution.^!  A  committee  on  rank  and  tenure  was  appointed  to 
stipulate  the  requirements  for  promotion.  Advancements  in  rank,  and 
increments  within  rank,  were  to  be  judged  solely  on  merit;  these  rewards 
were  never  to  be  granted  automatically.^^ 

Again,  in  1947,  as  further  proof  of  concern,  the  trustees  discussed  a 
retirement  plan  for  full-time  faculty,  who  were  eligible  to  participate  after 
the  completion  of  three  years.  The  plan  was  tied  to  the  Teachers  Insurance 
and  Annuity  Association  (TIAA).  In  this  plan,  which  is  still  in  operation  at 
Boston  College,  teachers  would  contribute  5  percent  of  their  regular 
monthly  compensation  and  Boston  College  would  add  an  equal  amount.^^ 
TIAA  was  the  plan  adopted  at  most  universities. 

Kudos  for  the  Faculty 

At  this  time  the  Graduate  School  of  Arts  and  Sciences  was  administered  by 
the  able  and  energetic  Father  George  O'Donnell,  S.J.  Fortified  with  a  Ph.D. 


212        History  of  Boston  College 

in  mathematics  from  St.  Louis  University,  he  adjusted  the  scientific  courses 
to  the  Army  SpeciaUzed  Training  Program  (ASTP),  taught  a  number  of 
those  courses  himself,  and  then  supervised  the  transition  to  a  normal 
schedule.  Father  James  L.  Burke,  S.J.,  with  a  Ph.D.  in  Government  from 
Harvard  University,  assisted  Father  O'Donnell  in  the  administration  of  the 
Graduate  School  and  also  gave  academic  leadership  to  the  important 
History  and  Government  Department.  He  inaugurated  and  directed  the 
popular  program  in  adult  education.  Father  John  P.  Foley,  S.J.,  fresh  from 
his  duties  as  a  navy  chaplain,  resumed  his  work  as  freshmen  dean,  while 
Father  Pierce  was  reassigned  as  executive  assistant  to  the  president.  Father 
Edward  J.  Keating,  S.J.,  was  dean  of  the  Intown  College;  Father  James  J. 
Kelly,  S.J.,  continued  as  dean  of  the  College  of  Business  Administration. 

An  unsung  hero  who  deserves  a  special  accolade  was  Father  John  A. 
Tobin,  S.J.  Although  to  some  extent  a  self-made  academician,  he  became 
an  excellent  physicist  and  chaired  the  Department  of  Physics  for  many 
years.  With  little  notice  and  a  minimum  of  immediate  preparation,  he  was 
the  key  figure  in  designing  the  scientific  program  for  the  ASTP.  A  major 
part  of  that  program  concentrated  on  courses  in  engineering  which,  in 
time,  developed  into  a  B.S.  in  Engineering.  Father  Tobin  had  read  the  signs 
of  the  times.  In  March  1945  he  urged  the  dean  to  consider  continuing  the 
B.S.  in  Engineering  which,  he  explained,  could  be  expanded  into  a  school 
like  the  College  of  Business  Administration.  In  fact,  he  had  been  informed 
by  George  Donaldson,  director  of  vocational  guidance,  that  "engineering 
is  still  first  choice  of  the  returning  veterans."  Including  Father  James  Devlin, 
S.J.,  and  Professor  John  Shork  among  the  immediate  stalwarts,  he  assured 
Father  Mulcahy  "of  our  enthusiastic  cooperation  in  any  plan  to  start  this 
course  with  a  dean  of  engineering  and  some  small  faculty.  The  need  is  so 
great  that  this  should  be  done  at  once."^'*  The  moment  was  not,  however, 
auspicious  for  the  proposal.  The  College  was  being  urged  to  start  a  school 
of  nursing,  and  the  College  of  Business  Administration  (the  first  profes- 
sional undergraduate  school  for  men)  was  still  in  its  infancy.  The  adminis- 
tration did  not  warm  to  the  idea  of  a  school  of  engineering  then,  nor  has  it 


Other  Mainstays 

There  were  other  sources  of  the  unity  and  continuity  so  necessary  in  the 
Hfe  of  a  college.  The  Heights,  which  continued  publication  during  the  war, 
reminded  alumni  overseas  of  their  collegiate  roots.  In  the  spring  of  1945, 
The  Stylus  carried  an  editorial,  "On  Post- War  Peace,"  which  took  a  dim 
view  of  the  peace  treaties  and  the  spirit  that  dictated  them.  The  verdict 
seems  unduly  harsh,  but  the  editor  felt  that  "until  the  United  States  is  the 
home  of  a  society  which  instinctively  upholds  Christian  principles,  she 
cannot  help  but  be  involved  in  international  injustice."^^  In  1946  The  Stylus 
noted  that  "the  veterans  have  returned  from  the  wars"  and  the  staff  was 


Postwar  Adjustments        213 


Terence  L.  Connolly,  S.J.,  director  of 
libraries,  1946-1959. 


grateful.  In  the  summer  issue,  one-third  of  the  articles  contained  "post- 
scripts to  war  written  by  these  men,  some  medal  wearers,  all  battle-scarred 
in  some  way  or  other."^*^  One  of  the  articles,  by  James  H.  Sullivan,  was  an 
account  of  Padre  Pio,  the  stigmatic  priest,  whom  many  of  the  Boston 
College  students  had  visited  when  stationed  near  Foggia. 

The  Dramatic  Arts  Course,  which  had  been  offered  during  summer 
sessions  for  two  seasons  before  the  war,  was  reorganized  and  enlarged  into 
the  School  of  Dramatic  and  Expressional  Arts  by  Father  John  L.  Bonn,  S.J., 
in  the  summer  of  1947.  This  new  school  provided  standard  dramatic 
training  with  stage  facilities  in  the  new  recreation  hall,  but  in  addition  it 
offered  related  concentrations  in  literature  and  criticism,  debate  and  panel 
discussion,  and  corporate  religious  expression. 

The  football,  basketball,  and  hockey  teams,  which  had  resumed  their 
intercollegiate  schedules,  could  now  depend  upon  the  band  to  lift  the  spirits 
of  the  students  as  they  cheered  on  their  local  heroes.  Under  the  direction  of 
Walter  Mayo  ('23),  who  supervised  music  in  the  Watertown  schools,  the 
orchestra  and  glee  club  provided  a  cultural  resource  on  campus  and  shared 
the  stage  with  local  colleges. 

Athletics,  which  had  played  an  important  role  in  the  history  of  Boston 
College,  returned  to  the  campus.  After  three  years  of  "informal"  football, 
with  nostalgia  for  the  glory  days  of  1941  and  1942,  the  Eagles  took  to  the 
field  against  the  Deacons  from  Wake  Forest  at  Braves  Field,  the  Eagles'  new 
home,  on  Friday  night,  September  27,  1946.  Boston  College,  which  de- 
pended on  a  few  1942  players  and  untested  freshmen,  lost  the  contest  12— 
6.  But  it  was  no  disgrace.  With  the  return  of  Coach  Denny  Meyers,  who 
had  spent  the  war  years  in  the  Navy,  the  highly  esteemed  director  of 


214        History  of  Boston  College 

athletics,  John  Curley,  had  put  together  in  1946  the  toughest  schedule  in 
Boston  College  history.^^  Although  losing  to  Wake  Forest,  the  Eagles  had 
beaten  Michigan  State,  Georgetown,  and  Alabama,  the  Rose  Bowl  cham- 
pions. Among  the  outstanding  players  coached  by  Denny  Meyers  from 
1946  to  1948  were  Edward  J.  King  (future  governor  of  Massachusetts),  Art 
Donovan,  Art  Spinney,  Ernie  Stautner,  John  Kissell,  Butch  Songin,  and 
Mario  GianeUi. 

The  Feeney  Case 

An  unhappy  episode  during  the  administration  of  Father  Keleher  was  the 
so-called  "Feeney  Case."  Father  Leonard  Feeney,  a  talented  Jesuit  poet  and 
engaging  personality  who  had  taught  at  Boston  College  in  the  1930s, 
headed  St.  Benedict  Center,  a  Catholic  organization  that  had  been  started 
by  the  priests  of  St.  Paul's  parish  in  Cambridge.  Father  Feeney  preached  a 
very  narrow  interpretation  of  the  axiom,  "Outside  the  Church,  there  is  no 
salvation" — an  interpretation  that  did  not  conform  to  traditional  Catholic 
teaching.  The  dynamic  priest  attracted  a  number  of  devoted  followers  and 
advocates  of  his  unique  view  of  salvation. 

The  Feeney  case  touched  Boston  College  because  several  faculty  members 
not  only  became  adherents  of  the  St.  Benedict  doctrine  but  promoted  it  in 
their  classes  when  they  were  supposed  to  be  teaching  nontheological 
subjects.  Fakri  Maluf  and  James  Walsh,  philosophy  teachers,  and  Charles 
Ewaskio,  a  physics  teacher,  were  warned  by  Dean  Mulcahy  to  restrict 
themselves  to  their  respective  subjects  and  avoid  excursions  into  theology. 
Since  they  would  not  desist  and  accused  the  College  of  heresy  for  not 
agreeing  with  them,  Father  Keleher  dismissed  them.  When  the  newspapers 
published  accounts  of  the  dismissals.  Father  Keleher  submitted  an  explana- 
tion that  said,  in  part,  "They  [the  former  faculty  members]  continued  to 
speak  in  class  and  out  of  class  on  matters  contrary  to  the  traditional 
teachings  of  the  Catholic  Church,  ideas  leading  to  bigotry  and  intolerance." 

This  episode  was  unhappy  not  only  for  Boston  College  but  for  the 
Society  of  Jesus  and  the  Boston  Church.  Father  Feeney  was  not  long  after 
dismissed  from  the  Society  and  excommunicated.  Many  years  later  in 
1972,  through  the  efforts  of  Cardinal  Medeiros,  archbishop  of  Boston,  the 
excommunication  was  lifted  and  Father  Feeney  was  received  back  into  the 
Church.38 


A  glance  at  the  record  shows  that  in  the  years  immediately  after  the 
war— a  watershed  in  the  life  of  every  U.  S.  educational  institution — Boston 
College  first  resumed  the  tenor  of  its  way,  then  began  a  steady  growth  in 
student  enrollment  and  a  planned  expansion  of  academic  and  residential 
facilities.  The  presence  of  veterans  in  fairly  large  numbers  provided  an 
atmosphere  of  maturity  wherein  it  was  easier  to  propose  and  to  justify 


Postwar  Adjustments        215 

innovations.  At  the  same  time,  there  was  a  renewed  effort  on  the  part  of  the 
entire  academic  community  to  preserve  Boston  College's  heritage  as  an 
outstanding  Jesuit  institution  on  a  plane  with  other  independent  institu- 
tions in  the  United  States. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  The  Omnibus  Bill  (G.I.  Bill),  providing  benefits  for  returning  service  personnel, 
was  signed  by  the  president  on  June  22,  1944.  It  was  known  as  Public  Law  No. 
346  (78th  Congress)  and  cited  as  "Servicemen's  Readjustment  Act  of  1944." 
Public  Law  16  was  also  available  for  the  vocational  rehabilitation  of  disabled 
veterans. 

2.  "Higher  Education  for  American  Democracy,"  Report  of  the  President's  Com- 
mission on  Higher  Education,  Vols.  I— VI  (New  York,  1946). 

3.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  August  20,  1945.  BCA. 

4.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  May  23,  1945.  BCA. 

5.  Edward  B.  Rooney,  S.J.,  to  Stephen  A.  Mulcahy,  S.J.,  July  26,  1944.  JEA 
Collection,  BCA. 

6.  Ibid.  See  also  Stephen  A.  Mulcahy,  S.J.,  to  Edward  B.  Rooney,  S.J.  BCA. 

7.  Boston  College  Bulletin,  1945. 

8.  Ibid. 

9.  For  these  statistics  and  those  that  follow,  see  file,  "Enrollment  and  Faculty 
Statistics."  BCA. 

10.  See  Enrollment,  Jesuit  Colleges  and  Universities,  1949—50,  JEA  Directory 
(1950-1951).  BCA. 

11.  Ibid. 

12.  For  tuition  rates  set  for  each  school,  see  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  April  16, 

1947.  Faculty  salaries  were  also  set  at  this  meeting. 

13.  The  Heights  (September  27,  1946). 

14.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  May  7,  1946. 

15.  Todd  F.  Simon,  Boston  College  Law  School  after  Fifty  Years:  An  Informal 
History  (privately  printed,  1980),  p.  21. 

16.  Sumner  K.  Wiley  to  C.  J.  Meaney  Company,  July  2,  1946.  Wiley  was  Director  of 
Region  I  for  FPHA.  BCA. 

17.  Sumner  K.  Wiley  to  Stephen  A.  Shea,  S.J.,  June  21,  1948.  So  named  for  the 
congressional  authors  of  the  legislation. 

18.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  August  26,  1946. 

19.  William  L.  Keleher,  S.J.,  to  Bennett-Stewart  Co.,  May  2,  1947.  BCA. 

20.  William  D.  Jones  to  William  L.  Keleher,  S.J.,  February  19,  1948.  BCA.  The  date 
of  this  letter  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  letter  summarized  the  comple- 
tion of  the  project.  Federal  expenses  for  the  classroom  building  and  recreation 
center  totalled  $131,564. 

21.  The  federal  government  was  careful  to  protect  itself  by  insisting  on  conformity  to 
local  regulations  and  statutes. 

22.  William  L.  Keleher,  S.J.,  to  Bennett-Stewart  Co.,  May  9,  1948.  BCA. 

23.  Sumner  K.  Wiley  (Director,  Housing  and  Home  Finance  Agency)  to  Boston 
College,  June  25,  1947.  BCA. 

24.  See  William  L.  Keleher,  S.J.,  to  Thomas  L.  Gannon,  July  6,  1948.  BCA. 

25.  Thomas  L.  Gannon  to  William  L.  Keleher,  S.J.,  September  14,  1948.  BCA. 

26.  William  L.  Keleher,  S.J.,  to  Board  of  Aldermen,  September  27,  1948.  BCA. 

27.  W.  P.  Seaver,  Director,  Region  II,  to  Wilham  L.  Keleher,  S.J.,  November  12, 

1948.  BCA. 


216        History  of  Boston  College 

28.  Boston  College  Catalogue,  1945-1946,  p.  5. 

29.  See  Charles  F.  Donovan,  S.J.,  "Boston  College's  Classical  Curriculum,"  Occa- 
sional Papers  on  the  History  of  Boston  College,  p.  10.  BCA. 

30.  See  "Summary  of  Reports  on  the  Faculty  Discussions  of  the  A.B.  Requirement." 
BCA. 

31.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  March  1,  1946;  April  16,  1947.  BCA.  In  1946  m  the 
Colleges  of  Arts  and  Sciences  and  Business  Administration,  tuition  was  $150  per 
semester;  in  1947  it  was  raised  to  $175  per  semester.  On  February  11,  1953,  the 
trustees  raised  the  yearly  tuition  to  $500  for  the  four  undergraduate  colleges. 

32.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  April  22,  1947.  BCA. 

33.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  January  10,  1947.  BCA.  In  the  1980s  the  faculty 
contribution  was  2  percent  and  the  University's  8  percent  or  10  percent,  depend- 
ing on  length  of  service. 

34.  John  A.  Tobin,  S.J.,  to  Stephen  A.  Mulcahy,  S.J.,  March  27,  1945. 

35.  The  Stylus  (Sprmg,  1945),  pp.  63-64. 

36.  See  inside  cover  "Keeping  in  Stylus,"  The  Stylus  (Summer,  1946). 

37.  Jack  Falla,  'Til  the  Echoes  Ring  Again  (Brattleboro,  Vt.:  Stephen  Greene  Press, 
1982),  p.  25. 

38.  This  brief  account  is  taken  from  a  five-page  summary  made  by  Father  Keleher  at 
the  request  of  the  Father  Provincial  of  the  New  England  Province.  BCA. 


CHAPTER 


23 


The  College  at 
Mid-Twentieth  Century 


What  sort  of  curriculum  were  Boston  College  students  following  in  the 
Keleher  years  after  World  War  II?  A  short  answer  is:  pretty  much  the  same 
curriculum,  at  least  for  the  A.B.  degree,  that  students  followed  during  the 
presidencies  of  Fulton  (1870-1880  and  1888-1891),  Gasson  (1907- 
1914),  and  Dolan  (1925-1932).  From  their  founding,  all  the  American 
Jesuit  colleges  had  been  faithful  to  the  classical-philosophical  education 
that  had  been  the  Jesuit  tradition  for  centuries.  And  while  there  were  some 
compromises  along  the  way,  such  as  the  dropping  of  Greek  for  the  A.B.  in 
1938  as  mentioned  earlier,  and  some  grumblings  about  the  Latin  require- 
ment, the  old  classical  curriculum  was  still  prescribed  for  the  prized  A.B. 
degree  in  the  years  immediately  after  the  war. 

That  curriculum  was,  by  today's  standards,  heavy  in  hours  of  classes  and 
courses  carried,  and  it  was  mostly  prescribed.  Twenty-four  credits,  or  18 
percent  of  the  curriculum,  were  devoted  to  electives.  The  emphasis  in 
freshman  and  sophomore  years  was  literary;  in  junior  and  senior  years, 
philosophical.  Clearly  the  most  honored  by  Boston  College,  it  was  called 
the  A.B.  Greek  curriculum.  The  somewhat  radical  A.B. -without-Greek 
curriculum  was  called  A.B.  Mathematics,  wherein  courses  in  history  and 
mathematics  were  substituted  for  freshman  and  sophomore  Greek. 

217 


218        History  of  Boston  College 


College  of  Arts  and  Sciences 

Bachelor  of  Arts  Requirements 

FRESHMAN  YEAR 

1stSem.(hrs.)       2nd  Sem.(hrs.) 

Credits 

English  1-2 

3 

3 

6 

English  3 

1 

1 

0 

Mathematics  1-2 

3 

3 

6 

Modern  Language  1-2  or  11-12 

3 

3 

6 

Theology  1-2 

2 

2 

2 

Creek  1-2  or  5-6 

3 

3 

6 

Latin  1-2 

3 

3 

6 

Fine  Arts  1-2 

2 

2 

4 

20 

20 

36 

SOPHOMORE  YEAR 

English  21-22 

3 

3 

6 

Modern  Language  11-12  or  21-22 

3 

3 

6 

Theology  21-22 

2 

2 

2 

Science  (Chem.  11-12  or  21-22 

Biology  31-32  or  Physics  21-22) 

3,  2  lab. 

3,2  lab. 

8 

Latin  21-22 

3 

3 

6 

Greek  23-24  or  21-22 

3 

3 

6 

19 

19 

34 

JUNIOR  YEAR 

Philosophy  41-42-43-44 

6 

6 

12 

Theology  41-42 

2 

2 

2 

History  41-42 

3 

3 

6 

Electives 

6 

6 

12 

17 

17 

32 

SENIOR  YEAR 

Philosophy  101-102-103-104 

4 

4 

8 

Philosophy  105-106 

4 

4 

8 

Theology  101-102 

2 

2 

2 

Electives 

6 

6 

12 

16 

16 

30 

The  Bachelor  of  Science  degree,  awarded  for  programs  including  neither 
Greek  nor  Latin,  prescribed  the  same  Enghsh  and  philosophy  and  theology 
courses  as  the  A.B.  curriculum  but  allowed  greater  concentration  in  one  of 
the  natural  sciences  or  mathematics,  or  in  history,  education,  or  social 
science. 


A  Commitment  to  the  Classics 

The  commitment  to  the  basic  classical  education  is  seen  strikingly  in  the 
nonbusiness  curriculum  of  the  College  of  Business  Administration  at  this 
time.  Freshman  A.B.  Greek  students  were  following  principles  of  composi- 


The  College  at  Mid-Twentieth  Century       219 

tion  and  poetry  in  Latin  and  Greek  as  well  as  English.  The  description  of 
English  1—2  in  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  catalog  reads:  "Prose 
composition.  A  study  of  the  qualities  of  style.  Narration,  description,  and 
essay.  Poetry.  The  nature  and  types  of  poetry.  Principles  of  versification; 
the  emotional  and  intellectual  elements  of  poetry." 

In  the  College  of  Business  Administration,  freshman  English  1—2  was 
described  in  the  catalog:  "Training  in  the  development  of  a  mature  prose 
style  is  stressed.  Exposition,  narration,  and  description.  Frequent  theme 
work  in  exposition.  A  play  each  of  the  Latin  and  Greek  stage  is  read  in 
translation.  The  imaginative,  emotional,  and  intellectual  content  of  poetry, 
prosody  and  poetic  types.  Extensive  reading  of  English  and  American 
poetry."  Boston  College  was  clearly  accommodating  its  traditional  human- 
istic education  to  blend  with  professional  courses  for  its  future  managers 
and  business  people.  There  was  no  room  for  Latin  or  Greek  in  the  Business 
Administration  curriculum,  but  Latin  and  Greek  plays  in  translation  were 
included  in  the  English  course. 

In  the  sophomore  year  A.B.  Greek  students  studied  rhetoric  in  English 
and  the  classical  languages.  English  21-22  was  titled  "Oratory  and  Shake- 
speare" and  the  course  description  was:  "The  theory  and  practice  of 
oratorical  composition.  The  qualities  of  oratorical  style.  Argument,  persua- 
sion, analysis,  and  stylistic  study  of  oratorical  masterpieces.  Shakespeare. 
A  study  of  selected  tragedies  of  Shakespeare  for  their  dramatic  and  orator- 
ical value." 

At  the  same  time  sophomores  in  the  College  of  Business  Administration 
were  following  their  version  of  English  21—22,  which  was  called  "English 
as  a  Medium  of  Oral  Expression,"  with  this  catalog  description:  "The 
principles  of  oratory;  their  application  studied  in  rhetorical  masterpieces, 
including  a  speech  of  Cicero  in  translation.  Six  Shakespearean  tragedies 
are  read:  Julius  Caesar,  Hamlet,  Macbeth,  Othello,  King  Lear,  and  Antony 
and  Cleopatra."  Again  an  effort  was  made  to  preserve  some  thread  of  the 
ancient  classic  tradition,  and  future  accountants  and  bankers  were  not  left 
unacquainted  with  Cicero.  Back  in  the  nineteenth  century  the  freshman 
year  had  been  called  the  "poetry  year,"  while  sophomore  was  the  "rhetoric 
year."  That  humanistic  tradition  was  still  active  in  the  College  of  Arts  and 
Sciences,  while  vestiges  of  the  tradition  livened  the  experience  of  Business 
School  students. 

If  compromise  and  some  capitulation  had  taken  place  as  regards  the 
classical  languages  and  literature  at  Boston  College  in  the  fifth  decade  of 
the  twentieth  century,  there  had  been  no  faltering  or  retreat  on  the  philo- 
sophical front  in  the  junior  and  senior  years.  All  students,  regardless  of 
major,  regardless  of  degree  track  or  professional  aspiration,  followed  the 
same  10-course,  28-credit  sequence  in  philosophy:  logic,  epistemology, 
metaphysics,  cosmology,  fundamental  psychology,  empirical  psychology, 
rational  psychology,  natural  theology,  general  ethics,  and  special  ethics. 
The  purpose  of  this  heavy  concentration  on  philosophy  was  not  to  turn  the 


220        History  of  Boston  College 


Fulton  Hall  opened  in 
1948. 


students  into  professional  philosophers  but  to  give  them  an  acquaintance 
with  and  some  mastery  of  a  world  view  that  had  been  developed  over  a 
period  of  many  centuries  in  the  Aristotelian-Thomistic  philosophy.  The 
method  of  philosophy  classes  was  largely  the  lecture,  and  classes  tended  to 
be  large.  It  is  significant  that  when  Lyons  Hall  (opened  in  1951)  was  being 
planned  and  when  it  was  first  in  use,  it  was  called  the  philosophy  building; 
its  basic  classrooms  accommodated  85  students,  while  several  other  rooms 
provided  for  well  over  a  hundred  students — rooms  that  were  designed 
primarily  with  philosophy  classes  in  mind.  The  talent  of  the  professor, 
rather  than  the  size  of  the  room  or  the  number  in  the  class,  determined  the 
quality  of  the  learning  experience  in  philosophy,  as  former  students  of  such 
teachers  as  Fathers  Jones  I.  Corrigan,  Francis  Low,  or  John  A.  McCarthy 
can  attest. 

At  midcentury  the  curriculum  at  Boston  College  was  far  more  prescribed 
than  elective.  Highly  structured,  with  emphasis  on  literary  and  philosophi- 
cal skill  and  knowledge,  it  was  geared  to  produce  generalists,  not  special- 
ists. Its  hoped-for  product  was  the  gentleman  of  Newman's  ideal.  From 
today's  perspective  at  Boston  College  and  in  the  wider  collegiate  scene,  the 
curriculum  just  described  may  seem  overly  structured.  It  is  worth  noting, 
however,  that  just  after  the  war,  in  1945,  Harvard's  famed  curriculum 
study,  General  Education  in  a  Free  Society,  appeared,  with  the  purpose  of 
counteracting  the  unbridled  electivism  introduced  by  President  Eliot  at 
Harvard.  The  educational  debate  between  advocates  of  curricular  prescrip- 
tion and  electivism  raged  in  the  nineteenth  century,  was  alive  at  the  halfway 
mark  of  the  twentieth,  and  has  not  lost  relevance  today. 


The  College  at  Mid-Twentieth  Century       111 

The  Need  for  New  Buildings 

When  Father  Keleher  assumed  the  presidency  of  Boston  College  in  August 

1945,  his  concern  about  the  curriculum  was  not  its  content  but  how  to 
administer  it  for  a  growing  horde  of  students  in  only  two  permanent 
classroom  buildings,  Gasson  and  Devlin.  The  previous  chapter  recounted 
temporary  measures  that  gave  immediate  patchwork  relief  to  the  classroom 
situation.  But  even  before  those  measures  were  effected,  plans  for  perma- 
nent building  were  afoot.  Only  six  months  into  his  presidency  in  January 

1946,  Father  Keleher  requested  Archbishop  Richard  Cushing's  approval  of 
an  intense,  short-duration  public  drive  for  funds  for  three  buildings:  a 
classroom  building,  a  gymnasium,  and  a  dormitory.' 

The  classroom  building  was  needed,  he  explained,  because  of  the  large 
number  of  returning  veterans  applying  for  admission  and  the  growing 
popularity  of  the  College  of  Business  Administration,  whose  quarters  in 
O'Connell  Hall  were  inadequate.  Interestingly  the  proposed  gymnasium 
was  justified  not  in  terms  of  the  need  for  student  recreation  and  exercise 
but  because  the  administration,  convinced  of  the  need  of  an  ROTC 
program  at  Boston  College,  had  already  been  informed  by  Army  represen- 
tatives that  the  presence  of  a  gymnasium  would  be  a  critical  item  in  a 
decision  about  awarding  an  ROTC  program.  As  it  turned  out,  the  war 
surplus  "recreation  building"  was  to  serve  as  a  gymnasium  until  the 
construction  of  Roberts  Center  in  1958. 

A  dormitory  was  needed,  Father  Keleher  continued,  because  the  number 
of  out-of-town  applicants  was  constantly  growing  and  because  the  College 
had  never  been  satisfied  with  the  arrangement  whereby  such  students 
simply  boarded  in  the  neighborhood. 

It  was  an  ambitious  building  program  Father  Keleher  outlined  for  the 

The  president's  office  in  St. 
Mary's  Hall  from  1932  to 
1968. 


222        History  of  Boston  College 

archbishop,  whose  support  he  particularly  needed  because  he  envisioned  a 
drive  which  would  largely  focus  on  the  parishes  of  the  archdiocese.  Indeed 
the  drive,  which  ultimately  took  place  in  the  fall  of  1947,  was  the  last  the 
College  would  conduct  that  had  a  definitely  "parochial"  flavor.  Perhaps  to 
allay  the  archbishop's  fears  that  the  College,  in  shaky  financial  condition 
after  the  war,  was  undertaking  too  much.  Father  Keleher  wrote  as  he 
completed  his  letter,  "I  feel  that  I  should  add  that  it  is  not  my  intention  to 
build  in  stone  and  along  Gothic  lines.  Rather  than  detract  from  the  present 
set-up  [that  is,  the  collegiate  Gothic  buildings  of  the  central  campus],  I 
would  erect  these  new  buildings  in  brick,  but  on  the  Liggett  estate"  [that 
is,  on  the  property  surrounding  O'Connell  Hall,  bordered  by  Beacon  and 
Hammond  streets  and  Tudor  Road].  Fortunately  these  frugal  plans  were 
not  followed.  Maginnis  and  Walsh,  architects  of  the  original  buildings, 
were  called  upon  to  plan  the  next  two  academic  buildings,  Fulton  and 
Lyons,  and  the  upper  campus  surrounding  O'Connell  Hall  was  preserved 
and  developed  exclusively  as  a  residential  area. 

The  new  home  for  the  College  of  Business  Administration,  which  was 
named  eventually  for  Father  Robert  Fulton,  the  first  dean  and  twice 
president  of  Boston  College,  was  begun  in  June  1947.^  On  October  30 
there  was  a  laying  of  the  cornerstone,  with  Father  John  McEleney,  Provin- 
cial, and  Governor  Robert  Bradford  on  hand  and  Archbishop  Richard 
Gushing  officiating  and  speaking.'  The  building  was  occupied  the  following 
fall.  Fulton  is  perhaps  the  least  successful  of  the  Maginnis  and  Walsh 
Gothic  buildings,  in  part  because  of  the  squat  towers  which  the  architects 
provided  in  order  not  to  block  the  view  of  Boston  College's  signature,  the 


Alumni  Hall  on  Com- 
monwealth Avenue  was 
home  to  the  Alumni  As- 
sociation from  1 950  un- 
til the  move  to  the  New- 
ton campus  in  1986. 


The  College  at  Mid-Twentieth  Century        223 

tower  of  Gasson  Hall,  from  Beacon  Street.  In  time,  of  course,  Carney  and 
McGuinn  blocked  that  view. 

The  early  occupants  of  Fulton  Hall  were  proud  of  the  James  J.  Byrnes 
Library,  which  was  adequate  for  a  relatively  small,  entirely  undergraduate 
College  of  Business  Administration.  It  would  be  decades  before  Boston 
College  would  have  a  commodious  central  Hbrary;  in  the  meantime  each 
professional  school  except  Education  developed  its  own  library.  Another 
feature  of  Fulton  Hall  was  an  industrial  management  laboratory  in  the 
basement.  Though  now  long  abandoned,  it  was  considered  innovative  in 
the  era  of  the  "efficiency  expert"  and  time-and-motion  studies. 

Even  as  work  on  Fulton  Hall  was  going  on,  plans  for  other  buildings 
were  being  formulated.  The  boiler  room  in  the  basement  of  Gasson  Hall, 
which  had  serviced  the  four  original  buildings— Gasson,  St.  Mary's,  Devlin, 
and  Bapst — became  inadequate.  There  was  also  need  for  accommodations 
for  craftsmen  and  tradesmen,  for  storage,  and  for  a  garage  to  house  trucks 
and  motorized  equipment.  A  service  building  was  begun  in  the  fall  of 
1947"  and  completed  the  following  year. 

So  physical  expansion  was  very  much  in  the  air.  The  minutes  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  for  April  9,  1948,  show  that  Father  Keleher  proposed  a 
new  classroom  building  for  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  Only  a  few 
weeks  later,  on  April  26,  1948,  the  trustees  were  discussing  a  building  for 
the  Law  School  at  Chestnut  Hill.  In  late  April  Father  Keleher  wrote  to 
Maginnis  and  Walsh^  about  planning  the  new  building  for  the  College  of 
Arts  and  Sciences,  which  was  to  be  located  on  the  west  side  of  the  campus 
between  the  Tower  Building  and  the  recently  completed  College  of  Business 
Administration.  He  said  it  would  consist  mainly  of  classrooms  ("the 
majority  of  these  large  enough  to  accommodate  philosophy  classes")  but 
with  provision  also  for  a  number  of  departmental  offices  (which  were  just 
coming  into  existence)  and  secretarial  offices.  The  basement  of  the  building 
was  to  be  given  entirely  to  a  cafeteria  large  enough  to  serve  3500  students. 
The  letter  mentioned  the  College's  hope  of  starting  a  dormitory  soon  and 
concluded  with  a  reference  to  a  1936  plan  for  a  building  that  might  be  a 
good  beginning  for  planning  the  philosophy  building.  The  significance  of 
that  reference  is  the  date.  In  1936,  two  years  before  the  College  of  Business 
Administration  was  begun  (in  the  depth  of  the  depression,  during  the 
presidency  of  Father  Louis  Gallagher),  Boston  College  and  Maginnis  and 
Walsh  were  pushing  ahead  with  Gasson's  dream. 

Lyons  Hall  was  under  construction  from  May  1950  to  July  1951.*  The 
cornerstone  laying  ceremony  was  presided  over  by  Archbishop  Gushing  on 
November  10,  with  the  architect,  Charles  D.  Maginnis,  and  contractor, 
John  Volpe,  the  future  governor  of  Massachusetts,  attending.  As  the  build- 
ing progressed,  the  students  eagerly  awaited  the  availability  of  genteel 
eating  accommodations.  A  Heights  headline  proclaimed,  "New  Philosophy 
Building  Includes  Modern  Cafeteria  (with  Seats)."  The  reference  to  seats 
was  a  wry  comment  on  the  cafeteria  in  Gasson  Hall,  where  eating  was 


224        History  of  Boston  College 


Father  Keleher  with  building  con- 
tractor (later  governor)  John  Volpe 
as  the  cross  was  about  to  be  set  atop 
the  new  "philosophy"  building  (Ly- 
ons Hall)  in  1951. 


accomplished  in  a  standing  posture/  Another  innovation  in  Lyons  was  a 
small  faculty  dining  room  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  first  floor.  Special 
presidential  concern  assured  provision  for  two  activities  in  the  new  build- 
ing: facilities  for  the  musical  clubs  to  rehearse  and  store  instruments  on  the 
top  floor  (and  incidentally  an  oversized  elevator  for  the  larger  musical 
instruments)  and  a  psychology  laboratory.'*  The  psychology  laboratory,  "to 
accommodate  approximately  50  students  working  at  benches  rather  than 
at  the  usual  desks,"  was  a  facility  for  the  new  department  of  psychology 
founded  by  Father  James  Moynihan,  who  had  recently  completed  doctoral 
studies  in  experimental  psychology  at  Catholic  University.  Since  the  tradi- 
tional philosophy  curriculum  included  courses  in  philosophical  psychology, 
the  title  "Modern  Psychology"  was  adopted  for  the  new  department.  Father 
Moynihan  used  to  say  that  after  several  years — once  people  became  used 
to  the  different  approach  of  his  department  in  contrast  to  that  of  the 
philosophy  department — he  simply  took  down  the  sign  outside  his  office, 
"Modern  Psychology,"  and  cut  off  the  adjective.  At  any  rate,  for  several 
decades  his  select  and  demanding  undergraduate  major  in  psychology  was 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  in  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences. 


The  College  at  Mid-Twentieth  Century       225 

The  New  School  of  Nursing 

The  first  totally  new  postwar  academic  venture  of  Boston  College  was  the 
School  of  Nursing.  Approval  for  its  inauguration  was  given  by  Father  Vicar 
General  Norbert  DeBoyne  on  December  8,  1945.'  In  seeking  the  approval, 
Provincial  authorities  cited  the  frequent  requests  on  the  matter  from 
Archbishop  Richard  Gushing.  The  archbishop's  interest  was  understand- 
able. There  were  naturally  many  Cathohc  nurses  in  the  archdiocese,  and 
advancement  in  the  nursing  profession  was  becoming  more  dependent  on 
the  possession  of  a  bachelor's  degree.  Archbishop  Gushing  saw  the  desir- 
abihty  of  a  collegiate  school  of  nursing  under  Gatholic  auspices,  and  he 
made  the  proposal  to  his  alma  mater. 

In  August  1946  Father  Anthony  GarroU,  a  member  of  the  Ghemistry 
Department,  was  named  regent  of  the  Nursing  School.^"  Deans  of  Jesuit 
colleges  had  traditionally  been  members  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  When 
laymen  first  began  to  be  appointed  to  head  Jesuit  professional  schools,  it 
was  not  uncommon  to  appoint  a  Jesuit  with  the  title  of  regent,  who  served 
as  liaison  between  the  president  and  the  dean  and  faculty  of  the  professional 
school.  This  practice  remained  in  effect  for  only  a  decade  or  two,  however, 
and  was  then  abandoned. 

With  no  background  in  nursing  education.  Father  Garroll  proceeded  to 
educate  himself.  He  reviewed  the  results  of  a  recent  survey  of  13  represen- 
tative colleges  of  nursing  throughout  the  country  indicating  common 
practices  on  such  matters  as  relationship  to  the  university,  title  of  the 
nursing  unit,  faculty  status,  hospital  relationships,  governance,  and  fi- 
nances. From  this  material  he  drew  up  an  organizational  and  operational 
outline  for  the  new  School  of  Nursing  and  submitted  it  to  Father  Keleher." 
In  late  November  1946  Mary  Maher,  who  had  served  as  a  faculty  member 
of  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital  School,  was  appointed  dean.^^ 

The  School  of  Nursing  was  to  serve  two  classes  of  students:  those  who 
had  already  earned  a  diploma  from  a  hospital  school  and  were  registered 
nurses,  and  high  school  graduates.  The  first  group  of  high  school  graduates 
entered  in  September  1947,  but  the  school  began  functioning  in  the  spring 
semester  of  1947  with  a  class  of  35  graduate  nurses. 

Mary  Maher,  who  had  been  the  New  England  regional  director  of  the 
Ghildren's  Bureau  and  had  held  leadership  positions  in  the  nursing  profes- 
sion, found  the  regent-dean  arrangement  awkward  and  left  after  a  brief 
tenure.  In  1948  Rita  P.  Kelleher  was  named  dean,  and  for  the  next  two 
decades  she  gave  the  School  of  Nursing  steady  and  humane  leadership.  She 
held  degrees  in  nursing  from  Columbia  University  and  Boston  University 
and  had  been  associate  director  of  the  Quincy  Hospital  School  of  Nursing. 
A  confident  Dean  Kelleher  sought  and  obtained  accreditation  for  the 
graduate  nurses  program  only  three  and  a  half  years  after  the  School 
began."  Similarly  in  June  1950  the  School  of  Nursing  library  was  approved 
by  the  Medical  Library  Association,  which  was  a  tribute  to  the  hbrarian, 


226        History  of  Boston  College 


Rita  P.  Kelleher,  dean  of  the  School 
of  Nursing,  1947-1973. 


Mary  Pekarski,  then  at  the  beginning  of  a  distinguished  career  at  Boston 
College  as  a  librarian  of  the  nursing  profession.'" 

The  School  of  Nursing  was  located  at  126  Newbury  Street  in  the  early 
years,  sharing  the  facilities  with  the  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work.  The 
only  courses  the  student  nurses  took  on  the  Chestnut  Hill  campus  were  in 
the  sciences.  These  arrangements  lasted  until  the  School  of  Nursing  moved 
to  a  new  building  on  the  central  campus  in  1960.  The  new  structure  was 
appropriately  dedicated  to  Cardinal  Cushing,  inasmuch  as  he  had  been  the 
inspirer  of  the  school's  beginning  as  well  as  the  munificent  donor  of  the 
funds  that  made  the  school's  new  home  a  reality. 


The  School  of  Nursing  broke  the  long  tradition  of  an  all-male  undergrad- 
uate student  body  at  Boston  College.  Only  five  years  later  the  School  of 
Education  would  extend  coeducation.  But  it  would  be  more  than  two 
decades  before  coeducation  would  be  adopted  by  the  College  of  Arts  and 
Sciences  and  the  College  of  Business  Administration. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  Father  Keleher  to  Archbishop  Richard  Cushing,  January  16,  1946.  BCA. 

2.  The  Heights  (April  30,  1948). 

3.  The  Heights  (October  30,  1947). 

4.  The  Heights  (April  30,  1948). 

5.  Keleher  papers.  BCA. 


The  College  at  Mid-Twentieth  Century       227 

6.  The  Heights  (November  3,  1950;  March  9,  1951). 

7.  The  Heights  (October  20,  1950). 

8.  Father  Keleher  to  Maginnis  and  Walsh,  December  7,  1948.  BCA. 

9.  Father  Socius  Forrest  Donahue  to  Father  General  Janssens,  December  1,  1946. 
BCA. 

10.  Father  Keleher  to  Provincial,  August  2,  1946.  BCA. 

11.  Father  Anthony  Carroll  to  Father  Keleher,  September  20,  1946.  BCA. 

12.  Father  Keleher  to  Mary  Maher,  November  27,  1946;  The  Heights  (February  7, 
1947).  BCA. 

13.  National  Nursing  Accrediting  Service  to  Father  Keleher,  November  20,  1950. 
BCA. 

14.  Report  of  the  National  Nursing  Accrediting  Service,  p.  22.  BCA. 


CHAPTER 


24 


Outline  of  a  University 


Under  Father  Keleher's  presidency,  Boston  College  had  moved  from  the 
shadows  of  the  war  years  out  into  the  bright  sunshine  of  a  surprisingly 
strong  recovery.  With  enrollments  increasing  beyond  prewar  levels,  with 
the  addition  of  a  third  undergraduate  college,  and  with  a  campus  enlarged 
by  the  construction  of  three  new  buildings,  administration,  teachers,  stu- 
dents, and  alumni  could  take  pride  in  their  educational  institution  on  the 
Heights.  There  was  an  air  of  optimism  in  planning  for  the  future.  Taking 
advantage  of  a  solid  foundation,  the  administration,  supported  by  a  com- 
petent faculty,  was  prepared  to  continue  a  progressive  policy  of  develop- 
ment. 

A  New  Leader  for  New  Times 

As  was  the  custom  in  the  Society  of  Jesus,  it  was  time  to  choose  a  new 
leader.  In  those  days  the  choice  was  made  in  Rome.  Appointed  rector  of  the 
Jesuit  Community  by  Father  General  John  B.  Janssens  on  March  20,  1951, 
Joseph  R.  N.  Maxwell,  S.J.,  was  elected  president  of  Boston  College  by  the 
Board  of  Trustees  on  June  29,  1951.'  Although  only  52  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  this  appointment.  Father  Maxwell  had  had  as  broad  an  administra- 
tive experience  as  any  Jesuit  in  the  New  England  Province.  In  1935,  at  age 
36,  he  was  appointed  dean  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  at  Boston 

228 


REV.  JOSEPH  R.  N.  MAXWELL,  S.J. 
Twenty-first  President 


Father  Maxwell  was  born  in  Taunton,  Mas- 
sachusetts, on  November  7, 1899.  Educated 
at  Taunton  High  School,  he  attended  Holy 
Cross  College,  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus 
on  September  7, 1919,  and  was  ordained  to 
the  priesthood  in  1932.  From  1926-1929  he 
was  an  instructor  in  English  at  Holy  Cross 
and  also  taught  English  to  the  scholastics  at 

Weston  College  in  1933-1934.  During  a  year  of  ascetical  studies  in  Belgium  he 
published  The  Happy  Ascetic,  the  life  of  a  saintly  Belgian  Jesuit.  Awarded  a  Ph.D. 
in  English  at  Fordham  University,  he  maintained  a  life-long  interest  in  the  classics 
and  served  a  term  as  president  of  the  Classical  Association  of  New  England.  He 
authored  Completed  Fragments,  a  book  of  verse.  He  was  a  member  and  officer 
of  several  regional  and  national  educational  associations,  including  the  prestig- 
ious Association  of  American  Colleges,  of  which  he  was  elected  the  41st  president 
in  1955.  He  was  awarded  four  honorary  degrees. 


College  upon  the  sudden  death  of  a  beloved  and  legendary  dean,  Father 
Patrick  McHugh.  After  four  years  as  dean  Father  Maxwell  assumed  the 
presidency  of  the  College  of  the  Holy  Cross  in  Worcester,  Massachusetts. 
After  six  difficult  years  (1939-1945),  in  which  he  faced  the  common 
problems  arising  from  the  war,  he  was  appointed  rector  of  the  Cranwell 
Preparatory  School  in  Lenox.  Following  those  serene  years  in  the  Berk- 
shires,  he  moved  to  the  president's  office  at  Chestnut  Hill. 

The  early  years  of  Father  Maxwell's  tenure  were  mildly  complicated  by 
what  the  government  called  a  "national  emergency."  The  Korean  War, 
which  began  in  July  1950,  had  its  own  effect  upon  campuses  across  the 
country,  although  minor  in  comparison  with  the  dislocations  of  World  War 
II.  In  August  1950  General  Lewis  B.  Hershey,  director  of  Selective  Service, 
indicated  that  the  September  draft  quotas  were  down  to  the  22-year  age 
group.  Students  of  21  years  or  younger  were  safe  for  the  moment;  further, 
those  in  school,  when  called,  could  postpone  induction  until  they  completed 
the  year  in  good  standing.  Even  so,  enrollments  were  immediately  and 
adversely  affected  at  the  undergraduate  level  by  the  conflict.  For  example. 


230        History  of  Boston  College 

in  the  academic  year  1949-1950,  there  were  3294  students  in  the  College 
of  Arts  and  Sciences;  the  following  year  there  were  2599,  a  difference  of 
almost  700  students.'  Thus  began  a  precarious  existence  for  both  the 
students  and  the  institution.  Although  many  Boston  College  students  were 
drafted,  there  was  some  compensation  in  the  size  of  the  student  body  by 
the  expansion  of  ROTC  programs  on  campus. 

Such  issues  as  acceleration,  deferment,  federal  aid,  and  Selective  Service 
Tests  were  debated  and  discussed  with  educational  associations  and  at 
various  institutions.  Papers  on  the  "Pre-Induction  Program  for  Jesuit 
Students"  were  presented  at  the  1951  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Jesuit  Educa- 
tional Association.^  As  time  went  on,  the  associations  and  colleges  worked 
for  an  extension  of  the  G.I.  Bill  (Public  Law  346).  Public  Law  16,  for  the 
rehabilitation  of  wounded  veterans,  had  already  been  extended  to  veterans 
of  the  Korean  conflict.  In  passing,  it  may  be  helpful  to  note  that  on  June 
19,  1951,  President  Truman  signed  the  Universal  Military  Training  and 
Service  Act,  which  became  Public  Law  51.  Finally,  after  a  long  congres- 
sional debate,  veterans'  benefits  were  extended  through  a  new  G.I.  Bill 
(Public  Law  550),  which  was  signed  by  the  President  on  July  16,  1952. 
Although  the  bill  was  tied  to  the  number  of  days  a  veteran  served  on  active 
duty,  the  maximum  time  allowed  for  education  was  36  months."* 

It  was  against  this  background  of  the  Korean  "emergency"  that  Father 
Maxwell  took  up  his  duties  at  Boston  College.  As  would  be  the  case  with 
any  prudent  administrator  responsible  for  the  entire  enterprise,  he  was 
immediately  interested  in  the  financial  health  of  the  institution.  When 
compared  with  the  university  of  the  1980s,  with  its  expanded  campus  and 
high-rise  buildings,  Boston  College  in  the  postwar  years  was  a  relatively 
small  operation.  For  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1951,  total  expenses 
reached  the  modest  sum  of  $1,961,914;  total  income  from  all  sources  was 
$2,251,998.  This  left  a  net  operating  income  of  $290,084  which  could  be 
used  for  salary  increments,  interest  on  the  debt,  renovations,  or  new 
projects.^  (Thirty-eight  years  later,  in  fiscal  year  1988-1989,  the  operating 
budget  was  over  $223  million.)  In  any  case,  through  good  management 
and  increased  enrollments  in  the  Keleher  years,  Boston  College  remained 
in  sound  financial  condition.  And  the  growth  continued. 

The  New  School  of  Education 

The  Heights  for  October  5,  1951,  carried  a  headline  with  important  news: 
"Father  Maxwell  Announces  New  School  of  Education  to  Open  Next 
September."  The  concept  was  not  brand  new.  There  had  been,  in  previous 
years,  a  modest  attempt  to  fulfill  this  function.  Before  WW  11  and  after,  an 
undergraduate  Department  of  Education,  chaired  by  Father  Dunigan,  was 
developed  within  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  It  was  designed  to  offer 
a  B.S.  in  Education  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  supply  elective  subjects  for  all 
juniors  and  seniors  interested  in  teacher  preparation. •>  Due  to  a  drop  in 


Outline  of  a  University       231 

enrollment  in  the  Department  of  Education  after  the  war,  education  courses 
were  offered  only  to  juniors  and  seniors.  In  fact,  it  was  more  or  less 
assumed  that  the  B.S.  in  Education  would  be  withdrawn  and,  in  its  place, 
students  would  be  encouraged  to  take  minor  elective  courses  to  fulfill  the 
minimum  requirements  for  pubhc  school  teachers.  The  proposed  courses 
were  psychology  of  education  and  methods. 

Father  Dunigan's  successor  was  Father  Charles  F.  Donovan,  S.J.,  class  of 
'33.  He  had  been  awarded  a  Ph.D.  in  the  Philosophy  of  Education  by  Yale 
University.  In  1948  he  was  appointed  chairman  of  the  Department  of 
Education  at  his  alma  mater.  In  addition  to  rearranging  the  curriculum 
and  establishing  a  major  in  education,  he  was  successful  in  drawing  up  a 
practice  teaching  program,  despite  the  difficulties  in  scheduling  late  after- 
noon classes  in  philosophy.  This  program,  incidentally,  had  to  be  submitted 
to  the  Province  Prefect  of  Studies  and  the  Provincial  for  approval.^ 

It  was  becoming  more  and  more  evident,  however,  that  a  department  of 
education  was  inadequate.  A  school  of  education  would  be  much  more 
satisfactory  for  several  reasons,  one  of  which  was  the  continued  elevation 
of  certification  requirements  for  public  school  teachers  in  Massachusetts. 
In  this  situation,  Father  Donovan  made  a  strong  case  for  a  four-year, 
coeducational  college  of  education  which  would  confer  a  B.S.  degree  in 
education.*'  Citing  an  obvious  local  need  and  appealing  to  the  success  of 
Jesuit  schools  in  other  areas,  he  concluded  that  "there  is  no  reason  why  in 
so  strongly  a  Catholic  center  as  Boston  and  Massachusetts,  Boston  College 
should  not  have  a  good  and  flourishing  school  of  education,  to  exercise  a 
beneficial  influence  on  education  and  educational  policies  in  this  part  of 
the  country."'  Father  Keleher,  who  was  in  the  last  months  of  his  presidency, 
sent  Father  Donovan's  proposal  to  the  Provincial  with  a  strong  endorse- 
ment.'" Archbishop  Richard  Gushing,  Father  Keleher  noted,  would  favor 
this  development,  and  such  a  school  would  also  attract  the  religious  sisters 
of  the  archdiocese  who,  up  to  this  time,  had  to  go  elsewhere  for  their 
training." 

The  final  proposal,  which  incorporated  additional  information  requested 
by  Father  Provincial  James  Coleran,  was  submitted  by  Father  Maxwell. 
This  version  of  the  proposal  was  especially  careful  to  include  statistics  on 
the  number  of  women  enrolled  in  schools  of  education  and  active  in  the 
teaching  profession  at  the  elementary  and  high  school  levels.'^  Coeducation 
was  still  a  novelty  at  Boston  College.  Apparently,  there  was  no  difficulty 
with  or  opposition  to  this  part  of  the  plan  at  any  level  of  authority.  Less 
than  three  weeks  after  the  proposal  had  been  submitted,  "Permission  to 
inaugurate  a  School  of  Education  as  a  distinct  unit  of  the  College  and  as  a 
coeducational  venture  was  granted  by  Very  Reverend  Father  General  under 
date  of  July  20,  1951."" 

Suspecting  that  the  Catholic  women's  colleges  in  the  Boston  area  would 
be  surprised — and  perhaps  disappointed — at  this  new  development,  Father 
Maxwell  wrote  a  letter  of  explanation  to  the  presidents  of  Emmanuel 


232        History  of  Boston  College 


College,  Regis  College,  and  Newton  College  of  the  Sacred  Heart.  "Since  it 
[the  new  school]  is  to  be  coeducational,  I  would  like  to  give  a  word  of 
explanation  of  our  reasons  for  taking  this  step,  lest  our  action  be  inter- 
preted as  an  unfeeling  entrance  into  competition  with  the  Catholic  women's 
colleges  that  are  doing  such  outstanding  work  in  the  Greater  Boston  area." 
After  a  brief  summary  of  the  reasons,  he  hoped  "that  this  explanation  will 
prevent  any  misgivings  or  misunderstandings  on  your  part.  .  .  ."*'' 

The  administration  appreciated  the  advantages  of  publicity  within  the 
academic  community  in  preparing  for  the  inauguration  of  the  school.  In  the 
late  spring.  Father  Maxwell  hosted  a  luncheon  on  campus  for  Boston 
College  alumni  engaged  in  the  teaching  profession  and  for  superintendents, 
headmasters,  and  other  officials  in  the  school  systems  of  Boston  and  other 
towns.  On  time,  as  promised,  the  School  of  Education  opened  its  doors  to 
176  freshmen  as  the  academic  year  1952-1953  got  under  way.  As  The 
Heights  described  it,  "With  the  resumation  [sic]  of  classes  on  the  22nd  of 
September,  a  new  look  was  seen  on  the  B.C.  campus  in  the  person  of  110 
women  who  are  entering  as  freshmen  in  the  School  of  Education.""  Not 
only  were  these  students  "on  the  campus,"  they  were  in  the  very  heart  of 
the  campus,  for  the  offices  and  classrooms  were  located  in  the  Tower 

Prior  to  the  opening  of  Campion  Hall  in  1 955,  the  coeducational  School  of 
Education  was  located  in  Gasson  Hall. 


COEDS  BOOST  REGISTRATION 
UP  TO  3395  GRAND  TOTAL 


i  i|;<  I  ![n\\  :  l.fi  I..  ItiKlu-  \l 
|l,-Tn..n.l.  li  \(  K  HOW  l.,HM 
I,,-,,,.,:,      Th«  iialghta.    October   . 


,iil  by  the  Ki 
■  HO:i.  The  Soil 


Outline  of  a  University       233 

Building.  >*  Father  Donovan,  the  dean,  was  ably  assisted  by  Marie  M. 
Gearan,  an  experienced  administrator,  as  dean  of  women.  It  was  an 
auspicious  beginning,  and  the  new  school  had  to  wait  only  four  years  for 
its  own  building.  The  pioneers  of  the  class  of  '56  are  part  of  the  history  of 
Boston  College  in  that  the  School  of  Education  was  the  final  step  in 
completing  its  four-undergraduate-college  structure. 

Establishing  Graduate  Programs 

With  the  four  undergraduate  colleges  in  operation,  the  administration 
turned  its  attention  to  graduate  programs.  No  university  is  truly  complete 
without  instruction  and  research  at  the  highest  level.  Consequently,  in  its 
quest  for  recognition,  the  president's  academic  council  in  1952  voted  to 
inaugurate  three  doctoral  programs.  To  be  more  accurate,  it  was  a  decision 
to  restore  or  reinstate  doctoral  departments.  This  new  development  had  an 
interesting  history  of  its  own. 

In  a  reorganization  of  graduate  and  extension  courses  in  1925  and  1926, 
a  formal  Graduate  School  was  established  which  superseded  the  Master  of 
Education  program  which  Father  James  F.  Mellyn,  S.J.,  had  introduced  in 
1922.  First  located  at  James  Street  and  later  moved  to  the  Heights,  the 
Graduate  School  began  to  offer  fields  of  concentration  in  several  areas  of 
study.  Not  only  was  the  master's  degree  awarded,  but  a  doctorate  in 
philosophy  was  also  offered  to  those  who  wished  to  do  some  work  beyond 
the  master's  level.  A  few  years  later,  however,  the  doctoral  program  was 
severely  criticized  by  the  Association  of  American  Universities  (AAU), 
which  at  that  time  acted  as  an  unofficial — but  influential — accrediting 
agency  for  graduate  departments. 

In  1932  the  Committee  on  the  Classification  of  Universities  and  Colleges 
of  the  AAU  undertook  a  survey  of  doctoral  departments  in  the  United 
States.  In  its  visitation  to  the  campus,  the  committee  had  no  serious 
criticism  of  the  undergraduate  departments,  and  Boston  College  remained 
on  its  approved  list.  However,  in  its  evaluation  of  faculty  and  library 
resources,  "the  Committee  found  it  difficult  to  find  any  justification  for  the 
conferring  of  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy."'^  After  a  later  and 
further  review  at  Father  Louis  Gallagher's  insistence,  the  Committee  on 
Classification  of  the  AAU  "was  still  unsatisfied  with  your  graduate  work, 
particularly  that  leading  to  the  Ph.D.  degree,  and  we  should  like  to  see  all 
work  of  the  Ph.D.  degree  dropped  entirely.""*  Father  Gallagher  took  the 
advice  of  the  AAU  in  order  to  ensure  the  continued  inclusion  of  Boston 
College  on  its  approved  list.  The  committee  had  praised  the  resources  of 
the  library  for  undergraduate  departments. 

Aware  of  the  problems  of  the  past.  Father  Maxwell's  advisors  were 
confident  that,  with  the  recruitment  of  qualified  faculty  and  deepening  of 
library  holdings,  the  College  of  the  1950s  was  adequately  prepared  to  offer 
the  doctorate  in  economics,  education,  and  history.  This  was  also  the 


234        History  of  Boston  College 

judgment  of  Father  Edward  B.  Rooney,  S.J.,  president  of  the  Jesuit  Educa- 
tional Association."  Father  James  Burke,  who  on  the  death  of  Father 
George  O'Donnell  was  appointed  acting  dean  of  the  Graduate  School, 
accepted  the  first  doctoral  candidates  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1952. 
Father  Paul  A.  FitzGerald,  S.J.,  with  a  newly  minted  Ph.D.  in  history  from 
Georgetown  University,  arrived  in  1953  to  assume  the  management  of  the 
Graduate  School  for  the  next  seven  years.  One  of  his  first  tasks  as  dean  was 
to  restrict  faculty  in  the  doctoral  departments  to  those  professors  who 
possessed  the  Ph.D.  degree,  in  order  to  eliminate  any  cause  for  criticism 
from  an  outside  agency.  Moreover,  for  the  first  time,  competitive  teaching 
fellowships,  graduate  assistantships,  and  research  assistantships  for  spon- 
sored research  projects  were  awarded  in  order  to  attract  superior  students. 
These  assistantships  were  especially  helpful  in  the  science  departments, 
where  graduate  students  supervised  laboratory  sessions  for  undergraduates. 
At  the  same  time,  the  Graduate  School  continued  to  grant  a  prestigious 
master's  degree  in  12  departments. 

The  First  Self-Study 

The  Graduate  School  was  not  the  only  area  that  claimed  attention  at  this 
time.  Because  professional  schools — such  as  Management,  Nursing,  and 
Education  at  Boston  College — are  designed  for  a  specific  purpose,  they  are 
subject  to  well-defined  inspections  by  the  appropriate  professional  agency. 
The  overall  academic  health  of  a  university,  however,  is  generally  gauged  by 
the  strength  of  the  liberal  arts  college  which,  in  its  turn,  is  evaluated  by  the 
regional  accrediting  association.  The  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  as  the 
oldest  and  largest  unit  at  the  Heights,  is,  so  to  speak,  the  flagship  of  the 
undergraduate  schools  and  preserves  the  liberal  (and  Jesuit)  tradition. 

In  1952  a  long-range  preparation  for  the  periodic  visitation  of  the 
accrediting  committee  of  the  New  England  Association  coincided  with  a 
notice  from  the  Ford  Foundation.  The  Fund  for  the  Advancement  of 
Education  announced  "a  newly  established  program  for  college  self-studies 
to  be  administered  by  the  Committee  on  College  Self-Studies."  The  pro- 
gram provided  "a  limited  number  of  grants  to  liberal  arts  colleges  for  the 
purpose  of  conducting  a  self-analysis  of  the  underlying  aims  of  their  liberal 
arts  program."-" 

The  academic  administration  grasped  this  opportunity  to  conduct  an  in- 
depth  self-study  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  with,  it  hoped,  the  aid 
of  a  grant  from  the  foundation.  With  the  assistance  of  several  faculty 
members  and  the  expert  counsel  of  Sister  Josephina  Concannon,  C.S.J., 
acting  as  a  resource  person,  a  proposal  was  submitted  to  the  foundation, 
together  with  an  application  for  a  grant  "to  assist  us  in  our  evaluation  of 
our  hberal  arts  program  at  Boston  College."^'  The  proposal  involved  three 
steps:  First,  enlisting  the  support  and  interest  of  the  faculty  through  papers 
and  discussions  which,  in  fact,  had  already  taken  place  at  the  fall  faculty 


Outline  of  a  University       235 


The  main  campus  entrance  in  the  1 950s. 

convocation;  second,  scheduling  a  year-long  series  of  faculty  activities, 
guided  by  a  special  committee,  which  would  evaluate  every  aspect  of  the 
institution  from  curriculum  to  athletics;  and  third,  the  step  for  which 
funding  was  requested,  proposed  "a  visitation  program  whose  object  will 
be  to  have  a  member  of  each  department  spend  four  weeks  during  the 
academic  year  1954-1955  as  an  observer  in  the  corresponding  department 
of  an  outstanding  liberal  arts  college."-^  Boston  College  requested  $21,000 
as  a  reasonable  budget  for  12  visitors  from  11  departments.  Worked  out 
in  detail,  the  budget  provided  compensation  for  professors  whose  schedule 
had  been  increased  to  replace  those  on  visitation  for  transportation,  per 
diem  expenses,  secretarial  assistance,  and  printing.'^ 

To  implement  the  second  step,  the  Committee  on  Self-Study,  with  Father 
William  V.  E.  Casey  as  chairman,  was  formed  to  undertake  a  survey  and 
"to  estimate  for  our  advantage  the  present  effectiveness  of  our  college." 
There  was  also  the  possibility  that  this  project  "would  be  associated  later 
with  one  operating  under  a  Ford  Foundation  grant  and  involving  several 
other  universities."^''  To  accomplish  this  end,  11  subcommittees  were 
appointed  to  report  on  curriculum,  faculty,  instruction,  admissions,  guid- 
ance, library,  campus  activities,  alumni,  public  relations,  campus  services, 
and  athletics.  The  final  reports,  done  with  diligence  and  objectivity,  were 
submitted  to  the  president  in  late  1954  and  early  1955.^^ 

The  fact  that  these  efforts  were  not  rewarded  with  a  foundation  grant  is 
not  important.  (In  1955-1956  the  Ford  Foundation  made  a  grant,  in  two 
installments,  of  $1  million  to  Boston  College.)  Similar  grants,  of  varying 
amounts,  were  made  at  that  time  by  the  foundation  to  other  colleges  to  be 
invested  for  "increase  of  faculty  salaries  or  for  meeting  other  pressing 


236        History  of  Boston  College 

academic  needs. "^*  The  real  importance  of  the  self-study  lies  in  the  fact  that 
for  the  first  time,  conscious  of  its  responsibilities,  the  faculty  at  Boston 
College  conducted  a  frank,  comprehensive,  in-depth  appraisal  of  the 
strengths  and  weaknesses  of  the  academic  program.  It  was  the  first  in  what 
has  become  an  impressive  series  of  self-analyses  undertaken  by  the  Univer- 
sity and  its  several  divisions. 

The  Law  School 

In  completing  the  outline  of  a  university,  the  Boston  College  Law  School 
was  another  area  of  unusual  activity  in  these  years  of  development.  The 
dean.  Father  William  Kenealy,  had  been  successful  in  recruiting  an  out- 
standing faculty,  and  good  students  were  applying  in  greater  numbers. 
There  was,  all  admitted,  the  potential  for  a  distinguished  Catholic  law 
school.  However,  there  was  agreement  also — especially  on  the  part  of  the 
American  Bar  Association — that  all  efforts  would  be  defeated  as  long  as 
the  Law  School  continued  to  occupy  the  cramped  quarters  of  the  Kimball 
Building.  An  inspector  from  the  ABA,  after  listing  the  factors  and  facihties 
that  determined  the  adequacy  of  a  good  plant,  wrote,  "Your  quarters  at  18 
Tremont  Street  come  a  long  way  from  meeting  these  requirements.  The 
atmosphere  of  the  place  is  that  of  a  trade  school  which,  in  spite  of  the 
earnest  effort  of  your  faculty,  cannot  be  dispelled."-^  He  criticized  the 
classrooms,  the  library  space,  student  lounge,  faculty  room,  and  other 
facilities. 

From  that  time  on,  using  the  possible  loss  of  accreditation  as  leverage, 
Father  Kenealy  pressed  hard  for  a  new  building,  first  with  Father  Keleher, 
then  with  Father  Maxwell — and  not  only  a  new  building,  but  a  building  on 
the  campus.  After  weighing  the  advantages  and  disadvantages,  it  was  the 
unanimous  opinion  of  the  law  faculty  that,  "with  a  building  of  our  own  at 
the  Heights,  we  can  reasonably  aspire  to  the  status  of  a  truly  great  CathoUc 
Law  School  of  national  reputation  within  a  few  years."^^  Father  Kenealy 
was  also  persuaded  that  a  prestigious  campus  law  school  would  enhance 
the  image  of  Boston  College  as  an  emerging  Catholic  university. 

The  decision  to  construct  a  new  Law  School  building  at  the  Heights  was 
made  in  the  fall  of  1952.^'  The  original  choice  of  location,  where  Ruben- 
stein  Hall  now  stands,  was  later  rejected  in  favor  of  a  site  further  removed 
from  the  undergraduate  campus.  Although  it  is  not  clear  how  the  city  was 
persuaded  to  sell  the  property,  the  trustees  empowered  the  treasurer,  Father 
Edward  Whalen,  "to  acquire  from  the  City  of  Boston,  title  to  land  on 
Commonwealth  Avenue  which  is  to  be  the  site  of  the  Law  School.  "^°  This 
parcel  of  land,  opposite  the  MBTA  station,  was  duly  purchased  for  the  sum 
of  $28,000,  the  total  amount  of  which  was  returned  as  a  gift  to  Boston 
College  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vincent  P.  Roberts.  The  new  building  was 
constructed  in  less  than  a  year  at  a  cost  of  $1,250,000  and  formally 
dedicated  by  Archbishop  Richard  Cushing  on  September  27,  1954.^^  A 
banquet  was  held  at  the  Statler  Hotel  on  November  21,  1954,  to  celebrate 


Outline  of  a  University        Til 


The  Law  School  moved  to  St.  Thomas  More  Hall  in  1955.  The  scene  shows 
part  of  the  reservoir  acquired  in  1949  still  unfilled. 


both  the  opening  of  St.  Thomas  More  Hall  and  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary 
of  the  Law  School,  at  which  Professor  William  O'Keefe  was  awarded  an 
honorary  doctor  of  laws  degree  for  his  25  years  of  service. 

Secure  in  its  new  building,  the  Law  School  gradually  fulfilled  the  high 
expectations  of  its  faculty  and  the  administration.  Much  of  this  success 
was  due  to  Father  Robert  F.  Drinan,  S.J.  ('42).  A  graduate  of  Georgetown 
University  Law  School,  he  was  appointed  dean  in  1956.  He  approached  his 
task  with  vision,  enthusiasm,  and  boundless  energy.  Focusing  his  immedi- 
ate attention  on  the  academic  quality  of  the  school,  he  recruited  superior 
students  and  distinguished  faculty  members  with  the  assistance  of  the 
Presidential  Scholarships.  He  also  initiated  the  annual  Boston  College 
Industrial  and  Commercial  Laiv  Review.  The  night  school  was  discontin- 
ued, to  the  disappointment  of  its  alumni,  who  formed  a  particularly  close 
circle.  But  the  enhanced  standing  of  the  Law  School  paved  the  way  for  the 
establishment  of  a  chapter  of  the  Order  of  the  Coif  in  1964,  a  tangible 
award  of  excellence. 


Local  Law  School  alumni  and  alumnae  have  held  prominent  positions.  A 
few  among  the  many  are:  Kevin  White  ('55)  was  a  four-term  mayor  of 
Boston;  Congresswoman  Margaret  Heckler  ('56)  represented  Massachu- 
setts' Tenth  District  from  1967-1982  and  later  served  in  the  president's 
cabinet  as  Secretary  of  Health  and  Human  Services  and  as  ambassador  to 
Ireland;  and  Thomas  Salmon  ('57)  was  a  two-term  Governor  of  Vermont. 


A  Faculty  Manual  Evolves 

Every  well-organized  college  or  university,  in  addition  to  a  policy-making 
board  of  trustees,  has  a  faculty  manual  or  faculty  statutes.  The  statutes  give 


238        History  of  Boston  College 

a  quasi  legal  force  to  regulations  governing  administrative  and  faculty 
responsibilities.  The  first  attempt  at  such  a  manual  came  from  the  Jesuit 
Educational  Association,  which  drew  up  a  tentative  format  for  complex 
Jesuit  institutions. 3-  Although  President  Murphy  had  been  anxious  to  codify 
regulations  at  Boston  College,  pressures  of  the  war  years  forced  him  to 
postpone  that  project.  As  a  first  step  with  approval  of  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
his  successor.  Father  Keleher,  issued  a  general  plan  covering  faculty  salaries, 
rank,  and  tenure  and,  at  the  same  time,  established  a  committee  on 
university  rank  and  tenure."  This  plan  was  followed  by  a  "Tentative  Form 
of  Statutes  for  Boston  College."  The  language  in  this  attempt  was  imprecise 
and  descriptive  rather  than  legal,  and  it  was  critically  reviewed  by  Father 
Kenealy,  Father  George  O'Donnell,  and  other  readers.  The  matter  became 
more  complex  by  reason  of  Father  Provincial's  involvement  in  certain  Jesuit 
appointments  and  their  termination. 

The  first  "University  Faculty  Manual"  was  published  and  circulated  in 
1953,  the  second  year  of  Father  Maxwell's  administration.  Father  Thomas 
Fleming,  executive  assistant  to  the  president,  had  solicited  model  statutes 
from  several  Jesuit  institutions — notably  Fordham — as  a  guide  in  drafting 
a  manual  at  Boston  College.  The  result  was  a  concise  statement  of  the 
administrative  plan  of  the  College  and  the  function  of  its  several  parts.  The 
manual  defined  the  offices  of  president,  deans,  and  directors;  it  also  defined 
departments  and  the  duties  of  department  chairmen.  In  an  area  that  had 
been  traditionally  vague,  it  was  explicit  in  setting  down  requirements  for 
advancement  in  rank  that  would  be  enforced  and  interpreted  by  a  commit- 
tee on  appointments  and  promotion.  The  manual  also  covered  faculty 
salaries,  annuity  and  insurance  plans  (TIAA),  and  hospitalization  compen- 
sation insurance.^'' 

The  new  full-time  faculty  contracts  were  also  specific  in  determining 
faculty  obligations  and  in  limiting  employment  beyond  the  institution.  The 
administration  recognized  "that  private  professional  activities  of  individual 
faculty  members  may  be  desirable  from  the  viewpoint  both  of  the  University 
and  the  individuals  concerned."  In  general,  however,  the  total  amount  of 
time  was  limited  for  each  individual  "in  order  that  no  interference  with  the 
proper  discharge  of  full-time  college  duties  occurs."  Finally,  it  was  forbid- 
den for  a  full-time  faculty  member  to  teach  in  another  institution  during 
the  academic  year.^^ 

All  of  this  meant  that,  as  Boston  College  expanded,  there  was  a  greater 
professionalism  in  its  governance.  Not  only  that,  but  the  insistence  on  strict 
requirements  for  promotion  in  rank  emphasized  the  importance  of  research 
and  fostered  publications — normal  signs  of  an  active,  productive  faculty. 

The  ROTC  in  Action 

After  the  end  of  World  War  II,  the  War  Department  made  a  survey  of 
colleges  with  a  view  to  an  expansion  of  the  Reserve  Officers'  Training 
Corps.  Boston  College  expressed  an  interest  in  the  estabUshment  of  an 


Outline  of  a  University       239 

ROTC  unit.  After  a  visit  from  the  Army  in  January  1947  and  a  formal 
application  by  Father  Keleher,  the  College  was  informed  by  the  War 
Department  that  an  ROTC  Field  Artillery  Unit  had  been  approved,  to  begin 
the  next  academic  year. 

In  the  1950s  it  was  a  common  sight  to  see  uniformed  members  of  the 
Reserve  Officers  Training  Corps  in  class  and  at  other  campus  functions. 
During  the  Korean  action  there  was  an  automatic  deferment  for  those 
collegians  who  joined  the  ROTC  and  remained  in  good  standing.  At  Boston 
College,  Colonel  Elmer  B.  Thayer,  the  commanding  officer  of  the  artillery 
unit,  was  a  strict  disciplinarian,  and  he  enforced  army  regulations  and  the 
campus  demerit  system  with  rigid  impartiality.  This  rigor  was  reflected  in 
statistics  submitted  to  the  president:  In  1951,  of  a  total  of  860  ROTC 
cadets,  400  were  freshmen  but  only  125  survived  to  graduate  as  commis- 
sioned officers. ^^  Reasons  for  attrition  were  many.  For  example,  two  ROTC 
cadets  who  failed  to  report  to  the  Fort  Bragg  ROTC  camp  in  1951  were 
formally  discharged  by  the  commanding  general,  First  Army,  and  required 
to  reimburse  the  government  for  daily  subsistence  drawn  in  junior  year. 
The  government  also  requested  that  they  be  denied  admission  to  senior  year 
until  reimbursement  had  been  made.'^ 

In  addition  to  the  annual  exhibition  drill  and  spring  parade,  which 
always  drew  high-ranking  officers  to  the  campus,  a  military  Mass  was 
celebrated  in  honor  of  St.  Barbara,  patron  saint  of  artillerymen.  In  the  early 
years,  a  statue  of  the  saint  was  on  loan  from  Fort  Sill  for  the  occasion. 
Father  Maxwell  later  commissioned  an  artist  at  Oberammergau  to  carve  a 
statue  of  St.  Barbara  that  would  be  displayed  permanently  at  Boston 
College.^^  Moreover,  the  Boston  College  ROTC  unit  had  its  own  distinctive 
insignia  worn  as  a  shoulder  loop  by  cadets  and  their  officers.^' 

In  those  years  the  ROTC  unit  was  housed  in  the  old  army  barracks  along 
Beacon  Street,  which  were  beginning  to  show  the  ravages  of  student  use. 
This  was  one  of  the  reasons  later  advanced  by  Father  Maxwell  in  approach- 
ing Congressman  John  W.  McCormack  for  federal  assistance  in  building  a 
new  gymnasium  which  would  also  provide  space  for  the  offices  and  officers 
of  the  ROTC.  In  the  dean's  office,  however,  it  was  more  important  to 
resolve  the  discussion  on  academic  credit  for  ROTC  courses.  In  a  resolution 
of  this  question,  Boston  College,  bowing  to  pressure  from  the  Army  and 
influenced  by  the  procedure  in  other  colleges,  agreed  to  grant  12  credits 
for  the  junior  and  senior  courses  in  military  science.  To  make  up  for  this 
substitution,  cadets  were  allowed  to  take  one  extra  elective.'"'  Ultimately, 
this  decision  fitted  in  nicely  with  the  Army's  new  program  which  converted 
all  college  units  into  a  general  military  science  program  for  the  better 
distribution  of  commissioned  officers.*" 

Reaching  Out 

Securely  organized  from  within,  the  College  began  to  reach  out  to  a  larger 
pubhc  beyond  the  campus.  In  the  early  1950s,  with  the  active  encourage- 


240        History  of  Boston  College 

ment  of  Mayor  John  B.  Hynes,  the  politicians  and  merchants  of  Boston 
were  beginning  to  discuss  the  future  development  of  the  city.  Boston 
College  provided  the  forum.  Organized  by  W.  Seavey  Joyce,  S.J.,  dean  of 
the  College  of  Business  Administration  (later  called  School  of  Manage- 
ment), who  was  ably  assisted  by  John  Collins,  S.J.,  Chairman  of  the  Finance 
Department,  the  First  Annual  Business  Conference  was  held  in  Bapst 
Auditorium  on  May  15,  1954.  The  program  was  entitled,  "Greater  Bos- 
ton's Business  Future."  Welcomed  to  the  campus  by  Father  Maxwell,  the 
roster  of  speakers  and  guests  comprised  a  list  of  Who's  Who  among 
Boston's  merchants,  bankers,  and  developers.  They  were  called  "Boston's 
top  thinkers  and  doers. "■'- 

The  first  conference  was  designed  "not  to  come  up  with  any  answers, 
but  merely  to  get  the  burning  questions  that  need  answering  out  into  the 
open."  An  immediate  outgrowth  of  the  annual  conference — and  perhaps 
more  important — were  the  "citizen  seminars"  at  which  these  questions 
were  discussed.  Again,  these  were  organized  by  the  School  of  Management. 
The  seminars,  which  met  several  times  a  year,  discussed  urban  develop- 
ment, zoning  codes,  a  world  trade  center,  tax  proteaion,  and  new  munici- 
pal construction.  The  first  seminar  met  on  October  7,  1954,  and  Mayor 
Hynes  set  the  tone  with  his  paper,  "Boston — Whither  Goest  Thou?" 

The  citizen  seminars,  hosted  by  Presidents  Maxwell,  Walsh,  Joyce,  and 
Monan,  met  regularly  on  campus  for  25  years.  They  were  influential  in 
moving  the  Cit>'  of  Boston  toward  the  renewal  it  now  enjoys.  Carl  Gilbert, 
then  president  of  the  Gillette  Company  and  a  regular  member  of  the 
seminar,  said,  "This  University  has  earned  the  gratitude  of  all  of  Metropol- 
itan Boston,  and  the  whole  Commonwealth,  for  its  readiness  to  open  its 
halls  to  citizens  of  every  station  in  life,  ...  of  every  political  persuasion  so 
that  they  might  here  consider  together  and  debate  certain  of  the  pressing 
questions  facing  the  communit}'."-'^  Although  the  conferences  and  seminars 
no  longer  meet  at  Boston  College,  they  have  continued  under  a  different 
format  in  downtown  Boston. 

Extracurricular  Activities 

In  other  ways,  too,  it  was  a  busy  campus.  The  pages  of  The  Heights  for 
these  years  document  the  history  of  those  extracurricular  activities  which 
began  at  the  end  of  the  last  class.  In  the  tradition  of  Jesuit  colleges  from  the 
earliest  years  of  the  Society,  dramatics  was  an  integral  part  of  a  liberal 
education;  in  the  17th  and  18th  centuries,  Jesuit  theater  had  no  equal.  For 
several  years  in  the  early  fifties,  the  Boston  College  Dramatic  Society  was 
under  the  capable  direction  of  Francis  Sidlauskas,  who  continued  the 
polished  performances  of  Father  John  Louis  Bonn.  A  graduate  of  Boston 
College  and  the  Yale  School  of  Drama,  Sidlauskas  was  so  well  thought  of 
by  Elliot  Norton,  the  Boston  drama  critic,  that  he  secured  his  appointment 
as  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  College  and  Universit}'  Theaters  of  the 


Outline  of  a  University       241 

New  England  Conference.'*'*  He  staged  a  number  of  memorable  perfor- 
mances, one  of  which  was  entitled,  All  My  People  Sing.  Written  in  blank 
verse  by  an  Arts  and  Science  senior,  Leo  Hines,  this  play  portrayed  the  life 
of  St.  Francis  Xavier  from  his  college  days  in  Paris  through  his  missionary 
work  in  the  Indies.  Again,  acknowledging  Jesuit  roots,  he  directed  an 
original  performance  of  Saint  in  a  Hurry,  adapted  by  the  students,  which 
commemorated  the  400th  anniversary  of  the  death  of  St.  Francis  on  the 
island  of  Sancian.^^  In  March  1954  the  members  of  the  Dramatic  Society 
travelled  to  New  York.  There,  for  the  first  time,  they  participated  in  the 
Fordham  Jesuit  one-act  play  festival,  presenting  Thor,  With  Angels,  by 
Christopher  Fry."* 

Sidlauskas  was  succeeded  by  Father  Joseph  Larkin,  a  graduate  in  speech 
and  drama  from  The  Catholic  University.  Father  Larkin  continued  to  insist 
upon  a  professional  approach  to  dramatic  presentations  and,  at  the  same 
time,  gave  academic  respectability  to  the  offerings  in  speech,  communica- 
tion, and  theater.  His  own  choices  struck  a  nice  balance  between  the 
classics,  such  as  Shakespeare,  and  modern  playwrights.  A  number  of  his 
students  went  on  to  fame  and  fortune  on  Broadway  and  in  the  movies. 

In  a  related  area  of  the  performing  arts,  the  Boston  College  Musical 
Clubs  received  their  share  of  local  and  regional  applause.  With  their 
trademark,  "Songs  from  the  Towers,"  the  Glee  Club  was  immensely 
popular  on  campus  and  at  other  colleges.  In  his  last  concert  before  joining 
the  Cambridge  school  system  as  musical  director,  Walter  Mayo,  in  a 


A  late  1 950s  dance  in 
the  auditorium/gymna- 
sium of  Campion  Hall. 


242        History  of  Boston  College 

bravura  performance  at  Jordan  Hall,  rewarded  his  enthusiastic  audience 
with  a  program  of  selections  from  classical,  semi-classical,  light  opera,  and 
traditional  works/^  He  was  succeeded  by  Joseph  LoPresti  who,  in  addition 
to  the  annual  appearance  at  Jordan  Hall,  arranged  a  number  of  combined 
concerts  with  local  women's  colleges,  notably  Regis  College  and  Newton 
College  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

Development  of  the  Boston  College  Character 

With  the  active  interest  of  aspiring  young  politicians  among  the  student 
body,  Boston  College  had  always  provided  a  platform  for  state  and  city 
candidates  for  office.  As  its  name  became  better  known  in  ever-wider 
circles,  candidates  for  national  office  came  to  the  Heights  to  test  the  waters 
in  an  Irish  Catholic,  academic  atmosphere.  One  memorable  visit  occurred 
on  March  19,  1954.  Adlai  Stevenson,  Democratic  candidate  for  president 
in  1952  and  titular  head  of  the  party,  spoke  to  1200  students  and  faculty 
who  had  crowded  into  Bapst  Auditorium.  Although  his  address  that  day 
was  nonpohtical,  he  was  clearly  preparing  to  challenge  President  Eisen- 
hower for  the  second  time.  This  "totally  civihzed  man,"  as  he  was  called, 
never  reached  the  White  House,  but  in  a  campus  election  he  defeated 
Eisenhower  by  150  votes,  476—326.'**  Others  who  were  nationally  known 
included  the  colorful  G.  Mennen  Williams,  Governor  of  Michigan,  who 
also  had  national  aspirations.  He  spoke  to  the  juniors  and  seniors  of  the 
School  of  Management  on  the  topic,  "The  Role  of  the  State  Government  in 
the  Federal  System." 

The  Candlemas  Lectures,  founded  by  William  J.  Leonard,  S.J.,  and 
inaugurated  on  February  2,  1947,  continued  to  attract  outstanding  speak- 
ers— a  tribute  to  the  latter's  perception  of  Boston  College.  The  purpose  of 
the  lectures  is  to  stimulate  interest  and  scholarly  research  in  the  field  of 
Christian  letters.  The  roster  of  lecturers  in  the  fifties  included  G.  B. 
Harrison,  professor  of  Enghsh  hterature  at  the  University  of  Michigan; 
Bishop  John  J.  Wright  ('31),  later  a  cardinal,  who  was  the  acknowledged 
authority  on  St.  Joan  of  Arc;  James  Johnson  Sweeney,  director  of  the 
Solomon  R.  Guggenheim  Museum  in  New  York,  who  spoke  on  "The 
Language  of  Poetry";  and  Frank  Sheed,  Catholic  writer,  apologist,  and 
publisher. 

In  later  years  the  Candlemas  Lectures  became  part  of  the  Humanities 
Series,  perhaps  the  most  enduring,  popular,  and  high-quality  lecture  and 
artistic  series  on  campus.  Sponsored  by  Boston  College,  these  lectures, 
readings,  and  cultural  performances  are  open  to  the  public  and  free  of 
charge;  over  the  years  they  have  drawn  an  appreciative  and  discerning 
audience  from  the  academic  and  artistic  community  in  the  Boston  area. 
The  person  most  responsible  for  the  success  of  this  series  has  been  Father 
Francis  Sweeney,  well  known  for  his  own  writings  and  a  member  of  the 
English  Department  and  faculty  moderator  of  The  Stylus.  Father  Sweeney 


Outline  of  a  University       243 

has  brought  to  the  campus  distinguished  figures  in  every  category  of  art 
and  hterature."' 

The  origin  of  the  Humanities  Series  is  usually  traced  to  a  lecture  given 
by  Robert  Frost,  who  was  invited  by  The  Stylus'  board  to  introduce  a  year- 
long celebration  in  honor  of  the  diamond  jubilee  of  that  literary  journal. 
The  premier  American  poet,  four-time  winner  of  the  Pulitzer  Prize,  spoke 
in  the  Campion  auditorium  on  April  3,  1957,  reading  and  discussing  his 
own  poetry.  The  Frost  lecture,  in  turn,  led  to  the  "Steinman  Visiting  Poets 
Series"  in  1957—1958.  Funded  by  David  Steinman,  the  internationally 
acclaimed  bridge  builder,  this  series  featured  Robert  Frost,  Ogden  Nash, 
T.  S.  Eliot,  and  Sister  M.  Madeleva.  The  popularity  of  the  Steinman  lectures 
persuaded  the  administration  to  fund  the  Humanities  Series.  Formally 
inaugurated  in  the  fall  of  1958,  the  first  year  of  Father  Michael  Walsh's 
presidency,  this  series  has  proved  enormously  successful. 

Student  Societies 

The  character  of  Boston  College  was  further  enhanced  in  these  years  by 
student  societies.  In  addition  to  the  Sodality  of  Our  Lady,  identified  with 
Jesuit  colleges  since  the  16th  century,  there  was  the  Gold  Key  Society. 
Founded  to  knit  a  closer  bond  among  the  more  ambitious  students,  it 
organizes  campus  activities  in  accordance  with  its  motto,  "Service  and 
Sacrifice."  The  Order  of  the  Cross  and  Crown,  founded  in  1939,  is  reserved 
to  members  of  the  senior  class  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  who  have 
achieved  distinction  during  their  first  three  years  in  studies,  extracurricular 
activities,  and  school  spirit.  In  recent  years,  Alpha  Sigma  Nu,  the  Jesuit 
honor  society,  is  recognized  as  a  particularly  familial  mark  of  distinction 
at  Boston  College.  Founded  in  1915  at  Marquette  University,  a  chapter 
was  established  at  the  Heights  in  1939  by  Dean  Maxwell.  Students  honored 
by  induction  into  Alpha  Sigma  Nu  must  have  distinguished  themselves  in 
scholarship,  loyalty,  and  service;  by  these  means,  it  is  expected  that  they 
will  appreciate  and  promote  the  ideals  of  Jesuit  higher  education. 

Academically  more  restrictive  were  the  clubs  and  academies  associated 
with  departments  or  professional  schools.  Over  the  years,  the  Mendel  Club 
of  the  Chemistry  Department  has  been  particularly  active  in  serving  the 
needs  of  the  premedical  and  predental  students.  In  keeping  with  the  times 
it  has  also  become  involved,  through  an  annual  conference,  in  medical- 
ethical  questions.  Many  of  these  organizations,  or  the  schools  and  depart- 
ments with  which  they  were  associated,  supported  a  magazine  or  "house" 
journal  by  means  of  which  the  members  were  encouraged  to  write  on 
timely  topics.  Some  were  short-lived;  others  were  more  enduring  and 
influential.  In  addition  to  The  Heights  and  The  Stylus,  which  represented 
every  constituency,  Caritas  carried  its  message  for  the  Graduate  School  of 
Social  Work.  Guidepost,  which  had  a  fairly  wide  circulation  beyond  the 
campus,  was  staffed  by  budding  executives  at  the  School  of  Management. 


244        History  of  Boston  College 

Some  excellent  articles  are  found  in  Humanities,  which  enjoyed  a  high 
reputation  as  the  classical  journal.  The  Mathematics  Department  published 
the  Ricci  Mathematical  Journal  and  the  Chemistry  Department  edited  its 
own  Bulletin. 


One  indication  of  Boston  College's  movement  from  collegiate  to  authen- 
tic university  status  was  the  progress  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Arts  and 
Sciences.  The  history  of  American  graduate  schools,  it  has  been  said,  is  the 
history  of  the  Ph.D.  degree.  At  the  1957  June  commencement,  Boston 
College  conferred  the  Ph.D.  degree  on  four  candidates  and  the  Ed.D.  on 
one,  all  of  whom  did  well  in  their  chosen  fields.  Robert  McEwen,  S.J.,  was 
later  chairman  of  the  Economics  Department  and  a  national  consultant  on 
consumer  affairs.  With  her  degree  in  history,  Patricia  Goler  was  subse- 
quently appointed  dean  of  Lowell  University  and  elected  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Boston  College.  Sister  Josephina  Concannon,  C.S.J., 
was  an  effective  superintendent  of  archdiocesan  schools  staffed  by  her 
congregation,  was  active  in  the  NCEA,  and  was  a  resourceful  faculty 
member  at  the  School  of  Education.  Charles  Morgan  Sullivan,  a  college 
professor  and  an  officer  in  several  economic  associations,  was  the  first 
student  in  modern  times  to  earn  all  three  degrees  at  Boston  College. 
Raymond  Ahearn  became  well  known  in  banking  circles  in  addition  to  his 
teaching  at  the  Heights.™ 

As  Boston  College  moved  toward  the  1960s,  it  was,  by  ordinary  mea- 
surements, a  healthy  institution.  It  had  some  problems  (there  was  never 
enough  money),  but  the  programs  were  sound,  the  competition  for  admis- 
sion made  for  a  more  highly  selective  student  body,  and  the  faculty  was 
more  highly  trained.  The  future  looked  bright. 

ENDNOTES 

1 .  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  June  29,  1 95 1 .  BCA. 

2.  Jesuit  Education  Association  Directory,  1950-1951,  1951-1952.  BCA. 

3.  Ralph  H.  Schenk,  S.J.,  "Pre-Induction  Orientation  for  Jesuit  High  School  Stu- 
dents," Jesuit  Educational  Quarterly  (June  1951),  pp.  33-44;  also  Paul  O'Con- 
nor, S.J.,  "Pre-Induction  Orientation  for  Jesuit  College  Students,"  ibid.,  pp.  44— 
48. 

4.  The  amount  of  allowance  for  veterans,  as  full-time  students,  was  as  follows: 
$110  a  month  with  no  dependents;  $135  with  one  dependent;  $160  with  more 
than  one. 

5.  "Boston  College:  Analysis  of  Financial  Condition,  1951."  BCA.  If  land,  build- 
ings, other  immovables,  securities,  etc.  were  added,  total  assets  would  be 

$1 1,387,498.  There  was  also  a  long  list  of  scholarships,  some  of  which  were  very 
small,  available  for  student  aid. 

6.  Annual  Report  of  the  Chairman  of  the  Undergraduate  Department  of  Education, 
March  7,  1946.  BCA. 

7.  Father  Keleher  to  Father  Donovan,  July  13,  1950.  See  also  Father  Donovan  to 
John  J.  Desmond,  Jr.,  Commissioner  of  Education,  June  1,  1951.  BCA. 


Outline  of  a  University       245 

8.  Father  Donovan  to  Father  Keleher,  February  18,  1951.  BCA. 

9.  Ibid. 

10.  Father  Keleher  to  WiUiam  E.  FitzGerald,  S.J.,  February  20,  1951.  BCA. 

11.  Ibid. 

12.  Joseph  R.  N.  Maxwell  to  Father  FitzGerald,  July  3,  1951.  BCA. 

13.  Note  signed  J.R.N.M.,  S.J.  BCA. 

14.  Father  Maxwell  to  Sister  Margaret  Patricia,  S.N.D.,  August  23,  1951.  BCA. 

15.  October  3,  1952. 

16.  Through  the  courtesy  of  the  Franciscan  Sisters  at  nearby  Mount  Alvernia  Acad- 
emy, the  School  of  Education  women  were  allowed  the  use  of  the  gymnasium  for 
classes  in  physical  education  until  Campion  Hall  was  built. 

17.  Adam  Leroy  Jones,  chairman,  to  Louis  J.  Gallagher,  S.J.,  October  28,  1933. 
BCA. 

18.  Fernandus  Payne  to  Father  Gallagher,  November  5,  1934.  BCA. 

19.  In  a  memorandum  dated  October  8,  1952,  Father  Maxwell  alerted  several 
members  of  the  faculty  to  a  visitation  of  the  campus  by  Father  Rooney  "to 
discuss  the  proposed  restoration  of  the  Ph.D.  degree."  The  president  further 
suggested  "that  you  prepare  a  complete  list  of  all  the  teachers  in  your  depart- 
ment, giving  their  degrees  and  the  sources  of  their  degrees,  the  number  of  years 
they  have  been  teaching,  the  teaching  they  have  done  on  the  graduate  level, 
whether  or  not  they  have  had  experience  in  directing  research,  etc."  BCA. 

20.  John  K.  Weiss  to  All  University  and  College  Presidents,  June  9,  1952.  BCA. 

21.  Father  Maxwell  to  Committee  on  College  Self  Studies,  October  22,  1953. 

22.  "Proposal  for  which  Grant  is  to  be  Sought  from  the  Fund  for  the  Advancement 
of  Education."  BCA. 

23.  Ibid. 

24.  The  Committee  on  Self-Study  to  All  Members  of  the  Faculty  of  the  College  of 
Arts  and  Sciences,  November  3,  1953.  BCA. 

25.  The  list  of  committee  members  and  their  reports  are  preserved  in  the  Archives. 

26.  See  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  September  23,  1955,  and  July  10,  1956. 

27.  Will  Shafroth  to  William  Kenealy,  April  3,  1950.  BCA. 

28.  "General  Report  on  the  Condition  of  the  Law  School,"  October  8,  1952.  BCA. 

29.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  January  4,  1952. 

30.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  May  5,  1953. 

31.  For  a  more  detailed  account  of  the  construction  of  St.  Thomas  More  Hall  and  the 
relocation  of  the  Law  School,  see  Todd  F.  Simon,  Boston  College  Law  School, 
pp.  31-33. 

32.  Edward  B.  Rooney,  S.J.,  to  William  J.  Murphy,  S.J.,  April  23,  1941.  BCA. 

33.  William  L.  Keleher,  S.J.,  to  Faculty,  April  3,  1947.  The  regulations  were  revised 
in  May  1949. 

34.  Copies  of  the  Faculty  Manual  are  in  the  Archives. 

35.  "The  Boston  College  Policy  on  Private  Professional  Activities  of  FuU-Time  Fac- 
ulty," Office  of  the  President,  December  12,  1956.  BCA. 

36.  E.  B.  Thayer  to  Father  Maxwell,  August  21,  1951.  BCA. 

37.  E.  B.  Thayer  to  Father  Maxwell,  September  6,  1951.  BCA. 

38.  Father  Maxwell  to  Chaplain  (Brig.  Gen.)  James  H.  O'Neill,  November  26,  1951. 
Also,  Hans  Heinzeller  from  Oberammergau  to  Father  Maxwell,  July  14,  1952. 

39.  Father  Maxwell  to  Col.  Thayer,  December  17,  1951.  BCA. 

40.  Memo  to  department  chairmen  and  administrators  from  Dean  Francis  O.  Corco- 
ran, S.J.,  April  30,  1954. 

41.  Father  Maxwell  to  Major  General  Hugh  M.  Milton,  November  12,  1953.  BCA. 

42.  Program,  press  clippings,  and  photographs  are  in  the  Archives. 


246        History  of  Boston  College 

43.  See  "Boston  Citizen  Seminars  1954-1979:  25  Years  of  Public  Service,"  p.  2. 
BCA. 

44.  The  Heights  (January  16,  1953). 

45.  Ibtd. 

46.  Ibid.,  March  5,  1954. 

47.  May  3,  1953.  Programs  of  musical  organizations  are  preserved  in  the  Archives. 

48.  The  Heights  (March  19,  1954). 

49.  Humanities  Series  programs  and  announcements  are  preserved  in  the  Archives. 

50.  See  Paul  A.  FitzGerald,  S.J.,  "To  Produce  Scholars,"  Alumni  News  (Spring 
1958). 


CHAPTER 


25 


Growth  and  Change 
in  the  Fifties 


The  explosion  of  enrollment  after  World  War  II  made  it  necessary  to 
expand  the  faculty.  At  the  same  time,  with  a  new  sensitivity  to  high 
standards  of  faculty  expertise,  the  Ph.D.  or  comparable  terminal  degree 
was  a  prime  desideratum.  In  the  years  just  before  and  after  1950  the  New 
England  Province  provided  almost  a  score  of  Jesuits  with  newly  completed 
doctorates  in  a  number  of  disciplines.  But  many  lay  faculty  had  to  be 
recruited  also  to  meet  the  University's  commitments. 

A  Critical  Mass  of  Faculty 

At  this  time,  partly  by  design,  partly  by  happenstance,  a  number  of  Boston 
College  alumni  who  had  opted  for  a  career  of  scholarship  and  college 
teaching  completed  doctoral  studies  at  distinguished  universities  and  re- 
turned to  their  alma  mater  to  spend  their  careers.  This  group  created  a 
critical  mass  of  faculty  members  who  knew  Jesuit  education  from  personal 
experience,  who  were  acquainted  with  and  sympathetic  to  the  traditions  of 
Boston  College,  and  who  could  help  ease  the  transition  from  the  era  of  a 
dominantly  Jesuit  faculty  to  the  time  of  a  largely  lay  faculty  with  no  Jesuit 
educational  background.  This  influential  band  of  devoted  alumni,  along 
with  other  alumni  and  alumnae  of  the  same  era  who  did  not  pursue  the 
doctoral  route,  deserve  recording  in  the  history  of  Boston  College.  The  list 

247 


248        History  of  Boston  College 


John  J.  McAleer  ('47)  of  the 
English  Department,  one  of 
many  Boston  College  gradu- 
ates who  became  faculty  mem- 
bers at  their  alma  mater. 


does  not  include  those  receiving  the  bachelor's  degree  after  1960,  although 
happily  the  University  has  continued  to  draw  to  the  faculty  professionally 
qualified  men  and  women  who  completed  their  undergraduate  work  at 
Boston  College. 

Of  course  Boston  College  graduates  were  a  minority  among  the  growing 
faculty  added  in  the  Maxwell  years.  With  the  new  emphasis  on  scholarly 
credentials  and  commitment,  a  cadre  of  talented,  ambitious  young  people 
came  to  Boston  College.  To  a  large  extent  they  set  the  standards  of  future 
faculty  excellence  as  they  recruited  colleagues  in  their  several  disciplines 
during  the  expansion  decades  that  followed. 


Construction  of  Dormitories 

It  has  been  noted  that  as  early  as  1946  President  Keleher  had  stated  the 
need  for  a  dormitory  building.  Despite  a  30  percent  drop  in  enrollment  in 
the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  and  the  College  of  Business  Administration 
from  1949  to  1954  (from  4799  students  to  3323  according  to  Jesuit 
Educational  Quarterly  annual  statistics),  there  was  pressure  for  residential 
facilities.  Campus  accommodations  in  O'Connell  Hall  and  the  converted 


Growth  and  Change  in  the  Fifties        249 


B.C.  Undergraduates  Who  Returned  as  Faculty 

PaulT.  Banks,  Sr.  ('39), 

Joseph  M.  McCafferty  ('41), 

Mathematics 

English 

Joseph  Bornstein  ('46),  Chemistry 

Daniel  McCue  ('40),  English 

Joseph  Cautela  ('49),  Psychology 

Francis  J.  McDermott  ('39),  English 

William  M.  Daly  ('42),  History 

Francis  M.  McLaughlin  ('54), 

Paul  Devlin  ('39),  Management 

Economics 

Stanley  J.  Dmohowski  ('45), 

Vincent  C.  Nuccio  ('49),  Education 

Management 

Bernard  A.  O'Brien  ('57), 

John  J.  Donovan  ('39),  Sociology 

Education 

Vincent  F.  Dunfey  ('37), 

Thomas  H.  O'Connor  ('49), 

Management 

History 

Joyce  M.  Dw^er  ('60),  Nursing 

Robert  F.  O'Malley  ('40), 

Joseph  Figurlto  ('45),  Romance 

Chemistry 

Languages 

Jean  A.  O'Neil  ('55),  Nursing 

John  J.  Fitzgerald  ('47),  English 

Thomas  J.  Owens  ('44),  Philosophy 

Christopher  J.  Flynn,  Jr.  ('44), 

Charles  L.  Regan  ('51),  English 

Management 

Irving  J.  Russell  ('43),  Chemistry 

Albert  M.  Folkard  ('37),  English 

Pauline  R.  Sampson  ('52),  Nursing 

Arthur  L.  Glynn  ('39), 

Robert  L.  Sheehan  ('49),  Romance 

Management 

Languages 

Walter  T.  Greaney,  Jr.  ('43), 

Ernest  A.  Siclliano  ('37),  Romance 

Management 

Languages 

Vincent  A.  Harrington  ('51), 

Joseph  A.  Sullivan  ('44), 

Management 

Mathematics 

William  B.  HIckey  ('34), 

Alfred  E.  Sutherland  ('51), 

Management 

Management 

Francis  J.  Kelly  ('49),  Education 

John  F.  Travers,  Jr.  ('50),  Education 

Joseph  F.  Krebs  ('44),  Mathematics 

John  E.  Van  Tassel,  Jr.  ('50), 

Archille  J.  Laferriere  ('45), 

Management 

Mathematics 

John  J.  Walsh  ('49),  Education 

Pierre  D.  Lambert  ('49),  Education 

Norman  J.  Wells  ('50),  Philosophy 

Robert  J.  LeBlanc  ('45), 

Donald  J.  White  ('43),  Economics 

Mathematics 

&  Dean  of  Graduate  School  of 

John  L.  Mahoney  ('50),  English 

Arts  and  Sciences 

John  J.  McAleer  ('47),  English 

Frederick  J.  Zappala  ('46), 

Management 

museum  on  Hammond  Street  (where  Roncalli  now  stands)  were  makeshift, 
and  too  many  students  were  boarding  in  the  neighborhood.  Besides,  while 
loyal  to  its  Boston  roots  and  mission,  the  University  felt  it  was  destined  to 
become  a  national  institution  and  therefore  needed  residence  halls  in  the 
tradition  of  Georgetown  and  Holy  Cross.  A  student  body  made  up  mostly 
of  commuting  students  would  be  drawn  from  a  candidate  pool  that  could 
not  contain  the  talent  and  potential  of  a  wider  geographical  pool  of 
applicants.  The  University's  fresh  emphasis  on  quality  pointed  to  a  larger 
residential  population.  Accordingly,  during  the  academic  year  1954-1955 
Father  Maxwell  was  busy  with  plans  for  the  first  buildings  constructed  as 
residence  halls  on  campus. 


250        History  of  Boston  College 

The  M.  A.  Dyer  Company,  architects,  produced  plans  for  a  three-story 
half-timbered  construction  that  melded  well  with  the  luxury  residences  on 
Tudor  Road  opposite  the  University  property.  The  building's  three  units, 
with  accommodations  for  260  students,  were  considered  separate  although 
physically  one;  hence  the  three  designations  of  Claver,  Loyola,  and  Xavier. 

Clearance  for  the  construction  of  dormitories  had  to  be  obtained  from 
the  City  of  Newton.  This  process  entailed  negotiations  that  would  be 
repeated  frequently — and  sometimes  with  warmth — over  the  years.  Father 
Thomas  Fleming,  executive  assistant  to  the  president,  made  several  presen- 
tations before  the  Committee  on  Claims  and  Rules  of  the  Board  of 
Aldermen,  one  of  which  contained  a  reference  showing  that  the  town 
fathers  anticipated  the  Jesuit  Fathers  in  concern  about  the  impact  of  resident 
students  upon  the  neighborhood.  Father  Fleming  stated,  "The  dormitory 
will  be  operated  under  the  strict  rules  of  a  Jesuit  university,  copies  of  which 
have  been  presented  to  the  committee,  and  under  the  supervision  of  resident 
members  of  the  Jesuit  faculty.  Under  such  rules  there  is  no  danger  to  the 
neighbors  of  the  area  of  such  type  of  nuisance  as  was  the  intent  of  the 
provision  of  the  zoning  law  prohibiting  the  erection  of  dormitories  in 
residential  areas. "^  The  rules  in  question  reveal  the  detailed  discipline  of 
dormitory  life  of  that  era. 

A  perusal  of  the  semi-monastic  rules  for  the  prospective  resident  students 
must  have  satisfied  the  aldermen,  because  despite  the  prescient  warning  of 
one  of  their  members  that  the  proposed  "building  may  be  the  first  of  a  half 
dozen  similar  buildings,"-  the  Board  of  Aldermen  unanimously  granted 
permission  for  the  Tudor  Road  dormitory.  Probably  no  Boston  College 
facility  was  constructed  under  such  pressure.  City  approval  came  in  early 

The  first  residence  halls  constructed  by  Boston  College. 


Growth  and  Change  in  the  Fifties        251 


DORMITORY  REGULATIONS 

It  is  the  conviction  of  the  college  authorities  that  young  men  entering 
college  do  so  with  the  sincere  and  earnest  purpose  of  obtaining  all  the 
benefits  of  a  college  education. 

To  accomplish  this  purpose,  there  must  be  a  well-ordered  plan  of  work, 
a  time  for  study,  and  opportunity  for  relaxation.  Whatever  rules  and 
regulations  are  necessary  to  bring  about  this  desired  effect  are  made  with 
that  sole  purpose. 


Order  of  Time 

Class  Day 

Saturday 

7:15 

Rise 

7:45 

Rise  (optional) 

7:45 

Mass  (optional 

8:15 

Mass  (optional) 

Mon./Thurs.) 

8:00-9:00 

Breakfast 

8:25 

Breakfast 

12:00 

Lunch 

9:20 

Classes 

5:00 

Dinner 

12:00 

Lunch 

12:45 

Freshmen  and  sophomores  retire 

5:00 

Dinner 

1:15 

Upper  classmen  retire 

7:30 

Study  in  rooms 

9:00 

Intermission 

9:45 

Study  in  rooms 

Sunday 

10:30 

End  of  study 

7:45 

Rise 

11:00 

Retire 

8:15 

Mass 
Breakfast 

12:00 

Lunch 

5:00 

Dinner 

10:00 

Benediction 

11:00 

Retire 

The  responsibility  for  the  condition  of  the  dormitories  is  a  corporate  one, 
since  it  rests  with  the  individuals  residing  in  them.  Students  are  also 
responsible  for  the  condition  of  their  rooms,  and  they  can  be  held  account- 
able for  damage  done  therein. 

Hence,  no  one  may  be  invited  to  occupy  your  room,  or  the  room  of 
another  student  who  happens  to  be  absent,  without  the  explicit  permission 
of  the  prefect.  Each  student  upon  leaving  his  room  should  make  certain 
that  the  door  is  locked. 

Non-resident  students  are  not  to  enter  any  room  in  the  dormitories 
unless  accompanied  by  the  occupant  of  the  room,  and  they  must  leave 
when  occupant  of  room  leaves. 

Since  a  student's  character  is  reflected  not  only  in  himself  but  also  in  his 
environment,  all  rooms  must  be  kept  neat  and  presentable.  Frequent 
checks  will  be  made  by  the  prefects  to  promote  this  important  element  of 
dormitory  life. 

It  is  positively  forbidden  to  bring  lady  visitors,  even  mothers  and  sisters, 
into  the  dormitories. 

The  purpose  of  the  college  years  is  to  train  and  prepare  the  student  for 


252        History  of  Boston  College 


life.  The  chief  indication  that  a  college  education  is  attaining  this  is  success 
in  studies.  To  accomplish  this  result  it  is  very  necessary  that  each  one 
should  manifest  the  proper  consideration  due  his  fellow  students.  The  chief 
factor  militating  against  this  success  is  unnecessary  noise  in  whatever  shape 
or  form  it  may  take. 

Hence,  during  the  period  of  study,  students  must  avoid  all  unnecessary 
moving  about  and  remain  in  their  rooms. 

Radios  may  not  be  used  during  study  hours  from  Monday  to  Friday 
inclusive.  When  in  use  at  other  times,  the  radios  should  always  be  so 
modulated  as  not  to  disturb  one's  neighbor. 

Evidence  of  intoxication,  or  the  introduction  of  intoxicating  liquor  into 
the  college  premises,  renders  the  offending  party  liable  to  dismissal  from 
college. 

Pictures  or  books  of  questionable  character  may  not  be  displayed  or 
retained  in  private  rooms. 

Gambling  in  any  shape  or  form  is  positively  forbidden. 

Resident  students  are  generally  not  allowed  the  possession  or  control  of 
automobiles.  However  in  special  cases,  if  the  student  has  written  consent 
from  parent  or  guardian,  permission  may  be  granted. 

"Out  Permission"  is  a  permission  to  absent  oneself  from  the  college 
premises.  "Out  Permissions"  are  granted  on: 

Friday  nights  until  12:00  p.m.  for  freshmen  and  sophomores 

12:30  a.m.  for  upper  classmen 
Saturday  nights  until     12:30  a.m.  for  freshmen  and  sophomores 
1 :00  a.m.  for  upper  classmen 

On  each  Sunday  night  there  will  be  a  further  permission  for  the  members 
of  the  senior  class.  This  permission  expires  at  10:45  p.m. 

Failure  in  studies  or  infractions  of  discipline  will  incur  the  loss  of  "Out 
Permissions"  for  a  period  of  time  to  be  decided  by  the  Dean  of  Men  or  the 
prefect. 

Permission  to  visit  one's  home  on  the  weekend  may  be  granted  to  those 
in  good  standing,  provided  parents  or  guardians  have  signified  their  con- 
sent in  a  personal  letter  addressed  to  the  Dean  of  Men.  This  permission 
will  begin  after  classes  on  Friday  and  end  on  Sunday  at  9:45  p.m.  Slips  for 
weekend  permissions  are  at  the  Office  of  the  Dean  of  Men  (College  of  Arts 
and  Sciences).  These  are  filled  out  by  the  student  on  Thursday  if  he  plans 
to  spend  the  weekend  at  home. 

On  returning  from  all  "Out  Permissions,"  each  student  must  report  in 
person  to  his  prefect. 

The  dormitories  will  be  closed  during  the  major  vacations  at  Christmas 
and  Easter,  and  for  the  entire  summer. 


April,  The  Heights  printed  an  architect's  drawing  of  the  building  on  April 
22,  and  the  new  residence  halls  received  students  in  September,  with  the 
formal  dedication  and  blessing  of  the  building  occurring  on  September  27, 
1955. 

CLX,  as  the  Tudor  Road  residences  are  popularly  known,  were  indeed 
just  a  beginning  of  building  to  accommodate  students  wishing  to  live  on 


Growth  and  Change  in  the  Fifties       253 

campus.  In  November  1956  the  University  once  again  petitioned  the 
Newton  Board  of  Aldermen  for  permission  to  build  dormitories,  and  on 
February  4,  1957,  they  received  a  favorable  reply.^  Construction  went 
forward  once  more  in  haste  during  the  spring  and  summer,  and  by  opening 
of  classes  in  September  1957  two  residences,  Kostka  and  Gonzaga,  wel- 
comed a  new  group  of  residents.  The  buildings  bordered  Beacon  and 
Hammond  streets,  and  Gonzaga  was  distinguished  by  containing  a  chapel 
to  accommodate  500  students. 

Administrative  Changes 

In  1956  some  administrative  changes  were  made  in  the  College  of  Arts  and 
Sciences  that  were  significant  in  the  development  of  the  University.  Father 
William  Van  Etten  Casey  was  named  dean,  Henry  McMahon  became 
assistant  dean,  and  Weston  Jenks  was  appointed  director  of  educational 
guidance.  McMahon,  a  member  of  the  History  Department,  backed  up  a 
succession  of  deans  as  assistant  and  associate  dean  for  nearly  30  years  until 
his  death  in  1984.  Jenks'  role  grew  until  he  headed  all  counseling  services 
in  the  undergraduate  schools.  Father  Casey  had  been  a  vigorous  and 
innovative  chairman  of  the  Theology  Department  at  a  time  of  considerable 
ferment  in  Catholic  collegiate  circles  concerning  the  teaching  of  college 
theology.  Under  Father  Casey's  leadership  the  Boston  College  theology 
program  had  achieved  showcase  status  among  Cathohc  colleges.  Father 
Maxwell  now  called  upon  Father  Casey  to  give  similar  stimulating  leader- 
ship to  the  entire  college. 

Henry  J.  McMahon  ('40),  assis- 
tant and  associate  dean  of  the 
College  of  Arts  and  Sciences, 
1956-1984. 


254        History  of  Boston  College 

Father  Casey  set  about  his  task  with  dispatch.  In  the  spring  of  1957  he 
announced  a  number  of  changes  that  in  retrospect  seem  tame  but  that 
were,  in  the  context  of  the  traditions  of  the  University,  mildly  revolutionary. 
First  was  a  reallocation  of  the  philosophy  curriculum.  As  pointed  out 
earher,  the  philosophy  curriculum  had  been  for  generations  the  preoccupa- 
tion of  the  junior  and  senior  years,  a  series  of  courses  that  earned  28  credits 
(enough  in  most  colleges  for  a  respectable  major).  Starting  in  the  fall  of 
1957  the  philosophy  curriculum  was  begun  with  freshmen  and  distributed 
through  all  four  years,  with  one  3-credit  course  each  semester  plus  an  extra 
course  in  senior  year  on  the  history  of  philosophy. 

The  new  distribution  of  the  philosophy  curriculum  gave  upperclassmen 
more  leeway  in  the  pursuit  of  their  majors,  but  Father  Casey  stressed  other 
advantages:  The  four-year  distribution  of  the  philosophy  curriculum  would 
allow  for  a  more  gradual  and  thorough  assimilation  of  the  method  and 
content  of  the  subject.  Philosophy's  relation  to  other  disciplines  would  be 
perceived  throughout  the  collegiate  experience.  And,  since  philosophy  and 
theology  are  twin  pillars  of  the  Jesuit  liberal  arts  core,  they  should  be 
studied  side  by  side  through  all  four  years.'' 

Another  change  had  to  do  with  the  honors  program.  For  two  decades 
there  had  been  a  hmited  honors  program,  whose  purpose  was  to  entice 
talented  students  to  the  study  of  Greek,  once  Greek  ceased  being  a 
requirement  for  the  A.B.  degree  in  the  1930s.  Only  select  students  who 
chose  the  Greek  curriculum  could  be  members  of  the  honors  program, 
which  was  called  A.B.  Greek  Honors.  Now  that  system  was  dropped.  The 
new  honors  program  would  touch  all  parts  of  the  curriculum,  the  liberal 
arts  core,  and  especially  the  academic  field  of  concentration.  Honors 
students  were  to  be  freed  of  some  of  the  academic  lockstep  of  the  college 
experience  and  encouraged  to  pursue  independent  study  in  addition  to 
special  tutorials  set  up  for  them. 

Other  accommodations  for  gifted  students  were  announced:  early  admis- 
sion (the  admission  of  qualified  high  school  students  having  completed 
three  years)  and  sophomore  standing  (the  placement  of  outstanding  high 
school  graduates  directly  into  the  second  year  of  college).  Another  new 
program,  "Junior  Year  in  Europe,"  was  begun  one  year  earlier  to  allow 
"better  students  to  pursue  their  studies  for  a  year  in  one  of  the  great  centers 
of  Western  culture,  to  master  one  or  more  European  languages,  and  to 
achieve  that  cosmopolitan  point  of  view  that  comes  from  a  prolonged 
residence  in  Europe." 

Perhaps  the  most  revolutionary  prediction  that  Father  Casey  made  about 
the  curriculum  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  was  that  in  the  near 
future  the  Latin  requirement  for  the  A.B.  degree  would  be  dropped.^  One 
might  have  expected  an  outcry  of  protest  at  such  a  proposed  break  with 
hallowed  Jesuit  tradition.  But  hardly  a  murmur  was  heard.  Administrators 
of  Jesuit  colleges  in  the  United  States  had  been  quietly  questioning  the 
viability  of  the  Latin  requirement  for  over  a  decade.  Students  at  Jesuit 


Growth  and  Change  in  the  Fifties       255 


Weston  M.  Jenks  ('45)  began 
the  office  of  Educational 
Guidance  in  1 956.  Later  he 
was  director  of  University 
Counseling  Services  until  his 
death  in  1988. 


colleges  for  years  had  been  voting  against  the  Latin  curriculum  by  opting 
for  the  B.S.  rather  than  the  A.B.  degree.  In  1955  at  Boston  College  and 
Holy  Cross  alone  out  of  the  28  Jesuit  colleges,  slightly  more  than  30  per 
cent  of  the  students  earned  the  A.B.  degree  with  Latin;  the  national  average 
was  under  11  percent. <^  The  catalog  for  the  1958-1959  academic  year  made 
no  mention  of  Latin  as  a  requirement  for  the  A.B.  degree.  So  ended  a 
nearly  century-old  academic  tradition  at  Boston  College,  and  the  way  was 
open  for  the  sweeping  curriculum  changes  for  the  A.B.  degree  that  were  to 
follow  in  the  next  decade. 


Professional  Schools 

Boston  College's  professional  schools  established  a  pattern  of  seeking 
national  recognition  through  the  medium  of  accreditation  by  the  appropri- 
ate organizations  as  early  as  feasible.  Started  in  the  depression  and  strug- 
gling through  the  WW  II  period,  the  College  of  Business  Administration 
was  not  in  a  position  to  consider  accreditation  until  the  period  of  Father 
James  Sullivan's  deanship  (1948-1953).  The  American  Association  of 
Collegiate  Schools  of  Business  (AACSB)  set  as  one  norm  for  accreditation 


256        History  of  Boston  College 

a  faculty  of  whom  at  least  50  percent  possessed  appropriate  terminal 
degrees.  Father  Sullivan  enlisted  members  of  the  Economics  Department  to 
help  CBA  meet  that  standard.  When  Father  Joyce  was  named  to  succeed 
Father  Sullivan  in  1953,  he  retained  the  chairmanship  of  the  Economics 
Department,  thereby  facihtating  cooperation  between  the  two  units. 

The  administration  of  CBA  contacted  the  business  schools  at  three  Jesuit 
universities  having  recent  accreditation  experience  for  guidance:  Loyola 
University  in  New  Orleans,  the  University  of  Detroit,  and  Creighton 
University  in  Omaha.'  In  the  spring  of  1955  Father  Joyce  engaged  a 
consultant  from  the  Fiarvard  Business  School  to  examine  the  School  of 
Business  Administration  and  advise  about  its  readiness  for  an  accreditation 
visit.  After  some  adjustments  to  meet  the  consultant's  advice,  application 
was  made  for  accreditation  by  AACSB.  At  this  time,  in  the  fall  of  1955, 
Donald  White  of  the  Economics  Department  was  named  associate  dean  for 
the  internal  administration  of  the  school  because  of  the  heavy  external 
commitments  of  Father  Joyce.  And  it  was  Dean  White  who  wired  the  happy 
news  from  the  annual  AACSB  meeting  at  Berkeley,  California,  that  CBA 
had  been  admitted  to  full  membership  rather  than  associate  membership  in 
the  association.  Only  one  other  college  in  the  previous  ten  years  had 
received  full  membership  on  initial  application.^ 

After  the  visit  of  the  AACSB  evaluation  team.  Father  Joyce  wrote  to 
Father  Maxwell  with  some  surprise — and  even  a  little  skepticism — that  the 
chairman  of  the  visiting  team  had  commented  that  the  College  of  Business 
Administration  was  already  capable  of  offering  an  MBA  program.'  In  1956 
Dr.  Vincent  Wright,  a  former  member  of  the  Economics  Department  then 
associated  with  Northeastern  University's  Evening  College  of  Business,  was 
named  by  Father  Maxwell  as  dean  of  the  Evening  College  of  Business 
Administration  on  campus,  with  authority  to  begin  a  part-time  graduate 
program  in  business  administration.  The  graduate  program  was  launched 
in  the  fall  of  1957  with  a  student  enrollment  of  150.'"^ 

Intown  College  to  the  Heights 

By  the  mid-fifties  there  was  thought  of  providing  a  building  for  the  Nursing 
School  on  campus."  With  the  Nursing  School  would  go  the  library  from 
126  Newbury  Street,  along  with  its  capable  librarian,  Mary  Pekarski. 
Hence  there  was  concern  in  the  Intown  College  about  being  isolated  at 
Newbury  Street.  Father  Maxwell's  discussion  with  Vincent  Wright  at  the 
time  of  his  appointment  revealed  that  the  establishment  of  an  Evening 
College  of  Business  Administration  on  campus  was  a  deliberate  test  to  see 
if  evening  students  would  come  to  the  Heights.  It  was  feared  that  a  move  of 
the  evening  operation  to  Chestnut  Hill  might  result  in  a  drastic  drop  in 
enrollment.'-  But  the  administration's  fears  were  unfounded,  because  in  its 
first  semester  of  operation  the  newly  established  campus  Evening  College 
of  Business  Administration  drew  a  hundred  students."  This  response  paved 


Growth  and  Change  in  the  Fifties        257 

the  way  for  the  move  of  the  Intown  College  to  Chestnut  Hill  a  few  years 
later. 

During  the  fifties  the  Intown  College  prospered,  reaching  an  enrollment 
of  over  a  thousand.  It  should  be  noted  that  from  its  earliest  years  of  degree- 
granting,  the  Intown  College — or  Evening  College — was  not  merely  a 
purveyor  of  eclectic  or  unrelated  practical  or  vocational  courses  for  work- 
ing people.  Rather  it  was  a  college  offering  at  an  alternative  time  (evening) 
basically  the  same  collegiate  programs  that  the  University  offered  during 
the  day  in  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  and  the  College  of  Business 
Administration.  The  catalogs  of  the  1950s,  for  example,  reveal  that  the 
same  Latin  requirements  for  the  A.B.  degree  that  existed — and  were 
debated — in  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  at  the  Heights  obtained 
likewise  for  the  Intown  College.  True,  a  minority  of  Intown  students  opted 
for  the  A.B.  degree  because  of  the  rigid  classical  language  requirement,  but 
that  was  also  becoming  true  of  the  campus  College  at  the  time. 

A  New  Home  for  the  School  of  Education 

As  it  prepared  for  its  opening  in  September  1952,  the  School  of  Education 
was  given  remarkable  latitude  by  the  administration  in  selecting  a  faculty. 
All  of  the  faculty,  liberal  arts  teachers  as  well  as  professional  faculty 
members,  were  chosen  by  the  School  of  Education,  and  for  the  first  five 
years  they  functioned  as  a  unit.  Thus  faculty  meetings,  even  dealing  with 
professional  education  requirements,  were  attended  by  professors  of  En- 
glish, philosophy,  and  physics  as  well  as  teachers  of  education  subjects.  The 
purpose  from  the  first  was  to  integrate  the  professional  aspects  of  the 
school  with  the  liberal  arts  tradition  of  Boston  College.  Indeed,  several  of 
the  liberal  arts  disciplines — namely,  music,  fine  arts,  and  speech — which 
later  blossomed  in  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  got  their  foothold  at 
Boston  College  in  the  School  of  Education.  In  the  early  years.  School  of 
Education  students  were  sometimes  teased  by  Arts  and  Sciences  students 
for  being  associated  with  a  "vocational"  college,  but  they  were  urged  by 
the  School  of  Education  administration  to  retort  proudly  that  they  attended 
a  liberal  arts  college  with  a  purpose. 

As  has  been  noted  earlier,  the  School  of  Education  was  favored  by  its 
initial  location  in  the  flagship  of  the  campus,  Gasson  Hall.  The  dean's  office 
was  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  first  floor  on  the  College  Road  side  of 
the  building.  The  original  library  and  current  honors  program  room  was 
given  to  the  School  of  Education,  separated  into  four  or  five  rooms  for 
offices  and  faculty  gatherings. 

During  the  1950s  and  until  the  opening  of  Carney  Hall  in  1962,  nothing 
was  in  shorter  supply  at  the  University  than  adequate  faculty  office  space. 
In  earher  days  the  mostly  Jesuit  faculty  had  their  rooms  in  St.  Mary's  Hall 
for  study  and  a  series  of  parlors  on  the  first  floor  of  St.  Mary's  for 
consultation  with  students.  The  sudden  growth  of  the  lay  faculty  resulted 


258        History  of  Boston  College 

in  makeshift  office  accommodations  for  most — a  desk  in  a  converted 
classroom  with  a  dozen  other  teachers,  or  a  cubbyhole  at  the  end  of  a 
corridor  with  a  temporary  partition  closing  off  corridor  traffic  (but  not 
noise).  The  School  of  Education  faculty,  which  was  growing  not  only 
because  of  the  need  to  staff  the  infant  school  but  also  because  of  the  new 
doctoral  program,  shared  some  of  the  end-of-corridor  offices  in  Gasson. 
Such  four-person  offices  undoubtedly  inhibited  scholarly  reflection,  but 
surely  promoted  togetherness. 

But  it  was  not  the  inadequacy  of  faculty  office  space  or  any  other 
academic  exigency  that  determined  from  the  day  of  its  opening  that  the 
School  of  Education  must  have  a  new  building.  The  reason  was  mundane 
but  compelling:  plumbing.  The  existing  buildings  on  campus  had  been 
built  with  an  all-male  student  body  in  mind  and  typically  each  provided 
one  large  lavatory  in  the  basement.  With  a  hundred  coeds  in  the  freshman 
class,  it  was  clear  that  soon  as  many  as  500  female  students  would  grace 
the  School  of  Education's  facilities.  Before  classes  began  in  September 
1952,  Father  Maxwell  was  wielding  his  architect's  ruler  on  a  proposed 
building  for  the  latest  (and  last)  undergraduate  unit  of  the  University.  When 
colleagues  in  teacher  education  throughout  New  England  learned  that 
Boston  College  was  immediately  planning  a  new  building  for  its  new 
school,  they  congratulated  School  of  Education  personnel  on  having  an 
administration  that  gave  such  high  priority  to  professional  education.  The 
expressions  of  admiration  were  duly  accepted,  and  no  mention  made  of 
plumbing. 


The  School  of  Education's  Campion  Hall. 


Growth  and  Change  in  the  Fifties       259 

The  architect  for  both  the  Law  School  and  the  School  of  Education 
buildings  was  once  again  the  firm  of  Maginnis  and  Walsh.  Obviously 
Father  Maxwell  told  them  to  proceed  with  plans  for  both  buildings  almost 
as  soon  as  the  School  of  Education  opened  its  doors,  because  in  May  of 
1953  Charles  Maginnis  sent  Father  Maxwell  contracts  for  the  Law  School 
building  and  the  School  of  Education.  Father  Maxwell  replied  that  he  could 
not  sign  the  School  of  Education  contract  because  "we  have  not  as  yet 
submitted  to  Rome  any  plans  for  the  School  of  Education."'"  But  without 
much  delay  permission  was  obtained,  and  nine  days  after  More  Hall  was 
dedicated,  ground  was  broken  for  Campion  Hall  on  October  7,  1954. 

Campion  Hall  was  planned  as  one  of  the  least  costly  buildings  provided 
by  Maginnis  and  Walsh.  The  others,  even  relatively  scrimped  Fulton  Hall, 
were  done  in  stone,  whereas  Campion  was  to  use  a  combination  of  stone 
and  brick.  Even  as  the  building  developed  in  June  of  1954,  Father  Maxwell 
gave  the  architect  orders  to  cut  back  further  on  the  stone."  The  brick  in 
color  and  style  reflected  the  nearby  service  building  and  was  to  be  matched 
a  few  years  later  in  Roberts  Center.  But  the  stone-brick  combination  of 
Campion  Hall  was  not  repeated  elsewhere  on  the  middle  campus  (in 
McElroy,  Carney,  Cushing,  McGuinn,  Higgins,  or  O'Neill). 

Campion  Hall  was  ready  for  the  opening  of  classes  in  September  1955, 
so  that  the  first  class  in  the  School  of  Education  spent  their  senior  year  in 
the  new  building.  A  dedication  ceremony  was  held  on  September  22  with 
Archbishop  Richard  Cushing  presiding. 

The  School  of  Nursing 

The  decade  of  the  fifties  brought  some  important  changes  to  the  School  of 
Nursing.  The  regent  at  the  time.  Father  James  Geary,  asked  Father  Edward 
Gorman  of  the  Philosophy  Department  to  handle  the  philosophy  course  in 
the  School  of  Nursing  and  act  as  counselor  for  students.  The  19-year 
association  of  Father  Gorman  with  the  School  of  Nursing  proved  to  be  a 
significant  formative  influence  for  the  nursing  students  and  faculty  of  that 
time.  His  name  is  still  venerated  in  Cushing  Hall. 

In  1954  the  office  of  regent  was  abolished  and  Dean  Rita  Kelleher  gained 
direct  access  to  the  president.  The  original  academic  curriculum  for  basic 
(non-R.N.)  students  when  the  school  opened  called  for  a  five-year  program. 
This  was  eventually  rearranged  into  a  standard  four-year  program. 

The  School  of  Education  joined  the  School  of  Nursing  in  starting  a 
program  leading  to  a  master  of  education  degree  with  majors  in  the  clinical 
areas  of  medical  and  surgical  nursing,  maternal  and  child  nursing,  psychi- 
atric nursing  and  community  health  nursing.  By  1958  the  School  of 
Nursing  had  sufficient  faculty  with  the  necessary  academic  background  to 
consider  establishing  its  own  program  in  the  Graduate  School  of  Arts  and 
Sciences.  Father  Maxwell  gave  his  approval,  and  a  program  leading  to  a 


260        History  of  Boston  College 

master  of  science  degree  with  a  graduate  department  in  the  School  of 
Nursing  was  begun.  Marie  Andrews  was  the  first  head  of  this  program. 

The  Student  Mood 

Some  hints  as  to  the  student  mood  and  intellectual  style  of  the  1950s  may 
be  gleaned  from  the  student  paper,  The  Heights.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  as  early  as  1957  The  Heights  reprinted  an  article  from  a  national 
Catholic  magazine  praising  Martin  Luther  King.""  In  the  same  issue  the 
paper  carried  an  article  that  addressed  the  integration  of  the  races  as  a 
national,  not  only  a  southern,  issue:  "Integration  Our  Problem — North 
and  South." 

While  evincing  social  enhghtenment  for  a  national  problem,  students 
also  showed  some  concern  about  campus  issues.  In  May  of  1957  the 
student  paper  complained  that  the  recently  announced  tuition  increase  of 
$100,  which  brought  the  following  year's  tuition  to  $700,  had  been 
implemented  without  a  letter  to  parents  on  the  subject  such  as  had  been 
sent  two  years  earlier  for  a  similar  increase.  Nevertheless  the  paper  editori- 
alized that  the  University  should  plan  to  raise  tuition  to  $1000  by  the  year 
1962  in  order  to  provide  higher  salaries  for  the  faculty.'^  The  editorialist 
was  a  prophet.  Five  years  later  the  tuition  was,  in  fact,  $1000. 

A  quarter  of  a  century  before  O'Neill  Library  opened,  there  were  student 
complaints  about  the  shortcomings  of  Bapst.  In  October  1957  a  Heights 
editorial,  alleging  that  Bapst  Library  was  uncomfortable  and  lacked  an 
adequate  book  collection,  called  for  the  erection  of  a  new  library.'^  During 
the  following  months  The  Heights  carried  a  series  of  student  interviews 
about  Bapst.  Student  opinion  ran  seven  to  one  against  the  library,  com- 
plaining mostly  about  the  number  of  books  reported  as  "NA"  (not 
available)  and  about  the  amount  of  sociaHzing  occurring  in  the  library." 

Father  Casey  might  have  been  spearheading  an  academic  revolution  in 
the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  but  the  students  were  not  revolutionists. 
In  1956  a  Heights  editorial  took  a  stand  against  unhmited  "cuts."  In  those 
days,  class  attendance  was  obligatory  and  the  editorial  writer  believed  there 
should  be  no  change  unless,  perhaps,  some  greater  liberty  might  be  allowed 
for  students  in  elective  courses  or  for  honors  students.^"  This  expression  of 
opinion  was  not  followed  by  a  flood  of  indignant  letters  to  the  editor 
calling  for  the  abolition  of  required  class  attendance.  The  following  decade, 
however,  would  bring  radical  contrasts  both  in  college  regulations  and  in 
student  mood. 


Father  Maxwell  was  a  poet,  a  bookish  man  with  little  interest  in  sports 
of  any  kind.  Given  his  personal  leanings,  it  was  natural  that  he  enthusiasti- 
cally backed  the  introduction  of  doctoral  programs  in  the  Graduate  School 
of  Arts  and  Sciences  and  arranged  for  the  start  of  a  graduate  program  in 


Growth  and  Change  in  the  Fifties       261 

business  administration.  But  it  came  as  something  of  a  surprise  to  many  in 
the  University  community  that  before  the  end  of  his  term  in  office  he  was 
seen  as  a  champion  of  Boston  College  athletics. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  BCA. 

2.  News-Tribune  (April  5,  1955).  BCA. 

3.  Ernest  G.  Angevine  to  Father  Fleming.  BCA. 

4.  Alumni  News  (Summer  1957). 

5.  Ibid. 

6.  For  an  account  of  the  decline  and  fall  of  the  Latin  requirement  for  the  A.B. 
degree  see  Charles  F.  Donovan,  "Boston  College's  Classical  Curriculum,"  Occa- 
sional Papers  in  the  History  of  Boston  College.  BCA. 

7.  Raymond  F.  Keyes,  History  of  the  College  of  Business  Administration  and  School 
of  Management,  1938-1978,  p.  30.  BCA. 

8.  Ibtd.,  p.  32. 

9.  Father  Joyce  to  Father  Maxwell,  December  28,  1955.  BCA. 

10.  Keyes,  op.  cit.,  p.  56. 

11.  Memo  of  M.  A.  Dyer  Company,  August  28,  1956.  BCA. 

12.  Keyes,  History,  p.  55. 

13.  Ibtd. 

14.  Father  Maxwell  to  Charles  Maginnis,  May  25,  1953.  BCA. 

15.  Father  Maxwell  to  Eugene  Kennedy,  Jr.,  June  14,  1954.  BCA. 

16.  The  Heights  (January  11,  1957). 

17.  The  Heights  (May  3,  1957). 

18.  The  Heights  (October  18,  1957). 

19.  The  Heights  (November  22,  1957). 

20.  The  Heights  (November  9,  1956). 


CHAPTER 


26 


Postwar  Athletics 


At  a  press  conference  at  Alumni  Hall  on  March  26,  1957,  Father  Maxwell 
had  good  news  for  faithful  alumni  who  had  begun  to  think  that  they  were 
about  to  witness  the  end  of  an  era: 

In  connection  with  the  return  of  our  football  games  to  our  campus  and  the 
efforts  of  our  alumni  to  raise  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars  for  the  renovation 
of  our  stadium,  I  feel  that  it  is  not  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  we  are  on  the 
threshold  of  a  new  era  for  Boston  College  athletics.^ 

According  to  rumors  following  the  1956  football  season,  many  alumni  had 
feared  that  Boston  College  might  imitate  the  drastic  decisions  taken  by 
Georgetown  and  Fordham,  long-time  football  powers  in  the  East,  to  drop 
football.'  Quite  the  opposite.  Not  only  would  there  be  a  new  stadium, 
located  on  the  lower  campus  adjacent  to  the  reservoir  parking  area,  but  the 
master  plan  included  a  gymnasium  and  an  ice  hockey  rink.  This  bold  and 
imaginative  program  completely  reversed  a  brief  period  of  indecision. 

A  Home  for  the  Football  Team 

Father  Maxwell's  announcement  recalled  several  pages  of  sports  history  at 
Boston  College.  The  first  stadium  erected  at  the  Heights  in  1915  was  called 
"New  Alumni  Field."  Seating  5000  spectators,  the  stands — on  one  side 

262 


Postwar  Athletics        263 

only — ran  along  College  Road,  and  the  playing  field  occupied  what  was 
once  referred  to  as  the  "dust  bowl"  and  later  called  the  "college  green. "^  It 
was  dedicated  at  mid-season  in  a  game  with  arch  rival  Holy  Cross,  which 
the  Crusaders  won  9-0."  Built  on  the  same  site,  the  second  stadium  was 
dedicated  in  1932  during  a  game  with  Loyola  College,  Baltimore,  wherein 
the  Eagles  were  the  victors  14-0.  This  stadium,  which  pre-empted  some  of 
the  prime  property  on  the  campus,  was  never  envisioned — even  by  those 
who  built  it — as  a  permanent  home  for  the  football  team.  It  was,  in  reality, 
an  expansion  of  the  first  stadium,  seating  22,000.  Its  location,  destined  for 
academic  construction,  was  far  from  ideal,  and  the  parking  facilities  were 
totally  inadequate  even  for  those  days.  It  was  used  for  home  games  only 
from  1932  to  1936;  from  1937  through  1939  the  football  games  were 
played  at  Fenway  Park  as  often  as  at  Alumni  Stadium.  Coach  Frank  Leahy, 
who  was  at  the  Heights  for  only  two  seasons  (1939-1940),  was  in  favor  of 
moving  the  games  permanently  to  Fenway  Park.  After  World  War  II,  from 
1946  through  1952,  games  were  played  at  Braves  Field.  The  Eagles  returned 
to  Fenway  Park  in  1953  for  their  home  games  through  the  1956  season. 

After  the  1956  season,  the  owners  of  Fenway  Park  served  notice  that  the 
Eagles'  cleats  would  no  longer  be  allowed  to  chew  up  the  Red  Sox  infield. 
In  fact,  built  for  the  smaller  baseball  gate,  Fenway  Park  was  judged  too 
small  for  big-time  football,  and  thought  was  being  given  to  the  installation 
of  additional  seats  for  the  football  season  when  the  owners  made  their 
decision.^ 

This  was  the  situation  and  the  dilemma  faced  by  Father  Maxwell.  The 
one  who  must  make  a  financial  decision  which  affects  the  future  of  the 
institution  and  its  academic  programs  cannot  be  too  sentimental  about 
past  athletic  glories.  Moreover,  at  this  time  Boston  College  was  also 
embarking  on  a  program  of  construction  of  residential  facilities  to  attract 
students  from  a  larger  geographical  pool.  It  was  in  this  context  that  both 
alumni  and  sports  writers  began  to  speculate  on  the  dreadful  possibility 
that  Boston  College  would  discontinue  football.  It  did  not  help  to  recall  the 
recent  7-0  loss  to  Holy  Cross.  In  fact,  as  oral  history  has  it,  the  discussion 
was  short  and  to  the  point.  "We  could  drop  football,"  said  Father  Maxwell 
to  Bill  Flynn,  alumni  secretary  and  line  coach.  "Or  we  could  build  a 
stadium,"  replied  Flynn.*  Responding  to  alumni  pressure  and  persuasively 
backed  by  alumni  generosity,  on  January  23,  1957,  Father  Maxwell  an- 
nounced a  $250,000  Alumni  Stadium  Fund  drive  to  be  organized  by  alumni 
secretary,  varsity  line  coach,  and  soon-to-be  athletic  director  Flynn  and  to 
be  chaired  by  1926  captain  and  former  coach  Joe  McKenney.^ 

In  the  meantime,  the  existing  stadium  on  campus  had  been  dismantled, 
leaving  only  a  few  stands  (reminiscent  of  the  1915  stadium)  along  College 
Road.'  The  relocation  of  the  stadium  was  largely  an  intramural  operation. 
With  alumni  and  student  volunteers  supplementing  the  professional  super- 
vision and  assistance  of  an  outside  crew,  it  was  literally  transported  from 
the  upper  campus  to  the  new  site  on  the  Beacon  Street  end  of  the  small 


264        History  of  Boston  College 

reservoir  acquired  in  1949.  The  move  included  the  curved  end  zone  and 
lower  stands  on  the  west  side,  as  well  as  the  flat  end  zone  stands.  To  these 
were  added  6,000  on  the  east  side,  making  a  total  of  25,000  seats. 

An  Expanded  Stadium  Plan 

The  response  of  alumni — ^including  subway  alumni — was  so  enthusiastic 
and  generous  that  the  stadium  plan  was  expanded  to  include  a  gymnasium 
with  a  basketball  court,  connected  to  a  large  lobby  which  would  provide 
for  student  and  faculty  lounges,  offices  for  student  publications,  ROTC, 
and  athletic  offices.  This  part,  in  turn,  would  be  connected  to  a  third  unit 
which  would  contain  a  regulation-size  hockey  rink  with  facilities  to  accom- 
modate 2000  spectators.  This  three-unit  building  was  eventually  aban- 
doned in  favor  of  the  original  gymnasium,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  4000 
and  a  separate  hockey  rink  with  a  seating  capacity  of  6000. 

Completed  in  September  1957,  the  stadium  was  called  "an  epic  in 
community  teamwork."  It  will  always  remain  a  silent  memorial  to  the 
indefatigable  labors  of  generous  workers,  including  Joseph  McKenney 
(stadium  chairman),  John  Griffin  (alumni  president),  Daniel  DriscoU  (chair- 
man of  the  alumni  fund).  Dr.  Christopher  Duncan,  John  Curley  (manager 
of  athletics),  Father  George  Kerr  (all- American  guard),  and  a  host  of  others. 
Many  colleges  in  the  area  contributed  to  the  fund,  as  did  the  Boston  clubs 
of  other  Jesuit  institutions. 

The  new  Alumni  Stadium  was  dedicated  on  September  21,  1957,  during 
a  game  with  Navy.  The  handsome  brochure  of  105  pages  commemorating 
the  event  contained  letters  of  congratulations  from,  first  of  all.  President 
Dwight  Eisenhower  and  from  local  and  national  personalities,  and  it  also 
recognized  the  contribution  of  those  who  made  the  dream  possible.'  Alas, 
the  fortunes  of  war  do  not  always  reward  the  brave:  Boston  College  bowed 
to  Navy  46-6. 

The  gymnasium,  built  at  a  cost  of  $1,235,400,  was  located  as  originally 
planned  in  a  triangular  area  along  Beacon  Street  and  the  inner  reservoir 
road.  To  inaugurate  the  project.  Archbishop  Gushing  turned  the  first  sod 
on  May  3,  1957.'°  Named  after  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vincent  P.  Roberts,  out- 
standing benefactors  of  the  University,  the  gymnasium  was  dedicated  on 
October  3,  1958,  in  an  elaborate  ceremony  which  featured  Arthur  Fiedler 
and  55  members  of  the  Boston  Pops  Orchestra.  With  officers  and  directors 
of  the  Boston  College  Alumni  Association  on  hand,  there  were  short 
speeches  by  Dr.  Edmund  Flaherty,  chairman,  Dr.  Christopher  Duncan, 
alumni  president,  and  Father  Michael  Walsh,  president. 

The  New  Ice  Hockey  Rink 

The  new  hockey  rink,  initially  referred  to  as  the  Auditorium  Arena,  was 
built  parallel  to  the  west  stands  of  the  stadium  and  completed  the  sports 
complex  on  the  lower  campus."  In  drawing  up  plans  for  this  facility,  which 


Postwar  Athletics        265 


McHugh  Forum,  the  ice  hockey  rink  completed  in  1 958,  alongside  Alumni 
Stadium,  opened  a  year  earlier. 


was  a  new  venture  for  Boston  College,  Father  Maxwell,  Bill  Flynn,  and 
other  interested  people  visited  several  Newf'England  colleges  that  had 
recently  constructed  ice  hockey  rinks.  These  on-site  visits  were  extremely 
helpful.  The  authorities  of  Boston  College  learned  what  to  exclude  and 
what  to  include;  they  also  discovered  the  economic  advantages  to  a  college 
with  a  major  collegiate  hockey  team. 

Built  at  a  cost  of  $800,000,  the  rink  had  a  floor  space  of  195  by  85  feet 
(the  exact  dimension  of  that  at  Boston  Garden),  with  ten  miles  of  pipe 
attached  to  two  large  Prick  refrigeration  units.  While  it  was  always  primar- 
ily an  athletic  facility,  with  dressing  rooms  for  visiting  teams,  it  could  be 
easily  converted  into  an  auditorium  for  commencement  exercises  and  other 
large  gatherings.  It  was  dedicated  on  November  14,  1958,  to  the  memory 
of  Father  Patrick  J.  McHugh,  S.J.,  for  13  years  the  popular  and  respected 
dean  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  In  the  evening,  a  capacity  crowd 
was  on  hand  to  witness  the  ice  show,  headed  by  world  champions  Carol 
Heiss  and  Alan  Hayes  Jenkins.  After  the  featured  performance,  the  rink 
was  opened  for  general  public  skating.'^ 

As  Bill  Flynn  observed  in  an  interview,  "This  is  all  rather  amazing  when 
you  consider  that  in  little  more  than  a  year  we  have  moved  our  varsity 
sports  activities  back  to  the  campus  and  provided  improved  and  expanded 
facihties  for  our  intramural  sports  program.""  The  old  "temporary" 
wooden  gym  was  torn  down,  intramurals  took  over  the  former  Alumni 
Field  on  the  upper  campus,  and  the  baseball  diamond  was,  in  time,  moved 
to  the  large  area  known  as  Commander  Shea  Field  on  the  Cleveland  Circle 


266        History  of  Boston  College 

side  of  the  reservoir.  These  facihties,  plus  new  student  residences,  strained 
the  University's  finances.  In  a  jocular  mood,  at  the  Annual  Laetare  Sunday 
Breakfast  in  March  1957,  Father  Maxwell  suggested  a  new  organization 
which  might  be  called,  "Get  Maxie  off  the  Hook  Club."''' 


Watching  over  this  athletic  enterprise  was  the  imperious  eagle.  Chosen  as 
the  Boston  College  mascot  in  the  early  twenties,  a  live  Texas  eagle  lived  out 
its  natural  life  in  a  large  cage  near  the  Science  Building.  In  more  recent 
years,  however,  a  gold-leafed  bronze  eagle,  four  feet  high,  with  six  foot 
wings,  has  perched  atop  a  30-foot  granite  pedestal  in  front  of  the  Casson 
Tower."  This  eagle,  cast  in  Japan,  adorned  U.S.  Ambassador  Lars  Anderson's 
residence  in  Tokyo.  It  was  brought  to  the  United  States  at  the  turn  of  the 
century  and  rested  for  many  years  on  the  Anderson  estate  in  Brookline.  In 
October  1954,  with  Father  Thomas  M.  Herlihy,  pastor  of  St.  Ignatius  Church, 
acting  as  an  intermediary,  it  was  donated  to  Boston  College  and  placed  on 
a  base  in  front  of  Alumni  HalL^"^  Two  years  later,  the  eagle  was  moved  to  its 
present  location  on  the  granite  column,  which  once  stood  in  front  of  the 
South  Station  in  Dewey  Square." 


Leaders  of  the  Program 

The  successful  execution  and  completion  of  this  ambitious  athletics  pro- 
gram depended,  of  course,  on  people.  In  his  statement  to  the  press  on 
March  26,  1957,  Father  Maxwell  announced  the  newly  created  position  of 
director  of  athletic  facilities,  which  would  be  filled  by  John  P.  Curley. 
Replacing  Curley,  William  J.  Flynn  would  become  director  of  varsity  and 
intramural  sports.  These  two  men  were  most  responsible  for  implementing 
the  design  for  a  new  era  in  athletics.  "Gentleman  John"  Curley,  who 
provided  a  bridge  linking  the  past  with  the  future,  had  graduated  from 
Boston  College  in  1913.  After  returning  to  the  Heights  in  1929  as  graduate 
manager  of  athletics,  he  had  impressed  his  stamp  for  28  years  upon  the 
Athletic  Department  while  earning  the  respect  of  his  peers  across  the 
country.  As  Father  Maxwell  said,  he  had  found  the  man  who  from  the  point 
of  view  of  experience  and  ability  "is  best  suited  to  direct  these  consohdated 
facilities." 

A  schoolboy  star  at  English  High  School  and  a  1939  graduate  of  Boston 
College,  Bill  Flynn  was  captain  of  the  football  team  in  his  senior  year. 
Returning  to  the  Heights  in  1948,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Mathematics 
Department  and  an  assistant  coach;  five  years  later  he  was  appointed 
alumni  secretary.  Partly  by  reason  of  his  long  tenure  as  director  of  athletics, 
but  mostly  because  of  his  talents  and  personahty,  Flynn  enjoys  a  national 
reputation  in  athletic  circles,  and  he  has  served  two  terms  as  president  of 
the  NCAA.  Boston  College  acknowledged  his  contribution  to  alma  mater 
by  naming  the  enclosed  athletic  facility  the  William  J.  Flynn  Student 
Recreation  Complex. 


Postwar  Athletics        267 

The  faculty  moderator  of  athletics,  traditionally  a  Jesuit,  has  an  impor- 
tant role  to  play.  Father  Joseph  L.  Shea  ('40),  who  had  succeeded  the 
legendary  Maurice  V.  DuUea,  S.J.,  in  1957,  held  this  position  during  these 
years  of  expansion.  He  was  also  dean  of  men.  As  moderator  he  was,  in 
effect,  the  Jesuit  advisor  to  the  president  and  the  president's  liaison  with 
the  graduate  manager  and  the  coaches.  Father  Shea,  in  a  job  which  he 
enjoyed,  had  the  confidence  of  the  Athletic  Department,  which  was  reluc- 
tant to  see  him  depart  in  1962  for  his  new  post  as  rector  of  Boston  College 
High  School.  He  returned  to  the  campus  in  1977,  where  he  served  once 
again  as  the  University  representative  to  the  Athletic  Department  until  his 
death  in  December  1987. 

Boston  College  has  been  fortunate  in  attracting  the  loyal  services  of  men 
and  women  who  have  exercised  a  positive  influence  over  their  colleagues 
and  students.  Such  a  man,  for  example,  was  track  coach  Jack  Ryder.  Not 
only  did  he  develop  some  of  the  finest  track  stars  in  the  East  (the  relay  was 
his  special  event),  but  he  directed  their  competitive  instincts  toward  life's 
goals.  In  dark  tie  and  business  suit,  always  pictured  with  a  stop  watch  in 
his  hand,  John  A.  Ryder  came  to  Boston  College  in  1919.  For  33  years  he 
enjoyed  the  confidence  of  students,  faculty,  and  administration.  With  a 
trackman's  explanation,  "The  legs  won't  take  it  any  more,"  he  became 
coach  emeritus  on  September  16,  1952.  On  the  occasion  of  his  retirement 
at  age  76,  a  large  testimonial  Communion  breakfast  was  held  in  Lyons 
Hall;  he  died  the  following  year.  He  was  later  honored  by  a  bronze  plaque 

John  "Snooks"  Kelley,  besides  being  Boston  College's  legendary  hockey 
coach,  actively  promoted  athletics  for  inner  city  youth. 


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268        History  of  Boston  College 

presented  to  Boston  College  by  the  Jack  Ryder  Track  Club  on  Alumni  Day, 
June  4,  1955,  before  1000  alumni,  family,  and  friends. '^  The  plaque  says  it 
all:  "Moulder  of  men  and  maker  of  champions." 

There  is  another  who  must  be  mentioned.  Anyone  who  has  ever  walked 
along  Linden  Lane,  attended  class  in  Gasson  Hall,  or  watched  a  football 
game  knows  the  legendary  name  of  Joseph  McKenney  of  the  class  of  1927. 
An  outstanding  quarterback  during  his  collegiate  years,  he  was  appointed 
head  coach  the  year  after  graduation.  His  teams  won  national  acclaim 
through  1934.  Joe  McKenney  has  been  the  recipient  of  many  honors  from 
his  alma  mater.  Former  president  of  the  Alumni  Association,  he  received 
the  McKenney  Award  and  most  recently  the  Bicentennial  Rale  Medallion; 
he  was  awarded  an  honorary  doctor  of  education  degree  in  1983.  As  we 
have  seen,  he  was  a  good  choice  for  chairman  of  the  Alumni  Stadium  drive. 
But  his  real  distinction  has  been  in  his  strength  of  character  and  his 
unwavering  commitment  to  the  Jesuit  enterprise  at  University  Heights. 


With  the  completion  of  these  new  facilities,  the  administration  at  Boston 
College  renewed  its  commitment  to  an  expanded  intercollegiate  program 
and,  in  fact,  inaugurated  a  new  era.  This  program  brought  Boston  College, 
alone  among  Jesuit  colleges  in  the  United  States,  to  the  forefront  of  national 
competition  in  all  major  sports. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  BCA. 

2.  Georgetown  University  dropped  football  in  1951.  See  Hunter  Guthrie,  S.J.,  "No 
More  Football  for  Us!"  Saturday  Evening  Post  (October  13,  1951).  Fordham 
dropped  football  in  1954.  In  both  cases  financial  deficits  were  the  controlling 
factor. 

3.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  erase  labels  attached  by  students.  In  the  construction  of 
Carney  and  McGuinn  Halls,  the  heavy  equipment  chewed  up  the  sod  of  old 
Alumni  Field.  It  was  an  eyesore  for  years  and  was  dubbed  the  "dust  bowl"  by  a 
generation  of  students.  As  a  college  green,  it  is  now  a  gathering  place  for 
students  and  is  used  for  their  outdoor  activities. 

4.  Boston  Sunday  Globe  (May  26,  1957). 

5.  In  a  memo  dated  June  30,  1955,  John  P.  Curley,  Graduate  Manager  of  Athletics, 
informed  Father  Maxwell  that  Boston  College  would  contribute  $6000  for  the 
erection  of  3000  sideline  seats  at  Fenway  Park.  BCA. 

6.  Jack  Falla,  'Til  The  Echoes  Ring  Again:  A  Pictorial  History  of  Boston  College 
Sports  (Brattleboro,  Vt.:  Stephen  Greene  Press),  p.  28. 

7.  Ibid. 

8.  These  stands  were  used  for  commencement  and  other  outdoor  functions  through 
1957. 

9.  This  collector's  item,  preserved  in  the  archives,  is  a  valuable  source  of  informa- 
tion for  this  entire  enterprise. 

10.  For  additional  information,  see  Alumni  News  (Spring  1957),  p.  2. 

11.  See  the  interesting  article,  with  photographs.  Alumni  News  (Winter  1959),  pp. 
18-20. 


Postwar  Athletics       269 


12.  The  Heights  (November  21,  1958). 

13.  Alumni  News  {Summer  1957),  p.  5. 

14.  Boston  Globe  (April  1,  1957). 

15.  Boston  Herald  (December  19,  1958). 

16.  The  Heights  (October  22,  1954),  p.  8. 

17.  Ibid.  (October  19,  1962). 

18.  Alumni  News  (Summer  1955),  p.  22;  also  Boston  Sunday  Post  (June  5,  1955). 


CHAPTER 


27 


Approaching  the  Centenary 


Since  Father  Maxwell  had  continued  as  president  for  several  months  beyond 
the  usual  six-year  term  for  Jesuit  rectors,  it  was  rumored  that  he  might 
remain  in  office  for  the  foreseeable  future.  An  extension  of  his  administra- 
tion was  made  plausible  by  reason  of  a  policy  decision  in  Rome,  where  it 
was  decided  that  in  large  institutions  such  as  Boston  College,  Fordham, 
and  Georgetown,  a  superior  of  the  Jesuit  Community  should  be  appointed 
to  ease  the  burden  of  the  rector.  The  first  to  fill  this  office  had  been  Father 
Urban  W.  Manning,  who  arrived  at  St.  Mary's  Hall  in  February  1954.  Due 
to  illness,  he  was  replaced  within  two  years  by  Father  Robert  A.  Hewitt,  a 
former  rector  of  Weston  College,  who  was  appointed  superior  of  the  Jesuit 
Community  on  May  13,  1956. 

Putting  an  end  to  speculation,  however,  Jesuit  General  John  B.  Janssens 
chose  the  chairman  of  the  Biology  Department  as  the  next  rector  of  Boston 
College.^  Elected  22nd  president  by  the  Board  of  Trustees,  Michael  P. 
Walsh,  S.J.,  took  office  on  February  5,  1958.  A  popular  choice,  he  was 
fully  prepared  to  accept  his  responsibilities.  Entirely  familiar  with  the 
University  and  its  administrative  machinery,  it  was  soon  clear  that  he  had 
formed  definite  ideas  as  to  where  he  would  like  to  lead  his  institution.  As 
former  chairman  of  the  crucial  committee  on  rank  and  tenure,  he  had 
helped  to  design  the  mechanism  for  promotion.  This,  in  turn,  had  brought 
him  into  contact  with  professors  at  every  level  and  convinced  him  of  the 

270 


REV.  MICHAEL  P.  WALSH,  S.J. 
Twenty-second  President 


Born  in  South  Boston  on  February  28, 1912, 
Father  Walsh  maintained  a  lifelong  loyalty 
to  his  home  town.  In  the  opinion  of  some, 
the  cordial  relationship  that  existed  during 
his  presidency  between  Father  Walsh  and 
Cardinal  Richard  Gushing  was  not  unre- 
lated to  their  both  being  natives  of  South 
Boston.    Michael   Walsh   graduated   from 

Boston  College  High  School  in  June  1929,  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus  that 
summer,  and  was  ordained  a  Jesuit  priest  at  Weston  College  in  1941 .  His  academic 
bent  was  towards  science  and  in  1948  he  was  awarded  a  Ph.D.  in  Biology  by 
Fordham  University.  During  the  decade  1948-1958  Father  Walsh  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  Biology  Department  at  Boston  College.  During  this  period  he  was 
prominent  in  several  professional  associations  related  to  his  work  in  biology, 
especially  in  cytology  and  genetics,  his  areas  of  research.  A  satisfying  corollary  to 
his  academic  work  was  his  chaplaincy  of  the  Catholic  clubs  of  the  Harvard,  Tufts, 
and  Boston  University  medical  schools. 


necessity  of  faculty  research  and  publication.  With  many  years  of  experi- 
ence as  an  advisor  to  the  premedical  and  predental  students,  he  became 
familiar  with  the  admissions  process  and  student  aid,  two  areas  in  which 
he  would  later  become  much  involved.  Through  his  work  with  St.  Luke's 
Guild  of  Catholic  Physicians,  he  came  to  know  many  members  of  the 
Alumni  Association  and  other  "outside"  constituencies  of  the  University. 
Building  on  this  background,  Father  Walsh  would,  in  time,  become  a 
leading  spokesman  for  Catholic  higher  education  in  the  United  States  as  he 
further  enhanced  the  national  image  of  Boston  College. 

Upon  taking  office.  Father  Walsh  presided  over  a  burgeoning  campus 
that  included  four  undergraduate  colleges  and  four  graduate  and  profes- 
sional schools.  Boston  College  was  in  fact,  if  not  in  name,  a  university 
offering  the  doctorate  in  three  departments  and  the  master's  degree  in 
fourteen  departments;  in  addition,  it  offered  the  LL.B.,  the  MBA,  and  the 
MSW.  Total  enrollment  stood  at  7877  students,  with  600  residential 


272        History  of  Boston  College 

undergraduates.  The  full-time  faculty  numbered  345;  full-  and  part-time 
combined  totaled  557.  Of  this  number,  135  were  Jesuits. 

In  an  interview  held  shortly  after  he  moved  into  his  office,  the  new 
president  indicated  his  areas  of  concern.  Competitive  salaries  would  receive 
serious  consideration;  of  equal  importance  to  the  faculty  were  office 
facilities,  opportunities  for  individual  research,  and  added  fringe  benefits 
that  would  facilitate  publication.  Again  focusing  on  research  in  his  response 
to  an  interviewer's  question,  Father  Walsh  briefly  described  some  of  the 
research  projects  at  Boston  College,  several  of  which  were  sponsored  by 
governmental  agencies,  and  revealed  that  he  planned  to  establish  "a  central 
office  of  research  to  coordinate  and  develop  the  work  of  our  present 
research  bureaus."  Commenting  on  the  nursing  programs  and  noting  the 
inadequate  facilities  at  126  Newbury  Street,  he  expressed  the  hope  of 
bringing  the  School  of  Nursing  out  to  the  campus  as  soon  as  possible.  As 
for  a  medical  school,  which  was  provided  for  by  the  charter,  he  did  not  see 
that  as  a  viable  possibility  in  the  foreseeable  future.  Father  Walsh  was 
especially  interested  in  expanding  campus  residences  in  order  to  accom- 
modate bright  students  who  were  applying  for  admission;  he  also  envi- 
sioned the  expansion  and  modernization  of  the  Bapst  Library.  As  their 
former  advisor,  he  was  proud  of  the  record  of  science  majors  and  the 
acceptance  of  premedical  students  into  recognized  medical  schools.^ 

A  Change  of  Name? 

Since  a  university  is  an  ongoing  enterprise,  a  new  president  inherits  the 
projects  initiated  or  undertaken  by  his  predecessor.  During  his  term  of 
office,  Father  Maxwell  had  begun  to  think  about  the  advantages,  and 
disadvantages,  of  changing  the  name  of  Boston  College  to  include  the  word 
university,  which  would  more  accurately  describe  the  true  status  of  the 
institution.  The  question  first  surfaced  in  1953  at  a  meeting  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees.  A  motion  was  duly  made  and  seconded  "to  empower  the 
president  to  negotiate  a  change  of  the  name  to  Boston  Catholic  University, 
reserving  the  name  of  Boston  College  to  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences."^ 
Again  in  1956  there  was  a  discussion  at  a  board  meeting  "about  the  change 
of  the  name  Boston  College  to  some  title  with  university,  such  as  Botolph 
University,  but  it  was  voted  to  postpone  action  to  another  meeting."'' 

Father  Maxwell  then  decided  to  open  the  discussion  to  Jesuits,  adminis- 
trators, faculty,  and  alumni.  The  agenda  for  a  University  Council  Meeting 
in  February  1957  included  an  item,  "Change  in  Title  to  Include  University." 
Father  W.  Seavey  Joyce,  dean  of  the  College  of  Business  Administration  and 
a  member  of  the  Council,  took  the  occasion  to  pen  a  thoughtful  five-page 
letter  to  the  president  on  this  subject.  Citing  the  more  glaring  problems 
with  the  present  name,  confusion  with  Boston  University,  the  connotation 
of  a  single-unit  institution,  the  not  uncommon  European  application  of 
college  to  secondary  schools,  the  redundancies  such  as  "Boston  College 


Approaching  the  Centenary       273 


Brendan  Connolly,  S.J.,  direc- 
tor of  libraries,  1960-1974. 


Graduate  School,"  he  came  down  hard  in  favor  of  a  change.  Ehminating 
other  possibiHties  and  dismissing  the  mystical  allegiance  to  the  second  and 
third  letters  of  the  alphabet,  he  strongly  urged  "Jesuit  University  of  Boston" 
w^hich,  he  explained,  could  be  accomplished  in  several  stages.^ 

The  question  of  the  name  began  to  generate  a  great  deal  of  interest 
among  the  alumni,  who  took  sides  for  and  against  a  change.  Henry  G. 
Beauregard  ('36)  addressed  an  open  letter  to  Father  Maxwell  with  historical 
arguments  for  a  change.  While  ''college  may  have  been  adequate  in  1863 
and  1911,"  he  argued,  "it  has  become  a  complete  misnomer  of  what,  in 
fact,  is  a  large  and  expanding  university."*^  Like  others,  he  claimed  that  the 
change  would  have  been  made  years  ago  if  it  had  been  a  mere  matter  of 
substituting  university  for  college.  But  that  was  not  possible  in  Boston. 
Beauregard  opted  for  "Bellarmine  University"  in  honor  of  the  Jesuit 
Cardinal  and  Doctor  of  the  Church.  He  also  provided  for  the  retention  of 
"Boston  College"  for  an  undergraduate  school.^ 

Using  similar  arguments,  William  F.  Joy  ('40)  suggested  St.  Robert 
Bellarmine,  St.  Thomas  More  University,  and  Boston  Catholic  University. 
"Above  all,"  he  wrote,  "we  must  be  objective — not  sentimental,  emotional, 
or,  worse,  provincial."  Traditional  college  songs  and  cheers  should  not  be 
a  determining  factor.^  But  Charles  W.  O'Brien  ('33)  would  have  none  of  it. 
The  former  Fulton  Prize  Debater,  employing  the  rhetorical  devices  he  had 
learned  in  his  sophomore  year,  made  an  impassioned  defense  of  the  current 
name  of  his  alma  mater.  Examining  the  word  university,  he  wrote,  "What 
magic,  then,  attached  to  this  mystic  word  that  men  desire  it?"'  "It  is  high 
time,"  he  continued,  "that  we  junked  the  inferiority  complex  that  has  so 


274        History  of  Boston  College 

long  beset  us  and  begin  in  all  humility  to  take  ourselves  for  granted  as  a 
great  university  and  'Boston  College'  is  its  name."'"  O'Brien's  juxtaposition 
unwittingly  served  to  clarify  the  status  questionis. 

Six  months  into  his  presidency,  Father  Walsh  appointed  a  Change  of 
Name  Committee,  because,  as  he  wrote,  "There  is  a  pressing  need  to 
seriously  consider  our  present  name  of  Boston  College  and  to  change  it  in 
the  not  too  distant  future.""  The  committee,  chaired  by  Paul  FitzGerald, 
S.J.,  dean  of  the  Graduate  School,  held  its  first  meeting  in  September  1958; 
the  meetings  continued  through  November.'^  It  was  agreed  that,  in  addition 
to  the  confusion  with  Boston  University  of  which  there  were  many  exam- 
ples, the  name  penalized  the  graduate  and  professional  schools.  In  response 
to  a  letter  from  the  chairman,  the  president  of  the  Jesuit  Educational 
Association  wrote,  "I  do  not  know  on  how  many  occasions  I,  myself,  have 
had  to  stop  to  explain  to  foreigners  .  .  .  that  Boston  College  is  not  merely  a 
college  but  a  university."^^  He  had  also  encountered  problems  in  proposing 
Boston  College  for  membership  in  the  International  Association  of  Univer- 
sities. 

The  problems  were  real  enough,  but  the  committee  realized  that  there 
were  formidable  constituencies  that  would  oppose  a  change.  The  greatest 
opposition  would,  understandably,  come  from  the  alumni  whose  diplomas 
have  been  certified  by  the  Trustees  of  Boston  College.  The  Development 
Office,  which  was  planning  a  fund-raising  drive,  feared  that  potential 
benefactors  would  be  confused.  Enrolled  undergraduate  students  were 
generally  satisfied  with  the  name,  but  there  were  exceptions.  In  a  thoughtful 
and  somewhat  humorous  piece  in  The  Heights,  Brian  McNiff  clearly  voted 
for  the  inclusion  of  University  in  the  name.  "We  have  been  an  authorized 
university  since  1863,  and  it  is  time  that  we  officially  recognized  the  fact  in 
the  title  of  the  school.""  The  whole  question  was  further  complicated  by 
the  work  of  two  other  committees,  the  Planning  Committee  and  the 
Centenary  Committee,  whose  members  wanted  to  know  what  suggestions 
the  Name  Committee  was  going  to  make. 

While  there  was  unanimity  within  the  committee  on  the  advantages  of 
changing  the  name,  it  was  difficult  to  find  a  consensus  on  a  new  name.  In 
the  first  place  some  members  preferred  to  identify  university  with  a  place, 
others  with  the  name  of  a  person.  But  there  were  problems  with  both 
preferences.  "University  of  New  England,"  for  example,  had  a  number  of 
votes.  However,  it  was  discovered  that  there  existed,  in  Henniker,  New 
Hampshire,  a  small  school  known  as  New  England  University.  "Newman 
University"  was  seriously  considered.  But,  as  one  member  explained, 
graduates  of  non-Catholic  universities  who  had  belonged  to  Newman  Clubs 
often  referred  to  themselves  as  Newman  alumni.  There  was  unanimous 
opposition  to  Boston  College  University,  Boston  Catholic  University,  Cath- 
olic University  of  Boston,  and  Jesuit  University  of  Boston.'^  At  the  same 
time,  there  was  complete  agreement  that  the  name  Boston  College  should 
be  preserved  for  one  of  the  undergraduate  schools. 


Approaching  the  Centenary       275 

In  the  end,  the  committee  made  several  recommendations  to  the  presi- 
dent. Reasons  for  and  against  were  attached  to  the  recommendations.  For 
identification  with  Boston  and  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  there 
were:  Commonwealth  University,  Chestnut  Hill  University,  Botolph  Univer- 
sity, and  Tremont  University.  Other  suggestions  were:  Cheverus  U.,  after 
the  first  Bishop  of  Boston;  Campion  U.,  after  the  Jesuit  martyr  and  man  of 
letters;  and  Fenwick  U.  However,  since  Bishop  Fen  wick,  a  Jesuit  and  the 
second  Bishop  of  Boston,  had  founded  Holy  Cross,  there  was  less  enthusi- 
asm for  that  name.  Commonwealth  University,  one  of  the  preferred  titles, 
was  a  high-sounding  name,  identified  with  the  state  and  situated  on 
Commonwealth  Avenue.  Boston  College  would  still  be  used  for  the  name 
of  the  undergraduate  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  there  were  a  number 
of  examples  of  this  academic  arrangement.'* 

For  reasons  of  his  own,  the  president  did  not  act  on  the  report  of  the 
Name  Committee.  Opposition  among  the  alumni  had  increased.  The  fund- 
raising  campaign,  organized  around  the  name  and  achievements  of  Boston 
College,  may  also  have  been  an  important  factor.  Moreover,  after  the 
centenary,  which  had  been  a  target  date  for  the  committee,  interest  waned. 
There  was  one  last  reference  in  The  Heights.  In  a  1963  editorial,  which 
appeared  to  reflect  student  opinion,  the  campus  newspaper  opposed  a 
change  of  name.  With  a  rather  tortuous  and,  to  some  extent,  specious, 
argument,  the  editorial  explained  that  university  was  derived  from  univer- 
sality. Since  Boston  College,  in  its  academic  programs,  did  not  embrace 
every  field  of  learning,  it  did  not  deserve  to  be  called  a  "university."'^  Since 
then  the  question  has  not  been  revived  for  serious  discussion  or  resolution. 

A  New  Agenda 

The  new  president  lost  no  time  in  mapping  a  course  for  the  future. 
Throughout  his  presidency  he  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  efficacy  of  commit- 
tees. In  May  1958  he  appointed  a  University  Planning  Committee,  which 
was  charged  to  develop  a  10-year  projection  in  the  growth  of  Boston 
College.  This  committee,  which  was  chaired  by  Father  W.  Seavey  Joyce, 
plotted  its  work  in  two  stages:  from  1958  to  the  centenary  in  1963;  and 
from  1964  to  1968.18 

In  a  memorandum  to  the  administration  and  faculty,  Father  Joyce  ex- 
plained that  "the  objective  of  the  UPC  is  to  work  out  a  plan  for  the  directed 
growth  of  Boston  College."  He  further  stated  that  "most  of  the  elements 
involved  in  the  growth  of  a  university  may  be  grouped  under  four  headings: 
faculty,  students,  educational  environment,  and  buildings."^^  It  was  also 
hoped  that  an  orderly  growth  would  provide  a  basis  for  a  financial  appeal. 
To  accomplish  all  this,  subcommittees  were  appointed  to  interview  faculty, 
key  personnel,  and  other  segments  of  the  University.  During  the  first  year, 
95  persons  were  interviewed  (some  in  groups),  while  others  submitted 
written  recommendations. 


276        History  of  Boston  College 

Meeting  weekly  and  guided  by  materials  from  the  president's  office, 
federal  agencies,  and  private  foundations,  the  committee  calculated  future 
enrollments  and  their  effect  on  faculty  recruitment  and  construction.  Father 
George  R.  Fuir,  director  of  housing,  recommended  the  immediate  addition 
of  300  rooms  for  residential  students  and  an  increase  in  dining  facilities  to 
accommodate  1000  students.-"  Professor  Paul  Devlin  submitted  a  new  and 
complex  organizational  chart  for  the  governance  of  the  University.-^  In  an 
effort  to  solve  a  perennial  problem.  Dean  of  Students  Father  Joseph  L.  Shea 
presented  a  plan  for  a  circumferential  campus  roadway,  with  innovative 
traffic  and  parking  patterns,  that  would  reserve  the  center  of  the  campus 
for  pedestrian  use.  The  location  of  future  buildings  also  came  within  the 
purview  of  the  committee. 

In  the  first  year  of  its  existence,  the  UPC  submitted  two  lengthy  reports 
to  the  president.^-  The  ideas  contained  in  these  early  reports  were  expanded 
and  refined  in  the  following  years.  The  committee  considered  the  advisabil- 
ity and  extent  of  an  increased  student  enrollment,  an  expanded  program 
in  scholarship  aid,  the  recruitment  of  a  distinguished  faculty  (including 
professorial  chairs),  the  renovation  of  existing  buildings,  new  construction, 
boarding  facilities,  and  alumni  relations.  For  new  construction,  the  com- 
mittee recommended  an  art  center  and  a  new  library,  both  of  which  were 
added  in  later  years.  With  remarkable  prescience  and  anticipating  future 
situations,  the  committee  suggested  that  a  faculty  committee,  "to  serve  at 
least  in  an  advisory  capacity,  would  be  a  good  adjunct  to  the  athletic 
program.""  The  committee  also  emphasized  the  importance  of  the  newly 


Martin  P.  Harney,  S.J.,  of  the  His- 
tory Department,  whose  work  from 
1936  to  1976  laid  the  foundation  for 
the  current  Irish  Studies  program. 


Approaching  the  Centenary       277 

established  Office  of  University  Development,  which  should  be  considered 
a  continuing  and  regular  part  of  the  life  of  the  University. 

In  his  final  report  for  1959,  Father  Joyce  "respectfully  suggested"  that 
the  UPC  be  continued  in  the  form  of  a  standing  committee  with  a  rotating 
membership.  The  president  accepted  this  recommendation  and  the  commit- 
tee, with  Father  Joyce  as  permanent  chairman,  continued  beyond  the 
centenary.  While  the  committee  had  generally  focused  on  the  physical 
growth  of  the  campus,  the  1963—1964  report  placed  a  distinct  emphasis 
on  fostering  the  spiritual  and  religious  development  of  the  students.  Among 
other  things,  it  strongly  urged  the  restoration  of  the  annual  retreat  for  all 
students.  Incidentally,  this  report  echoed  the  resolutions  of  the  1962  Jesuit 
workshop  on  philosophy  and  theology  as  academic  disciplines  and  their 
role  in  the  moral,  rehgious,  and  spiritual  fife  of  the  Jesuit  college  student.-" 

In  receiving  each  report.  Father  Walsh  was  effusive  in  his  appreciation  of 
the  genuine  contribution  of  the  committee,  although  he  did  not  always 
agree  with  its  recommendations.  A  good  example  of  disagreement  would 
be  the  location  of  Gushing  Hall.  The  committee  urged  that  the  nursing 
building  be  placed  along  Beacon  Street  facing  Campion  Hall.  Father  Walsh 
decided  upon  its  present  location  because,  among  other  reasons,  he  could 
not  afford  at  that  time  to  raze  the  temporary  wooden  structure  on  Beacon 
Street  which  provided  essential  space  for  offices  and  classrooms. 

Appointed  at  the  same  time  as  the  UPC  was  the  Centenary  Committee. 
Its  mandate,  as  expressed  by  the  president,  was  to  plan  "an  academic 
program  of  a  very  high  cahbre  to  be  conducted  at  an  appropriate  time  near 
the  100th  anniversary  of  the  issuance  of  a  charter  to  Boston  College  by  the 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  on  April  1,  1863."-^  The  committee  was 
given  five  years  to  construct  a  program  that  would  document  "the  miracle 
of  Chestnut  Hill."  With  an  added  word  of  caution,  the  committee  was 
asked  not  to  coUide  with  the  development  or  pubhc  relations  offices. 

In  the  early  meetings  the  committee,  which  was  chaired  by  Father  Robert 
F.  Drinan,  quickly  agreed  upon  three  major  areas  of  concentration  that 
would  enhance  the  University's  image. ^''  First,  it  was  decided  to  invite 
learned  societies  and  other  academic  groups  to  schedule  their  meetings  on 
the  campus  during  the  centennial  year.  Secondly,  the  committee,  by  what- 
ever means  possible,  would  endeavor  to  stimulate  the  faculty  of  the  various 
schools  in  two  areas  of  research:  to  trace  in  a  professional  way,  with 
adequate  documentation,  the  history  of  Boston  College  as  it  evolved  in  the 
several  undergraduate  and  graduate  programs  and,  also,  to  illustrate  in  an 
appropriate  way  the  scholarship  of  the  University  as  reflected  in  faculty 
publications.  Finally,  the  committee  laid  plans  for  "an  impressive  academic 
function  lasting  for  some  days,  dedicated  to  top-level  discussion  of  an 
important  theme,  to  culminate  in  a  convocation  at  which  every  major 
university  would  be  represented."  The  theme  that  was  eventually  chosen, 
and  around  which  the  celebration  was  planned,  was  "Strength  in  Excel- 
lence." This  theme  carried  forward  the  motto  of  Boston  College:  "Ever  to 


278        History  of  Boston  College 

Excel."  The  committee's  long-range  preparations,  under  the  dynamic  lead- 
ership of  the  chairman,  insured  a  successful  centennial  celebration  which 
will  be  described  in  its  proper  place. ^^ 

A  More  Complex  Governance 

During  Father  Walsh's  tenure,  the  governance  of  the  University  evolved 
from  a  relatively  simple  design  to  a  more  complex  mechanism  which,  the 
experts  said,  would  bring  more  efficiency  to  the  whole  enterprise.  In  1957 
Boston  College  was  administered  by  a  small  staff  which  included  the 
president,  his  executive  assistant,  a  treasurer,  a  director  of  admissions, 
academic  deans,  and  department  chairmen.  Ten  years  later,  in  addition  to 
the  Board  of  Trustees,  there  were  the  Board  of  Regents,  five  vice  presidents, 
the  secretary  of  the  University,  and  several  directors  of  key  areas.^' 

In  view  of  their  impact  on  the  academic  life  of  the  University,  two  of  the 
more  important  faculty  committees  were  the  University  Committee  on 
Promotion  and  the  Faculty  Committee  on  Research.  The  promotion  com- 
mittee, operating  within  the  1960  revised  university  statutes,  applied  with 
impartiality  the  prescriptions  for  advancement  in  rank  and  tenure.  Chaired 
by  Father  Robert  McEwen,  chairman  of  the  Economics  Department,  the 
committee  included  several  professors  who  had  rendered  yeoman  service  to 
Boston  College.  P.  Albert  Duhamel,  a  graduate  of  Holy  Cross  with  a  Ph.D. 
from  Wisconsin  and  a  Shakespeare  scholar,  came  to  Boston  College  in 
1949  and  served  the  University  in  many  capacities.  In  1956  he  delivered  the 
Candlemas  lecture,  choosing  as  his  subject,  "The  Mind  and  Art  of  Thomas 
More."  For  several  years  he  was  book  editor  for  the  Boston  Herald  under 
the  byline,  "I've  Been  Reading."  Cornehus  Moynihan,  another  member  of 
the  committee,  was  a  respected  Law  School  faculty  member,  former  dean 
(1936-1937),  and  later  a  judge.  Trained  at  Princeton  and  Columbia,  John 
R.  Betts  of  the  History  Department  was  familiar  with  the  strict  standards 
of  scholarship  applied  in  the  best  universities  across  the  country.  These  men 
were  anxious  to  advance  the  academic  standing  of  the  University. 

Academically  linked  to  the  Committee  on  Promotion  was  the  extremely 
important  Faculty  Committee  on  Research,  which  was  chaired  by  Russell 
G.  Davis,  a  member  of  the  School  of  Education  faculty.  Successful  in 
obtaining  research  grants,  he  was  familiar  with  the  design  and  composition 
of  research  applications  that  would  attract  the  attention  of  foundations 
and  government  agencies.  Father  William  D.  Sullivan,  another  member  of 
the  committee,  was  also  instrumental  in  raising  the  level  of  research  in  the 
Department  of  Biology.  In  the  fall  of  1959  the  president  reported  that,  in 
the  past  year,  national  foundations  and  federal  agencies  had  provided 
grants  and  assistance  in  the  amount  of  $1,370,000.  The  National  Science 
Foundation  and  the  Federal  Public  Health  Service  had  funded  research 
programs  in  physics,  mathematics,  chemistry,  and  nursing.-' 

These  grants  were  not  large  when  compared  with  the  research  funding  in 


Approaching  the  Centenary       279 


Colleagues  in  the  English  De- 
partment, P.  Albert  Duhamel 
and  Richard  E.  Hughes.  Du- 
hamel was  director  of  the  Arts 
and  Sciences  honors  program 
in  its  formative  years.  In  1 956 
he  was  appointed  Philomath- 
eia  Professor  of  English. 
Hughes  was  dean  of  Arts  and 
Sciences  1969-1972. 


Other  universities  at  the  time,  but  it  was  a  start.  Each  year  the  grants  became 
larger,  reflecting  the  increased  professional  activity  of  the  faculty.'°  In 
addition,  the  grants  enabled  the  University  to  acquire  the  more  sophisti- 
cated instrumentation  necessary  for  advanced  research  in  nuclear  physics, 
electrochemistry,  and  the  disease  of  cancer."  And,  for  the  first  time,  serious 
thought  was  given  to  the  construction  of  a  second  science  building  to  relieve 
the  cramped  laboratory  space  in  Devlin  Hall. 

Well-equipped  buildings  are  obviously  important,  even  though  major 
discoveries  have  been  made  in  dimly  lit  rooms  in  basement  quarters.  But 
the  faculty  is  even  more  important.  A  university  faculty  has  a  double 
responsibility:  In  the  search  for  truth,  a  committed  faculty  member  seeks 
to  expand  and  enlarge  our  knowledge  of  the  world  in  which  we  live.  In  a 
related  capacity,  the  teacher  must  pass  on  to  students  the  accumulated 
wisdom  of  the  past  in  order  to  prepare  them  for  the  future.  This  latter 
function,  which  is  concerned  with  the  intellectual  development  of  the 
student,  is  generally  associated  with  and  applied  to  the  undergraduate 
programs.  In  the  "civilization  of  intelhgence,"  the  Catholic  university  may 
be  more  aware  than  others  of  the  interrelation  of  the  sacral  and  secular 
sciences.  In  this  endeavor,  the  deans  and  faculty  members  at  Boston  College 
proposed  creative  innovations  "to  lead  men  to  knowledge,"  as  Cardinal 
Newman  would  have  it. 


280        History  of  Boston  College 

An  Enhanced  Honors  Program 

Mention  was  made  earlier  that  soon  after  his  appointment  as  dean  in  1958, 
Father  WiUiam  Casey  started  a  radically  new  honors  program.  Since  at  age 
34  the  Boston  College  honors  program  is  nearly  a  venerable  institution  as 
curricular  experiments  go,  some  detail  should  be  given  of  its  development 
and  influence.  An  early  "Working  Paper  for  a  Definition  of  an  Honors 
Program"  defined  its  goal  in  terms  of  the  Parable  of  the  Talents:  "It  should 
be  the  goal  of  an  honors  program  to  make  sure  that  no  student  buries  his 
talents,"  and  "every  student  blessed  by  heredity  or  early  training  with 
more  talents  than  the  average  should  be  provided  with  every  motive  and 
opportunity  for  developing  those  talents  to  the  utmost."^^  As  in  other 
collegiate  honors  programs,  there  were  certain  common  notes.  The  most 
common  characteristic  was  the  provision  for  freedom  in  the  selection  and 
pursuit  of  courses — freedom,  however,  modified  by  intensification.  Another 
characteristic  was  the  effort  to  broaden  the  student's  knowledge  through  a 
better  integration  of  courses.  As  a  capstone,  the  honors  program  seeks  to 
develop  the  academic  and  social  poise  of  a  student. 

A  further  refinement  of  the  honors  program,  again  initiated  by  Father 
Casey,  was  the  "Scholar  of  the  College  Program."  Few  in  number,  those 
admitted  to  this  elite  rank  were  the  intellectual  stars  of  their  class.  Identified 
in  second  semester  of  junior  year,  they  were  students  "who  have  demon- 
strated the  highest  level  of  academic  ability,  have  intellectual  maturity,  and 
(have)  demonstrated  scholarly  accomplishments."^^ 

William  Van  Etten  Casey,  S.J., 
academic  vice  president  and 
dean  of  the  College  of  Arts 
and  Sciences,  with  Sir  Alec 
Guinness. 


Approaching  the  Centenary       281 


Appointed  as  Scholars  of  the  College  in  April  1958  by  the  dean  in  consulta- 
tion with  department  chairmen  and  faculty  were  Carney  E.  Gavin,  an 
outstanding  student  from  Boston  Latin  School  who  later  became  a  priest  of 
the  Archdiocese  of  Boston  and  associate  director  of  Harvard's  Semitic 
Museum,  and  Daniel  J.  Geagan,  who  had  attended  La  Salle  Academy  in 
Providence,  Rhode  Island.  In  consultation  with  his  director,  each  scholar 
during  his  senior  year  had  complete  freedom  to  select  a  program  of  studies; 
he  was  also  free  to  attend  classes  (which  were  optional)  in  any  department. 
Finally,  he  must  submit  an  honors  thesis,  and  he  was  expected  to  graduate 
Summa  Cum  Laude,  which  was  the  case  with  the  first  four  scholars.  In 
essence,  it  was  an  effort  to  duplicate  the  English  system,  with  an  emphasis 
on  tutorials." 


These  efforts  to  improve  the  academic  chmate  of  the  campus  did  not  go 
unrewarded.  In  March  1958  Father  Casey  and  Professor  P.  Albert  Duhamel 
collaborated  on  a  proposal  which  was  submitted  to  the  Carnegie  Corpo- 
ration of  New  York  for  a  grant  to  fund  the  honors  program.  In  his  covering 
letter,  the  dean  wrote  that  the  apphcation  was  submitted  in  order  "to  help 
us  in  our  attempt  to  improve  the  quality  of  education  in  the  Boston  area." 
He  continued: 

My  interest,  and  the  interest  of  the  newly  appointed  President  of  the 
University,  in  this  particular  program  is  a  reflection  of  our  determination  to 
devote  the  next  six  years,  terminating  in  our  hundredth  anniversary,  to  the 
development  of  sound  academic  policy  and  the  improvement  of  the  quality 
of  education  both  on  and  off  the  campus. ^^ 

Father  Walsh  fully  supported  this  endeavor,  as  he  explained  in  a  letter  to 
John  Honey,  executive  associate  of  the  Carnegie  Corporation.  "In  my  first 
interview  with  the  press,"  he  wrote,  "I  emphasized  that  one  of  the  central 
concerns  of  my  administration  would  be  the  estabhshment  and  develop- 
ment of  programs  designed  to  advance  quality  as  the  key  factor  in  educa- 
tion."^* As  correspondence,  telephone  calls,  and  visits  continued,  the 
president,  the  dean,  and  Professor  Duhamel  developed  a  cordial  relation- 
ship with  Mr.  Honey  and  the  Corporation. 

In  its  proposal,  Boston  College  had  asked  for  $79,700  to  be  paid  over  a 
three-year  period  in  four  installments.  These  funds  were  to  cover  the 
salaries  for  the  contracted  services  of  a  director,  faculty  seminar  leaders, 
secretarial  staff,  and  other  items.  In  June  1958  the  Carnegie  Corporation 
awarded  Boston  College  a  grant  of  $84,700  to  be  paid  in  four  installments, 
"toward  development  of  its  honors  program."  Boston  College  was  free  to 
announce  the  grant  at  any  time  and  in  any  suitable  manner.^' 

With  this  grant,  the  honors  program  came  under  the  academic  supervi- 
sion of  Professor  Duhamel,  who  was  appointed  director  of  the  Office  of 
Special  Programs.  He  was  assisted  by  the  Honors  Advisory  Committee.  In 
describing  the  program  in  its  own  publication,  the  Corporation  acknowl- 
edged that  "some  Catholic  educators  have  expressed  concern  that  Catholic 


282        History  of  Boston  College 


Father  Frederick  Adelmann, 
chairman  of  the  Philosophy 
Department,  1956-1965. 


education  has  not  made  a  large  enough  contribution  to  the  preparation  of 
scientists,  research  men,  and  college  teachers."  (The  editor  added  paren- 
thetically, "They  might  be  relieved  to  know  that  their  colleagues  in  secular 
colleges  feel  the  same  way  about  their  own  institutions.")  But  the  members 
of  the  Corporation  were  also  convinced  that  "Boston  College  is  determined 
to  provide  superior  programs  for  talented  students  and  challenge  them  to 
think  in  terms  of  excellence. "^^ 


Women  in  Arts  and  Sciences 

In  concluding  its  account,  and  implying  that  the  Carnegie  Corporation  had 
some  part  in  it,  the  Quarterly  gratuitously  noted  that,  after  96  years, 
women  were  to  be  admitted  to  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  Although 
not  quite  accurate,  this  comment  introduces  an  interesting  story,  even  in  its 
briefest  form.  It  is  also  rather  complicated.  After  the  announcement  of  the 
honors  program,  which  was  described  in  a  special  flyer,  college  advisors 
and  student  counselors  in  high  schools  informed  the  Office  of  Special 
Programs  that  a  number  of  their  gifted  female  students  had  expressed  an 
interest  in  the  program.  Somewhat  familiar  with  the  poficies  at  Boston 
College,  these  advisors  wrote  to  ask  if  the  honors  program  was  open  to 
women  as  well  as  men.^^  These  inquiries  forced  the  president,  the  deans, 
and  the  director  to  search  for  an  answer  that  would  be  acceptable  to  all 
concerned. 


Approaching  the  Centenary       283 

On  the  one  hand,  the  director  of  special  programs  did  not  want  to  turn 
away  gifted  female  students  who  were  planning  a  career  in  research, 
medicine,  or  law.  These  students  were  not  interested  in  a  career  in  elemen- 
tary or  secondary  school  teaching.  On  the  other  hand,  women  had  never 
been  admitted  to  the  undergraduate  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and 
permission  to  do  so  would  require  an  affirmative  response  from  the  Jesuit 
General  and  the  New  England  Provincial.  It  was  finally  decided  to  admit 
women  to  the  Arts  and  Sciences  courses.  To  observe  the  existing  policy  of 
admission,  however,  they  were  required  to  register  in  the  School  of  Educa- 
tion, which  was  already  coeducational.  But  this  arrangement,  in  turn, 
caused  jurisdictional  and  administrative  problems. 

The  Arts  and  Sciences  dean  wanted  a  clarification.  "Does  Father  Dono- 
van, dean  of  the  School  of  Education,  clearly  understand,"  he  asked  the 
president,  "that  academically  talented  women  who  do  not  want  education 
courses  or  practice  teaching  will  be  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  College  of 
Arts  and  Sciences  in  special  programs  once  they  have  been  admitted?"'*" 
Initially,  Father  Donovan  had  misgivings.  Pointing  out  that  inaccurate 
statements  had  been  made  in  The  Heights  and  elsewhere  and  left  uncor- 
rected, he  preferred  to  disassociate  the  School  of  Education  from  the 
program  for  women  that  was  being  formed  in  A&S."^  Two  weeks  later  he 
relented  and  spelled  out  his  and  Albert  Duhamel's  understanding  of  the 
arrangement:  "Women  in  the  A&S  program  will  be  registered  in  the  School 
of  Education  but  will  have  no  further  academic  connection  with  it.  They 
will  be  fully  admitted  to  the  A&S  Honors  Program  (under  Professor 
Duhamel's  direction),  will  take  all  courses  in  the  College  of  Arts  and 
Sciences,  and  will  get  an  A.B.  degree. ""*- 

That  is  exactly  what  happened  to  six  female  students  who  registered  in 
the  School  of  Education  in  the  fall  of  1959.  They  were  immediately  enrolled 
in  the  honors  program  and,  during  four  years,  were  gradually  assimilated 
into  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  and  graduated  with  an  A.B.  honors 
degree  in  June  1963.  As  some  had  predicted,  however,  there  were  repercus- 
sions beyond  the  campus.  The  Jesuit  Provincial  of  New  England,  while 
allowing  the  six  students  to  continue,  reminded  Father  Walsh  that  permis- 
sion would  have  to  be  obtained  from  Rome  before  additional  female 
students  were  admitted  to  Arts  and  Sciences.  In  retrospect,  it  was  clear  that 
these  women  had  paved  the  way  for  a  fully  integrated  coeducational  College 
of  Arts  and  Sciences  when  that  permission  was  granted  in  1969. 

Funding  from  Outside 

The  School  of  Education  did  not  lag  far  behind  the  College  of  Arts  and 
Sciences  in  designing  its  own  honors  program.  With  the  encouragement  of 
Father  Donovan,  Professor  Russell  Davis  was  the  chief  architect  of  the  new 
program  which,  although  tailored  to  the  professional  curriculum  of  the 
School  of  Education,  manifested  the  characteristics  of  this  type  of  program. 


284        History  of  Boston  College 


F(>)  ^i 


'^^^^^^   ^ 

■■Fo-}j 

^ 

m 

4 

M 

■ 

'S^^ 

H 

Stanley  Bezuszka,  S.J.,  long-time  chairman  of  the  Mathematics  Department 
and  director  of  the  Mathematics  Institute.  He  introduced  an  early  form  of 
computer  to  the  campus  in  the  late  fifties. 


Thus,  according  to  Professor  Davis,  "Schools  must  provide  programs  which 
ivill  stretch  students  toward  the  limit  of  their  intellectual  capacity."''^  This 
was  the  rationale,  of  course,  of  all  such  programs. 

A  proposal  was  submitted  to  the  Ford  Foundation  (Fund  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  Education)  for  funding.  The  initial  request,  for  a  four-year 
cycle,  was  for  $56,815.  After  officials  of  the  foundation  explained  to  Father 
Walsh  that  this  sum  was  in  excess  of  what  the  foundation  might  be  prepared 
to  do,  the  proposal  was  scaled  down  to  a  more  acceptable  amount.""  The 
revised  proposal  was  submitted,  and  in  December  1958  Father  Walsh  was 
notified  that  the  Ford  Foundation  would  fund  the  honors  program  with  a 
grant  of  $25,000."^  Father  William  E.  FitzGerald,  former  Provincial  Supe- 
rior of  the  New  England  Province,  was  appointed  director  of  the  honors 
program  in  the  School  of  Education. 

There  were  other  signs  that  the  faculty  and  programs  at  Boston  College 
were  making  a  favorable  impression  beyond  the  campus.  In  October  1958 
the  National  Science  Foundation  made  a  grant  of  $200,000  to  the  Boston 
College  Institute  of  Modern  Mathematics.  The  institute,  with  a  grant  of 
$10,000,  had  been  founded  by  Father  Stanley  Bezuszka,  S.J.,  who  had 
gained  widespread  recognition  for  his  fresh  approach  to  the  teaching  of 
mathematics.  With  advanced  degrees  from  Brown  University,  Father  Be- 
zuszka became  a  nationally  recognized  leader  in  the  preparation  of  teachers 


Approaching  the  Centenary       285 

of  mathematics,  and  he  has  been  a  frequent  participant  in  national  and 
international  conferences  on  teacher  preparation/'^ 

The  preparation  of  secondary  school  teachers  was  not  confined  to 
mathematics.  For  three  consecutive  summers,  beginning  in  1959,  the  Coe 
Foundation  in  New  York  City  funded  an  Institute  in  American  Studies 
with  an  annual  grant  of  $10,000  under  the  sponsorship  of  the  Department 
of  History  and  Government  of  the  Graduate  School."*^  Each  summer  the 
institute  awarded  15  fellowships  to  outstanding  high  school  teachers  in 
history,  social  studies,  and  American  literature.  The  fund  also  provided  a 
stipend  for  two  visiting  professors  for  the  Summer  Institute,  which  was 
under  the  direction  of  John  R.  Betts,  professor  of  American  history.  During 
the  year  1958—1959  another  grant  from  the  Coe  Foundation  underwrote  a 
series,  the  Coe  Lectures  in  American  Civilization,  which  brought  to  the 
campus  such  well-known  figures  as  Allan  Nevins,  Clinton  Rossiter,  Charles 
Callan  Tansill,  and  Oscar  Handlin.''* 

There  was  also  cause  for  satisfaction  at  the  graduate  level.  Although  the 
doctoral  programs  in  economics,  education,  and  history  were  still  in  their 
infancy,  federal  agencies  were  willing  to  support  them.  With  the  passage  of 
the  National  Defense  Education  Act  in  1958,  in  the  wake  of  Sputnik, 
federal  programs  were  funded  which  aimed  at  producing  college  and 
university  teachers  from  institutions  of  wide  geographical  distribution.  Five 
of  these  fellowships  were  made  available  to  doctoral  students  at  Boston 
College.  The  stipends,  beginning  with  $2000  the  first  year  and  gradually 
increasing,  were  for  three  years.  In  a  three-year  period,  Boston  College 
Graduate  School  received  about  $70,000.  These  awards,  which  also  pro- 
vided stipends  for  dependents,  enabled  several  students  in  the  Graduate 
School  to  plan  a  career  in  teaching.''^ 

A  Changing  Student  Body 

In  September  1959,  while  the  president,  his  deans,  and  faculty  were 
organizing  an  improved  sequence  of  courses,  Boston  College  welcomed  the 
largest  class  in  its  history.  Selected  from  4300  applicants,  1350  freshmen 
arrived  on  campus  for  the  start  of  the  academic  year.  The  total  number  of 
resident  students — also  a  record — was  670:  300  freshmen,  200  sopho- 
mores, and  170  juniors.  With  a  director  of  housing,  Jesuit  prefects  in  the 
dormitories,  and  expanded  dining  facilities  in  Lyons  Hall,  students  from 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  Ohio,  and  Pennsylvania  were  introduced  to  the 
famous  Boston  accent.  Irish  surnames  still  outnumbered  others  on  the  class 
rosters,  but  an  increased  representation  from  other  ethnic  backgrounds 
brought  a  cosmopolitan  atmosphere  to  the  campus — a  good  development 
in  every  way. 

That  same  class  (September  1959),  which  would  graduate  in  the  centen- 
nial year,  was  by  ordinary  academic  indexes  the  best  prepared  scholastically 
to  accept  the  intellectual  challenge  at  Boston  College.  It  was  generally 


286        History  of  Boston  College 

agreed  by  the  admission  officers  that  the  influx  of  superior  students  was 
due  at  least  in  part  to  the  announcement  of  the  honors  program.  It  was, 
indeed,  one  of  the  fruits  of  a  program  which  encourages  advanced  standing. 
It  was  also  due  to  the  president's  aggressive  recruitment  of  national  merit 
scholars  and  the  dramatic  increase  in  student  aid  which  began  to  match 
the  offers  of  other  schools.  On-site  visits  by  Boston  College  faculty  mem- 
bers encouraged  a  better  articulation  between  high  schools  and  the  Univer- 
sity. 

Not  only  were  the  students  challenged  in  the  classrooms,  but  their 
horizons  were  broadened  by  the  appearance  on  campus  of  some  of  the 
most  exciting  personalities  in  the  United  States  and  abroad.  Sir  Alec 
Guinness,  the  distinguished  British  actor  of  stage  and  screen,  charmed  the 
audience  with  his  readings  of  Christian  verse  and  prose.  The  medical 
missionary.  Dr.  Thomas  Dooley,  who  had  shocked  the  conscience  of  the 
world  by  his  charitable  work  in  Laos,  moved  the  students  with  stories  of 
the  sick  and  starving  people  of  Southeast  Asia.  James  "Scottie"  Reston,  the 
Washington  bureau  chief  of  the  New  York  Times,  introduced  students  to 
the  precarious  and  controversial  world  of  the  political  pundit.  And  the 
presence  of  the  distinguished  British  economist.  Lady  Barbara  Ward  Jack- 
son, attested  to  the  quality  of  the  Tobin  Lecture  Series  and  provided  an 
ideal  role  model  for  the  women  on  campus  who  were  struggling  with 
ambitions  of  their  own. 


As  the  years  went  by  and  Boston  College  approached  its  one  hundredth 
birthday,  the  Tower  Building  was  no  longer  the  solitary  sentinel  erected  by 
Father  Gasson.  In  the  early  1960s,  it  had  become  the  centerpiece  of  an 
attractive  campus  that  boasted  30  buildings — some  constructed,  some 
purchased.  With  the  relocation  to  Chestnut  Hill  of  the  Intown  College  and 
the  School  of  Nursing,  it  was  easier  to  coordinate  the  academic  programs 
in  the  various  schools  now  clustered  on  a  single  campus.  It  also  made  for  a 
more  judicious  and  equitable  assignment  of  University  faculty  members. 

But,  in  common  with  other  institutions,  there  were  also  problems.  There 
was  never  enough  money  to  do  all  the  things  that  the  administration 
wanted  to  do.  The  very  small,  almost  nonexistent  endowment  yielded  very 
httle  income  to  fund  selected  projects;  the  absolute  necessity  of  an  increase 
in  student  aid  limited  other  initiatives.  The  faculty  worked  in  cramped 
office  space.  With  a  faculty  that  had  been  traditionally  teaching-oriented, 
research  and  publication  were  only  now  beginning  to  receive  the  attention 
that  professional  standing  demanded.  Although  proud  of  its  history,  Boston 
College  had  launched  an  effort  to  change  its  image  from  that  of  a  local 
college  to  a  broader  image  that  would  more  accurately  reflect  its  changing 
student  population. 

But  the  problems  were  not  insuperable,  nor  did  they  bring  discourage- 
ment. They  only  increased  the  determination  to  excel. 


Approaching  the  Centenary       287 


ENDNOTES 


1.  As  he  left  Boston  College,  Father  Maxwell  accepted  an  invitation  to  act  as  a 
consultant  and  advisor  to  the  president  of  the  Pontifical  Catholic  University  of 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil,  for  a  period  of  six  months  to  direct  the  reorganization  of 
that  Jesuit  institution.  He  later  had  an  influential  career  as  a  missionary  pastor  in 
Jamaica. 

2.  Alumni  News  (Spring  1958),  pp.  5-7. 

3.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  November  3,  1953.  BCA. 

4.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  November  29,  1956.  BCA. 

5.  W.  Seavey  Joyce,  S.J.,  to  Father  Maxwell,  February  20,  1956.  BCA. 

6.  May  28,  1956.  See  Alumni  News  (Commencement  issue,  1956),  p.  18. 

7.  Ibid. 

8.  Alumni  News  (Fall  1956),  p.  2 . 

9.  Ibid. 

10.  Ibid. 

11.  Father  Walsh  to  Donald  J.  White,  August  7,  1958.  BCA. 

12.  The  other  members  of  the  committee  were  Charles  Donovan,  S.J.,  Robert  Drinan, 
S.J.,  Donald  J.  White,  John  Donovan,  John  Walsh,  and  William  Daly. 

13.  Edward  B.  Rooney,  S.J.,  to  Paul  A.  FitzGerald,  S.J.,  November  21,  1958.  BCA. 

14.  October24,  1958,  p.  5. 

15.  Although  these  names  were  not  favored  by  the  committee,  there  were  others 
within  the  University  and  beyond  who  were  strongly  in  favor  of  one  of  them. 
These  names  were  revived  (along  with  Kennedy  University)  several  years  later,  at 
the  time  of  the  centenary.  At  that  time.  Father  Charles  Donovan,  academic  vice 
president,  surveyed  30  presidents  and  academic  vice  presidents  of  substantial 
private  universities  nationwide  on  the  wisdom  of  changing  the  name.  Several 
urged  that  no  change  be  made. 

16.  Committee  minutes  and  associated  materials  are  preserved  in  the  archives. 

17.  October  25,  1963,  p.  8. 

18.  The  other  members  of  the  initial  UPC  were  Paul  A.  Devlin,  J.  J.  Collins,  S.J.,  Paul 
T.  Heffron,  William  G.  Guindon,  S.J.,  John  E.  Murphy,  S.J.,  John  E.  Van  Tassel, 
and  Vincent  P.  Wright. 

19.  "Some  Notes  on  Planning."  BCA. 

20.  Minutes,  UPC,  August  5,  1959. 

21.  Ibid. 

22.  One  is  entitled  "Preliminary  Report  of  the  UPC,"  February  1959.  The  second  is 
entitled  "University  Planning  Committee:  Final  Report,"  July  1959. 

23.  "Prehminary  Report,"  p.  30. 

24.  This  workshop  was  sponsored  by  the  Jesuit  Educational  Association  and  held  at 
Loyola  University,  Los  Angeles.  It  is  found  in  the  JEA  Collection,  BCA. 

25.  "Prehminary  Report  of  the  Committee  on  the  Centenary  of  Boston  College." 
BCA. 

26.  The  other  members  of  the  committee  were  Russell  G.  Davis,  James  O.  Dunn, 
Walter  J.  Fimian,  Richard  W.  Rousseau,  S.J.,  and  Francis  W.  Sweeney,  S.J. 

27.  Assisting  the  Centennial  Committee  were  John  Earner,  Director  of  Public  Rela- 
tions, and  John  Tevnan,  Office  of  Development.  A  complete  account  of  the  work 
of  the  Centennial  Committee  is  preserved  in  the  archives. 

28.  Estabhshed  in  1960,  the  Board  of  Regents  was  comprised  mainly  of  prominent 
businessmen  who  acted  as  advisors  to  the  president.  The  origin  and  function  of 
the  regents  will  be  treated  in  a  later  chapter. 

29.  "Report  from  Father  Rector,"  Alumni  News  (Fall  1959),  pp.  5-6. 

30.  In  1984  total  grants  from  federal  agencies  and  other  sources  totaled  $6,788,000. 


288        History  of  Boston  College 

31.  "Research  the  Key  to  the  Unknown,"  Alumni  News  (Fall  1961),  pp.  4—11. 

32.  BCA. 

33.  The  Heights  (April  25,  1958). 

34.  See  The  Pilot  (May  24,  1958);  also  an  excellent  article  in  the  B.C.-B.U.  Football 
Program,  November  15,  1958. 

35.  Father  Casey  to  John  C.  Honey,  March  18,  1958.  BCA. 

36.  May  5,  1958.  BCA. 

37.  Florence  Anderson  to  Father  Walsh,  June  19,  1958.  BCA. 

38.  Quarterly  (Carnegie  Corporation  of  N.Y.),  vol.  VII,  No.  3  (July  1959). 

39.  See,  for  example,  Frederic  T.  Hawes,  College  Advisor  at  Stamford  High  School, 
to  Office  of  Special  Programs,  October  27,  1958.  BCA. 

40.  Father  Casey  to  Father  Walsh,  October  30,  1958.  BCA. 

41.  Father  Donovan  to  Father  Walsh,  March  28,  1959.  BCA. 

42.  Father  Donovan  to  Father  Walsh,  with  copies  to  Father  Casey  and  P.  Albert 
Duhamel,  April  11,  1959.  BCA. 

43.  "Proposal:  An  Honors  Program  for  Undergraduates  in  Education."  BCA. 

44.  Father  Walsh  to  Dr.  Clarence  H.  Faust,  October  29,  1958.  BCA. 

45.  Stanley  W.  Gregory  to  Father  Walsh,  December  5,  1958.  BCA. 

46.  Correspondence  and  proposals  in  archives.  See  The  Heights  (October  24,  1958). 

47.  WilUam  Robertson  Coe,  born  in  England  but  a  naturaUzed  American  citizen, 
amassed  a  fortune  in  the  insurance  industry.  Among  his  best-known  benefactions 
are  the  Coe  Collection  in  Western  Americana  and  the  Coe  Chair  in  American 
Studies  at  Yale  University. 

48.  BCA.  See  also  The  Heights  (December  4, 1959),  p.  1. 

49.  The  Heights  January  15,  1960). 


CHAPTER 


28 


The  University 
at  Age  One  Hundred 


The  rapid  growth  of  the  University  in  the  postwar  decades  made  every 
president  a  builder  whether  he  was  attracted  to  that  role  or  not.  Father 
Maxwell  was  an  enthusiastic  builder  who  drew  floor  plans  of  buildings  at 
his  desk  in  St.  Mary's  Hall.  In  contrast,  Father  Michael  Walsh  protested  his 
inexperience  where  building  was  concerned,  claiming  that  his  only  prepa- 
ration had  been  building  boxes  for  the  biology  greenhouse  and  cages  for 
the  laboratories.'  Yet  there  were  very  few  months  during  Father  Walsh's 
10-year  tenure  that  a  new  building  was  not  under  construction. 

A  Time  of  Building 

The  first  academic  building  in  the  Walsh  era  was  a  facility  for  the  School  of 
Nursing.  Since  Cardinal  Gushing  had  been  influential  in  the  founding  of 
this  school,  it  was  fitting  that  the  funds  for  its  building  came  from  his 
impressive  fund-raising  talent.  The  cardinal  contributed  nearly  a  million 
dollars. 

Father  William  Guindon,  chairman  of  the  Physics  Department,  headed  a 
planning  committee  for  Gushing  Hall  and  acted  as  advisor  to  the  president 
on  the  project.  A  ground-breaking  ceremony  was  held  on  February  20, 
1959,  and  13  months  later  the  faculty  and  students  of  the  School  of 

289 


290        History  of  Boston  College 


Gushing  Hall. 


Nursing  moved  from  Newbury  Street  to  the  new  building  at  Chestnut  Hill. 
Cardinal  Cushing  presided  at  dedication  ceremonies  on  March  25,  1960. 

Three  months  before  Cushing  Hall  was  completed,  in  December  1959, 
ground  was  broken  for  three  more  residences  on  Tudor  Road  and  Ham- 
mond Street.  These  were  eventually  given  the  last  names  of  the  first  three 
bishops  of  Boston:  Jean  Louis  de  Cheverus,  Benedict  Fenwick,  and  John  B. 
Fitzpatrick.  They  were  planned  to  accommodate  378  students  and  19 
resident  prefects.-  Under  construction  for  nine  months,  the  dormitories 
were  ready  for  the  opening  of  classes  in  the  fall  and  were  dedicated,  with 
Cardinal  Cushing  once  more  presiding,  on  September  15,  1960. 

With  the  resident  student  population  growing,  the  need  for  adequate 
dining  facilities  had  become  truly  desperate,  a  need  that  Father  Walsh  began 
to  address  as  soon  as  he  became  president.  But  there  were  many  other 
needs — almost  as  urgent — for  offices  and  meeting  rooms  for  student  clubs, 
for  recreational  space,  and  for  an  enlarged  bookstore,  to  name  only  a  few. 
The  administration's  preliminary  thinking  about  how  to  meet  these  varied 
needs  was  expressed  by  some  of  the  president's  top  aides  in  a  34-page 
document  that  appeared  in  July  1959  entitled,  "The  University  Center." 
The  document's  diffuse  focus  and  assorted  recommendations  showed  how 
"underbuilt"  the  University  was  despite  the  ambitious  building  program 
that  had  been  under  way  for  more  than  a  decade. 

The  first  page  of  "The  University  Center"  paper  contained  this  statement: 
"Although  a  physically  large  proportion  of  the  Center  will  be  dining  rooms 
for  boarding  students,  this  preponderance  must  not  overshadow  the  main 
purpose  of  providing  a  cultural  home  for  all  members  of  the  University 
family  .  .  .  stimulation  of  the  cultural  Hfe  of  Boston  College  should  issue 
from  every  aspect  of  the  Center."^  These  were  noble  aspirations,  but 


The  University  at  Age  One  Hundred       291 

practical  necessity  won  out,  and  the  finished  building  emphasized  dining 
far  more  than  culture.  Indeed,  the  authors  of  "The  University  Center" 
proposed  that  the  building  house  an  interesting  melange  of  noncultural 
facilities:  an  infirmary,  a  post  office,  a  university  store,  the  placement 
bureau,  a  bowling  alley,  a  billiard  room,  and  rooms  for  crafts  and  hobbies. 
On  the  cultural  side  it  was  proposed  that  the  center  have  music  listening 
rooms,  accommodations  for  musical  clubs,  an  art  salon,  speaking  rooms, 
and  a  theater.  The  last  suggestion  would  seem  to  have  been  very  difficult  to 
carry  out  simply  in  terms  of  space  requirements,  but  a  year  later  Father 
Walsh  wrote  to  the  architects  about  a  theater.* 

At  the  time  construction  began,  Father  Walsh  referred  to  the  new 
building  as  the  student-faculty  center.^  The  groundbreaking  ceremony  was 
held  after  the  Mass  of  the  Holy  Spirit  for  the  start  of  the  academic  year  on 
September  21,  1960.  Begun  just  after  Cheverus,  Fenwick,  and  Fitzpatrick 
were  completed,  the  building — eventually  named  McElroy,  for  the  Univer- 
sity's founder — was  under  construction  for  15  months  and  was  dedicated 
on  November  9,  1961. 

The  array  of  needs  that  planners  of  McElroy  Commons  hoped  the 
building  would  fill  proved  how  facility-poor  Boston  College  was  at  the  time 
Father  Walsh  assumed  the  presidency.  Yet  McElroy  offered  no  solution  to 
a  perhaps  more  pressing  problem  from  a  collegiate  viewpoint:  lack  of 
suitable  office  space  for  the  faculty.  The  professional  schools  on  campus — 
Law,  Business,  Education,  and  Nursing — had  been  provided  with  new 
buildings,  and  while  these  structures  were  not  exactly  generous  in  their 
provision  of  space  for  offices,  they  were  light  years  ahead  of  what  was 
available  for  the  Arts  and  Sciences  faculty.  The  ends  of  corridors  in  Gasson 
were  blocked  off  with  temporary  partitions,  converting  the  space  into 
offices  for  as  many  as  four  faculty  members.  A  few  classrooms  were 
converted  into  "offices"  by  introducing  10  desks  for  faculty.  In  short,  the 
high-quality  faculty  the  University  had  attracted,  and  was  attempting  to 
attract,  needed  better  accommodations  for  scholarly  work  and  interaction 
with  students.  Carney  Hall  was  to  be  the  answer  to  this  need. 

In  writing  to  Father  James  Coleran,  S.J.,  the  Provincial,  about  his  plans 
for  a  faculty  building,  Father  Walsh  made  some  revealing  comments: 

The  first  of  the  buildings  that  I  would  like  to  construct  from  the  funds  we  are 
receiving  for  our  Development  Program  is  the  Graduate  Center.  This  is  a 
building  that  will  give  us  some  more  classroom  space,  seminar  rooms,  and 
primarily  office  space  for  faculty. 

At  present  we  are  cramped  for  suitable  space  for  our  Jesuit  and  lay  faculty. 
Our  Jesuits  are  generally  forced  to  use  the  parlors  in  St.  Mary's  Hall  for 
consultation  and  guidance  of  our  students.  Many  of  the  lay  faculty  are  in 
offices  with  anywhere  from  six  to  ten  other  individuals. 

It  is  my  hope  through  this  new  building  to  give  each  of  our  faculty  an 
individual  office  or  cubicle.  In  this  way  I  think  we  can  achieve  greater  results 
in  research,  publication,  counseling,  and  teaching  from  our  faculty.  As  you 


292        History  of  Boston  College 

perhaps  know,  our  faculty  have  been  very  satisfied  with  the  salaries  and  fringe 
benefits  they  have  attained  in  recent  years.  The  only  drawback  at  times  is 
adequate  faculty  office  space. 

I  have  been  calling  this  building  a  graduate  center,  but  for  the  most  part  it 
will  be  a  faculty  office  building.  . .  .'' 

Almost  a  year  after  Father  Walsh's  letter  to  the  Provincial,  ground  was 
broken  for  the  faculty  office  building  on  April  16,  1963,  right  in  the  midst 
of  Boston  College's  centennial  celebrations.  The  building  was  under  con- 
struction for  nearly  a  year  and  a  half.  Carney  was  dedicated  on  September 
18,  1964,  named  for  the  earliest  major  benefactor  of  Boston  College, 
Andrew  Carney. 

While  Carney  was  still  under  construction  in  the  spring  of  1964,  the 
final  three  residence  halls  of  the  upper  campus — Welch,  Williams,  and 
Roncalli — were  begun.  To  make  room  for  the  new  buildings,  the  former 
Stimson  home  on  Hammond  Street,  purchased  for  the  University  by  the 
Philomatheia  Club  in  1936,  was  razed.  Welch  and  Williams  were  ready  for 
occupancy  in  September,  but  Roncalli's  completion  was  delayed  until 
December  because  of  the  need  to  move  a  house  from  that  site  to  a  location 
on  Beacon  Street.  RoncaUi  was  occupied  by  students  in  September  1965.^ 

As  a  scientist  who  had  been  promoted  from  the  chairmanship  of  the 
Biology  Department  to  the  presidency.  Father  Walsh  was  well  aware  of 
Boston  College's  inadequate  science  facilities  as  the  institution's  centennial 
approached.  Opened  in  1924,  Devlin  Hall  had  been  planned  primarily  for 
undergraduate  science  courses.  With  the  new  emphasis  on  graduate  educa- 
tion and,  indeed,  with  the  impending  start  of  doctoral  programs  in  chem- 
istry (1960),  physics  (1961),  and  biology  (1963),  new  and  more  sophisti- 
cated facilities  were  needed.  The  science  departments  were  encouraged  to 
plan  for  expansion.  As  early  as  January  1960  the  Physics  Department 
prepared  a  22-page  document  entitled,  "A  Study  of  the  Space  Needs  of  the 
Physics  Department,  1960-1975. "^  Two  months  later  the  Biology  Depart- 
ment submitted  a  proposal  for  a  biology  building.'  To  make  the  planning 
more  comprehensive  and  coordinated.  Father  Walsh  appointed  a  faculty 
committee,  with  Father  James  Devlin  of  the  Physics  Department  as  chair- 
man, to  make  recommendations  for  a  new  science  building.  The  committee 
submitted  a  report  in  August  1961.'°  Another  committee,  referred  to  as  the 
1961—1962  Science  Building  Committee,  submitted  a  preliminary  report 
in  February  1962  which  recommended  that  Devlin  Hall  be  renovated  and 
modernized  for  the  Chemistry  Department. 

Father  Walsh's  own  thinking  about  the  proposed  science  facility  was 
developing  along  different  lines  from  those  of  the  departments  and  the 
committees.  As  late  as  August  1962  he  said  that  he  had  considered  having 
all  undergraduate  science  remain  in  Devlin,  with  a  new  science  building 
serving  as  a  research  and  graduate  center  for  two  or  three  sciences."  But 
not  long  after  that  Father  Walsh  settled  on  the  plan  for  separate  new  and 
complete  facilities  for  physics  and  biology,  explaining  that  each  science 


The  University  at  Age  One  Hundred       293 

would  be  in  its  own  wing — the  equivalent  of  separate  buildings.^-  Chemistry 
would  remain  in  Devlin. 

Ground  was  broken  for  the  new  science  building  on  March  29,  1965. 
Assisting  Father  Walsh  in  the  ceremony  were  Stephen  P.  Mugar,  president 
and  director  of  Star  Markets,  who  contributed  over  half  a  million  dollars 
for  the  building,  and  John  P.  Higgins  of  Arlington,  a  long-time  personal 
and  professional  friend  of  Mugar's,  for  whom  Mugar  wanted  the  new 
science  facility  named.  The  cost  of  Higgins  Hall  was  $5,500,000  with 
$1,600,000  in  federal  grants  aiding  the  project.  The  136,000  square  foot 
V-shaped  building,  with  one  wing  devoted  to  biology  and  the  other  to 
physics  as  planned,  was  equipped  with  laboratory  facilities  and  equipment 
that  provided  the  two  sciences  it  served  with  the  most  up-to-date  resources 
for  advanced  research  as  well  as  basic  collegiate  science  courses." 

Higgins  Hall  was  dedicated  with  elaborate  two-day  ceremonies  on  the 
11th  and  12th  of  November  1966.  Scientific  papers  were  read  and  discussed 
on  the  first  day  and  representatives  of  135  universities  attended  a  convoca- 
tion in  Roberts  Center  the  following  day.  Honorary  degrees  were  awarded 
to  Dr.  George  Beadle,  president  of  the  University  of  Chicago  and  1958 
Nobel  laureate  in  medicine  and  physiology;  Dr.  William  B.  Castle,  of  the 


In  the  spring  of  the  centennial  year,  ground  was  broken  for  a  building  whose  major 
function  was  to  provide  long-awaited  faculty  offices.  Assisting  Cardinal  Gushing  and 
Father  Walsh  was  distinguished  classics  professor  Joseph  P.  Maguire.  The  building  was 
named  for  early  benefactor  Andrew  Carney. 


294        History  of  Boston  College 

Harvard  Medical  School  and  Boston  City  Hospital;  Dr.  James  Van  Allen, 
pioneer  in  space  physics,  of  the  University  of  Iowa;  and  Dr.  Donald  F. 
Hornig,  special  advisor  on  science  to  President  Johnson.'''  In  his  welcoming 
remarks  Father  Walsh  used  the  science  setting  to  stress  a  theme  familiar  at 
Boston  College — namely,  the  danger  of  slighting  the  humanities.  He  said, 
"I  sometimes  wonder  if  there  might  be  a  danger  of  overemphasis  on  science 
research,  due  primarily  to  the  availability  of  grants  from  government 
agencies  and  foundations.  As  a  biologist  myself,  I  think  I  might  be  absolved 
of  any  charge  of  minimizing  the  importance  of  research,  but  as  an  educator 
I  sometimes  wonder  if  the  comparative  neglect  of  some  areas  of  the 
humanities  might  indicate  a  danger  of  neglecting  the  training  of  the  scientist 
as  a  man." 

Even  as  preparations  were  under  way  for  the  dedication  of  the  new 
science  building,  the  fall  issue  of  the  Alumni  News  announced  the  imminent 
start  of  a  building  dedicated  to  the  social  sciences.  Father  Walsh  was  aware 
that  the  full  range  of  social  sciences  was  late  in  developing  at  Boston 
College  and  needed  special  attention  and  encouragement.  As  a  sign  of 
commitment  to  the  social  sciences.  Father  Walsh  invested  considerable 
personal  effort  and  University  funds  in  setting  up  a  research  center  that 
came  to  be  called  the  Institute  of  Human  Sciences.  It  was  expected  that  the 
institute  would  attract  major  research  grants  concerning  social  problems 
that  a  university  with  Boston  College's  ideals  would  want  to  address.  Father 
Walsh's  ambitious  hopes  for  the  institute  were  not  fully  realized,  although 
it  attracted  talented  social  scientists,  some  of  whom  have  remained  at  the 
University  and  made  significant  contributions  within  their  several  disci- 
plines. Though  the  Institute  of  Human  Sciences  disappointed  expectations, 
it  may  have  indirectly  benefited  the  basic  social  science  departments; 
certainly  those  departments  are  far  stronger  than  they  were  in  1968. 


A  member  of  the  Board  of  Regents,  Sidney  Rabb,  along  with  a  colleague, 
Alfred  L.  Morse,  headed  a  drive  among  the  Jewish  community  of  Greater 
Boston  for  funds  for  the  social  sciences  building.  Significantly  the  group 
established  to  assist  Rabb  and  Morse  was  called  the  Institute  of  Human 
Sciences  Fiscal  Committee.  It  was  fitting  that  when  ground  was  broken  for 
the  proposed  building  in  the  spring  of  1967,  Sidney  Rabb  and  Alfred  Morse 
joined  Father  Walsh  and  Cardinal  Cushlngforthe  ceremony." 


One  of  the  principal  purposes  of  the  social  sciences  building  was  to 
provide  a  campus  home  for  the  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work,  which 
until  then  had  been  located  at  126  Newbury  Street.  Appropriately  the 
building  was  named  for  the  founder  and  first  dean  of  the  Graduate  School 
of  Social  Work,  Father  Walter  McGuinn,  and  his  brother.  Father  Albert 
McGuinn,  who  served  many  years  as  chairman  of  the  Chemistry  Depart- 
ment. McGuinn  Hall  opened  in  September  1968. 


The  University  at  Age  One  Hundred       295 

The  Board  of  Regents 

In  carrying  out  the  ambitious  building  program  he  had  undertaken,  Father 
Walsh  relied  heavily  on  the  prudent  advice  and  support  of  the  Board  of 
Regents.  This  distinguished  group,  distinct  from  the  Jesuit  Board  of  Trus- 
tees, was  an  innovation  in  the  governance  of  the  University.  The  board  was 
organized  in  1959.  At  that  time,  working  with  Thomas  J.  Cudmore,  an 
alumnus  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work  and  then  director  of  the 
Office  of  Development,  the  president's  office  assembled  a  list  of  names — 
including  alumni  and  non-alumni — of  people  who  had  achieved  outstand- 
ing success  in  their  fields  of  endeavor.  In  moving  toward  such  an  advisory 
body.  Father  Walsh  had  the  example  of  a  number  of  Jesuit  universities  that 
had  established  similar  boards.  Although  the  title  varied  from  institution  to 
institution,  the  purpose  of  the  boards  was  generally  similar:  to  meet 
periodically,  usually  between  meetings  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  to  assist  in 
long-range  planning,  to  evaluate  current  problems,  and  to  advise  the 
president  on  such  matters  as  capital  development  and  deficit  financing.  The 
board  members,  as  prominent  men  in  the  local  community,  were  especially 
helpful  in  promoting  public  understanding  of  and  support  for  the  institu- 
tion. In  response  to  Father  Walsh's  invitation  to  join  the  board,  these  men 
were  remarkably  enthusiastic  in  offering  their  services  to  Boston  College. 
Henry  M.  Leen,  Esquire,  class  of  1929,  became  chairman  of  the  board. 
Christopher  Duncan,  who  was  chairman  of  the  Centennial  Development 
Program,  was  also  on  the  board.  The  names  of  other  members  appear  at 
the  end  of  the  chapter.  ^"^ 

The  Board  of  Regents  met  for  the  first  time  on  September  27,  1960.  In 
his  remarks  that  afternoon.  Father  Walsh  said,  "It  is  a  source  of  real 
satisfaction  and  consolation  to  have  men  of  your  calibre  on  whom  we  can 
rely  and  on  whose  judgment  and  recommendations  we  can  depend."'^  He 
was  confident  that  "you  can  assist  not  only  on  some  of  the  financial  and 
business  problems  of  the  University  but  also  in  the  field  of  public  relations 
and  in  many  other  areas  that  I  will  touch  upon  toward  the  end  of  this 
meeting.">8  After  drawing  a  detailed  picture  of  the  University  at  that  time — 
enrollments,  faculty,  assets,  operational  expenses,  and  budget — the  presi- 
dent outlined  his  plans  for  the  future  and  touched  upon  some  of  the 
problems.  His  immediate  concern  was  the  successful  outcome  of  the 
Centennial  Fund  Campaign,  on  which  he  enlisted  their  advice  and  assis- 
tance. From  1960  to  1968,  when  the  Board  of  Regents  was  replaced  by  the 
Board  of  Directors,  these  men,  generous  with  their  time  and  money,  were 
of  inestimable  value  to  the  president.  In  launching  the  University  on  its 
second  century,  they  provided  a  needed  cushion  of  security. 

A  Self-Appraisal  by  Arts  and  Sciences 

With  all  the  building  that  was  going  on  during  his  presidency,  one  might 
conclude  that  Father  Walsh  was  totally  preoccupied  with  construction.  Far 


296        History  of  Boston  College 


Robert  Frost  was  a  star  attraction  of 
the  Humanities  Series  for  years. 
With  him  are  Father  Francis  Swee- 
ney and  Wayne  A.  Budd  ('63),  now 
U.S.  Attorney  for  Massachusetts. 

from  it.  He  was  primarily  an  educator,  and  no  project  during  his  regime 
had  more  of  his  interest  than  the  self-study  of  the  College  of  Arts  and 
Sciences.  At  the  convocation  in  1962  the  president  announced  that  there 
would  be  a  far-reaching  self-appraisal  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences 
the  following  academic  year,  1963—1964.  The  self-study  was  launched  by 
Father  Walsh  in  a  letter  to  the  Arts  and  Sciences  faculty  in  April  1963. 

The  executive  committee  of  the  self-study  consisted  of  the  academic  vice 
president,  Father  Charles  Donovan,  chairman,  Father  John  McCarthy  (the 
College  dean),  Robert  Carovillano  (physics),  John  Mahoney  (English), 
Donald  White  (economics),  and  the  president,  ex-officio.  Mahoney  served 
as  executive  director  of  the  self-study.  President  Victor  Butterfield  of 
Wesleyan  University  agreed  to  be  adviser  to  the  project.  A  prominent 
spokesman  for  hberal  education,  Butterfield  brought  a  wise  and  sympa- 
thetic outsider's  view  to  the  faculty's  deliberations.  He  gave  the  keynote 
address  at  the  fall  faculty  convocation  in  1963,  met  with  several  of  the 
committees  in  subsequent  months,  and  after  reading  the  final  reports 
submitted  a  wise  and  paternal  critique.  A  faculty  advisory  council,  consist- 
ing of  two  members  from  each  of  the  academic  divisions  (humanities, 
physical  sciences,  and  social  sciences)  was  elected  to  serve  as  Haison 
between  the  faculty  and  the  executive  committee.  The  departmental  mem- 
bership of  the  advisory  council  was  Joseph  Chen  (chemistry),  William  Daly 
(history),  Malcolm  McLoud  (classics),  Paul  Michaud  (history),  David 
O'Donnell  (chemistry),  and  Maurice  Quinlan  (English).  Father  Walsh's 
original  vision  for  the  self-study  was  a  department-by-department  exami- 


The  University  at  Age  One  Hundred       297 

nation  and  updating  of  curriculum  not  only  in  the  core  area  but  especially 
in  the  majors.^' 

It  was  decided  that  while  the  departments  were  working  on  their  self- 
appraisals,  some  committees  should  be  attacking  a  few  broad  issues  of 
concern  to  the  entire  college.  At  the  fall  convocation  the  faculty  chose  six 
areas  for  special  study  and  established  committees  on  total  curriculum, 
intellectual  climate,  library,  research  activities,  the  honors  program,  and 
guidance.-^  These  committees  and  topics  became  quite  influential  in  the 
eventual  outcomes  of  the  self-study.  It  is  somewhat  ironic  that  what  was 
envisioned  as  primarily  a  departmental  undertaking  had  mild  results  at  the 
departmental  level,  whereas  many  sweeping  changes  emerged  from  the 
college  committees.  In  his  final  letter  of  advice  after  reading  the  self-study 
reports.  President  Butterfield  gently  warned  against  excessive  emphasis  on 
departmental  autonomy  at  Boston  College.  It  is  significant  that  the  major 
changes  of  the  self-study  came  not  from  departmental  but  from  collective 
deliberation. 

The  most  far-reaching  and  lasting  ideas  came  out  of  the  Committee  on 
the  Total  Curriculum,  chaired  by  Father  James  Skehan.  Generations  of 
Boston  College  students  had  carried  a  heavy  course  load:  six  courses  a 
semester,  for  a  total  of  48  courses  for  graduation.  The  curriculum  commit- 
tee recommended  a  decrease  of  12  courses  for  the  bachelor's  degree.  The 
Executive  Committee  ultimately  modified  this  recommendation  to  a  10- 
course  reduction  (for  a  total  of  38  in  four  years),  with  five  courses  per 
semester  for  each  of  the  first  three  years  and  four  courses  per  semester 
(with  an  optional  fifth  course)  in  senior  year.  This  distribution  of  courses 
is  in  effect  at  the  present  time. 

As  the  total  curriculum,  so  the  core  curriculum  was  reduced.  The  final 
recommendation  was  that  half  of  the  courses  (19)  be  devoted  to  the 
common  core,  to  be  distributed  as  follows: 

Theology  5  courses 

Philosophy  4  courses 

English  2  courses 

History  2  courses 

Natural  Science  2  courses 

Mathematics  2  courses 

Languages  2  courses 

In  the  years  immediately  following  the  self-study,  under  the  influence  of  the 
Second  Vatican  Council  and  other  forces  at  work  in  the  Church,  the 
Theology  and  Philosophy  departments  voluntarily  reduced  their  participa- 
tion in  the  core  curriculum.  Otherwise,  the  recommended  core  curriculum 
was  eventually  adopted  and  was  in  effect  until  further  revisions  in  1971. 

The  rationale  for  a  slimmed-down  course  load  can  probably  best  be 
gleaned  from  correspondence  of  Father  Walsh  with  the  Provincial,  Father 


298        History  of  Boston  College 

John  V.  O'Connor,  in  the  following  year  when  he  was  seeking  approval  for 
the  proposed  new  curriculum.  In  his  first  letter,  Father  Walsh  explained: 

In  an  effort  to  provide  a  more  scholarly  and  reflective  setting  for  the  college 
experience,  it  is  our  hope  to  cut  the  present  48-course  schedule  to  38  courses, 
with  five  in  each  of  the  first  three  years  and  four  in  the  senior  year  (per 
semester).  Within  this  less  course-burdened  schedule,  there  has  also  been  an 
attempt  to  provide  for  the  freedom  to  take  advanced  electives  in  the  tradi- 
tional humanistic  areas  such  as  English,  languages,  and  history,  while  at  the 
same  time  giving  adequate  but  not  overbalanced  attention  to  the  student's 
major  area  of  study  and  to  preparation  for  graduate  study.-^ 

In  reply.  Father  O'Connor  said  that  he  felt  he  had  to  get  approval  from 
Rome,  because  the  suggested  changes  departed  so  sharply  from  the  curric- 
ulum last  approved  by  Father  General  in  1959.  To  help  him  make  the  most 
suasive  case  in  favor  of  Boston  College's  request,  the  Provincial  posed  a 
series  of  probing  questions."  The  nub  of  Father  Walsh's  reply  is  found  in 
the  following  paragraph. 

As  a  preface  let  me  say,  since  several  of  your  questions  focus  on  our  requested 
reduction  of  courses  required  in  the  core  curriculum,  that  we  are  keenly 
concerned  to  preserve  the  integrity  and  spirit  of  the  Jesuit  liberal  arts  tradition 
as  far  as  this  can  possibly  be  done  within  a  reduced  course  load.  The  key 
factor  here,  as  is  obvious,  is  our  conviction — a  conviction  not  unique  to  us 
among  Jesuit  colleges — that  our  students  are  carrying  a  course  load  that  is 
too  heavy.  With  some  of  the  finest  colleges  turning  to  a  schedule  that  limits 
each  student's  courses  to  three  per  term  and  many  more  colleges  not 
permitting  their  students  to  carry  more  than  four  courses  per  term,  it  has 
become  evident  that  to  have  our  students  carry  six  courses  per  term  makes  it 
difficult  to  achieve  some  of  the  best  goals  of  contemporary  education  in 
terms  of  more  reflective  study  and  writing,  more  independent  work,  and 
greater  opportunity  for  the  enjoyment  of  genuine  scholarly  leisure.  It  is, 
therefore,  not  by  any  means  for  the  purpose  of  lessening  the  effectiveness  or 
contribution  of  the  liberal  arts  that  the  suggested  reductions  are  made,  but  in 
order  to  provide  what  we  sincerely  feel  is  a  schedule  of  studies  better  fitted 
to  the  talents  and  previous  education  of  our  current  students,  more  conso- 
nant with  the  present  trend  in  higher  education  to  place  more  responsibility 
upon  the  individual  student  for  self-direction  in  his  education,  and  better 
adapted  to  the  realistic  needs  of  today's  undergraduates  as  regards  prepara- 
tion for  graduate  education." 

Father  Walsh's  thinking  on  the  reasons  for  the  proposed  curriculum  change 
clearly  reflected  a  consensus  that  had  been  established  among  the  faculty  at 
Boston  College.  Approval  eventually  came,  and  the  new  program  of  studies 
was  put  in  place  in  September  1965. 

In  the  letter  just  cited,  Father  Walsh's  reference  to  a  three-course  load 
per  term  was  significant  because  that  became  the  cause  championed  by  the 
Committee  on  the  Total  Curriculum.  In  reviewing  alternative  scheduling 
programs,  the  committee  became  familiar  with  the  Dartmouth  College 


The  University  at  Age  One  Hundred       299 

plan  of  three  courses  a  semester  spread  over  a  trimester  that  included  an 
occasional  summer.  Not  a  great  deal  of  enthusiasm  for  the  Dartmouth  plan 
was  generated  among  the  faculty  at  large,  but  the  Total  Curriculum 
Committee  made  a  heavy  commitment  to  it.  Indeed,  the  committee's  strong 
recommendation  of  the  so-called  three-three  program  was  undoubtedly  the 
most  radical  proposal  to  come  out  of  the  self-study.  But  the  community  did 
not  warm  to  the  suggestion. 


At  the  conclusion  of  the  self-study  the  academic  vice  president  drew  up  for 
Father  Walsh  a  list  of  30  recommendations  adopted  and  transmitted  by  the 
Executive  Committee  calling  for  action  by  the  University  administration.^''  A 
sample,  including  some  challenging  and  some  routine  recommendations, 
follows: 

•  Establish  an  educational  policy  committee. 

•  Move  toward  the  election  of  department  chairmen. 

•  Establish  a  system  of  sabbatical  leaves  to  replace  the  somewhat  re- 
stricted faculty  fellowships. 

•  Expand  secretarial  service  for  faculty. 

•  Increase  funds  for  graduate  assistantships. 

•  Give  high  priority  to  the  building  of  a  new  library. 

•  Increase  the  funds  available  for  book  purchases. 

•  Increase  the  library  staff. 

•  Expand  the  admissions  office. 

•  Add  a  full-time  clinical  psychologist  to  the  guidance  office. 

•  Appoint  a  director  of  foreign  students. 

•  Review  the  system  of  spiritual  retreats  for  Catholic  students. 

Of  these  recommendations,  the  one  concerning  the  library  was  slowest  in 
being  fulfilled.  Higgins,  McGuinn,  the  theater,  and  lower-campus  resid- 
ences preceded  O'Neill  Library.  This  delay,  in  hindsight,  was  fortuitous.  It 
is  highly  unlikely  that  in  the  mid-sixties  the  University  would  have  under- 
taken a  project  asjnassive  or  successful  as  O'Neill. 


The  great  majority  of  the  recommendations  of  the  self-study  were  put 
into  effect — if  not  immediately,  then  within  a  year  or  two.  The  self-study 
should  not,  however,  be  given  total  credit  for  all  that  followed,  for  a 
number  of  changes  were  already  under  active  consideration  before  it  was 
undertaken.  For  example,  academic  administrators  at  Boston  College  and 
other  Jesuit  colleges  had  long  been  aware  of  the  heavy  course  load  carried 
by  the  students.  But  the  self-study  involved  the  academic  community  and 
gave  the  blessings  of  collegial  consensus  to  changes  toward  which  the 
institution  had  been  moving. 

Butterfield's  Recommendations 

In  his  response  to  the  reports  and  recommendations  of  the  self-study. 
President  Butterfield  of  Wesleyan  was  generous  in  his  praise  and  sage  in  his 


300        History  of  Boston  College 

admonitions,  several  of  which  deserve  recording  here.  Butterfield  felt  there 
was  danger  of  the  University  moving  too  far  toward  a  graduate  school 
orientation,  with  primary  emphasis  on  specialization  in  a  discipHne  rather 
than  on  breadth  of  culture.  He  saw  departments,  in  growing  strength  and 
self-absorption,  as  potential  villains.  He  wrote: 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  heavy  emphasis  on  departmentalization  symbolizes 
and  encourages  a  kind  of  specialization  that  we  don't  want.  It  tends  to 
exclude  or  discourage  cultural  breadth  and  range  and  intellectual  variety  and 
versatility  in  scholars  and  teachers,  and  puts  them  in  the  false  position  of 
insisting  on  such  qualities  in  their  students  while  they  don't  have  them 
themselves.  It  also  limits  the  possibilities  for  a  genuine  community  of  scho- 
lars, and  tends  to  weaken  rather  than  strengthen  the  kind  of  intellectual 
climate  or  atmosphere  that  is  so  vital  in  the  life  of  scholars  and  the  education 
of  students. 

Related  to  his  reservations  about  heavy  departmental  orientation  was 
Butterfield' s  second  warning,  on  the  subject  of  research: 

Research  is  now  a  loaded  word  with  faculty  members,  and  to  be  at  all  critical 
is  apt  to  put  you  in  the  position  of  seeming  to  be  against  the  whole  idea.  I 
wish  there  were  a  better  word  for  it,  and  that  we  could  conceive  of  our 
faculty  members  as  being  constant  "learners"  as  well  as  teachers.  Perhaps  the 
word  "research"  has  this  connotation  for  some,  but  I  doubt  for  many  since 
it  has  become  a  kind  of  fetish,  and  its  essence  is  symbolized  in  both  academic 
and  popular  mind  by  scientific  research. 

President  Butterfield  believed  in  institutional — not  merely  departmental — 
involvement  in  faculty  recruitment.  As  president  he  was  active  in  the  process 
of  appointments  to  the  faculty.  Indeed  the  author  first  met  him  on  a  plane 
when  he  was  traveling  to  visit  the  campus  of  a  prospective  member  of  the 
Wesleyan  faculty.  His  third  admonition  reflected  his  philosophy  of  faculty 
recruitment: 

Most  faculty  members  should  be  good  with  the  average  undergraduate, 
though  it  is  important  to  recognize  those  teachers  who  are  especially  good 
with  majors  or  with  graduate  students.  Some  faculty  people  have  to  be  good 
administrators  and  like  it.  Some  are  especially  good  to  carry  the  educational 
adventure  to  the  extramural  world,  and  this  is  important  too.  A  faculty  must, 
in  fact,  in  the  right  balance  reflect  collectively  the  various  functions  of  the 
institution,  and  I  think  we  have  to  stay  aware  of  this  and  be  careful  not  to 
apply  the  same  formula  to  all  faculty  appointments  although  of  course  the 
dominant  type  should  be  the  broad,  cultivated  scholar-teacher  who  is  thor- 
oughly competent  in  a  special  field. -^ 

President  Butterfield  had  a  richly  articulated  philosophy  of  liberal  educa- 
tion. He  served  Boston  College  well  as  adviser  in  the  1963-1964  self-study. 
The  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  might  serve  its  own  interests  well  by 
reconsidering,  after  several  decades,  the  advice  Butterfield  gave. 


The  University  at  Age  One  Hundred       301 

Honor  Societies:  The  Long  Road  to  Omicron 

The  accreditation  of  colleges  and  universities — their  several  schools,  depart- 
ments, and  programs — by  regional  and  professional  associations  attests  to 
the  fact  that  degrees  from  an  accredited  institution  will  be  recognized  by 
the  academic  world.  But  accreditation,  of  and  by  itself,  does  not  measure 
the  level  of  quality.  The  approval  of  national  honor  societies,  however,  has 
always  carried  with  it  the  mark  of  academic  distinction.  As  indicated 
earlier.  Alpha  Sigma  Nu,  the  National  Jesuit  Honor  Society,  had  been 
installed  in  1939;  Gamma  Pi  Epsilon  was  later  merged  with  ASN.  Students 
in  the  School  of  Management  had  been  honored  by  Beta  Gamma  Sigma, 
the  honor  society  in  the  field  of  commerce  and  business,  which  is  recognized 
by  the  American  Association  of  Collegiate  Schools  of  Business.  A  Sigma  Xi 
Club  (the  first  step)  was  installed  at  Boston  College  on  May  2,  1957.  A 
petition  for  elevation  to  a  chapter  of  Sigma  Xi,  the  national  honor  society 
for  the  promotion  of  scientific  research,  was  made  in  1964;  a  chapter  was 
installed  on  May  24,  1966. 

Chapters  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  the  most  prestigious  of  the  honor  societies, 
had  already  been  established  at  two  Catholic  institutions.-*  At  Boston 
College  in  the  late  fifties,  there  was  a  feeling  that  the  academic  program  in 
the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  and  the  governance  of  the  University 
generally  had  reached  a  level  of  achievement  that  would  justify  an  applica- 
tion for  a  campus  chapter.  The  initial  overtures,  it  may  be  said  in  advance, 
were  not  auspicious.  In  1958  a  faculty  committee  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa  key 
holders,  chaired  by  Professor  Joseph  Sheerin  of  the  Classics  Department, 
filed  an  application  for  a  chapter  at  Boston  College.  Since  the  University 
administration  was  not  involved  in  the  petition  (which  is  the  proper 
procedure),  negotiations  were  carried  on  between  the  secretary  of  Phi  Beta 
Kappa  and  the  faculty  committee.  Things  appeared  to  go  well.-^  After 
completing  and  submitting  answers  to  a  lengthy  questionnaire,  the  chair- 
man was  informed  that  the  Committee  on  Qualifications,  after  screening  a 
large  number  of  applications,  had  selected  1 1  colleges  for  further  exami- 
nation. Boston  College  was  one  of  the  eleven.  With  this  encouragement, 
the  committee  began  to  prepare  the  general  report  and  schedule  on-site 
visits.-' 

In  the  meantime,  Father  William  Casey,  who  had  been  kept  informed  of 
the  progress  of  negotiations,  had  occasion  to  visit  a  leading  Catholic 
institution  that  had  submitted  the  required  documentation,  including  the 
general  report,  in  its  petition  for  a  chapter  in  the  previous  triennium.  That 
petition  was  rejected.  When  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  committee  at  that  institu- 
tion allowed  Father  Casey  to  see  the  confidential  file,  he  discovered  that  the 
application  had  been  rejected  because  of  their  pohcy  on  financial  assistance 
to  athletes.^'  Of  the  total  scholarship  aid,  more  than  half  went  to  athletes, 
some  of  whom  had  grade  point  averages  of  less  than  2.00.  In  a  further 
consultation  with  Dr.  Helen  C.  White,  a  Phi  Beta  Kappa  senator  to  whom 


302       History  of  Boston  College 

Boston  College  had  recently  given  an  honorary  degree,  Father  Casey  learned 
that  an  institution's  policy  on  athletics  is  of  crucial  importance  in  the 
decision  to  grant  a  local  chapter  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa.^" 

After  making  a  survey  of  financial  assistance  to  athletes  at  Boston 
College,  Father  Casey  concluded  that  "the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences 
would  have  no  hope  of  winning  final  approval  for  a  local  chapter  of  Phi 
Beta  Kappa.""  He  then  instructed  Professor  Sheerin  to  withdraw  the 
application;  the  latter  did  so  with  the  lament  that  practices  "in  one  or  two 
of  (our)  undergraduate  schools  are  such  as  seriously  to  prejudice  our 
chances  for  final  approval  of  a  chapter  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa  in  the  College  of 
Arts  and  Sciences. "^^  In  his  reply,  the  secretary  of  the  United  Chapters, 
while  appreciating  how  difficult  and  distressing  the  decision  was,  felt  that 
it  was  a  wise  one.  Assuming  that  the  weaknesses  would  be  corrected,  he 
reminded  Professor  Sheerin  of  the  next  triennium  when  the  committee 
members  might  renew  their  application  if  they  decided  that  the  time  was 
ripe." 

The  Phi  Beta  Kappa  members  of  the  faculty  did,  in  fact,  feel  that  the  time 
was  ripe  in  1962,  the  next  triennium.  A  new  committee  was  formed, 
chaired  by  Professor  Frederick  White  of  the  Physics  Department,  and  on 
October  15,  1962,  an  application  was  filed  with  the  National  Office. 
Boston  College  was  again  selected  for  further  examination.  On-site  visits 
were  arranged  and  the  general  report  was  presented  in  October  1962  for 
consideration  by  the  Committee  on  Qualifications.  The  report,  110  pages 
long  and  eight  months  in  preparation,  covered  a  wide  range  of  the  Univer- 
sity's operations.^" 

Economist  Lady  Barbara 
Ward  Jackson  speaking  with 
students  after  her  Centennial 
Lecture,  just  before  the  anni- 
versary convocation. 


The  University  at  Age  One  Hundred       303 

Alas,  the  petition  was  rejected.  In  his  letter  to  Professor  White,  the 
secretary  cited  three  reasons  for  turning  down  the  committee's  application 
for  a  chapter.  First,  the  Committee  on  Qualifications  felt  that  the  faculty 
should  have  a  greater  voice  in  the  governance  of  the  University,  in  adminis- 
trative appointments,  and  in  institutional  policy.  Secondly,  "the  committee 
was  unfavorably  impressed  by  the  fact  that  nearly  one  half  of  the  present 
faculty  are  Boston  College  alumni,"  even  though  "most,  if  not  all,  have 
advanced  degrees  earned  elsewhere."  Such  a  recruitment  policy,  the  com- 
mittee felt,  could  lead  to  provincialism  and  inbreeding.  Finally,  the  com- 
mittee was  critical  of  the  "heavy  curricular  requirement  in  philosophy." 
The  27-hour  requirement — highest  among  Jesuit  colleges — plus  16  hours 
of  theology  "leaves  students  very  little  room  for  electives  over  and  above 
the  major."^^ 

While  the  letter  necessarily  gave  first  attention  to  considerations  that  led 
to  rejection,  Phi  Beta  Kappa  was  impressed  with  several  aspects  of  Boston 
College.  Except  for  the  too-heavy  requirement  in  philosophy,  "the  Commit- 
tee had  only  favorable  things  to  say  about  the  content  and  quality  of  the 
undergraduate  program."'*  The  committee  commended  the  admissions 
policy,  the  plant,  and  especially  the  library  collections.  In  summary,  the 
committee  "would  encourage  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  members  of  the  faculty 
to  continue  working  toward  the  establishment  of  a  chapter."'^ 

In  his  reply  to  Carl  Billman's  letter.  Professor  White  pointed  out  the 
steps  that  had  been  taken  and  were  being  taken,  in  conjunction  with  the 
self-study  project,  to  correct  what  Phi  Beta  Kappa  perceived  to  be  negative 
aspects  of  the  University's  administration  and  curriculum.  In  reference  to 
alumni  on  the  faculty.  White  pointed  out  that  a  high  of  58  percent  in  1958 
had  been  reduced  to  44  percent  in  the  academic  year  1963—1964.  More- 
over, the  relatively  high  number  of  alumni  on  the  faculty  could  be  explained 
by  the  fact  that  almost  all  of  the  Jesuits,  of  whom  there  were  many,  had 
taken  their  undergraduate  degrees  at  Boston  College.'^  In  concluding. 
White  hoped  that  "you  will  consider  a  new  application  and  recommend 
the  estabhshment  of  a  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Chapter  at  Boston  College  to  the 
next  triennial  meeting."^' 

These  two  apphcations  for  Phi  Beta  Kappa  were  by  no  means  futile  or 
unproductive.  The  administration  addressed  these  weaker  areas  honestly 
and  responsibly.  In  every  instance  there  was  improvement,  and  the  self- 
study  project  itself  benefited  from  the  recommendations  that  came  from 
sources  beyond  the  campus.  Although  it  anticipates  somewhat  the  progres- 
sion of  events,  it  should  be  mentioned  that  improvements  brought  success. 
Chaired  by  Professor  Robert  Carovillano  of  the  Physics  Department,  a 
third  Phi  Beta  Kappa  faculty  committee  was  formed  and  an  application 
was  submitted  in  1968.'"'  This  appHcation  was  approved  and,  with  an 
appropriate  ceremony,  the  Omicron  Chapter  of  Massachusetts  was  in- 
stalled at  Boston  College  on  April  6,  1971.  Boston  College  was  the  105th 
institution  to  be  invested  with  a  chapter,  and  the  10th  Catholic  college. 


304        History  of  Boston  College 

The  American  Association  of  University  Women 

While  the  American  Association  of  University  Women  (AAUW)  is  not  an 
honor  society,  Boston  College's  relation  to  AAUW  may  well  be  mentioned 
in  the  context  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  story.  The  AAUW  is  an  association  of 
women  graduates  of  colleges  and  universities  on  the  association's  approved 
list.  Established  to  further  the  interests  and  professional  status  of  educated 
American  women,  the  AAUW  is  a  women's  network  lobbying  in  Washing- 
ton and  active  in  major  academic  bodies,  offering  fellowships  for  advanced 
graduate  studies  for  women  and  promoting  the  presence  and  influence  of 
women  in  the  academic  world.  Mary  Kinnane,  who  became  dean  of  women 
in  the  School  of  Education  in  1955,  applied  for  and  received  membership 
in  AAUW  on  the  basis  of  holding  a  degree  from  the  University  of  Kansas, 
an  approved  AAUW  institution.  She  set  in  motion  an  inquiry  about  AAUW 
membership  for  Boston  College  on  behalf  of  women  graduates  of  the 
School  of  Education,  the  School  of  Nursing,  and  the  Graduate  School  of 
Arts  and  Sciences.  AAUW's  1958  statement  of  membership  eUgibility 
standards  included  five  points:  regional  accreditation,  provision  for  basic 
hberal  education,  adequate  provision  for  women  students,  professional 
opportunities  for  women  in  faculty  and  administration,  and  maintenance 
of  academic  freedom.  It  was  feared  that  the  absence  of  women  from  the 
central  liberal  arts  division,  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  might  be  a 
bar  to  approval  for  Boston  College.  But  as  a  result  of  a  series  of  exchanges 
between  Father  Walsh  and  the  AAUW,  Boston  College  was  placed  on  the 
approved  AAUW  list  in  December  1963  and  became  a  corporate  member 
of  AAUW  with  Dean  Kinnane  as  haison."' 

The  achievement  of  AAUW  approval  is  a  reminder  that  women's  interests 
were  actively  promoted  before  full  coeducation  in  all  undergraduate  divi- 
sions was  instituted  and  before  there  was  a  Women's  Resource  Center. 
Other  examples  of  breakthroughs  in  the  1960s  for  and  by  women  were  the 
winning  of  the  first  Woodrow  Wilson  fellowship  by  a  School  of  Education 
woman,  despite  a  somewhat  reluctant  A&S  Woodrow  Wilson  committee; 
acceptance  of  women  students  in  the  junior  year  abroad  program;  admis- 
sion of  women  in  the  previously  all-male  University  Chorale;  and  accep- 
tance of  women  cheerleaders — an  issue  that  provoked  prolonged  discussion 
among  the  undergraduate  deans. 

The  Centennial  Celebration 

When  Father  Michael  Walsh  became  president  of  Boston  College  in  Febru- 
ary 1958,  he  had  no  way  of  knowing  that  his  term  would  run  a  whole 
decade.  As  long  as  the  presidents  of  Boston  College  served  a  dual  role, 
president  of  the  University  and  rector  of  the  Jesuit  Community,  it  was 
unusual  for  a  president's  term  to  exceed  six  years.  That  is  because, 
according  to  canon  law,  the  term  of  a  religious  superior  (rector)  is  normally 


The  University  at  Age  One  Hundred       305 

three  years,  renewable  once.  This  rule  accounts  for  the  large  number  of 
presidents  in  Boston  College's  relatively  short  history.  It  was  not  until 
Father  Monan's  presidency  that  the  rectorship  of  the  Jesuit  Community 
was  held  by  a  person  other  than  the  University  president. 

When  Father  Walsh  assumed  the  presidency  in  1958,  expecting  to  serve 
six  years,  he  knew  that  he  was  fated  to  orchestrate  the  centennial  celebra- 
tion of  1963.  He  lost  little  time  in  setting  in  motion  planning  for  the 
centennial.  As  mentioned  in  the  last  chapter,  in  August  1958  he  set  up  a 
Centenary  Committee  chaired  by  Law  School  dean  Father  Robert  Drinan. 
In  July  1961  John  Tevnan  of  the  Development  Office  was  appointed 
executive  director  of  the  centennial  program.  Since  the  Boston  College 
charter  was  granted  on  April  1,  1863,  it  was  decided  that  major  centennial 
events  would  be  scheduled  for  the  spring  of  1963. 


Bearing  a  publication  date  of  1962  was  a  commemorative  book,  The 
Crowned  Hilltop:  Boston  College  in  Its  Hundredth  Year.  Commissioned  by 
Cardinal  Cashing  as  a  centennial  gift  to  his  alma  mater,  The  Crowned 
Hilltop  contained  55  pencil  sketches  of  Boston  College  buildings,  settings, 
and  leaders  by  the  New  England  illustrator.  Jack  Frost.  Father  Francis 
Sweeney,  whose  pen  has  so  often  beautifully  served  Boston  College, 
provided  a  text  outlining  the  University's  history  as  companion  to  the  Frost 
sketches. 


The  first  formal  centennial  event  was  the  annual  Candlemas  Lecture  on 
March  21,  1963.  Rev.  Hans  Kiing  of  the  University  of  Tubingen,  later  a 
controversial  theologian,  addressed  a  gathering  of  3500  at  Roberts  Center 
on  the  topic,  "The  Church  and  Freedom."  In  the  audience  were  Richard 
Cardinal  Cushing  and  Metropohtan  Athenagaros  of  Montreal. 

Five  days  after  the  Kiing  lecture,  a  formal  academic  convocation  was  held 
in  Roberts  Center  for  conferring  an  honorary  degree  upon  Augustin 
Cardinal  Bea,  who  served  the  Vatican  as  president  of  the  Secretariat  for 
Christian  Unity.  Revered  in  the  Christian  world  for  his  ecumenical  leader- 
ship, Bea  was  that  ecclesiastical  rarity,  a  Jesuit  who  was  made  a  cardinal. 
For  years  after  the  event,  the  Jesuit  Community  at  St.  Mary's  Hall  remem- 
bered Cardinal  Bea's  visit  as  a  joyous  benediction. 

The  hturgical  celebration  of  the  centennial  took  place  on  Saturday, 
March  30,  at  the  Holy  Cross  Cathedral,  with  a  Pontifical  Mass  of  Thanks- 
giving. Cardinal  Cushing  preached  and  the  University  Chorale,  assisted  by 
an  orchestra,  presented  Missa  Domini,  a  Mass  written  for  the  occasion  by 
the  chorale's  director,  C.  Alexander  Peloquin.  In  the  afternoon  a  luncheon 
on  campus  was  attended  by  church  dignitaries  and  alumni  and  addressed 
by  the  bishop  of  Pittsburgh,  John  J.  Wright  of  the  class  of  1931. 

On  Monday  and  Tuesday,  April  15  and  16,  1963,  a  centennial  theologi- 
cal conference  was  held  on  "The  Church  and  Tradition."  It  presented  such 


306        History  of  Boston  College 


Mfm\f^^^W^^^^^KS^U^  y-^^H 

/            >'■•    '     /-^            '■  ■' 

/     ,-.^^.- 

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5 .                                  ' 

:     1 

iHP^Si^^^^^^^^^^^H 

President  John  F.  Kennedy  addressing  the  Centennial  Convocation  on  April  20, 
1963.  To  his  left  is  Father  Walsh  and,  at  the  edge  of  the  photo,  the  president's 
brother,  Edward.  Behind  the  president,  to  his  right,  is  academic  vice  president 
Father  Charles  Donovan. 


speakers  as  Jaroslav  Pelikan  of  Yale,  Father  Hans  Kiing,  Father  Waher 
Burghardt  of  Woodstock  College,  Father  Jean  Danielou  of  the  Institut 
Cathohque  in  Paris,  George  H.  Wilhams  of  Harvard,  and  Robert  McAfee 
Brown  of  Stanford.  The  concluding  paper,  delivered  by  Cardinal  Cushing, 
was  entitled,  "A  Bridge  Between  East  and  West,"  on  the  desired  dialogue 
between  the  Latin  and  Greek  churches.  Of  the  Cushing  address  Hans  Kiing 
wrote  later,  "The  cardinal's  extraordinarily  well-documented,  realistic,  and 
constructive  address  matches  the  best  I  have  ever  heard  a  European  bishop 
deliver  on  ecumenical  problems. "''- 

During  the  next  three  days  of  Easter  week  some  sixty  scholars  represent- 
ing the  humanities,  the  physical  sciences,  and  the  social  sciences  gathered 
for  a  colloquium  on  "The  Knowledge  Explosion — Liberation  and  Limita- 
tion." Several  years  later  the  principal  papers  of  the  colloquium  were 
published  in  book  form  under  the  title.  The  Knoivledge  Explosion,  with  a 
deft  introduction  by  Father  Francis  Sweeney,  as  a  permanent  record  of 


The  University  at  Age  One  Hundred       307 

what  Hans  Kiing  called  Boston  College's  "brilliant  centennial  celebra- 
tion."« 

The  climactic  and  most  public  event  of  the  centennial  year  was  the 
academic  convocation  in  Alumni  Stadium  on  the  afternoon  of  Saturday, 
April  20,  graced  by  the  presence  of  President  John  F.  Kennedy.  Honorary 
degrees  were  conferred  on  the  president  of  America's  oldest  university, 
Nathan  Marsh  Pusey  of  Harvard;  on  the  president  of  the  country's  first 
Catholic  university,  Father  Edward  B.  Bunn,  S.J.,  of  Georgetown;  and  on 
Lady  Barbara  Ward  Jackson,  who  had  given  a  Centennial  Lecture  the 
preceding  Wednesday  evening  on  the  subject,  "The  Units  of  the  Free 
World."  In  his  address  President  Kennedy  won  the  hearts  and  laughter  of 
the  assembly  by  saying  at  the  outset  how  good  it  was  to  be  back  in  a  city 
where  his  accent  was  considered  normal  and  where  they  pronounce  words 
the  way  they  are  spelled.  By  a  coincidence,  the  talks  of  both  Lady  Jackson 
and  the  president  leaned  heavily  on  the  recent  encyclical  of  Pope  John 
XXIII,  Pacem  in  Terris.  Kennedy  remarked  of  the  encyclical,  "As  a  Catho- 
hc,  I  am  proud  of  it;  as  an  American,  I  have  learned  from  it." 

President  Pusey  brought  the  felicitations  of  the  higher  education  com- 
munity and  graciously  expressed  the  reasons  why  Boston  College  was 
heartily  celebrating  its  hundredth  anniversary: 

We  welcome  the  advent  of  strong  Catholic  colleges  and  universities  of  which 
surely  this  is  one  of  the  chief,  into  the  advance  ranks  of  our  institutions  of 
higher  learning.  Together  these  institutions  have  already  done  much  to  build 
value  into  our  common  life  and  on  them  our  hopes  for  a  worthy  future  in 
large  measure  must  surely  now  depend.  The  colleges  and  universities,  and 
among  them  I  should  like  to  say  personally  Harvard,  congratulate  Boston 
College  on  the  accomplishments  of  her  first  century.  We  salute  her  on  this 
happy  day  for  her  achievement.  We  would  speak  of  our  pride  in  our 
association  with  her  and  we  wish  for  her  long  life  and  a  continuation  of  that 
strong  forward  surge  with  which  she  now  so  clearly  and  so  creatively  is 
moving  ahead. 

The  centennial  celebrations  wound  down  with  emphasis  on  theater.  On 
April  22  and  23  the  Dramatic  Society,  under  the  direction  of  Father  Joseph 
Larkin,  presented  an  English  version  of  the  famous  Jesuit  morality  play, 
Cenodoxus:  Doctor  of  Paris,  written  by  the  distinguished  seventeenth 
century  Jesuit  dramatist,  Jakob  Bidermann.  On  Sunday,  May  5,  students  of 
the  Classics  Department  presented  the  Rhesus  of  Euripides  on  the  hbrary 
lawn. 

On  May  11  to  14  there  were  five  performances  of  a  play  written  for  the 
centennial  by  the  Scottish  playwright  James  Forsythe,  Seven  Scenes  for 
Yeni.  The  director  was  the  well-known  Broadway  artist  Eddie  Dowling. 
The  cast  consisted  of  professional  actors  in  the  main  roles,  with  some 
support  from  student  actors.  The  play  was  held  in  McHugh  Forum.  Prior 
to  the  premiere  of  Yeni,  there  was  a  two-day  seminar,  "One  Hundred  Years 


308        History  of  Boston  College 


SETTING  FOR  THE  CONVOCATION  (Sub  Turri,  1963) 

For  weeks  the  campus  had  been  alive  with  activity.  Now  army  helicopters 
hovered  over  the  campus  and  Secret  Service  men  patrolled  the  buildings. 
April  20  dawned  bright  and  clear,  but  still  foul-weather  preparations  went 
on  in  McHugh  Forum  and  Roberts  Center,  where  over  one  hundred  closed 
circuit  television  sets  were  being  installed.  The  face  of  the  campus  had 
undergone  a  startling  transformation.  The  colors  of  the  nation  and  of  the 
university  billowed  out  in  swaths  of  bunting  along  the  President's  route  and 
great  quantities  of  flowers  covered  the  speakers'  platform  at  the  reservoir 
end  of  Alumni  Stadium.  At  eleven  o'clock  a  violent  rainstorm  swept  the 
campus.  By  one  o'clock  only  a  high  wind  and  a  fine  mist  buffeted  the 
Chestnut  Hill  area.  By  two  o'clock  over  twenty  thousand  people  had 
swarmed  into  the  stadium.  The  chairs  and  seats  were  wet  and  a  handsome 
brochure  became  a  valued  sponge.  At  2:15  a  great  procession  began  to 
wind  its  way  down  from  Roberts  Center  to  the  stadium.  As  the  band  struck 
up  its  martial  music,  the  weather  began  to  clear  and  soon  the  only  sign  of 
rain  was  the  glistening  lawn  of  the  field.  A  great  cry  of  welcome  rose  from 
the  stands  as  representatives  of  over  three  hundred  colleges  and  universi- 
ties began  to  file  into  the  stadium.  The  delegates  of  fifty  learned  societies 
and  the  faculty  of  Boston  College,  over  six  hundred  strong,  made  their 
entrance  in  a  stream  of  gold,  crimson,  blue,  and  maroon  robes  and  hoods. 
They  were  followed  by  the  distinguished  guests,  officers  of  the  university, 
and  Church  and  state  officials.  In  the  place  of  honor  strode  John  F.  Kennedy, 
President  of  the  United  States,  wearing  the  honorary  Boston  College  degree 
he  received  in  1956.  The  band  struck  up  "Hail  to  the  Chief"  and  an 
enthusiastic  audience  thundered  its  welcome  to  the  President. 


of  the  American  Theater,"  during  which  some  thirty  playwrights,  actors, 
and  critics  analyzed  and  honored  the  evolution  of  American  drama. 


It  was  a  proud  centennial  year.  Somehow  the  University  managed  to  go 
about  its  ordinary  business  despite  the  heady  and  joyous  celebrations  of  the 
anniversary. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  Father  Walsh  to  Richard  Cardinal  Gushing,  May  19,  1958.  BCA. 

2.  Father  Walsh  to  Father  Socius,  Peter  McKone,  October  21,  1959.  BCA. 

3.  "The  University  Center,"  an  intriguing  document,  is  in  the  archives. 

4.  Father  Walsh  to  Frederick  Dyer  Co.,  June  21,  1960.  BCA. 

5.  Announcement  of  ground-breaking.  BCA. 

6.  Father  Walsh  to  Father  Coleran,  May  25,  1962.  BCA. 

7.  Letter  from  Father  Edward  Hanrahan,  former  Dean  of  Students,  to  Father 
Donovan,  February  5,  1985.  BCA. 

8.  BCA. 

9.  BCA. 
10.    BCA. 


The  University  at  Age  One  Hundred       309 

11.  Father  Walsh  to  Father  Guindon,  August  1,  1962.  BCA. 

12.  Father  Walsh  to  Rene  Marcou,  November  9,  1962.  BCA. 

13.  Alumni  News  (Winter  1966). 

14.  Programs,  clippings  and  other  materials  related  to  the  dedication  are  preserved  in 
the  archives. 

15.  Alumni  News  (Spring  1967). 

16.  Sidney  R.  Rabb,  Chairman  of  the  Board,  Stop  ic  Shop,  Inc.;  Adrian  O'Keeffe, 
President,  First  National  Stores,  Inc.;  Ralph  Lowell,  Chairman  of  the  Board, 
Boston  Safe  Deposit  &  Trust  Co.;  Ernest  Henderson,  President,  Sheraton  Corpo- 
ration of  America;  Thomas  J.  McHugh,  President,  Atlantic  Lumber  Co.;  Roger 
C.  Damon,  President,  First  National  Bank  of  Boston;  Edward  F.  Williams, 
Business  Consultant;  Thomas  M.  Joyce,  Esq.,  Trial  Attorney;  Carl  J.  Gilbert, 
Chairman  of  the  Board,  The  Gillette  Co.;  John  B.  Atkinson,  President,  Atkinson 
Shoe  Co.;  Wallace  E.  Carroll,  President,  American  Gage  &c  Machine  Co.;  Peter 
Fuller,  President,  Cadillac-Oldsmobile  Co.  of  Boston;  and  Augustus  C.  Long, 
Chairman  of  the  Board,  Texaco,  Inc. 

17.  "Address:  Board  of  Regents  Meeting,  September  27,  1960."  BCA. 

18.  Ibid. 

19.  Father  Walsh  to  Father  Donovan,  August  5,  1963.  BCA. 

20.  The  membership  of  the  committees  on  six  general  areas  of  concern  are  given 
here: 

Committee  on  the  Total  Curriculum:  J.  Frank  Devine,  S.J.,  P.  Albert  Duha- 

mel,  Paul  T.  Heffron,  Lawrence  G.  Jones,  John  J.  Long,  S.J.,  H.  Michael 

Mann,  Robert  F.  O'Malley,  John  P.  Rock,  S.J.,  and  James  W.  Skehan,  S.J., 

chairman. 
Intellectual  Climate  Committee:  Raymond  F.  Bogucki,  Joseph  Bornstein, 

Gary  P.  Brazier,  James  J.  Casey,  S.J.,  Brendan  Connolly,  S.J.,  chairman, 

Albert  M.  Folkard,  Donald  A.  Gallagher,  and  Raymond  McNally. 
Library  Committee:  John  R.  Betts,  Gerald  C.  Bilodeau,  John  FI.  Kinnier, 

S.J.,  Donald  B.  Sands,  and  Norman  J.  Wells,  chairman. 
Committee  on  Research  Activities:  Robert  Becker,  chairman,  Joseph  Cris- 

centi,  Joseph  A.  Devenny,  S.J.,  Walter  Driscoll,  Erich  Von  Richthofen, 

Joseph  McKenna,  William  Pare,  and  Chai  Hyun  Yoon. 
Honors  Program  Committee:  Edward  L.  Hirsh,  chairman,  Edward  V.  Jezak, 

Louis  O.  Kattsoff,  Edgar  Litt,  David  Loschky,  and  John  J.  Walsh,  S.J. 
Committee  on  Guidance:  Robert  Cahill,  Leonard  R.  Casper,  Joseph  R. 

Cautela,  chairman,  George  L.  Drury,  S.J.,  Robert  T.  Ferrick,  S.J.,  John  F. 

Norton,  and  John  vonFelsinger. 

21.  Father  Walsh  to  Father  Provincial  John  V.  O'Connor,  May  22,  1964.  BCA. 

22.  Father  O'Connor  to  Father  Walsh,  June  3,  1964.  BCA. 

23.  Father  Walsh  to  Father  O'Connor,  June  12,  1964.  BCA. 

24.  Father  Donovan  to  Father  Walsh,  August  27,  1964.  BCA. 

25.  President  Butterfield's  lengthy  memorandum  is  attached  to  the  final  report  of  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Arts  and  Sciences  Self-Study  of  1963—1964.  BCA. 

26.  The  Catholic  University  of  America  and  the  College  of  St.  Catherine  in  Minne- 
sota. 

27.  Carl  Billman  to  Joseph  E.  Sheerin,  October  16,  1958.  BCA. 

28 .  Billman  to  Sheerin,  December  1 9,  1 95  8 .  BCA. 

29.  William  V.  E.  Casey  to  Father  Walsh,  June  25,  1959.  BCA. 

30.  Ibid. 

31.  Ibid. 


310        History  of  Boston  College 

32.  Joseph  Sheerin  to  Carl  Billman,  June  3,  1959.  BCA. 

33.  Billman  to  Sheerin,  June  9,  1959.  BCA. 

34.  Copies  of  the  report  are  in  the  archives. 

35.  Carl  Billman  to  Frederick  White,  December  1 1,  1963.  BCA. 

36.  Ibid. 

37.  Ibid.  This  correspondence  was  printed  in  The  Heights  (February  7,  1964). 

38.  Frederick  White  to  Carl  Billman,  n.d. 

39.  Ibid. 

40.  The  general  report  is  dated  October  1,  1969.  BCA. 

41.  BCA. 

42.  America  June  8,  1963),  p.  829. 

43.  Ibid. 


CHAPTER 


29 


Years  of  Accomplishment 


In  September  1967  Father  Walsh  began  his  last  year  as  president  of  Boston 
College.  A  decade  at  that  level  of  administration,  with  ultimate  responsibil- 
ity for  the  academic  and  financial  health  of  an  institution,  can  seem  a  long 
time  to  be  the  incumbent.  The  pressures  of  fund-raising,  campus  expansion, 
pubhc  relations,  and  competing  on-campus  constituencies  pose  daily  tests 
of  leadership  and  diplomacy.  Although  successful  in  meeting  his  responsi- 
bilities, Father  Walsh  decided  that  ten  years  as  rector-president  had  given 
him  sufficient  opportunity  to  reach  his  immediate  goals  and  to  point  the 
way  to  future  distinction  for  the  University. 

He  could  take  satisfaction  in  what  had  been  accomplished,  although  he 
did  not  deny  that  there  were  clouds  on  the  horizon.  The  University  was,  in 
fact,  flourishing.  Enrollments  continued  to  climb,  with  8125  full-time  and 
1604  part-time  students,  for  a  total  of  almost  10,000.  The  class  of  1971 
was  the  most  highly  qualified  and  most  highly  subsidized  ever  admitted  to 
Boston  College.  In  addition  to  unusually  high  SAT's,  5  percent  were  former 
class  presidents,  others  had  been  involved  in  social  and  welfare  projects, 
and  many  had  been  high  school  newspaper  editors.  To  teach  these  promis- 
ing students  and  those  in  the  graduate  and  professional  schools  there  were 
540  faculty  members,  supported  by  lecturers,  graduate  fellows,  and  assis- 
tants.' While  total  assets,  including  investments  and  property,  had  reached 
$58,000,000,  the  operating  budget  had  increased  to  $31,000,000.^  The 
growth,  though  not  spectacular,  had  been  steady  and  substantial. 

311 


312        History  of  Boston  College 


Father  John  A.  McCarthy,  long-time 
professor  of  philosophy  and  dean  of 
the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences 
from  1960  to  1964. 


In  assessing  the  growth  of  institutions,  university  histories  tend  to  be 
written  from  the  perspective  of  the  president's  office.  But  the  president  does 
not  work  in  isolation.  For  the  academic  enterprise,  the  next  most  important 
offices  are  those  of  academic  deans.  Hence  a  picture  of  the  Walsh  adminis- 
tration depends  for  completeness  on  recognition  of  the  supporting  deans. 


Contributions  by  the  Academic  Deans 

When  Father  Walsh  assumed  the  presidency  in  1958,  the  dean  of  the 
College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  was  William  V.  E.  Casey,  S.J.,  appointed  in 
1956.  One  of  the  first  decisions  of  the  new  president  was  to  elevate  Father 
Casey  to  the  newly  created  post  of  academic  vice  president.  (Father  Casey 
retained  the  deanship  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.)^  In  1960  Father 
Casey  moved  to  Holy  Cross  College  and  was  replaced  as  dean  by  Father 
John  A.  McCarthy  of  the  Philosophy  Department,  who  was  the  first  to  be 
given  the  student  government's  teacher-of-the-year  award.  The  gentle  and 
scholarly  Father  McCarthy,  however,  who  was  dean  during  the  critical 
period  of  the  A&S  Self-Study  and  the  centennial,  was  not  temperamentally 


Years  of  Accomplishment       313 

inclined  to  administration,  and  in  1964  he  was  permitted  to  return  to  his 
beloved  classroom.  He  was  succeeded  by  Father  John  R.  Willis  of  the 
History  Department.  A  graduate  of  Amherst  College  and  educated  for  the 
Protestant  ministry  with  a  Ph.D.  from  Yale,  Father  Willis  was  a  convert  to 
Catholicism.  He  brought  intellectual  sophistication  and  broad  cultural 
interests  to  the  office. 

One  of  the  dynamic  forces  in  the  Walsh  administration  was  Law  School 
dean.  Father  Robert  F.  Drinan.  Like  Father  Casey,  he  took  over  the  top  post 
in  his  school  in  1956,  succeeding  another  activist.  Father  William  J. 
Kenealy.  Drinan  brought  the  Law  School  national  prestige  and  attention 
and  remained  dean  until  1971,  when  he  resigned  and  ran  successfully  for 
Congress. 

A  rock-steady  influence  during  the  Walsh  years  was  Dean  Rita  P. 
Kelleher  of  the  School  of  Nursing,  whose  administration  spanned  more 
than  two  decades.  She  steered  the  school  to  accreditation  and  oversaw  the 
move  from  Newbury  Street  to  Cushing  Hall  in  1960. 

Succeeding  Father  James  D.  Sullivan  as  dean  of  the  College  of  Business 
Administration  in  1953,  the  talented  W.  Seavey  Joyce,  S.J.,  led  the  CBA 
until  his  appointment  by  Father  Walsh  as  vice  president  for  community 
relations  in  1966.  Because  Father  Joyce  devoted  so  much  of  his  time  to 
external  projects  such  as  the  citizen  seminars  and  a  television  series  on  the 
city,  he  was  supported  by  a  succession  of  associate  deans:  Donald  J.  White 
of  the  Economics  Department  (1955—1961),  Father  William  C.  Mclnnes 
(1961-1964),  and  Father  Alfred  J.  Jolson  (1964-1968).  Father  Jolson  was 
acting  dean  of  the  College  of  Business  Administration  in  1966-1967. 

In  Father  Walsh's  last  year  in  office  (1967-1968),  he  appointed  the  first 
lay  dean  for  the  Business  School,  Albert  J.  Kelley.  Kelley  was  an  unusual 
choice,  not  only  because  he  was  the  first  lay  dean  of  CBA,  but  because  of 

Albert  J.  Kelley,  first  lay  dean 
of  the  College  of  Business  Ad- 
ministration. He  changed  the 
name  to  School  of  Manage- 
ment. 


314        History  of  Boston  College 

his  unique  background  of  experience  and  education.  A  native  of  Boston, 
Kelley  graduated  from  the  United  States  Naval  Academy.  While  still  in  the 
service,  he  earned  an  engineering  degree  at  MIT,  later  returning  to  earn  a 
Ph.D.  in  systems  engineering.  During  the  Korean  War  he  served  as  a  test 
pilot.  In  1960  he  joined  the  NASA  program,  where  he  gained  experience  at 
high  management  levels.  It  was  not  the  expected  background  for  dean  of  a 
school  of  management,  but  Kelley's  forceful  personality  and  managerial 
skill  gave  unhesitating  and  positive  forward  impetus  to  the  school. 

In  1961  Father  Walsh  appointed  the  dean  of  the  School  of  Education, 
Father  Charles  F.  Donovan,  to  the  post  of  academic  vice  president,  which 
had  been  vacant  for  a  year  after  Father  Casey's  departure  from  Boston 
College.  Father  Donovan  continued  to  act  as  Education  dean  until  1966, 
when  he  began  to  devote  full  time  to  the  vice  presidency.  William  C.  Cottle, 
who  came  from  the  University  of  Kansas  to  head  the  Boston  College 
counselor  education  program,  was  acting  dean  in  1966—1967,  with  John 
Travers  as  acting  associate  dean.  In  1967  Donald  T.  Donley  was  named 
dean. 

Father  John  V.  Driscoll,  an  alumnus  of  Boston  College  and  of  the  School 
of  Social  Work,  became  dean  of  the  School  of  Social  Work  in  1958  when 
Father  Walsh  assumed  the  presidency.''  Father  Driscoll  added  to  the  prestige 
of  the  school  by  overseeing  a  thorough  curriculum  revision  and  by  increas- 
ing the  number  of  faculty  members  with  doctoral  degrees.  He  also  worked 
with  Father  Walsh  in  preparing  the  move  of  the  school  to  McGuinn  Hall. 

When  Father  Walsh  took  office,  the  dean  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Arts 
and  Sciences  was  Father  Paul  A.  FitzGerald  of  the  History  Department, 
who  succeeded  another  historian  in  that  office.  Father  James  L.  Burke,  in 
1953.  When  Father  FitzGerald  joined  the  administrative  office  of  the 
national  Jesuit  Education  Association  in  New  York  in  1960,  Father  Joseph 
A.  Devenny  became  dean  and  served  through  the  1965—1966  academic 
year.  When  Father  Devenny  became  dean  of  the  Weston  School  of  Theology 
in  Cambridge,  Father  Walter  J.  Feeney  of  the  Mathematics  Department  was 
named  dean  of  the  Graduate  School. 

What  was  known  as  the  Intown  College  became  the  Evening  College 
early  in  Father  Walsh's  presidency,  when  the  school  was  moved  to  the 
Chestnut  Hill  campus.  The  dean.  Father  Charles  Toomey,  was  succeeded 
by  Father  Charles  W.  Crowley  in  1960.  Father  Crowley  served  until  the  last 
year  of  the  Walsh  administration,  when  the  present  energetic  dean.  Father 
James  A.  Woods,  became  dean. 

There  were  other  appointments  that  reflected  a  growing  concern  for  the 
administration  of  student  life  on  campus.  In  1967  a  new  position  was 
created  for  Father  Edward  J.  Hanrahan.  Formerly  director  of  resident 
students,  he  was  appointed  dean  of  students.  Father  Hanrahan,  a  former 
officer  in  the  U.S.  Army,  was  to  earn  the  respect  of  the  students  through  a 
fair  and  impartial  enforcement  of  the  regulations  for  18  years.  (The 
students  were  convinced  that  he  had  eyes  in  the  back  of  his  head!)  To 


Years  of  Accomplishment       315 


Father  Edward  J.  Hanrahan, 
dean  of  students  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century. 


provide  further  help  for  the  growing  number  of  female  students,  Ann  Flynn 
was  appointed  assistant  dean  of  women.  Brian  J.  Counihan  became  assis- 
tant dean  of  students. 


The  1967-1968  academic  year  began  with  problems  that  were  new  to  Boston 
College.  On  Monday  morning,  September  18, 1967,  the  maintenance  work- 
ers (custodians,  painters,  carpenters,  electricians,  truck  drivers,  maids,  and 
ground  crew)  picketed  the  gates  to  the  campus.  It  was  the  first  strike  at 
Boston  College.  The  workers  wanted  recognition  as  a  bargaining  union  and 
a  new  contract.  Although  initially  opposed  to  arbitration  by  the  Labor 
Relations  Board,  the  administration  finally  agreed  to  LRB  jurisdiction;  but 
at  that  point  the  union  declined  the  board's  mediation.  The  five-day  strike 
ended  on  September  25,  when  the  administration  recognized  Local  254  as 
their  official  bargaining  agent  (which  was,  in  turn,  certified  by  the  LRB). 
Over  90  percent  of  Boston  College  maintenance  workers  had  signed  union 
cards. = 


A  Commitment  to  Academic  Progress 

Father  Walsh's  presidency  was  a  period  of  determined  commitment  to 
academic  progress.  The  president's  determination  was  reflected  in  the 
agendas  of  deans  and  faculty  and  echoed  by  a  number  of  the  students.  At 
the  graduate  level,  this  was  an  era  of  building  faculty  strength  and  academic 
resources  for  the  inauguration  of  doctoral  programs.  The  first  three  years 
of  the  1960s  saw  doctoral  programs  begun  in  three  sciences:  chemistry 
(1960),  physics  (1961),  and  biology  (1963).  In  1966  the  Philosophy  De- 
partment started  its  doctorate,  and  the  following  year  doctoral  programs 
in  modern  languages  and  psychology  were  begun.  As  the  decade  ended  five 
more  Ph.D.  programs  were  launched:  Germanic  studies  (1969),  English 


316        History  of  Boston  College 

and  sociology  (1970),  and  political  science  and  theology  (1971).  Because 
of  a  change  in  personnel,  the  Ph.D.  in  Germanic  studies  was  discontinued 
in  1977. 

While  the  inauguration  of  these  later  doctoral  programs  belonged  to  the 
Joyce  era,  the  foundation  for  them  was  firmly  laid  in  earlier  years.  The 
growth  of  faculty  strength  at  this  time  is  seen  in  the  number  of  new  faculty 
members  added  in  successive  years:  1962-1963,  14;  1963-1964,  37; 
1964-1965,  54;  1965-1966,  46;  1966-1967,  83;  1967-1968,  75;  1968- 
1969,  101.  It  was  a  period  of  heady  and  optimistic  expansion.  Nevertheless, 
the  expansion  was  done  with  prudent  planning  and  with  appropriate 
checkpoints.  Proposals  for  doctoral  programs  had  to  survive  stiff  depart- 
mental skepticism,  then  scrutiny  by  the  Educational  Policy  Committee  of 
the  Graduate  School,  and  finally  review  by  the  central  administration  and 
trustees.  Also  at  this  point  in  the  University's  governance,  each  doctoral 
program  had  to  receive  approval  from  the  Provincial  of  the  New  England 
Province  of  the  Jesuits  and,  more  significantly,  from  Father  General  in 
Rome.  Rome  was  already  wary  of  what  was  perceived  as  a  tendency  of 
American  Jesuit  colleges  and  universities  to  overexpand,  so  approvals  were 
not  given  lightly.  Indeed,  each  approval  was  a  vote  of  confidence  in  the 
institution. 

At  the  undergraduate  level,  especially  in  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences, 
there  was  an  almost  competitive  intellectualism.  Father  Walsh,  aggressively 
abetted  by  his  strong-minded  dean  of  A&S,  Father  William  Van  Etten 
Casey,  considered  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  the  flagship  of  the 
institution,  and  he  was  determined  to  achieve  dramatic  academic  advances 
there.  Reflecting  such  ideals,  as  early  as  1958  The  Heights  was  calling  for 
more  "eggheads"  at  Boston  College  and  lamenting  that  only  193  Boston 
College  alumni  had  earned  the  Ph.D.  degree  in  21  years.*  There  was  great 
concern  about  the  winning  of  national  fellowships  such  as  Woodrow 
Wilson,  Marshall,  NSF,  and  Danforth  fellowships  by  Boston  College 
seniors,  and  the  University's  success  was  compared  with  that  of  other 
institutions.  Departments  announced  with  pride  the  number  of  their  majors 
opting  for  graduate  study,  especially  in  Ph.D.  areas.  In  1963  The  Heights 
trumpeted  that  60  percent  of  the  senior  class  was  committed  to  graduate 
study  the  next  year.^  The  1960s  was  probably  the  most  self-consciously 
intellectual  period  in  Boston  College's  history. 

The  1960s  saw  a  number  of  academic  beginnings — sometimes  fledgling 
beginnings — of  programs  that  have  burgeoned  in  subsequent  decades.  John 
Eichorn  came  to  Boston  College  from  the  University  of  Indiana  to  head  the 
special  education  program,  which  has  won  substantial  federal  funding. 
William  Cottle,  at  about  the  same  time,  joined  the  School  of  Education 
faculty  from  the  University  of  Kansas  to  lead  the  robust  counseling  psy- 
chology program. 

The  College  of  Business  Administration  began  to  attract  faculty  members 
with  strong  quantitative  backgrounds — a  development  that  led  to  establish- 


Years  of  Accomplishment       317 

ment  of  the  influential  Quantitative  Management  and  Computer  Science 
Department.  Indeed,  CBA  at  this  time  (1963)  offered  the  first  computer 
science  course  at  Boston  College.  The  first  computer  for  academic  use  was 
obtained  by  the  Mathematics  Department  under  Father  Stanley  Bezuszka's 
direction.  At  about  the  same  time  the  registrar,  Father  John  Fitzgerald, 
introduced  a  computer  for  administrative  uses. 

In  an  effort  to  bring  the  Theology  and  Philosophy  departments  into 
harmony  with  major  thrusts  of  the  Second  Vatican  Council,  sweeping 
curricular  changes  were  initiated  in  1966.  In  place  of  the  rather  limited 
fixed  set  of  courses  that  had  been  prescribed  for  decades,  broad  new 
programs  of  electives — as  many  as  64  in  philosophy — were  introduced.'*  In 
keeping  with  the  ecumenical  emphasis  of  the  recently  concluded  Council, 
Boston  College  was  active  in  promoting  the  concept,  and  then  the  reality, 
of  the  Boston  Theological  Institute,  a  consortium  of  prime  theological 
schools  in  the  Boston  area  for  cross-registration  in  courses  and  sharing  of 
hbrary  and  other  facilities.' 

Toward  the  end  of  1967  Dean  Rita  Kelleher  announced  her  resignation. 
She  had  been  with  the  School  of  Nursing  since  its  inception  and  had  given 
it  masterful  leadership.  In  recognition  of  her  unique  contributions,  the 
trustees  voted  to  confer  on  her  an  honorary  degree  at  the  June  1968 
Commencement. 

Dean  Kelleher's  successor  was  Margaret  Foley,  who  had  earned  a  doctor- 
ate at  St.  Louis  University  and  for  20  years  had  served  as  executive  secretary 
of  the  Conference  of  Catholic  Schools  of  Nursing.  Unfortunately  her  term 
was  a  brief  one  due  to  ill  health.  Rita  Kelleher  returned  as  acting  head  of 
the  school  while  Dean  Foley  was  hospitalized.  When  Dean  Foley  died  in 
September  1970  a  new  president.  Father  Joyce,  presided  at  her  funeral 


Student  Protest:  Civil  Rights 

In  the  1960s  and  early  1970s  many  American  colleges,  reflecting  or  perhaps 
even  exaggerating  the  mood  of  American  society,  were  in  turmoil,  particu- 
larly regarding  issues  of  civil  rights  and  the  Vietnam  war.  Turmoil  is 
probably  too  strong  a  word  to  describe  the  student  protest  that  developed 
at  Boston  College.  Student  protest  of  the  disruptive  sort  did  not  become  a 
phenomenon  of  campus  hfe  at  Boston  College  until  the  presidency  of 
Father  W.  Seavey  Joyce  (1968-1972).  Still,  it  is  worth  reviewing  student 
reaction  to  the  protest  issues  during  the  earlier  1960s.  One  can  get  an 
impression  of  how  these  issues  influenced  the  Boston  College  community 
by  scanning  the  pages  of  The  Heights. 

In  April  1960  a  Heights  article  charged  that  the  Boston  College  campus 
was  apathetic  about  the  constitutional  rights  of  Southern  blacks.^"  The  next 
month  there  were  scoldings  because  the  University  was  not  yet  represented 
in  a  proposed  Greater  Boston  collegiate  rally  against  segregation." 


318        History  of  Boston  College 

During  the  1960s  Father  Robert  Drinan,  Law  School  dean,  was  Boston 
College's  leading  spokesman  on  civil  rights  matters,  and  the  The  Heights 
faithfully  recorded  his  opinions.  Early  in  the  controversy  about  ethnic 
separation  in  the  Boston  schools,  Father  Drinan  condemned  what  he  called 
the  de  facto  segregation  of  the  pubhc  schools  in  Boston.'-  Father  Drinan 
openly  challenged  Boston  College  students  to  become  involved  in  the  racial 
issue  by  associating  themselves  with  the  programs  of  CORE  and  NAACP." 
In  a  Red  Mass  sermon  for  jurists  and  lawyers  in  Jamaica,  New  York,  the 
Law  School  dean  criticized  Catholics  for  racial  apathy,  and  this  was 
reported  to  the  campus  community.^'' 

In  late  1965  the  University  proudly  announced  the  inauguration  in  the 
following  summer  of  the  "Upward  Bound"  program  to  help  prepare 
minority  children  for  college  entrance.  Upward  Bound  was  to  continue  for 
10  years. 

In  1967  the  Boston  College  community's  attention  was  called  to  a 
document  from  the  Superior  General  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  in  Rome, 
addressed  to  all  American  Jesuits,  concerning  racial  justice.  Father  Pedro 
Arrupe  noted  the  identification  of  American  Jesuits  with  the  middle  class 
and  their  lagging  behind  in  promoting  the  interests  of  blacks.  He  said, 
".  .  .  the  Society  of  Jesus  has  not  committed  its  manpower  and  other 
resources  to  the  interracial  apostolate  in  any  degree  commensurate  with 
the  need  [of  blacks]  to  share  in  our  services."  He  urged  Jesuit  schools  and 
colleges  to  encourage  blacks  to  apply  for  admission  and  to  offer  them 
scholarships  and  other  financial  assistance. '^ 


A  December  1967  issue  of  The  Heights  carried  a  story  that  showed  positive 
action  on  the  racial  issue  by  one  academic  department.  The  Speech  Depart- 
ment, under  the  leadership  of  its  dynamic  chairman,  John  Lawton,  launched 
a  program  in  which  Boston  College  students  travelled  to  parish  and  Catholic 
school  audiences  to  inform  them  of  the  church's  stand  on  racial  justice. 
The  program  cited  not  Father  General  Arrupe's  exhortation  but  rather  the 
admonition  in  the  Papal  Encyclical,  "On  Progress  of  Peoples,"  which  de- 
plored discrimination  against  blacks.  The  question  addressed  by  Dr.  Law- 
ton's  speakers  was,  "To  what  extent  have  American  Catholics  implemented 
the  papal  teaching  on  interracial  justice?"  The  principal  topics  covered  were 
the  education,  employment,  and  housing  of  blacks.  The  Speech  Depart- 
ment program  was  one  of  the  University's  most  constructive  responses  to 
the  race  issue.  It  became  an  apostolic  project  of  the  chairman  of  the  Speech 
Department,  who  even  raised  funds  from  friends  to  subsidize  the  travel  of 
his  student  speakers. '<> 


In  the  spring  of  his  last  year  in  office.  Father  Walsh  announced  the 
estabhshment  of  a  $100,000  scholarship  fund  to  attract  black  students  to 
Boston  College.'^  This  fund  was  to  grow  dramatically  as  a  subsidy  to  what 
came  to  be  called  the  "Black  Talent  Program"  under  Father  Joyce.  This 
program  will  be  treated  in  detail  in  the  next  chapter. 


Years  of  Accomplishment       319 


Student  Protest:  The  Vietnam  War 


A  second  protest  issue  on  campuses  during  the  1960s  was  the  Vietnam 
War  and  the  concomitant  draft.  For  many  the  memory  of  the  war  in 
Southeast  Asia  remains  both  fresh  and  bitter.  United  States  involvement, 
begun  under  President  Dwight  Eisenhower,  continued  to  grow  under 
President  Lyndon  Johnson.  After  the  Tonkin  Gulf  Resolution  of  1964,  the 
president  increased  U.S.  troop  strength  to  200,000;  General  William 
Westmoreland  requested  that  540,000  troops  be  made  available  by  1967. 
As  the  casualties  climbed  and  the  draft  came  closer  to  the  collegiate 
population,  the  potential  for  student  reaction  increased. 

During  Father  Walsh's  regime,  reaction  on  campus  to  the  Vietnam  war 
was  somewhat  restrained  and  balanced — that  is,  two-sided.  For  example, 
the  first  reference  in  The  Heights  to  the  Vietnam  war  was  in  October  1965 
when  the  paper  published  two  articles  presenting  pro  and  con  arguments 
concerning  the  war."  A  week  later  The  Heights  had  two  articles  justifying 
U.S.  intervention  in  Vietnam.^'  In  November  The  Heights  carried  a  report 
of  a  debate  on  the  war  between  a  Boston  University  professor  (pro)  and 
Professor  Raymond  McNally  of  Boston  College  (con).  In  December  there 
was  an  account  of  a  Neic  York  Times  ad  signed  by  190  faculty  members 
from  17  New  England  colleges,  including  19  from  Boston  College,  sup- 
porting the  United  States  position  in  Vietnam.^°  A  January  1966  issue 
reported  that  a  number  of  Boston  College  students  attended  a  downtown 
rally  in  support  of  the  Vietnam  war.^'  The  following  month  The  Heights 
editors  again  presented  contrasting  pro  and  con  views  of  the  war.--  In 
March  the  Catholic  Peace  Fellowship  of  Boston  ran  an  ad  in  The  Heights 
signed  by  nine  faculty  members  and  some  students  calling  for  an  end  of 
the  Vietnam  hostilities.-' 

The  following  fall  The  Heights  noted  the  pope's  plea  for  a  month  of 
prayer  to  bring  about  a  peaceful  settlement  of  the  Vietnamese  conflict.  The 
same  issue  outlined  the  special  Masses  and  services  that  the  University 
would  conduct  in  responding  to  the  Holy  Father's  request.  One  was  to  be 
a  campus  demonstration  for  peace,  and  the  University  reUgious  director, 
Father  John  Gallagher,  was  quoted  as  saying,  "This  is  not  a  pacifist 
demonstration,  but  a  demonstration  of  concern  for  peace.  Of  course, 
pacifists  are  welcome,  as  are  all  people  who  are  opposed  to  war  and 
violence."^'' 

A  big  event  of  the  fall  of  1966  was  the  visit  to  the  campus  of  Vice 
President  Hubert  Humphrey.  Various  antiwar  groups  planned  to  picket 
Humphrey's  talk  in  Roberts  Center,  and  they  distributed  flyers  around 
town  and  on  the  campus.  A  small  group  of  Boston  College  students 
objected  to  their  activity  on  campus  and  succeeded  in  having  them  with- 
draw; The  Heights  condemned  the  actions  of  these  students.-^  On  the  day 
of  the  address,  as  3500  people  awaited  Humphrey's  arrival  in  Roberts,  a 
group  of  picketers  including  a  handful  of  Boston  College  students  marched 


320        History  of  Boston  College 

on  the  sidewalk  along  Beacon  Street.  A  crowd  of  Boston  College  students 
(estimated  by  The  Heights  at  500)  shouted  at  the  pickets,  "Get  off  our 
campus."  The  Heights,  in  condemning  the  counterdemonstrators,  attrib- 
uted their  actions  not  to  support  for  the  war  but  to  concern  for  the  "image" 
of  Boston  College  that  would  be  projected  by  the  picketing  of  the  vice 
president.-* 

In  the  spring  of  1967  The  Heights  reported  plans  for  a  Vietnam  week, 
with  some  activities  sponsored  by  the  Catholic  Peace  Fellowship  and 
counteractivities  under  the  aegis  of  Young  Americans  for  Freedom.  The 
same  issue  carried  an  editorial  calling  for  an  end  to  the  Vietnam  War  and 
urging  support  for  the  upcoming  antiwar  marches  in  New  York  and  San 
Francisco.-^ 

By  the  fall  of  1967  The  Heights'  editorial  policy  was  clearly  aimed  at 
opposing  the  war  effort.  The  paper  called  attention  to  a  massive  antiwar 
demonstration  to  be  held  in  Washington.-'*  But  the  following  week  there 
was  an  account  of  a  rally  on  Bapst  lawn  in  support  of  our  men  in  Vietnam 
sponsored  by  YAF  (Young  Americans  for  Freedom). ^^  In  November  a 
Heights  article  reported  conflict  at  the  Law  School,  with  some  faculty  and 
students  protesting  the  presence  of  recruiters  from  Dow  Chemical,  manu- 
facturer of  napalm.  In  the  same  issue  there  was  a  full-page  ad  signed  by 
faculty  members  at  local  colleges,  including  31  from  Boston  College, 
protesting  the  war  in  Vietnam  and  U.S.  use  of  napalm.^"  A  later  issue  in  the 
same  month  noted  that  the  national  AAUP  had  condemned  student  protest 
blocking  recruiters  or  speakers  as  an  interference  with  academic  freedom.^' 

In  December  1967  The  Heights  reported  that  a  Boston  College  faculty 
antiwar  committee  had  been  established,  with  30  present  at  the  organiza- 
tional meeting.  The  group  planned  to  counsel  draft  resisters  and  support 
them  if  arrested.^^  Two  weeks  later  102  faculty  members  had  a  full-page  ad 
condemning  "the  government's"  war  in  Vietnam.^^  But  still  the  campus 
was  neither  radicalized  nor  radically  split.  In  February  the  Campus  Council, 
in  an  attempt  to  "break  the  relative  silence  in  the  Vietnam  war  debate  on 
the  B.C.  campus,"  planned  a  "Vietnam  Week"  to  present  and  explore  all 
sides  of  the  issue.''' 

Perhaps  unconsciously  presaging  things  to  come,  in  the  final  semester  of 
Father  Walsh's  presidency  a  pohcy  on  student  demonstrations  was  pub- 
lished. Any  proposed  protest  must  be  registered  with  the  Office  of  the  Dean 
of  Students.  The  policy  stated  in  part,  "Violence  in  every  form  and  peaceful 
intimidation  which  incites  violent  reactions  are  repugnant  and  intolerable 
in  any  expression  of  assent  or  dissent."'^ 

From  1960  to  1968  the  Boston  College  campus  was  definitely  aware  of 
the  issues  of  race  and  war  that  were  troubling  American  society  and  leading 
to  violent  confrontations  at  some  universities.  But  the  atmosphere  at  the 
University  was  restrained  and  pohte  compared  with  what  it  would  become 
a  few  years  later. 


Years  of  Accomplishment       321 

Matching  Societal  Changes:  New  Regulations 

The  1960s  were  a  period  of  student  unrest  and  agitation.  Many  of  the 
relaxations  of  collegiate  rules  that  occurred  during  that  decade  at  Boston 
College,  however,  were  not  initiated  by  the  students  but  were  part  of  a 
societal  movement  toward  decreased  regimentation.  For  example,  when 
student  residences  were  opened  after  World  War  II,  the  administration 
simply  adopted  dormitory  customs  that  had  been  in  effect  for  a  century  at 
established  Jesuit  boarding  colleges  such  as  Holy  Cross  and  Georgetown, 
including  obligatory  attendance  at  daily  Mass.  In  the  academic  year  1959— 
1960  that  rule  was  reduced  to  attendance  at  Mass  twice  a  week,  and  during 
the  following  decade  the  Mass  attendance  requirement  was  removed  en- 
tirely. 

Another  standard  feature  of  student  life  at  Boston  College  and  other 
Jesuit  colleges  during  the  nineteenth  century  and  the  first  half  of  the 
twentieth  century  was  the  annual  religious  retreat — two  or  three  days 
completely  dedicated  to  spiritual  talks  by  priests,  frequently  distinguished 
Jesuits  who  made  a  career  of  such  apostolic  activity.  In  1964  it  was  decided 
that  instead  of  an  annual  retreat,  each  student  would  be  bound  to  make 
two  retreats  during  his  four  years  at  college.  The  following  year — the  year, 
incidentally,  of  the  conclusion  of  the  Second  Vatican  Council — the  require- 
ment concerning  retreats  was  abolished. 

In  the  strictly  academic  realm,  class  attendance  had  been  obligatory  since 
the  founding  of  the  University.  To  take  care  of  sickness  or  other  emergency 
absences,  a  "cut"  system  was  in  effect  in  the  1940s  and  1950s  whereby  a 
student  might,  without  adverse  administrative  action,  be  absent  from  a 
number  of  classes  in  a  course  equal  to  twice  the  credits  assigned  to  the 
course.  Since  most  semester  courses  carried  three  credits,  six  unexplained 
absences  were  tolerated.  In  the  1960s  there  began  to  be  discussion  of  a 
more  relaxed  regulation.  In  1961  a  policy  was  adopted  making  class 
attendance  voluntary  for  Dean's  List  students.  In  1965  the  voluntary  class 
attendance  policy  was  extended  to  all  students  in  all  courses. 

In  the  early  post- WW  II  period  the  student  handbook  set  forth  definite 
dress  standards  for  the  all-male  student  population.  Coats  and  ties  were  to 
be  worn  in  class.  As  time  went  by  there  was  a  gradual  relaxation  in  the 
College  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  so  that  sweaters  and  other  informal  dress 
became  acceptable.  However,  under  the  stern  eye  of  its  indomitable  dean 
of  men.  Father  Francis  McManus,  the  College  of  Business  Administration 
(as  it  was  then  known)  held  fast  to  the  coat  and  tie  requirement  until  1966, 
when  a  relaxation  of  the  CBA  dress  requirements  merited  notice  in  The 
Heights.^^ 

As  noted  above,  the  changes  during  the  1960s  described  here  did  not 
occur  as  a  form  of  yielding  to  student  pressure  or  organized  protests.  In 
fact,  in  some  instances — especially  the  issue  of  voluntary  class  attendance — 


322        History  of  Boston  College 

there  was  some  initial  doubt  or  resistance  on  the  part  of  some  students. 
One  area  where  students  did  actively  lobby  for  change,  however,  was 
participation  in  academic  policy-making  bodies.  Shortly  after  the  Educa- 
tional Policy  Committee  was  established  in  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences 
in  1964,  students  petitioned  the  EPC  for  student  representation  on  that 
body;  the  request  was  denied.  But  in  the  spring  of  1968  the  A&S  student 
senate  celebrated  victory;  the  Educational  Policy  Committee  made  provi- 
sion for  two  student  representatives,  later  increased  to  four. 

Participation  in  University  Governance 

During  his  last  year  in  office,  Father  Walsh  established  a  committee  to  draw 
up  a  blueprint  for  the  University  Academic  Senate.  Uppermost  in  his  mind 
was  the  involvement  of  the  faculty  more  intimately  in  the  decision-making 
process  for  University  affairs."  The  planning  committee  agreed  upon  a  3:2 
ratio  of  faculty  to  administrative  members  on  UAS.  This  having  been 
settled,  the  question  was  raised  as  to  whether  there  should  be  any  student 
representation.  Some  felt  that  since  faculty  were  just  gaining  a  common 
deliberative  forum  with  the  administration,  this  advance  might  be  some- 
what diminished  by  the  inclusion  of  student  representatives.  Others  sug- 
gested that  students  would  not  be  given  any  kind  of  proportionate  repre- 
sentation but  would  have  a  few  slots  to  insure  the  presence  of  the  student 
viewpoint.  Ultimately  it  was  agreed  to  include  two  student  members  on  the 
UAS.  The  planning  committee  felt  that  it  had  taken  a  liberal  and  progressive 
stand  in  granting  two  places  to  students,  but  they  soon  learned  that  many 


Helen  Landreth,  first  cu- 
rator of  the  Irish  Collec- 
tion. 


Years  of  Accomplishment       323 

students  were  incensed  by  such  limited  representation,  which  was  con- 
demned as  tokenism.^'  The  proposed  charter  for  the  University  Academic 
Senate  went  to  the  full  faculty  for  ratification  in  March  1968.  There  was  a 
good  faculty  response:  62  percent  of  the  entire  faculty  voted,  and  51 
percent  of  the  entire  faculty  approved  the  charter.  Of  those  voting,  82 
percent  approved  the  charter  with  two  slots  for  students.^'  The  UAS  was 
not  organized  until  the  following  fall,  when  Father  W.  Seavey  Joyce  was 
president,  and  he  was  to  find  that  student  unhappiness  with  the  structure 
of  the  University  Academic  Senate  would  lead  to  the  first  student  demon- 
stration in  his  regime. 

While  the  Undergraduate  Government  of  Boston  College  (UGBC)  be- 
came a  reality  the  year  after  Father  Walsh  left  the  presidency,  the  planning 
for  and  authorization  of  UGBC  took  place  in  1967-1968;  accordingly,  this 
is  an  appropriate  place  to  consider  the  gradual  evolution  of  student 
government  at  Boston  College.  Over  a  period  of  three  decades,  student 
organization  went  from  an  exclusive  emphasis  on  class  (senior,  junior, 
sophomore,  freshman)  activities  to  a  senate  organization  in  each  under- 
graduate school  topped  by  a  coordinating  council,  to  the  present  UGBC 
structure  embracing  the  entire  undergraduate  student  body  as  a  single 
political  entity. 

The  student  handbooks  of  the  1950s  explained  that  each  class  would 
have  five  officers:  president,  vice  president,  secretary,  treasurer,  and  Athletic 
Association  representative.  That  the  focus  of  the  government  was  mainly 
social  was  shown  by  the  provision  that  in  the  junior  class  an  additional 
officer  would  be  elected  to  run  the  junior  prom  and  the  junior  week  tea 
dance.  In  the  days  of  the  more  or  less  prescribed  curriculum,  students  were 
assigned  to  fixed  divisions  or  sections,  groups  of  students  who  took  most 
of  their  classes  together.  This  rather  domestic  arrangement  was  reflected  in 
the  advisory  councils  for  each  class  president,  composed  of  the  class  officers 
and  one  representative  of  each  division  or  section  in  the  year.  Each  year 
also  had  a  moderator,  usually  a  Jesuit  assigned  by  the  president. 

In  1959,  possibly  because  at  last  the  School  of  Nursing  was  at  the 
Chestnut  Hill  campus  and  the  entire  undergraduate  student  body  could  act 
in  consort,  a  new  form  of  student  government  was  inaugurated.  Each  of 
the  undergraduate  colleges  had  its  own  senate  to  care  for  internal  matters. 
The  activities  and  concerns  of  the  four  classes  were  entrusted  to  four 
interclass  councils.  Campus-wide  issues  and  interests  came  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  Campus  Council,  composed  of  a  few  senators  from  each 
of  the  student  senates.  The  Campus  Council's  constitution,  published 
annually  in  the  Boston  College  Handbook,  noted  that  it  would  be  in  effect 
when  approved  by  the  student  senates  and  the  deans  of  the  respective 
colleges  and  by  the  president  of  the  University.  The  constitution  also 
provided  for  a  moderator,  appointed  by  the  president,  who  would  attend 
all  meetings.  The  moderator  had  power  to  suspend  or  veto  council  action; 


324        History  of  Boston  College 

in  the  event  of  a  suspension  or  veto,  the  council,  upon  a  two-thirds  vote, 
could  appeal  to  the  Council  of  the  Deans.  It  is  therefore  clear  that  in  1959, 
when  the  Campus  Council's  constitution  was  published,  there  was  still 
considerable  dependence  by  the  students  on  the  authority  and  guidance  of 
the  administration,  as  demonstrated  by  their  seeking  the  approval  of  deans 
and  the  president  to  establish  the  legitimacy  of  their  government  and  by  the 
strong  role  assigned  to  the  faculty  moderator. 

The  Campus  Council,  with  its  concomitant  governmental  bodies,  was 
operative  from  1959  to  1968.  The  last  time  the  Campus  Council's  consti- 
tution appeared  in  the  student  handbook,  the  title  of  the  moderator  was 
changed  to  advisor,  which  reflects  the  less  directive  spirit  of  the  late  1960s; 
but  the  definition  of  the  role  and  authority  of  the  advisor  remained  the 
same  as  that  of  the  original  moderator. 

As  the  student  body  grew  larger  and  more  residential  in  the  1960s, 
scheduhng  of  events  by  classes  and  organizations  became  more  complex. 
The  Campus  Council  addressed  this  problem  and,  after  appropriate  con- 
sultation and  approval,  established  the  Social  Commission.  An  eight-page 
charter  for  the  Social  Commission  appeared  in  the  handbook  for  1967— 
1968,  the  last  year  of  the  Campus  Council's  existence.  The  need  for  a 
Social  Commission  underscored  the  need  for  a  stronger  coordinating 
organization  for  student  government,  and  during  the  academic  year  1967- 
1968  a  constitutional  convention  was  held  for  the  purpose  of  chartering  an 
entirely  new  vehicle  of  student  government.  The  work  of  the  convention 
proceeded  calmly  and  in  a  nonadversarial  atmosphere  during  a  period  of 
student  activism,  and  there  emerged  a  radically  different  structure,  a  much 
stronger  central  government  for  the  entire  undergraduate  student  body, 
whose  validity  derived  from  its  own  constitution  rather  than  from  a 
relationship  with  the  senates  of  the  four  schools.  The  description  of  student 
government  in  the  1970-1971  University  Student  Guide  points  out  that  the 
constitutional  convention  and  the  resultant  UGBC  were  a  byproduct  of  the 
University  Committee  on  Student  Life  in  1967,  headed  by  the  then  new 
vice  president  for  student  affairs.  Father  George  Drury.  So  the  development 
of  a  stronger  and  more  independent  student  government  was  achieved 
under  the  guidance  of  the  administration.  The  new  UGBC  constitution 
provided  for  ratification  by  the  student  body,  with  no  reference  to  approval 
by  deans  or  the  president.  No  provision  was  made  for  a  faculty  or  other 
advisor. 

At  least  two  factors  contributed  to  the  success  of  UGBC.  The  first  was 
financial  clout.  The  administration  acquiesced  in  the  arrangement  called 
for  by  the  UGBC  constitution  whereby  the  funds  resulting  from  the  student 
activities  fee  were  controlled  and  managed  by  UGBC.  This  gave  student 
government  extraordinary  fiscal  responsibility  and  leverage.  The  second 
factor  enhancing  the  prestige  of  UGBC  was  its  continuation  and  enlarge- 
ment of  the  role  of  the  Campus  Council's  Social  Commission,  acting  as 


Years  of  Accomplishment       325 

arbiter  and  in  many  respects  controller  of  the  extra-class  calendar  of  the 
students.  However,  UGBC  has  been  the  student  government  structure  of 
the  1970s  and  1980s,  so  its  growth  and  achievement  will  be  noted 
elsewhere. 

The  Connection  with  Weston  College 

An  account  of  these  years  in  the  development  of  the  University  would  be 
incomplete  without  a  brief  description  of  the  relationship  between  Boston 
College  and  Weston  College.  At  Weston  College,  which  had  a  pontifical 
charter,  the  young  Jesuits  of  the  New  England  Province  pursued  their 
philosophical  and  theological  studies  for  civil  and  ecclesiastical  degrees  in 
preparation  for  their  priestly  apostolate.  Boston  College  played  an  impor- 
tant role  in  the  academic  formation  of  New  England  Jesuits. 

Located  in  the  nearby  suburb  of  Weston,  the  School  of  Philosophy  at 
Weston  College  had  for  many  years  been  a  constituent  college  within  the 
University,  and  was  so  designated  in  the  official  catalog.  The  bachelor's  and 
master's  degrees  were  granted  by  Boston  College,  but  the  two  schools  were 
financially  and  academically  distinct  and  geographically  separated.  The 
School  of  Philosophy  had  its  own  dean  and  faculty;  at  the  undergraduate 
level,  the  courses,  examinations  and  papers  were  given,  graded,  and  di- 
rected by  the  Jesuit  faculty.'"'  This  working  arrangement,  while  academically 
justified,  was  a  httle  unusual  and,  to  some  extent,  casual.  As  might  be 
predicted,  there  was  friction  from  time  to  time  over  the  lines  of  jurisdiction. 

With  this  in  mind,  and  wishing  to  improve  the  procedures,  "A  Statement 
of  the  Relationship  of  the  School  of  Philosophy  to  Boston  College"  was 
drawn  up  and  signed  on  December  9,  1959,  by  John  V.  O'Connor,  S.J., 
rector  of  Weston  College,  and  Michael  P.  Walsh,  S.J.'"  It  reaffirmed  the 
fact  that  the  School  of  Philosophy  was  a  constituent  college  in  the  University 
structure  and  subject  to  the  broad  poficies  of  the  University.  In  certain 
matters,  those  especially  that  pertained  to  the  A.B.  and  B.S.  degrees,  the 
dean  of  the  School  of  Philosophy  was  responsible  to  the  president  of  Boston 
College;  in  matters  that  concerned  the  master's  degree,  he  was  responsible 
to  the  dean  of  the  Graduate  School.  Even  the  new  procedures  did  not 
entirely  eliminate  friction,  but  these  problems  were  usually  resolved  in  a 
fraternal  way.  The  point  is,  however,  that  as  time  went  on  academic 
administrators  and  religious  superiors  were  persuaded  that  it  would  be 
advantageous  to  both  the  young  Jesuits  and  the  University  to  cement  even 
closer  ties.  Progressive  Jesuit  fathers  at  Weston  were  convinced  that  the 
academic  isolation  of  the  scholastics  was  not  a  good  thing. 

So,  in  September  1965  the  campus  on  the  Heights  had  a  new  look.  The 
Provincial  Superior  and  his  counselors  agreed,  with  the  approval  of  the 
trustees  of  Boston  College,  that  the  Jesuit  scholastics  should  take  their 
philosophy  courses  and  upper  division  electives  at  the  Heights.  Conse- 


326        History  of  Boston  College 

quently,  there  was  an  unaccustomed  influx  of  young  men  in  cassocks  and 
birettas  taking  their  places  in  the  classrooms  with  the  Boston  College 
undergraduates.  The  mixture  was  something  of  a  novelty  for  both  groups, 
and  it  added  another  dimension  to  the  campus.  Certainly  the  Jesuit  charac- 
ter of  the  University  was  further  enhanced.  The  Jesuit  faculty  at  Weston,  of 
course,  contributed  their  services  to  this  new  enterprise. 

Three  years  later,  the  dean  of  the  School  of  Philosophy,  Oliva  Blanchette, 
S.J.,  proposed  a  "Program  for  Jesuit  studies  at  Boston  College."''-  The 
program  was  designed  to  be  a  replacement  for  the  School  of  Liberal  Arts 
at  Shadowbrook,  where  young  Jesuits  completed  their  classical  studies,  and 
the  School  of  Philosophy.  It  was  to  be  administered  by  a  Jesuit  (Father 
Blanchette  was  later  appointed  to  this  task)  with  the  title  of  Associate  Dean 
of  Jesuit  Studies.  He  was  assisted  by  an  academic  committee  for  overall 
supervision  of  the  program  and  by  a  subcommittee.  The  special  subcom- 
mittee, with  five  of  its  members  chosen  from  the  Department  of  Philosophy, 
was  responsible  for  implementing  a  specific  program  in  systematic  philos- 
ophy and  had  to  be  approved  by  the  Jesuit  Provincial.  Basically,  it  was  a 
new  effort  to  prepare  Jesuit  scholastics,  who  were  now  eligible  for  the 
honors  program,  for  their  undergraduate  degree  and  also  to  ensure  a 
proper  foundation  in  philosophy  for  their  future  studies  in  theology. 

The  administration  of  the  program  was  admittedly  complicated,  inas- 
much as  it  involved  the  academic  vice  president,  the  chairman  of  the 
Philosophy  Department,  and  the  Jesuit  dean.  The  New  England  Provincial, 
who  had  ultimate  responsibiUty  of  his  scholastics,  was  necessarily  involved 
in  its  operation.  Boston  College,  in  addition  to  its  academic  contribution, 
gave  full  scholarship  aid  to  each  Jesuit  scholastic.  As  is  clear  from  this  brief 
description,  the  University  had  become  a  key  component  in  the  academic 
formation  of  the  New  England  Jesuits. 

The  School  of  Theology  at  Weston  College  was  also  listed  in  the  Boston 
College  catalog  as  a  constituent  school  of  the  University,  and  the  names  of 
those  who  received  theological  degrees  were  printed  in  the  commencement 
program.  However,  the  connection  between  Boston  College  and  the  School 
of  Theology  had  never  been  properly  defined.  The  academic  association 
between  the  two  schools  was  vague  enough  when  the  School  of  Theology 
was  located  at  Weston;  it  was  even  more  tenuous  after  the  school  moved 
its  operation  to  Cambridge  in  1968.  The  reasons  for  the  move  to  Cam- 
bridge, in  view  of  the  educational  advantages  it  offered  in  consort  with 
other  divinity  schools,  were  compelling.^^  However,  the  decision  to  change 
the  degree  offered  caused  further  confusion. 

The  School  of  Theology,  with  pontifical  approval,  offered  a  Licentiate  in 
Sacred  Theology  (STL)  to  those  who  qualified  after  four  years  of  theology. 
This  was  an  ecclesiastical  degree.  After  the  move  to  Cambridge,  the  school 
offered  a  Bachelor  of  Divinity  (B.D.)  and  an  advanced  Master  of  Divinity 
degree  (M.Div.) — both  considered  civil  degrees.  In  anticipation  of  the  move 
to  Cambridge,  the  dean  at  Weston  began  to  discuss  some  of  these  questions 


Years  of  Accomplishment       Jill 

with  Father  Donovan,  the  academic  vice  president  at  Boston  College.  The 
latter  referred  the  questions  to  the  president,  who  wrote,  "I  am  not  too 
sure,  either,  what  arrangement  we  have  with  the  School  of  Theology  at 
Weston.  There  is  actually  no  legal  tie-in  with  them.  It  is  sort  of  a  handshake 
agreement."'"  Father  Walsh's  main  concern  was  with  the  M.Div.  as  a 
terminal  degree  for  hiring  and  promotion  purposes.  His  advice  to  the  dean 
at  Weston,  Father  J.  A.  Devenny,  was  that  he  should  do  as  he  wished  but 
refrain  from  "raising  these  technical  difficulties.""^ 

After  the  Weston  theologate  moved  to  Cambridge,  the  confusion  contin- 
ued. In  1971,  when  Robert  White,  S.J.,  president  of  Weston  College, 
informed  the  president  of  Boston  College  that  he  was  appointing  a  new 
dean.  Father  W.  Seavey  Joyce,  S.J.,  did  not  conceal  his  annoyance  in  a  letter 
to  his  academic  vice  president.  Since  Father  White  was  informing  him  of 
this  change,  Father  Joyce  assumed  there  was  some  connection  between  the 
two  schools.  If  there  was  a  connection,  he  wanted  an  answer  to  certain 
questions: 

If  Weston  College  and/or  its  School  of  Theology  form  a  constituent  school  of 
our  University,  why  must  they  have  a  separate  President  besides  a  separate 
Dean?  I  am  aware,  of  course,  that  Weston  has  always  been  financially  separate 
from  Boston  College.  This  is  a  considerable  difference.  On  the  other  hand, 
according  to  our  Statutes,  the  President  of  Boston  College  appoints  our 
deans,  and  these  appointments  require  the  concurrence  of  the  Directors.'"^ 

In  his  opinion,  the  whole  situation  was  "very  messy."  He  suggested  that 
"we  face  up  to  the  fact  that  Weston  College  is,  in  fact,  not  a  constituent 
school  of  Boston  College."''^ 

In  the  ensuing  years,  Weston  College  at  Cambridge  and  Boston  College 
have  indeed  become  two  completely  distinct  and  separate  institutions. 
Weston  College  which,  in  addition  to  the  Jesuits,  enrolls  laymen  and 
laywomen  as  well  as  religious  men  and  women,  confers  its  own  civil 
degrees,  which  have  state  and  regional  approval.  As  Jesuit  institutions  in 
the  New  England  Province,  they  share  a  fraternal  bond  and  the  theological 
faculties  enjoy  a  cordial  academic  relationship. 

While  many  Jesuits  associate  Weston  College  with  their  philosophical 
and  theological  studies,  other  scholars — locally,  nationally,  and  interna- 
tionally— associate  the  name  with  the  physical  sciences.  Over  the  years,  the 
Weston  Observatory,  founded  in  1928  by  Edward  P.  Tivnan,  S.J.,  has 
brought  to  Boston  College  both  prestige  and,  indeed,  financial  emoluments 
through  government  contracts.  Henry  M.  Brock,  S.J.,  a  graduate  of  MIT, 
was  appointed  the  first  director  of  the  observatory.  Through  his  contacts, 
Francis  Tondorf,  S.J.,  an  eminent  seismologist  at  Georgetown  University, 
donated  a  25-kilogram  Bosch-Omori  seismograph,  the  first  major  piece  of 
equipment  acquired  by  the  observatory.  This  was  augmented  in  1934  when 
Father  Francis  J.  Dolan,  S.J.,  president  of  the  College  of  the  Holy  Cross, 
donated  a  Wiechert  (80  kg)  seismograph  to  Weston.  As  a  result  of  personal 


328        History  of  Boston  College 

gifts  to  him,  Father  Michael  J.  Ahern,  S.J.,  one  of  the  best-known  Jesuits  in 
New  England  and  director  of  the  observatory  from  1940-1950,  purchased 
a  3-component  Benioff  in  1936."^  The  observatory  was  in  business. 

From  1930  to  1949,  these  dehcate  instruments  were  located  in  the 
"Mansion,"  the  original  building  on  the  grounds,  and  the  observatory  was 
supported  by  the  New  England  Province.  The  construction  of  a  new, 
modern  seismological  observatory,  built  adjacent  to  the  "Mansion,"  was 
completed  in  1949,  and  the  instruments  were  transferred  to  the  new  facility 
at  that  time. 

In  a  true  sense,  Father  Daniel  Linehan,  S.J.,  an  internationally  recognized 
seismologist,  is  the  father  of  the  Weston  Observatory  of  Boston  College. 
Director  of  the  observatory  from  1950  to  1972,  he  founded  the  Department 
of  Geophysics  in  1949,  which  was  located  at  the  observatory  but  affiliated 
with  Boston  College.  Father  James  Skehan,  S.J.,  with  a  Ph.D.  from  Harvard, 
established  the  Department  of  Geology  at  Boston  College  in  1956.  In  1968 
these  two  departments  were  merged  to  become  the  Department  of  Geology 
and  Geophysics  at  the  undergraduate  and  graduate  levels.  The  Weston 
Observatory  itself,  where  many  of  the  classes  are  held  in  proximity  to  the 
speciahzed  library,  became  financially  and  academically  a  constituent  part 
of  Boston  College  in  1946.  The  seismic  unit  has,  perhaps,  garnered  the 
lion's  share  of  publicity  as  part  of  a  world-wide  network  that  reports  on 
earthquakes  and  other  natural  phenomena. 

The  Downtown  Club 

A  promising,  but  short-lived,  project  of  the  1960s  deserves  mention.  A 
group  of  young  alumni  drew  up  plans  for  "The  Boston  College  Downtown 
Club."  In  proposing  this  new  venture,  the  "founding  fathers"  explained 
that  it  would  bring  the  alumni  closer  together  by  providing  social  and 
recreational  facilities;  it  would  also  deepen  Boston  College's  interest  in  and 
commitment  to  the  City  of  Boston.  It  would,  in  the  words  of  Vice  President 
W.  Seavey  Joyce,  S.J.,  "give  a  new  visibility,  a  new  evidence  of  Boston 
College  in  the  heart  of  the  city."'*' 

At  the  Founders  Day  Dinner  in  April  1967  at  the  Sheraton-Plaza  Hotel, 
Father  Walsh  declared  that  "The  Boston  College  Downtown  Club  is  a 
milestone  in  the  history  of  Boston  College."  The  600  alumni  who  were 
present  on  that  occasion  vowed,  "It  can  be  done."^"  These  same  alumni, 
with  $35.00  each,  acquired  charter  membership;  and  30  alumni  each  gave 
$1000  for  life  membership.  The  club  had  been  incorporated  in  October 
1966  as  a  nonprofit  organization  with  a  charter.  A  building  had  been 
selected  and  a  bank  was  committed  to  the  mortgage.  The  proposed 
structure  was  a  four-story  brick  building  on  Hawkins  Street  near  the  newly 
developed  Government  Center.  The  building  had  to  be  purchased  from  the 
Boston  Redevelopment  Authority  and  renovated  for  approximately 
$360,000;  another  $40,000  would  be  spent  on  furnishings.^^ 


Years  of  Accomplishment       329 

The  president  of  the  club,  John  E.  Joyce  ('61),  explained  to  his  constitu- 
ency that  the  immediate  goal  was  900  regular  members.  With  800  annual 
members  and  70  life  members,  the  club  could  count  on  $100,000.  When 
the  club  reached  that  mark,  the  president  explained,  the  Charlestown 
Savings  Bank  would  provide  a  mortgage  of  $300,000. 

The  original  plan,  as  events  turned  out,  was  too  ambitious  and  had  to  be 
drastically  amended.  In  October  1970  the  Boston  College  Downtown  Club 
opened  its  new  home  at  280  Devonshire  Street,  site  of  the  much-loved  and 
well-remembered  Warmuth's  Restaurant.  The  club  was  available  for  lunch- 
eons, parties,  and  social  events;  it  was  used  by  the  alumni  to  meet  business 
acquaintances  and  associates.  But  complications  developed.  The  club  had 
occupied  Warmuth's  with  the  understanding  that  it  could  remain  for  two 
years,  giving  the  president  and  directors  an  opportunity  to  explore  other 
possibihties.  However,  Blue  Cross-Blue  Shield,  which  had  an  option  on  the 
building,  moved  in  more  quickly  than  had  been  anticipated.  The  president 
and  board  of  directors  then  made  the  difficult  decision  to  terminate  the 
club  in  order  to  avoid  a  future  debt.  The  club  closed  down  officially  in  May 
1971." 

The  Alumni  Association 

The  Downtown  Club  episode  calls  attention  to  the  Alumni  Association 
itself.  The  Alumni  Association  at  Boston  College  has  always  been  close- 
knit,  generous  (according  to  individual  means),  fraternal,  and  enthusiastic. 
The  first  issue  of  the  Alumni  Bulletin,  published  in  October  1919,  an- 
nounced the  appointment  of  the  first  alumni  secretary.  The  Bulletin,  like 
many  new  ventures,  had  its  ups  and  downs,  with  frequent  lapses  in 
pubhcation.  In  October  1933,  however,  volume  1,  number  1  of  Alumnus 
appeared.  This  journal,  which  was  designed  to  "disseminate  news  concern- 
ing Alma  Mater"  and  act  as  a  channel  for  alumni  activities,  has  gone 
through  several  formats.  But  publication  has  been  continuous,  consistent, 
and  interesting  as  Alumni  News,  Bridge  and,  presently,  Boston  College 
Magazine — the  last  justly  praised  for  its  design  and  content. 

Even  a  casual  perusal  of  alumni  publications  reveals  the  intense  loyalty 
and  genuine  pride  of  Boston  College  graduates.  The  formal  association 
itself,  with  outstanding  officers,  has  been  energized  and  motivated  by  such 
popular  directors  as  William  Flynn  ('39),  the  late  Walter  Boudreau  ('43), 
football  and  hockey  star,  and  the  present  incumbent,  John  Wissler  ('57), 
who  was  appointed  to  this  office  in  1967.  For  36  years  the  attractive  chalet 
that  used  to  stand  at  76  Commonwealth  Avenue  was  the  Alumni  Associa- 
tion headquarters  and  scene  of  innumerable  alumni  gatherings,  class  reun- 
ions, dances,  banquets,  and  football  game  celebrations.  When  the  chalet, 
along  with  the  former  Philomatheia  Club  building,  was  razed  to  make 
room  for  attractive  new  dormitories,  the  Alumni  Association  found  a  new 
home  in  Putnam  House  on  the  Centre  Street  campus,  one  of  the  two 


330        History  of  Boston  College 

original  mansions  with  which  Newton  College  of  the  Sacred  Heart  was 
begun.  The  new  headquarters  provide  a  gracious  and  efficient  setting  for 
Alumni  Association  business  and  functions. 

Several  alumni  groups  celebrate  and  support  varsity  athletics.  The  annual 
Varsity  Club  dinner  is  one  of  the  highlights  of  the  year.  One  such  memora- 
ble dinner  was  held  at  the  new  Sheraton-Boston  on  January  6,  1966,  with 
1700  in  attendance,  including  members  of  the  1940  Bowl  Team.^^  The  Blue 
Chips,  an  organization  for  the  specific  support  of  the  hockey  team,  was 
founded  in  1969  by  Alfred  Branca,  M.D.  ('39),  who  had  been  president  of 
the  Alumni  Association  in  1967-1968.  The  Hall  of  Fame  was  inaugurated 
in  1970. 

Athletics  in  the  Sixties 

To  comment  briefly  on  athletics  in  the  1960s,  the  football  team  did  not 
enjoy  national  ranking  at  that  time,  although  there  were  bright  spots.  The 
1967  season,  for  example,  was  disappointing,  ending  with  a  4—6  record. 
Army,  Syracuse,  Penn  State,  and  Villanova  were  worthy  opponents,  but  the 
other  teams  on  the  schedule  were  not  considered  formidable.  The  loss 
through  graduation  of  ail-American  Bob  Hyland,  who  was  a  first-draft 
choice  for  the  NFL,  was  probably  the  difference.  Gary  Andrachik  from  St. 
Ignatius  High  School  in  Cleveland,  an  outside  linebacker,  gave  promise  but 
suffered  injuries  in  his  senior  year.  Barry  Gallup,  a  wide  receiver  on  the 
1967  team,  was  nationally  recognized  and  later  became  an  outstanding 
coach  at  Boston  College. 

The  incomparable  Robert  Cousy,  formerly  a  member  of  the  world 
champion  Boston  Celtics,  came  to  Boston  College  as  head  basketball  coach 
in  1962.  During  his  five  years  on  the  Heights,  Boston  College  became  one 
of  the  top  10  teams  in  the  country.  In  1967  Coach  Cousy's  team  won  17 
and  lost  7.  His  teams  went  twice  to  the  NIT  and  once  to  the  Eastern 
NCAA.  It  was  a  dramatic  improvement  over  previous  years  in  this  sport. 

For  more  than  a  generation,  John  "Snooks"  Kelley  and  hockey  were 
practically  synonymous  at  Boston  College.  A  graduate  of  the  class  of  1928, 
"Snooks"  became  head  coach  in  1936;  as  he  began  his  30th  year  in  1966, 
he  had  won  400  games.  Dean  of  American  collegiate  hockey  coaches,  he 
retired  in  1972  after  joining  that  exclusive  group  of  coaches  whose  teams 
had  won  over  500  games.  In  those  years  Boston  College  won  the  NCAA 
national  championship  in  1949;  went  twice  to  the  NCAA  finals  (1956  and 
1965);  and  won  the  Boston  Bean  Pot  trophy  several  times.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  one  of  his  former  players,  Leonard  Ceglarski.^"' 

The  "great  American  game"  has  had  a  long  tradition  at  the  Heights.  In 
the  1920s  and  1930s  the  fierce  rivalry  between  Boston  College  and  Holy 
Cross  drew  literally  thousands  of  spectators.  In  the  1960s,  however, 
collegiate  baseball  seemed  to  be  losing  its  attraction  on  every  campus.  In 
1967  the  Boston  College  baseball  team,  under  Coach  Eddie  Pellagrini,  did 


Years  of  Accomplishment       331 


Robert  Cousy,  basketball  coach, 
1962-1967. 


not  get  off  to  a  fast  start,  although  it  boasted  some  long-ball  hitters.  There 
was  no  home  field  and,  due  to  poor  weather,  no  home  games.  Nevertheless, 
Boston  College  managed  to  slip  into  the  NCAA  regionals,  much  to  the 
dismay  of  Harvard,  which  had  had  a  good  season.  In  a  crucial  game  of  a 
three-game  series,  Boston  College  managed  to  beat  the  University  of 
Massachusetts  7-6  in  12  innings  in  the  rubber  game.  The  Eagles  then  went 
on  to  the  final  in  Omaha,  where  they  won  their  first  game  over  Ryder 
College  3-1.  The  bubble  burst  two  days  later  when  they  lost  to  Houston, 
3-2." 

Track  and  field  was  another  major  intercollegiate  sport  at  this  time. 
Coach  WiUiam  GiUigan  succeeded  the  legendary  Jack  Ryder  in  1952.  Where 
Coach  Ryder  had  concentrated  on  the  sprints  and  the  relay,  Gilligan 
concentrated  on  the  weights  and  developed  some  outstanding  performers 
in  the  hammer  throw,  the  discus,  and  the  shotput.  George  "Dizzy"  Desnoy- 
ers  and  John  Fiore  were  accorded  all-American  honors  in  the  hammer 
throw;  they  also  threw  the  discus.  Many  remember  that  Harold  Connolly 
('53),  who  began  under  Ryder,  was  developed  by  Gilligan  and  won  the 


332        History  of  Boston  College 

Gold  Medal  in  the  1956  Olympics.  Coach  Gilligan  retired  after  29  years 
and  was  succeeded  by  Coach  Jack  McDonald  in  1981. 

Any  reference  to  athletics  at  Boston  College  in  these  "middle  years" 
would  be  incomplete  without  a  bow  to  Eddie  Miller  ('57,  MBA  '68,  Ed.D. 
'90).  Popular  with  the  alumni,  coaches,  and  press,  he  was  for  a  number  of 
years  the  director  of  sports  publicity  at  Boston  College.  His  friendly 
contacts  with  the  Boston  sports  writers  assured  coverage  of  every  event, 
and  his  winning  personahty  made  him  a  friend  of  every  writer.  His 
contribution  to  the  sports  program  was  large,  indeed.  He  was  later  ap- 
pointed director  of  public  relations  for  the  University,  but  many  were 
convinced  that  his  heart  remained  in  sports  publicity. 

Debating  the  Status  of  the  Jesuit  Community 

Late  in  Father  Walsh's  administration,  a  question  emerged  that  would 
engage  the  attention  of  Jesuits  at  Boston  College — and,  indeed,  on  every 
Jesuit  campus- — for  the  next  several  years.  Basically,  the  discussions  re- 
volved around  the  legalities  and  advantages  of  restructuring  the  Board  of 
Trustees  and  separating  the  Jesuit  Community  from  the  University.  The 
resolution  of  these  problems  would,  in  time,  drastically  affect  both  parties. 
This  question  will  be  taken  up  in  greater  detail  later  on  in  the  narrative, 
but,  chronologically,  it  surfaced  at  this  time.^* 

The  Heights  of  October  6,  1967,  carried  the  headline:  "Walsh  Consult- 
ing Jesuits  in  Community  Restructure."  The  writer  went  on  to  explain  that 
the  Jesuits  wanted  more  time  to  explore  the  implications  of  such  a  separa- 
tion, but  even  those  who  were  opposed  admitted  that  the  trustees  would 
ultimately  make  the  decision.  The  Heights  expanded  on  this  question  in  an 
editorial  comment  in  the  same  issue.  The  editor  went  further  on  November 
17  when,  after  a  conversation  with  Father  Walsh,  he  implied  that  an 
announcement  was  imminent.  Such  was  not  the  case. 

From  other  sources,  it  is  clear  that  Father  Walsh  was  convinced  that  the 
legal  separation  of  the  Jesuit  Community  and  the  University  was  desirable 
and  inevitable.^^  In  this  whole  matter,  he  was  influenced  by  his  presidential 
comrade-in-arms,  Paul  C.  Reinert,  S.J.,  of  Saint  Louis  University.  Father 
Reinert,  in  fact,  had  already  restructured  his  board  of  trustees  and  separated 
the  community  and  university  into  two  distinct  legal  corporations,  all  of 
this  with  the  tacit  approval  of  the  Superior  General  in  Rome.^" 

These  discussions  were  very  important,  but  the  wheels  turned  slowly. 
Although  it  would  be  several  years  before  the  "new  order"  was  in  place,  it 
was  Father  Walsh,  a  leader  in  the  movement,  who  set  the  machinery  in 
motion  at  Boston  College. 

The  End  of  the  Walsh  Era 

Father  Walsh  submitted  his  resignation  to  the  Board  of  Trustees  on  January 
25,  1968,  effective  June  30,  1968.  The  narrative  makes  it  abundantly  clear 


Years  of  Accomplishment       333 

that  he  was  a  talented  and  effective  administrator  who  substantially  ad- 
vanced the  growth  and  influence  of  the  University.^'  As  the  director  of 
public  relations  observed,  "Study  the  reports,  tote  up  the  accomplishments, 
count  the  buildings  in  the  physical  expansion,  measure  the  University's 
increased  prestige,  compute  the  academic  achievements,  gauge  the  perform- 
ance— all  of  it  is  an  open  book."'^° 

Father  Walsh's  experience  was  utilized  in  the  Jesuit  Educational  Associ- 
ation, the  National  Catholic  Educational  Association,  and  the  national 
organizations  of  independent  colleges  and  universities/'  Within  the  JEA  he 
led  the  movement  for  the  large,  complex  Jesuit  university  at  a  time  when 
other  members  of  his  order  favored  the  small,  liberal  arts  college/'  He 
argued  that,  in  higher  education.  Catholics  should  not  yield  graduate  and 
professional  education  exclusively  to  public  and  nonsectarian  universities. 
In  this  "in  house"  controversy,  as  history  testifies,  he  was  successful. 

As  a  spokesman  for  the  NCEA,  he  was  often  called  upon  as  an  officer 
and  representative  to  articulate  the  philosophy  of  education  that  motivates 
and  guides  Catholic  higher  education.  Although  he  was  the  author  of  many 
articles  on  this  subject,  his  basic  thesis  is  contained  in  an  article  that 
appeared  in  Alumni  News  the  year  before  his  retirement  entitled,  "Why  a 
Catholic  University?"  Father  Walsh  held  that  the  Catholic  university  is  "the 
place  where  the  Church  does  its  thinking."*^  The  Catholic  University  is  the 
borderline,  as  Father  John  Courtney  Murray  had  first  observed,  where  the 
Church  meets  the  world  and  the  world  meets  the  Church."'*'*  For  this 
reason,  among  others.  Father  Walsh  considered  it  a  blessing  "to  have  on 
our  own  faculty  [at  Boston  College]  scholars  who  are  not  of  the  Cathofic 
faith,  whose  insights  and  perspectives  illumine  our  task  and  make  possible 
within  the  University  family  the  kind  of  open  discussion  that  helps  the 
Catholic  university  be  the  center  of  hving  thought  that  serves  the  intellectual 
mission  of  the  Church."**^ 

A  testimonial  dinner  was  tendered  Father  Walsh  on  May  5,  1968,  at  the 
Sheraton-Boston.  It  was  a  gathering  of  notable  Bostonians  from  church 
and  state  and  from  the  world  of  academia.  Business  leaders,  who  had 


As  a  permanent  monument  to  his  achievements,  Walsh  Hall,  a  high-rise 
student  residence,  was  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  Father  Walsh  on 
October  2,  1982.  In  the  program  notes  for  that  occasion  is  the  following 
encomium: 

No  sooner  had  Father  Walsh  stepped  away  from  the  leadership  of 
Boston  College  than  the  Trustees  at  Fordham  University  prevailed  upon 
him  to  assume  its  presidency.  Four  years  later.  Father  Walsh  tendered  his 
resignation  to  a  grateful  and  reluctant  Board  and  returned  to  Boston.  The 
conclusion  of  fourteen  years  in  a  Presidency  did  not  bring  any  form  of 
retirement  for  Father  Walsh.  During  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life,  he  was 
perhaps  the  most  respected  Trustee,  and  certainly  the  most  cherished 
and  relied-upon  counselor  in  Catholic  education."" 


334        History  of  Boston  College 

admired  Father  Walsh's  financial  acumen,  were  also  present.  Eulogies  were 
given  by  Governor  John  A.  Volpe,  Richard  Cardinal  Gushing,  and  Dr. 
Abram  Sachar,  president  of  Brandeis.  Father  Leo  P.  O'Keefe,  S.J.,  repre- 
sented the  Jesuits  at  Boston  College.  Cardinal  Gushing  summed  it  up  when 
he  said,  "Father  [Walsh]  is  that  rare  and  wonderful  sort  of  person  who 
seems  too  good  to  be  true,  but  he  is  in  fact  both  good  and  true.  ...  He  has 
never  tried  to  be  spectacular  or  dramatic,  but  simply  by  being  himself  he 
has  achieved  universal  success."*^ 


Father  Walsh  may  have  been  fortunate  in  the  timing  of  his  leaving  the 
presidency  of  Boston  College.  The  unsettled  events  of  the  following  years 
would  have  stretched  his  administrative  skills  to  the  limit.  It  fell  to  the  lot 
of  an  equally  talented  man,  Father  W.  Seavey  Joyce,  to  meet  the  challenge 
ahead. 


ENDNOTES 

1.  There  were  437  lay  members  of  the  faculty,  and  103  Jesuit  administrators  and 
faculty  members. 

2.  During  these  years  the  Jesuits  continued  the  practice  of  "contributed  services." 
The  salaries  paid  to  Jesuit  faculty  members  and  administrators  were  deposited  in 
the  Loyola  Fund  and,  after  taking  what  was  necessary  for  the  support  of  the 
Jesuit  Community,  were  returned  to  the  University  for  development. 

3.  After  the  long  tenure  as  dean  of  the  beloved  Patrick  J.  McHugh  (1921-1935),  the 
College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  had  a  series  of  relatively  short-term  deans:  Father 
Joseph  R.N.  Maxwell  (1935-1939),  Father  John  J.  Long  (1939-1941),  Father 
Stephen  A.  Mulcahy  (1941-1948),  Father  Ernest  B.  Foley  (1948-1951),  Father 
Francis  O.  Corcoran  (1951-1954),  and  Father  John  W.  Ryan  (1954-1956). 

4.  Father  DriscoII's  predecessor,  Father  Richard  P.  Burke,  served  as  dean  for  three 
years  1955-1958,  having  succeeded  the  cofounder  and  distinguished  second 
dean,  Dorothy  L.  Book.  In  his  rather  brief  administration,  Father  Burke  skillfully 
adapted  the  School  of  Social  Work  to  a  radically  changed  set  of  accreditation 
standards. 

5.  The  Heights  (September  22  and  29,  1967). 

6.  Ibid.  (October  10,  1958). 

7.  Ibid.  (September  27,  1963). 

8.  Ibid.  (December  3,  1965). 

9.  The  Boston  Theological  Institute,  formally  incorporated  in  1968,  involves  the 
following  institutions:  Andover  Newton  Theological  School,  Boston  College 
Department  of  Theology,  Boston  University  School  of  Theology,  Episcopal  Divin- 
ity School,  Gordon-Conwell  Divinity  School,  Harvard  Divinity  School,  Holy 
Cross  Greek  Orthodox  School  of  Theology,  Saint  John's  Seminary,  and  Weston 
School  of  Theology. 

10.  The  Heights  (April  29,  1960). 

11.  Ibid.  (May  6,  1960;  May  13,  1960). 

12.  Ibid.  (October  4,  1963). 

13.  Ibid.  (November  8,  1963). 

14.  Ibid.  (October  1,  1965). 


Years  of  Accomplishment       335 


15. 

Ibid.  ( 

16. 

7fo;^.  ( 

17. 

Ibid.  ( 

18. 

/fcfci.  ( 

19. 

/ft^W.  ( 

20. 

Ibid.  ( 

21. 

7fc(i.  C 

22. 

Ibid.  ( 

23. 

/i)iJ.  ( 

24. 

/foii.  ( 

25. 

Ibid.  ( 

26. 

7fo/rf.  ( 

27. 

Ibid.  ( 

28. 

/fei^.  ( 

29. 

/fci^.  ( 

30. 

Ibid.  ( 

31. 

/fczW.  ( 

32. 

Ibid.  ( 

33. 

/fo/c7.  ( 

34. 

;fe/vi.  ( 

35. 

Ibid.  ( 

36. 

Ibid.  ( 

37. 

Since  t 

38. 
39. 
40. 

41. 
42. 
43. 

44. 
45. 
46. 

47. 
48. 

49. 
50. 
51. 

52. 


53. 
54. 


(November  13,  1967). 

(December  15,  1967). 

(March  5,  1968). 

(October  22, 1965). 

(October  29,  1965). 

(December  17,  1965). 

yanuary  14,  1966). 

(February  11,  1966). 

(March  4,  1966). 

(September  30,  1966). 

(October  14,  1966). 

(October  21,  1966). 

(April  7,  1967). 

(October  6,  1967). 

(October  13,  1967). 

(November  3,  1967). 

(November  13,  1967). 

(December  1,  1967). 

(December  15,  1967). 

(February  2,  1968). 

(January  2,  1968). 

(April  1,  1966). 
Since  the  University  Academic  Senate  (UAS)  was  to  be  so  prominent  in  campus 
life  during  the  next  few  years,  the  composition  of  the  drafting  committee  should 
be  noted:  Father  Charles  Donovan,  Academic  Vice  President;  Father  Robert 
Drinan,  Dean  of  the  Law  School;  Paula  Fellows,  School  of  Nursing;  Walter 
Greaney,  School  of  Management;  John  Mahoney,  Department  of  English;  John 
Schmitt,  School  of  Education;  Father  Robert  White,  Weston  College;  Father  John 
Willis,  Dean  of  Arts  and  Sciences. 
The  Heights  (February  9,  1968). 
Ibid.  (March  19,  1968). 

The  qualifications  of  the  Weston  faculty,  most  of  whom  had  advanced  degrees, 
were  never  an  issue. 
BCA. 
BCA. 

See  James  A.  Donohoe,  J. CD.,  "Seminary  Reform,"  Alumni  News  (Winter 
1967). 

Father  Walsh  to  Father  Donovan,  November  15,  1967.  BCA. 
Ibid. 

Father  Joyce  to  Father  Donovan,  November  23,  1971. 
Ibid. 

For  most  of  this  information,  see  Annual  Report:  Weston  Observatory,  Boston 
College,  1973-1974.  BCA. 
"Eagles  in  the  City,"  Alumni  News  (Fall  1967). 
Alumni  News  (Fall  1967). 

Ibid.  According  to  an  item  in  Bridge  (November  1970),  the  initiation  fee  was 
$100  and  annual  membership  $100. 

This  explanation  for  termination  is  based  upon  information  supplied  by  John  E. 
Joyce  in  a  telephone  conversation  with  Paul  A.  FitzGerald,  S.J.  on  October  1, 
1985.  In  1987  some  alumni  were  talking  about  trying  a  Boston  College  center  in 
the  city  again. 

See  Alumni  News  (Spring  1966). 
See  "Snooks,"  Bridge  (January  1972). 


336        History  of  Boston  College 

55.  In  1987  Coach  Pellagrini  announced  that  the  1988  baseball  season  would  be  his 
last  as  coach. 

56.  See  below,  Chapter  34. 

57.  See  Paul  A.  FitzGerald,  S.J.,  The  Governance  of  Jesuit  Colleges  in  the  United 
States  (University  of  Notre  Dame  Press,  1984),  p.  206. 

58.  See  Paul  C.  Reinert,  S.J.,  "First  Meeting  of  a  Board,"  Jesuit  Educational  Quar- 
terly (October  1967),  pp.  112-117. 

59.  See  A  Ten-Year  Report:  1958-1968.  BCA. 

60.  John  Lamer,  Alumni  News  (Spring  1968). 

61.  See  P.  A.  FitzGerald,  S.J.,  Governance,  pp.  161—67.  Also  Robert  Harvanek,  S.J., 
"The  Objectives  of  the  American  Jesuit  University:  A  Dilemma,"  ]EQ  (October 
1961). 

62.  After  retiring  as  president  of  Boston  College  and  Fordham  University,  Father 
Walsh  was  advisor  to  Dr.  Robert  Wood,  president  of  the  University  of  Massachu- 
setts. 

63.  Alumni  News  (Winter  1967). 

64.  Ibid. 

65.  Ibid. 

66.  Father  Walsh  died  in  the  Jesuit  Community  residence  at  Boston  College  High 
School  on  April  23,  1982.  The  funeral  Mass  was  held  at  St.  Ignatius  Church, 
Chestnut  Hill.  The  large  representation  of  Jesuit  college  presidents  attested  to  the 
esteem  in  which  he  was  held  in  the  Society  of  Jesus. 

67.  BCA. 


CHAPTER 


30 


A  Restless  Campus 


It  was  apparent  to  those  reading  the  signs  of  the  times  that  Father  Walsh's 
successor  would  inherit  a  restless  campus.  And,  indeed,  student  activists  of 
the  1960s  won  a  place  for  themselves  in  American  history.  The  final 
assessment  has  not  yet  been  made,  but  the  general  pattern  of  events  is  fairly 
clear.  Some  background  will  be  helpful  in  understanding  what  happened 
on  the  American  campus — and  more  specifically  at  the  Heights. 

The  National  Context 

It  really  began  in  1954,  when  the  Supreme  Court's  landmark  decision, 
"Brown  versus  Board  of  Education,"  protected  the  equality  of  all  Ameri- 
cans, including  blacks.  Thus  was  the  way  opened  for  a  massive  civil  rights 
movement,  which  extended  from  the  nonviolent  marches  of  Martin  Luther 
King  to  riots  in  the  ghettos. 

But  campus  unrest  focused  much  more  on  antiwar  and  antidraft  protests 
than  on  civil  rights  issues.  The  University  of  California  at  Berkeley  was 
called  the  Bastille  of  the  student  revolution.'  The  movement  began  there  in 
1964  under  the  leadership  of  Mario  Savio  when  the  administration  and 
regents  tried  to  restrain  student  activists.  The  Free  Speech  Movement  of 
Savio  spread  to  Columbia  University,  where  Mark  Rudd  and  his  student 
cohorts  forced  the  resignation  of  President  Grayson  Kirk.  Between  January 
1  and  June  16,  1968,  the  National  Student  Association  counted  221  major 

337 


338        History  of  Boston  College 

demonstrations  at  101  colleges  and  universities  involving  nearly  40,000 
students.- 

In  the  beginning,  at  least,  most  student  protests  were  nonviolent  and 
their  goals  were  reasonable.  In  fact,  student  activists  in  the  mid-1960s 
confined  themselves  to  doing  good  works  locally.  They  contributed  sub- 
stantially to  the  national  peace  movement  in  1965,  and  many  of  their 
demands  were  met.  As  it  turned  out,  the  Limited  Test  Ban  Treaty  of  1963, 
which  outlawed  atmospheric  testing  of  nuclear  weapons,  had  weakened  the 
peace  movement,  but  the  war  in  Vietnam  brought  it  back  to  life.  That  war, 
which  strained  the  patriotism  of  so  many  Americans,  affected  a  large 
segment  of  the  collegiate  population  in  a  way  no  other  war  had  ever  done. 
In  another  curious  departure,  women  on  campus  were  as  vocal  as  men  in 
denouncing  the  draft,  recruitment,  and  service.  The  coeds  also  shouted, 
"Hell  no,  we  won't  go!"^  All  of  this  activity  would  reach  its  peak  in  1970 
and  1971,  but  when  the  administration  changed  at  Boston  College  in  1968, 
the  campus  was  deceptively  quiet. 

New  Directions  from  a  New  President 

For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  Boston  College,  faculty  members — 
mostly  laypersons,  but  with  some  Jesuit  associates — engaged  in  a  discus- 
sion of  the  qualities  the  new  president  should  have  and  the  kinds  of  policies 
he  should  promote  and  the  challenges  he  would  meet.  Such  discussion  may 
have  found  its  way  indirectly  into  the  selection  process,  but  at  that  time 
there  was  no  direct  participation  in  it  since  the  Superior  General  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus,  in  consultation  with  the  New  England  Provincial  and  his 
consultors,  made  the  choice.  On  May  15,  1968,  the  Very  Reverend  Pedro 
Arrupe  announced  that  Father  W.  Seavey  Joyce  would  succeed  Father  Walsh 
as  rector  of  the  Jesuit  community  and  president  of  Boston  College.  Father 
Joyce  was  the  last  president  of  Boston  College  to  be  named  by  the 
administration  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  It  was  later  decided  that  the  new 
president  would  assume  office  on  July  1.'* 

On  Sunday,  October  20,  1968,  Father  Joyce  was  inaugurated  as  the 
twenty-third  president  of  Boston  College.  It  was  the  first  such  ceremony  in 
the  history  of  the  institution.  A  procession  of  faculty,  representatives  of 
other  universities,  and  guests  went  from  Gargan  Hall  in  Bapst  Library  to  a 
gathering  of  some  3700  people  in  McHugh  Forum.  Greetings  were  ex- 
tended to  the  new  president  by  Massachusetts  Governor  John  A.  Volpe, 
Boston  Mayor  Kevin  White,  faculty  representative  Thomas  O'Connor,  and 
James  Stanton,  president  of  the  Boston  College  Alumni  Association.  Presi- 
dent Nathan  Pusey  of  Harvard  welcomed  Father  Joyce  to  the  university 
community  of  Boston.  The  Honorable  Henry  M.  Leen  ('29),  chairman  of 
the  Board  of  Directors,  presented  the  president  with  a  medallion  designed 
by  Allison  Macomber,  artist-in-residence,  to  be  handed  down  to  future 
presidents.^ 


REV.  W.  SEAVEY  JOYCE,  S.J. 
Twenty-third  President 


Born  September  3,  1913,  Fatlier  Joyce  grad- 
uated from  Boston  College  High  School  in 
June  1931,  entered  the  Jesuits  that  summer, 
and  in  due  course  was  ordained  to  the 
priesthood  at  Weston  College  in  1943.  He 
earned  a  master's  degree  in  economics 
from  Georgetown  University  and  a  doctor- 
ate from  Harvard  in  the  same  discipline.  He 

joined  the  Boston  College  faculty  in  1949  as  chairman  of  the  Economics  Depart- 
ment and,  while  retaining  that  role,  became  dean  of  the  College  of  Business 
Administration  in  1952,  a  position  he  held  for  14  years.  For  the  last  two  years 
before  his  election  as  president.  Father  Joyce  was  vice  president  for  community 
affairs.  In  the  1950s  he  initiated  the  Boston  citizen  seminars,  served  as  president 
of  the  Metropolitan  Planning  Council,  and  was  featured  on  a  weekly  television 
program  on  metropolitan  planning. 


A  few  weeks  before  his  inauguration,  Father  Joyce  sent  a  message  to  the 
students  in  which  he  indicated  some  of  the  items  on  the  administration's 
agenda.  McGuinn  Hall,  the  new  social  science  center,  would  open;  the 
Graduate  School  of  Social  Work,  housed  at  126  Newbury  Street,  would 
move  into  the  new  facility.  He  had  high  hopes  that  by  the  second  semester 
Devlin  Hall  would  be  substantially  reconstructed,  and  plans  were  in 
progress  to  convert  the  Bapst  auditorium  to  library  use,  as  was  the  original 
intent  of  the  architect.  He  mentioned  an  art  center  and  new  dormitories 
which  would  include,  for  the  first  time,  accommodations  for  women.*" 

There  were  ambitious  plans  for  new  and  expanded  academic  programs. 
The  faculty,  it  was  envisioned,  would  increase  by  122  members,  although 
it  was  calculated  that  only  30  would  soon  retire  or  leave.  In  part  this 
increase  was  necessary  to  meet  the  challenge  of  the  largest  freshman  class 
in  the  history  of  the  University.  The  University  Academic  Senate,  organized 
in  1967,  would  play  a  larger  role,  and  the  channel  between  the  undergrad- 
uate government  and  the  president  would  be  widened.  Beyond  the  faculty, 
there  would  be  changes  in  administration.  Most  immediately,  for  example, 
the  academic  vice  president  became  the  senior  vice  president  and  dean  of 


340        History  of  Boston  College 

faculties,  and  the  vice  presidents,  with  the  academic  deans,  formed  the 
president's  cabinet. 

One  of  Father  Joyce's  most  important  announcements,  with  far-reaching 
consequences,  concerned  the  Board  of  Trustees.  Father  Walsh  had  estab- 
lished the  Board  of  Regents  in  1959  as  an  advisory  body.  This  group,  with 
the  addition  of  newly  appointed  Jesuits,  would  now  become  the  Board  of 
Directors.  The  10  Jesuit  trustees  would  also  be  members  of  the  new  board, 
which  would  be  responsible  for  the  normal  "direction  and  conduct  of 
business  and  affairs  of  the  University  as  of  October  8,  1968."^  The  trustees 
reserved  to  themselves  several  critical  prerogatives,  such  as  amending  the 
University's  statutes  and  electing  the  president. 

Although  not  intended  as  such  at  the  time,  the  trustees/directors  arrange- 
ment proved  to  be  temporary  (four  years)  and  transitional — a  bridge 
between  exclusive  Jesuit  control  and  the  present  form  of  the  trustees.  A 
further  discussion  on  the  matter  is  found  in  Chapter  34.  Several  academi- 
cians were  added  to  the  Board  of  Directors:  Robert  F.  Byrnes,  chairman  of 
the  History  Department  at  Indiana  University,  and  Joseph  G.  Brennan 
('33),  chairman  of  the  Philosophy  Department  at  Barnard  College.  These 
men  brought  to  the  board  particular  concern  for  faculty  interests.  While 
Father  Joyce  remained  ex  officio  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  he  was 
no  longer  chairman;  Father  Joseph  L.  Shea,  S.J.,  was  elected  to  that 
position.  These  boards  functioned  in  parallel  until  the  fall  of  1972,  when 
both  were  consolidated  into  one  Board  of  Trustees.  The  new  board,  with 
Jesuit  and  lay  members,  was  a  startling  innovation  which,  as  a  catalyst, 
hastened  the  separate  incorporation  of  the  Jesuit  Community.^ 

In  bringing  to  a  close  his  message  to  the  students,  the  new  president 
expressed  the  hope  that  we  "may  live  and  work  and  pray  and  play  together, 
bound  by  the  profound  unity  of  our  character  and  aspirations.'"'  Fortu- 
nately for  his  own  peace  of  mind,  he  could  not  foresee  that  his  administra- 
tion would  be  buffeted  by  the  storms  that  blew  across  all  American 
campuses;  nor  could  he  predict  that  his  relations  with  a  sizable  segment  of 
the  student  body  would  be  less  than  pleasant.  In  the  end  he  could  not  help 
but  be  disappointed  in  the  truncated  realization  of  his  dreams  and  the 
frustrations  that  plagued  his  administration. 

New  Appointments 

In  addition  to  the  Board  of  Directors,  which  obviously  affected  the  admin- 
istration of  the  University,  Father  Joyce  made  several  new  appointments 
that  reflected  his  priorities  and  his  philosophy  of  governance.  In  the  process 
the  traditional  Jesuit  influence  in  academics  and  campus  poUcy  was  reduced 
and,  conversely,  the  role  of  the  layman  was  enhanced.  As  his  executive 
assistant  he  chose  Richard  J.  Olsen,  34  years  old  and  a  1955  graduate  of 
the  University.  With  an  MBA  from  Babson  Institute,  he  had  been  a  senior 
research  associate  in  the  Boston  College  Bureau  of  Public  Affairs.  In 


A  Restless  Campus        341 

December  1968,  a  few  months  imo  his  term,  he  selected  Francis  X.  Shea, 
S.J.,  as  his  executive  vice  president — the  first  to  hold  that  office  at  Boston 
College.  Involved  in  most  of  the  crucial  decisions  of  this  administration, 
Shea  was  an  enthusiastic  innovator  with  an  abundance  of  ideas.  He  entered 
the  Jesuits  in  1943,  was  ordained  in  1956,  and  later  earned  a  Ph.D.  in 
Enghsh  at  the  University  of  Minnesota.  As  a  member  of  the  faculty  he  had 
been  involved  in  many  initiatives,  such  as  the  Boston  Theological  Institute, 
the  civil  rights  struggle  (he  had  marched  with  Martin  Luther  King  from 
Selma  to  Montgomery),  Upward  Bound,  and  other  programs.  Popular  with 
the  students,  he  was  Heights'  "Man  of  the  Year"  in  1968.  As  time  went  on, 
many  thought  that  his  recommendations  were  not  sufficiently  researched 
and  that  his  effectiveness  was  limited  by  his  lack  of  administrative  experi- 
ence, yet  he  was  an  important  part  of  the  Joyce  administration. 

Some  other  appointments  were  interpreted  as  the  implementation  of 
suggestions  made  by  Father  Joyce  during  his  term  as  chairman  of  the 
Planning  Committee  under  Father  Walsh.  James  Mclntyre  was  named  vice 
president  for  student  affairs,  one  of  the  first  laymen  to  move  to  that  level  of 
administration.  Mclntyre  ('57)  has  served  the  University  in  several  capaci- 
ties and  is  at  present  senior  vice  president.  George  Drury,  S.J.,  moved  from 
student  affairs  to  become  vice  president  for  community  affairs,  a  sensitive 
position  in  which  he  had  to  reconcile  the  interests  of  the  University  with 
the  legitimate  concerns  of  the  surrounding  community.  Another  distin- 
guished layman,  Paul  Devlin  ('39),  whose  academic  career  had  flourished  in 
the  School  of  Management,  became  a  vice  president  of  the  University  and 
continued  as  assistant  treasurer.'" 

There  were  other  changes  that,  in  time,  would  affect  the  University.  On 
July  1,  1968,  Francis  J.  Nicholson,  S.J.,  was  appointed  superior  of  the 
Jesuit  Community.  A  graduate  of  Boston  College,  class  of  '42,  he  had 
earned  his  LL.B.  degree  at  Georgetown  and  a  doctorate  at  Harvard  Law 

James  Mclntyre  ('57),  named 
vice  president  for  student  af- 
fairs in  1968. 


342        History  of  Boston  College 

School.  At  this  time  he  was  a  professor  of  international  law  in  the  Boston 
College  Law  School.  In  1971  he  was  elevated  to  rector  (a  title  previously 
held  by  Father  Joyce)  and  negotiated  the  separate  incorporation  of  the 
Jesuit  Community.  His  was  an  important  role  in  the  transition  which  will 
be  explained  later  in  detail  in  its  proper  context. 

Naturally  the  president  wanted  his  own  team  as  he  began  his  first 
academic  year,  and  there  were  new  faces  among  the  deans.  Samuel  Aronoff 
(formerly  of  Iowa  State),  who  had  come  to  the  campus  as  vice  president  for 
research,  succeeded  Father  Walter  Feeney  as  dean  of  the  Graduate  School 
of  Arts  and  Sciences  in  1969.  The  growth  of  the  University  and  the 
professional  competence  of  lay  colleagues  led  to  lay  administrators  and 
faculty  filling  positions  that  in  earlier  years  had  been  reserved  to  Jesuits. 
Mary  T.  Kinnane  was  dean  of  the  Summer  School;  Albert  J.  Kelley  was 
dean  of  the  School  of  Management,  and  Christopher  Flynn  was  his  associ- 
ate dean;  Donald  J.  Donley  was  dean  of  the  School  of  Education;  and 
Margaret  Foley  was  dean  of  the  School  of  Nursing. 

A  similar  pattern  which  shifted  administrative  responsibilities  from  Jesuit 
to  lay  faculty  was  discernible  in  the  various  academic  departments.  While 
laymen  and  laywomen  normally  administered  the  professional  schools  and 
their  departments,  the  trend  to  lay  preponderance  was  most  noticeable  in 
the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  In  1969—1970,  only  6  out  of  19 
departments  in  the  college  were  administered  by  Jesuits,  while  13  were 
managed  by  laymen  or  laywomen. 

The  Theology  Requirement:  An  Issue 

As  the  1968—1969  academic  year  opened,  two  problems  that  had  been 
simmering  reached  the  boiling  point.  One  had  to  do  with  theology  require- 
ments and  the  other  with  student  representation  on  campus  committees.  A 
petition  composed  by  an  ad  hoc  student  committee  was  circulated  in 
September  demanding  (1)  that  all  theology  requirements  in  the  four  under- 
graduate colleges  be  abolished;  (2)  that  there  be  a  50  percent  student 
membership  on  the  educational  policy  committees  of  the  four  undergradu- 
ate colleges;  and  (3)  that  there  be  a  50  percent  student  membership  on  the 
University  Academic  Senate. '' 

The  Boston  College  curriculum  required  students  to  take  four  semesters 
of  theology  to  graduate — that  is,  12  semester  hours.  While  a  few  extremists 
called  for  the  abolition  of  this  requirement,  most  students  and  faculty 
recommended  a  reduction  in  credits.  To  some  extent  the  problem  had  been 
exacerbated  by  Vatican  Council  II,  which  had  revised  the  thrust  of  tradi- 
tional courses:  Everything  had  to  be  relevant.  As  time  went  on  and  votes 
were  taken,  75  percent  of  the  students  and  most  of  the  faculty  were  in  favor 
of  a  reduction  in  credits,  but  not  abolition  of  the  requirements.  Oddly 
enough,  the  Arts  and  Sciences  EPC  seemed  to  be  moving  in  the  direction  of 
a  drastic  reduction  from  12  hours  to  6.  Father  William  Leonard,  chairman 


A  Restless  Campus        343 

of  Theology,  tried  to  persuade  the  EPC  to  accept  9  hours  and  also  to  make 
theology  obligatory  for  all,  irrespective  of  creedal  adherence.  In  addition  to 
valid  academic  reasons  for  endorsing  9  hours,  faculty  members  were 
understandably  anxious  to  continue  their  course  offerings. 

In  the  meantime,  however,  a  sharp  controversy  broke  out  between  the 
University  Academic  Senate,  which  attempted  to  legislate  for  the  four 
undergraduate  schools,  and  the  EPCs  who  guarded  their  own  prerogatives. 
In  essence  it  was  a  jurisdictional  question.  The  Arts  and  Sciences  EPC 
maintained  that  where  a  department  of  the  University  administers  courses 
in  more  than  one  undergraduate  college,  change  should  be  determined  by 
the  separate  colleges.  In  point  of  fact,  since  the  Department  of  Theology 
was  located  in  A&S  (and  serviced  the  other  colleges),  A&S  assumed 
responsibility  for  any  change  that  might  be  made.'^  But  the  jurisdictional 
conflict  persisted  through  several  meetings  of  the  UAS,  which  held  for  9 
hours. 

Finally,  in  a  joint  meeting  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  University 
Academic  Senate  and  the  A&S  Educational  Policy  Committee,  there  was 
an  attempt  to  resolve  the  two  questions  of  jurisdiction  and  credit  hours. 
For  practical  purposes — but  without  yielding  on  the  principle — A8cS 
agreed  to  register  for  9  hours  of  theology  for  1969-1970.  The  A&S  EPC 
did  not  wish  to  put  pressure  on  the  other  schools  to  reduce  their  curriculum 
to  6  hours,  nor  did  the  committee  wish  to  change  registration  or  catalogs 
without  sufficient  notice." 

The  controversy  continued  under  the  chairmanship  of  Father  O'Malley, 
who  had  replaced  Father  Leonard.  The  Theology  subcommittee,  chaired  by 
Professor  Brian  Cudahy,  recommended  that  the  requirement  remain  at  9 
hours  for  1970-1971;  the  requirement  would  then  be  reduced  to  6  hours 
commencing  in  September  1971.  Due  to  the  ecumenical  choice  of  courses, 
it  was  also  decided  that  theology  would  be  required  of  all  students.  It  is 
worth  noting  that  although  a  few  faculty  and  many  students  had  proposed 
dropping  theology  as  a  curriculum  requirement  in  the  course  of  this 
discussion,  a  majority  felt  that  Boston  College,  as  a  Jesuit  institution, 
should  include  the  "queen  of  the  sciences"  which  has  been  defined  as  fides 
querens  intellectum.  As  of  March  5,  1970,  theology  remained  safely  within 
the  proposed  basic,  Hberal  core  curriculum  at  Boston  College. 

The  Students'  Desire  for  a  Greater  Role 

Theology  was  not  the  only  area  where  students,  becoming  more  aggressive 
every  year,  were  putting  pressure  on  the  administration.  They  were  deter- 
mined to  have  a  greater  voice  in  forming  campus  policy.  Although  they  had 
enjoyed  a  modicum  of  success  in  gaining  access  to  the  Educational  Policy 
Committees,  they  quickly  realized  that  the  University  Academic  Senate 
would  be  a  more  important  power  base  because  it  could  affect  every  corner 
of  the  campus.  The  UAS  (formed  in  1967)  as  originally  constituted  included 


344       History  of  Boston  College 


Father  Joyce  moved  the 
president's  office  from 
St.  Mary's  Hall  to  Bo- 
tolph  House  on  May- 
flower Road.  He  was  to 
find  the  new  location 
easier  for  students  to 
picket  and  occupy. 


14  administrators,  28  faculty  members,  and  2  students.  Opening  with  a 
strong  bid,  the  students  demanded  50  percent  representation  on  the  basis 
of  its  larger  constituency.'"  This  was,  as  they  knew,  an  unrealistic  demand, 
and  they  gradually  scaled  down  their  request,  but  they  refused  to  settle  for 
tokenism. 

Accordingly,  the  Congress  of  the  Undergraduate  Government  at  Boston 
College  presented  a  resolution,  unanimously  approved  by  its  members, 
directing  the  president  of  UGBC  "not  to  accept  an  increment  of  less  than 
12."'^  The  Committee  on  Student  Affairs  of  the  UAS,  after  a  series  of 
heated  meetings,  endorsed  the  student  resolution  and  sent  its  recommen- 
dations on  to  the  full  senate.  In  November  1968  the  senate  approved  the 
increase  of  students  to  14,  which  was  approximately  25  percent  of  the 
membership,  and  at  its  December  meeting  the  Board  of  Directors  approved 
the  addition  of  12  students  (5  graduate  students  and  9  undergraduates).'* 
As  The  Heights  noted,  25  percent  gave  the  students  "more  power  in  making 
academic  pohcy  than  they  have  at  any  other  Catholic  university."'^ 

By  early  March  1969  the  undergraduate  and  graduate  student  govern- 
ments had  presented  their  selections  to  the  senate,  which  formally  wel- 
comed them  as  members.  Not  even  The  Heights  editorial  staff,  which 
enjoyed  its  adversarial  role,  could  quarrel  with  the  sympathetic  response  of 
administrators,  faculty,  and  directors  to  student  demands.  For  their  part, 
the  student  senators  made  a  significant  and  responsible  contribution  in  the 
areas  of  prime  concern  to  them:  resident  life,  food  services,  recreational 
facilities,  and  student  organizations. 

While  the  students  were  privy  to  many  campus  initiatives,  the  budget — 
strictly  guarded  by  the  Board  of  Directors  and  financial  vice  president — 
was  beyond  their  purview.  In  September  1968  the  president  announced  a 
tuition  increase  of  $400,  which  would  raise  the  total  to  $2000,  effective 


A  Restless  Campus        345 

September  1969.18  xhe  budget  for  1967-1968  was  $23,155,500;  the 
projection  for  1968—1969  was  $24,147,800.  The  figures  would  continue 
to  climb  with  the  growth  of  the  University,  and  income  and  expenses  had 
to  balance  as  in  any  other  enterprise.  The  reasons  for  the  increase  were  (1) 
additional  faculty  members,  (2)  current  inflation,  and  (3)  the  anticipated 
elimination  of  the  Loyola  fund  (which  amounted  to  $850,000  in  1968) 
through  separate  incorporation  of  the  Jesuit  Community. 

Predictably,  students  protested  the  tuition  increment  and  recommended 
guidelines  for  future  increases.  A  tuition  hike,  they  insisted,  should  affect 
only  those  enrolled  after  the  effective  date;  students  should  be  immune 
from  further  liability  during  their  student  years — for  example,  a  hike  in 
freshman  year  would  not  be  repeated  for  those  students  in  sophomore, 
junior,  or  senior  year.  The  most  recent  increase,  they  argued,  should  affect 
only  those  who  enrolled  in  September  1969. 

To  comply  with  such  demands  would  have  been  irresponsible  on  the  part 
of  the  administration  and,  indeed,  a  design  for  fiscal  disaster.  But  student 
protest  became  an  automatic  reaction  to  a  tuition  increment,  which  was 
the  initial  pretext  for  a  student  strike  in  1970. 

The  Mary  Daly  Controversy 

It  was,  to  some  extent,  ironic  that  the  students,  some  of  whom  had  favored 
the  abolition  of  the  theology  requirement  and  others  a  reduction  in  credits, 
should  have  so  vociferously  protested  the  administration's  decision  to 
terminate  the  contractual  services  of  a  theology  professor.  The  Heights, 
always  prepared  with  editorial  comment,  carried  a  banner  headline  on 
Mary  11,  1969:  "Professor  Mary  Daly  Fired:  No  Promotion  or  Exten- 
sion." Although  the  subject  of  the  ensuing  controversy  was  a  junior  faculty 
member  at  that  time,  the  case  became  a  cause  celebre. 

Mary  Daly,  an  assistant  professor  with  two  doctorates  (a  pontifical 
S.T.D.  and  a  Ph.D.)  and  the  author  of  two  books  and  several  articles,  had 
been  at  Boston  College  for  three  years.  She  herself  had  initiated  the  process 
of  promotion  to  associate  with  tenure.  With  customary  confidentiality,  the 
application  moved  from  the  department  committee  to  the  dean's  commit- 
tee, through  the  University  committee  to  the  president.  According  to  the 
statutes,  he  made  the  final  decision — and  it  was  negative.  Approached  by 
the  students,  who  proved  to  be  a  forceful  lobby,  he  refused  to  change  his 
mind;  nor  would  he  reveal  his  reasons." 

As  the  students  continued  their  protest  in  earnest,  a  number  of  faculty 
members  joined  the  crusade  in  support  of  Professor  Daly,  and  petitions 
with  4000  signatures  were  presented  to  Father  Joyce.  UGBC  condemned 
the  dismissal.  Members  of  the  faculty  argued  that  the  basic  question  was 
one  of  academic  freedom,  since  Daly's  ideas  and  opinions  were  not 
endorsed  by  everyone;  she  was  known  to  have  critics  within  her  own 
department  and  in  a  wider  circle.  The  Arts  and  Sciences  Senate  passed  a 


346        History  of  Boston  College 

resolution  indicating  that  Daly's  dismissal  would  jeopardize  the  reputation 
of  Boston  College  in  the  academic  world.  The  Undergraduate  Government 
Congress  recommended  that  seniors  withhold  their  contribution  to  the 
University  and  that  the  senior  gift  committee  cease  its  activities. 

At  a  meeting  in  late  March  1969,  the  UAS  voted  to  make  Boston  College 
completely  coeducational  and  to  cut  theology  to  nine  credits,  but  it  voted 
against  a  reconsideration  of  what  had  become  known  as  "the  Daly  case." 
But  pressure  continued  as  1500  students  marched  in  protest  and  picketed 
Botolph  House,  the  president's  residence.  The  effect  of  the  protest  on  the 
administration  resulted  in  the  appointment  by  the  president  of  a  special 
committee,  chaired  by  Professor  Edward  Hirsh,  for  a  tenure  review.  The 
committee  was  charged  to  recommend  a  decision  to  the  president  based  on 
a  view  "of  the  total  situation."  On  the  recommendation  of  the  committee, 
the  president  reversed  his  decision  and  Daly  was  promoted  to  associate 
professor  with  tenure.  It  was,  as  the  press  pointed  out,  an  unusual  move  in 
academic  circles,  but  Professor  Daly  felt  that  her  reinstatement  was  "a 
significant  victory  for  Boston  College."-"  The  resolution  of  this  case  clearly 
demonstrated  that  the  administration  was  no  longer  immune  to  pressure 
from  faculty  and  students — a  development  which  would  have  come  as  a 
surprise  to  an  earlier  generation  at  the  Heights. 

A  New  Dean  for  Arts  and  Sciences 

Father  Joyce's  first  year  in  office  must  have  seemed  endless.  While  the  Arts 
and  Sciences  faculty  was  searching  for  a  solution  to  the  controversy  on  the 
theology  requirement,  the  president  was  presented  with  yet  another  prob- 
lem for  which  the  administration  itself  was  at  least  partially  responsible. 
Early  in  1969  it  was  decided  at  the  highest  level  that  a  new  dean  was 
needed  for  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  The  executive  vice  president 
wanted  a  dean  of  Arts  and  Sciences  who  would  be  attuned  to  his  own  style 
of  administration  and  who  at  the  same  time  would  be  sympathetic  to  the 
growing  activism  of  the  students.  He  persuaded  Father  Joyce  that  a  change 
of  administration  in  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  should  be  made.  His 
choice  for  the  office  was  a  respected  member  of  the  English  Department, 
Richard  E.  Hughes,  one  of  the  most  productive  scholars  on  the  faculty. 

In  March  1969,  after  Dean  Willis  had  been  informed  of  the  administra- 
tion's intention.  Father  Shea  asked  Professor  Hughes  to  accept  appointment 
as  acting  dean  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  When  Hughes  declined 
that  designation,  he  was  offered  the  deanship  without  qualification.  After 
the  fact,  the  administration  decided  that  faculty  consultation  was  needed. 
However  a  series  of  unforeseen  events  forced  the  administration  to  go  to 
the  Board  of  Directors  for  confirmation  before  advising  the  chairmen  of 
this  decision. 

The  faculty,  while  admitting  the  statutory  right  of  the  president  to 
appoint  a  dean,  vehemently  protested  the  procedure.  At  a  special,  late 


A  Restless  Campus       347 

afternoon  faculty  meeting  in  the  Bapst  auditorium,  Academic  Vice  Presi- 
dent Donovan  first  apologized  for  the  manner  in  which  dean-elect  Hughes 
had  been  appointed,  then  called  upon  the  faculty  to  affirm  the  appointment 
by  acclamation.  The  faculty  refused  the  vice  president's  request  and  insisted 
upon  participation  in  the  process.^'  At  the  same  time,  faculty  leaders  made 
it  quite  clear  that  their  objections  were  not  directed  at  Professor  Hughes, 
who  was  personally  acceptable.  A  special  committee  of  the  A&S  EPC  was 
formed  to  investigate  the  chain  of  events  and  to  recommend  a  response. 
After  the  investigation,  which  received  the  complete  cooperation  of  the 
administration,  the  committee  recommended  that  the  faculty  refuse  to 
endorse  the  appointment  and  suggested  instead  a  selection  committee  for 
nominations. ^- 

At  this  point,  in  late  May,  the  appointment  had  gone  beyond  the 
possibility  of  revision  and  the  administration  wished  to  save  the  dean-elect 
further  embarrassment.  In  commenting  on  the  faculty  recommendations, 
which  he  considered  advisory,  the  president  declined  to  accept  their  advice. 
As  he  wrote  to  the  dean  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  "I  have  requested  Prof. 
Hughes  to  accept  the  deanship;  he  has  received  the  concurring  approval  of 
the  Directors.  .  .  .  Prof.  Hughes  is,  therefore,  the  dean  designate  as  of  July 
Ist."^^  Professor  Hughes  agreed  and  so  informed  the  faculty,  observing, 
"I'm  damned  if  I  do  and  damned  if  I  don't  accept  the  appointment."  In  the 
circumstances,  he  decided  "to  go  with  the  affirmators,  who  seem  to  have 
the  edge."^''  Dean  Hughes  held  office  during  the  period  of  student  unrest 
and  confrontation.  He  was,  in  fact,  and  was  perceived  by  students  to  be 
sensitive  to  student  concerns  and  viewpoints. 

The  End  of  ROTC 

There  was  never  a  dull  moment  at  University  Heights  during  these  times. 
When  the  administration  put  out  one  fire,  another  started.  Repercussions 
from  the  Vietnam  war  ran  wide  and  deep,  and  national  legislation  brought 
the  war  closer  to  the  campus.  The  Selective  Service  Act  of  1967  deferred 
undergraduates  in  most  instances,  but  it  abolished  deferments  for  students 
applying  to  and  accepted  at  graduate  schools.  In  any  case,  Vietnam  was  the 
prism  through  which  students  looked  at  the  military  and  its  pervasive 
presence.  One  of  the  casualties  of  the  war  on  many  American  campuses 
was  the  Reserve  Officers  Training  Corps  (ROTC).  Ivy  League  schools 
(Harvard,  Yale,  and  Darmouth)  were  among  the  first  to  attack  these 
programs,  and  Boston  College  was  not  far  behind.  The  academic  arguments 
against  ROTC  at  the  Heights  were  about  the  same  as  at  other  universities: 
(1)  ROTC  courses  should  not  be  granted  academic  credit;  (2)  ROTC 
instructors  should  not  be  granted  professorial  status,  because  they  are 
affiliated  with  and  controlled  by  an  outside  agency;  (3)  ROTC  should  not 
exist  through  the  Military  Science  Department,  nor  should  free  space  be 
allocated  to  this  group.^^ 


348        History  of  Boston  College 

The  Student  Coordinating  Committee  (SCC),  a  subcommittee  of  Stu- 
dents for  a  Democratic  Society  (SDS),  took  the  larger  view  and  adopted 
the  classic  arguments  of  campus  Hberals  against  ROTC.  The  program,  they 
insisted,  was  an  important  implementation  of  American  foreign  policy 
whose  object  was  to  advance  the  cause  of  American  imperialism.  Imperial- 
ism, in  turn,  provided  an  umbrella  for  American  multinational  corpora- 
tions. And  in  all  of  this,  the  Defense  Department  (really  the  Army) 
controlled  policy  on  campus.  Consequently,  the  SCC  believed  that  argu- 
ments favoring  the  retention  of  ROTC  on  the  Boston  College  campus  were 
invalid.  Members  of  the  committee  consequently  committed  themselves  "to 
work  for  the  complete  removal  of  ROTC  from  this  University.  "^^ 

The  question  was  first  introduced  to  the  UAS  by  George  O'Toole,  an 
undergraduate  senator,  who,  on  February  19,  1969,  filed  a  motion  which 
was  sent  to  the  Committee  on  Curriculum  and  Educational  Policy.  O'Toole 
recommended  that  Boston  College  effect  a  complete  and  immediate  sever- 
ence  of  all  its  relations  with  the  U.S.  Army  ROTC  Program.  This  included 
the  abohtion  of  the  Department  of  Military  Science  and  the  withdrawal  of 
University  facilities.-^  Like  it  or  not,  the  UAS  was  handed  an  explosive  issue 
and  the  question  was  debated  in  that  forum  during  the  next  year  and  a  half. 

At  the  upper  echelon  of  authority,  the  executive  vice  president,  who  was 
expected  by  the  students  to  support  the  SDS,  stated  that  the  University 
"considered  [ROTC]  a  valid  option  for  students,  and,  since  some  of  them 
find  it  desirable,  they  should  have  it."^*  The  administration,  explained 
Father  Shea,  had  made  several  concessions.  Arts  and  Sciences  had  dropped 
the  credit  it  once  gave  for  certain  courses;  only  CBA  gave  these  credits  for 
a  course  to  juniors  and  seniors,  and  the  administration  had  urged  CBA  to 
drop  even  those  credits.  No  credit  was  given  for  ROTC  courses  in  the 


Peace  in  the  world,  but  not  on  campus. 


A  Restless  Campus        349 

School  of  Education.  So  it  was  not  an  honest  academic  question.  Facihties, 
it  was  true,  were  allocated  "rent  free,"  but  that  was  the  case  with  other 
extracurricular  activities.  The  latest  contract  with  the  Army  was  signed  on 
March  23,  1965,  and  could  be  terminated  by  either  party  with  one  year's 
notice. 

Acting  on  the  motion  submitted  by  George  O'Toole,  the  Curriculum 
Policy  Committee  of  the  UAS  issued  its  report  on  December  3,  1969.  The 
committee  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  existence  of  the  ROTC  program  at 
Boston  College  should  be  considered  on  the  basis  of  objective  criteria,  not 
whether  it  is  good  or  bad  for  students  on  campus.  Following  this  line,  and 
as  a  result  of  its  investigation,  the  committee  recommended  that  the 
program  be  maintained  but  also  insisted  that  changes  should  be  made  in  its 
relationship  to  the  University.^' 

Basically,  the  committee  thought  it  undesirable  for  the  United  States  to 
have  the  military  academies  supply  the  entire  officer  corps  of  the  armed 
services.  There  was  a  need  and  a  place  for  officers  broadly  educated  in  the 
liberal  arts  who  would  add  another  dimension  to  planning  and  policy 
within  the  military  complex.  At  the  same  time,  the  committee  cautioned 
that  the  contract  with  the  Department  of  Defense  should  be  carefully 
worded  so  as  to  preserve  the  complete  independence  of  the  University  in 
the  decision  process.  Autonomous  control  should  not  be  relinquished  even 
to  the  Department  of  Military  Science. 

The  UAS,  however,  rejected  the  recommendation  of  the  subcommittee. 
Instead,  at  the  UAS  meeting  on  May  6,  1970,  Senator  Michael  Make  from 
the  Sociology  Department  introduced  a  resolution  strongly  urging  the 
University  "to  immediately  take  whatever  actions  are  necessary  to  sever  all 
ties  with  the  Reserve  Officers  Training  Corps."  This  was  subsequently 
amended  "in  the  light  of  the  recent  direction  of  U.S.  foreign  policy  in 
Southeast  Asia,"  and  the  UAS  instructed  the  subcommittee  to  re-examine 
the  "role  and  propriety"  of  ROTC  at  Boston  College.'"  The  subcommittee 
was  given  until  the  fall  to  report  back. 

But  events  now  moved  rapidly  toward  a  denouement.  On  June  1  the  UAS 
overwhelmingly  endorsed  a  proposal  to  end  all  ties  with  the  government 
program.  Since  this  position  apparently  reflected  his  own  opinion.  Father 
Joyce,  on  June  14,  brought  the  UAS  proposal  to  the  Board  of  Directors.  On 
the  following  day,  a  reluctant  and  pensive  board  declined  to  approve  the 
UAS  resolution  of  May  and  tabled  the  motion.  The  board  decided,  instead, 
to  ask  its  own  subcommittee  on  academic  affairs  to  discuss  the  motion 
with  the  UAS.  This  orderly  process  broke  down  when,  in  early  September, 
about  350  students  marched  on  Roberts  Center  where  the  ROTC  offices 
were  located.  Ten  or  fifteen  broke  into  the  offices  and  smashed  furniture, 
scattered  records,  and  damaged  military  property.' ' 

Although  the  board  was  reluctant  to  yield  to  pressure  tactics,  the  direc- 
tors felt  that,  in  the  interest  of  campus  peace,  it  would  be  unwise  to 
continue  to  oppose  the  president,  the  UAS,  many  of  the  faculty,  and  a  large 


350        History  of  Boston  College 

segment  of  the  student  body.  Though  several  options  were  open,  one  of 
which  was  off-campus  programs,  the  board  decided  upon  a  clean  break. 
On  October  5,  1970,  Colonel  Schofield,  the  ranking  officer  of  Army 
ROTC,  received  notification  from  President  Joyce  that  the  ROTC  contract 
would  not  be  renewed.  He  requested  the  Army  to  vacate  the  premises  by 
Jime  1,  1971,  the  expiration  of  the  academic  year.^-  This  decision  was 
denoimced  in  certain  quarters,  notably  among  the  alumni,  and  was  char- 
acterized as  a  corporate  capitulation  to  a  noisy  pressure  group  which  did 
not  represent  the  traditional  values  of  the  Universit>'.  Never  entirely  dor- 
mant, interest  in  ROTC  was  revived  in  the  eighties  when  the  campus 
enjoyed  a  more  favorable  climate  of  opinion. 

Extending  a  Hand  to  Blacks 

With  the  rise  of  the  civil  rights  movement  and  the  new  emphasis  on 
minorities  and  women,  it  was  inevitable  that  colleges  and  universities  would 
be  called  upon  to  advance  the  intellectual  and  academic  opportunities  of 
black  students  and  black  professionals.  Boston  College,  like  other  area 
colleges,  felt  the  pressure  to  develop  black  studies  programs.  As  a  Jesuit 
institution,  Boston  College  was  additionally  obhgated  to  respond  to  Father 
General  Arrupe's  1968  letter  on  the  "hiter-Racial  Apostolate."^-''  In  Octo- 
ber 1967  Father  \Iichael  Walsh  was  approached  by  Melvin  King  and 
Bryant  Rollins,  leaders  of  the  black  communit\'  in  Roxbur)',  to  discuss  what 
Boston  College  should  be  doing  about  black  students.  The  meeting  turned 
on  such  points  as  recruitment  and  admission.  Accordingly,  a  "Black  Talent 
Search"  was  created  in  February  1968  to  seek  out  members  of  the  black 
community  who  were  capable  of  completing  four  years  at  Boston  College 
but  who  had  not  had  the  opportunity  of  applying  or  being  considered.^"*  In 
seeking  out  and  identifying  these  prospects.  Vice  President  for  Student 
Affairs  Mclntyre  decided  to  employ  criteria  which  "were  not  culturally 
biased"  and  which  went  beyond  the  traditional  methods  employed  by 
Boston  College.  To  cite  one  of  the  innovations,  t%vo  members  of  the 
selection  committee  were  from  the  Roxbur\'  community.'. 

The  Black  Talent  Search  yielded  47  new  black  freshmen  in  September 
1968.  These  were  screened  from  an  appHcant  pool  of  130.  Each  student 
received  at  least  SlOOO  in  aid  from  a  5100,000  special  scholarship  fund 
estabhshed  in  Februar}^  by  Father  Walsh  just  before  he  left  office.^^'  It  was 
originally  intended  that  25  students  would  be  accepted  the  first  year  and 
525,000  assigned  for  scholarships.  This  quota  was  not  adhered  to,  and 
from  the  beginning  more  money  was  used  than  originally  assigned.  Admin- 
istrati%'e  expenses  for  director,  tutors,  and  secretarial  staff  were  also 
assumed  by  the  Universit}-.  The  class  of  '72,  therefore,  was  not  only  the 
largest  to  date  and  the  most  quahfied,  but  it  was  the  most  culturally  diverse. 
McInt\Te  had  correaly  anticipated  that  these  cultural  initiatives  would 
cause  tensions,  and  the  Black  Forum  had  its  share  of  growing  pains  on  the 
Chestnut  Hill  campus. 


A  Restless  Campus        351 


Melvin  King,  community  pro- 
poser of  a  program  for  black 
students  at  Boston  College. 


In  February  1969  Boston  College  staged  its  first  Black  History  and 
Culture  Week.  Black  students  took  this  opportunity  to  comment  on  their 
reception  at  the  Heights,  and  most  were  critical.  As  one  student  put  it,  "I 
found  just  what  any  other  black  student  would  have  found  walking  on  a 
white,  Irish  Catholic  campus. "^"^  There  were  pockets  of  sympathy.  The 
black  community  on  campus  had  a  powerful  advocate  in  Father  Robert 
Drinan,  dean  of  the  Law  School  and  chairman  of  the  Advisory  Committee 
of  Massachusetts  to  the  National  Commission  for  Civil  Rights.  He  agreed 
that  Boston  College,  as  a  CathoUc  institution,  had  for  too  long  been 
indifferent  to  the  academic  needs  of  the  black  students. ^^  This  expression 
of  support  led  to  a  series  of  demands  by  the  Black  Forum  which  revolved 
around  the  issue  of  black  studies.  The  Forum  wanted  a  survey  of  offerings 
in  Boston  area  colleges,  recruitment  of  black  faculty  members,  cross 
registration  with  other  schools,  an  increase  in  course  offerings,  and  50 
black  students  for  September  1969.  In  general  the  demands  pointed  to  the 
creation  of  a  genuine  black  studies  program. ^^ 

Yet  another  demand  stipulated  that  all  personnel  hired  for  the  black 
studies  program  would  have  to  be  approved  by  the  Black  Forum.  This 
peremptory  claim  to  competence  cost  the  Forum  sympathy  and  votes,  and 
not  even  The  Heights  would  support  such  an  extraordinary  prerogative. 


352        History  of  Boston  College 

Basically,  the  Forum  wanted  the  establishment  of  a  black  studies  depart- 
ment and  the  right  to  control  that  department  regarding  offerings  and 
faculty.  To  implement  this  plan,  the  Forum  asked  for  a  full  time  black 
administrator  to  supervise  the  program  and  a  minimum  of  two  black 
faculty  members  to  teach  core  courses.  And,  finally,  they  expected  the 
administration  to  develop  plans  for  an  endowed  Black  Chair. 

In  voicing  his  reaction  at  a  March  meeting  of  the  University  Committee 
on  Black  Students  and  Studies,  Father  Joyce  said  that  he  was  generally 
favorable  to  the  demands  of  the  Black  Forum.  He  suggested,  however,  that 
the  Forum  should  first  begin  to  move  its  demands  through  the  UGBC  and 
the  UAS.  With  regard  to  the  demand  that  new  hires  be  subject  to  Forum 
approval,  Father  Joyce  explained  that  new  faculty  would  have  to  go  through 
normal  channels  for  final  approval  by  the  academic  vice  president.^' 

New  programs  are  normally  subject  to  "hitches  and  glitches."  So  it  was 
not  surprising — although  it  was  unfortunate — that  from  the  beginning  of 
the  Black  Talent  Program  there  were  several  controversies.'"'  In  general 
terms,  there  were  three  problems,  all  of  which  revolved  in  one  way  another 
around  jurisdictional  privileges  and  prerogatives.  The  first  controversy 
concerned  the  question  of  committees:  Should  there  be  one  for  admissions 
and  another  to  supervise  the  students  after  their  admission?  Connected 
with  this  problem — and  probably  more  serious — was  the  question  of  who 
would  have  ultimate  authority  in  admissions.  And  the  third  controversy — 
which  also  generated  heated  exchanges  between  administrators — con- 
cerned the  relaxed  standards  of  admission  for  Black  Talent  students  and 
the  adjusted  standards  for  those  with  deficiencies  in  required  courses. 

In  August  1968  Father  Joyce  appointed  the  Reverend  Theodore  L. 
Lockhart  the  first  director  of  the  program;  he  was  also  given  the  title  of 
assistant  dean.  Flowever,  he  resigned  in  May  1969.  His  place  as  director 
was  taken  by  A.  Robert  Phillips,  a  member  of  the  Urban  League  of  Greater 
Boston.  The  projected  two  committees  (admissions  and  supervision)  were 
reduced  to  one,  and  Professor  Theodore  Howe  of  the  School  of  Social 
Work  became  the  supervisor  of  the  program  in  its  day-to-day  operation. 
Although  administrators  were  in  place,  authority  over  admissions  became 
the  sticking  point.  Who  would  make  the  final  decision?  As  time  went  on,  it 
was  more  or  less  agreed — though  many  remained  unhappy  with  it — that 
the  Black  Talent  Program  would  be,  for  admissions  purposes,  distinct  from 
the  regular  Office  of  Admissions.  Father  Edmond  Walsh,  S.J.,  dean  of 
admissions,  was  never  reconciled  to  this  solution.  Several  times  he  pointed 
out  that  no  other  college  in  the  Boston  area  allowed  a  separate  admissions 
policy  and  procedure.'" 

After  one  year  in  operation,  the  Black  Talent  Program  began  to  take 
shape.  By  January  1970,  with  three  semesters  completed,  there  emerged 
three  distinctive  divisions  or  components  which  made  up  the  whole:  (1)  the 
Black  Talent  Program,  which  assumed  responsibility  for  recruitment  and 
admissions;  (2)  the  Black  Studies  Program,  which  designed  the  academic 


A  Restless  Campus        353 

curriculum;  and  (3)  the  Black  Forum,  composed  entirely  of  black  students, 
which  had  a  good  deal  of  authority  and — in  some  areas — autonomy  in  the 
administration  of  the  program.  The  entire  program,  in  all  its  parts,  was 
under  the  overall  supervision  of  the  Committee  of  Black  Students  and 
Studies.  These  administrative  complexities  made  the  operation  of  the  pro- 
gram cumbersome  and  irritated  key  personahties. 

The  cost  of  the  program  to  the  University  quickly  escalated  beyond  the 
administration's  expectations  and  intentions.  As  initially  planned.  Father 
Walsh's  commitment  of  $100,000  exclusively  for  25  black  scholarships 
was  to  be  disbursed  in  increments  of  $25,000  per  annum  over  a  four-year 
period  until  the  full  level  was  reached.  This  quota  was  never  adhered  to, 
and  from  the  beginning  more  money  was  used  than  originally  assigned.  In 
a  letter  dated  February  12,  1970,  Father  F.  X.  Shea  wrote  to  Carl  Lewis, 
President  of  the  Black  Student  Forum,  to  make  these  points: 

The  University  is  now  prepared  to  make  a  commitment  of  five  times  the 
original  amount:  that  is,  increments  of  $125,000  each  year  until  the  four 
years  of  the  fully  operating  program  are  complete  and  the  $500,000  is 
reached.  This  is  a  commitment  of  Boston  College  funds,  in  addition  to 
Federal  funds."*' 

The  Board  of  Directors  confirmed  this  commitment  and  also  agreed  that 
10  percent  minority  student  enrollment  would  be  an  ideal  goal,  although 
funds  for  that  were  not  readily  available. 

February  1970  was  a  critical  month.  There  were  157  full-time  and  29 
part-time  black  students,  a  total  of  186  on  campus,  and  problems  began  to 
accumulate.  Although  the  Board  of  Directors  had  agreed  on  10  percent 
minority  students,  the  University  had  to  operate  under  fiscal  restraints.  The 
designation  of  an  all-black  dormitory  was  under  legal  study;  the  decision 
on  a  black  coed  residence  had  to  wait  on  further  consideration.  The  black 
students,  so  it  seemed,  wanted  more  of  everything,  while  the  white  students 
criticized  what  they  saw  as  "excessive"  funding  for  them.  Even  the  faculty 
was  critical  of  the  mixed  signals  and  confused  statements  coming  from  the 
administration.  Resentment  spilled  over  and,  on  March  19,  1970,  black 
students  took  over  Gasson  Hall.''^  White  students,  in  retaliation,  sealed  off 
the  building  and  would  allow  no  food  to  be  passed  to  those  inside.  The 
occupants  left  the  building  at  5:00  p.m. 

Shortly  after  this  incident,  the  University  Committee  on  Black  Students 
and  Studies  was  dissolved,  and  the  EPCs  and  UAS  tried  to  pick  up  the 
pieces.  In  January  1971  Phillips  resigned  as  director  of  the  Black  Talent 
Program,  alluding — in  an  otherwise  cordial  letter — ^to  the  difficulties  he  had 
encountered  from  the  "Western  Man."'*''  In  restructuring  the  program. 
Father  Joyce  established  the  Black  Talent  and  Coordinating  Committee, 
with  Professor  Albert  Folkard  as  chairman.  In  a  series  of  confrontations  in 
the  summer  of  1971,  the  black  students  again  insisted  on  autonomy  in 
processing  applications  to  the  Black  Talent  Program,  in  the  appointment  of 


354       History  of  Boston  College 

a  black  lecturer,  and  in  a  "tuition  freeze"  at  $2000,  although  it  had  been 
raised  to  $2600  for  all  others. 

At  this  point  the  administration,  in  a  break  with  the  past  policy  of 
concessions  and  with  the  academic  vice  president  now  in  control,  rejected 
these  demands.  After  this  action  there  remained  only  one  last  major 
controversy,  which  revolved  around  the  title  of  the  administrator  of  the 
program.  While  the  black  students  strenuously  lobbied  for  the  title  of  dean 
and  wrote  the  job  description,  the  administration  favored  assistant  or 
associate  dean.  The  search  for  a  highly  qualified  black  administrator 
continued  through  the  fall  of  1973.  In  February  1974  Father  J.  Donald 
Monan,  the  new  president,  appointed  John  L.  Harrison  associate  dean  in 
the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  with  responsibility  for  the  Black  Talent 
Program.  And  in  1975  fiscal  control  of  the  program  was  transferred  to  the 
office  of  Francis  Campanella,  executive  vice  president.  A  later  chapter  will 
recount  how,  after  this  rather  shaky  start,  the  program  for  black  and  other 
minority  students  has  matured  as  an  important  and  enriching  part  of  the 
University. 

Other  Public  Issues 

There  were  other  signs  that  continued  to  remind  the  administration  that 
campus  activists  were  alive  and  well.  Their  efforts  for  public  exposure 
reflected  a  national  student  compulsion  to  make  headfines  in  local  or 
campus  papers.  This  tendency  seemed  to  combine  with  a  desire  to  test  the 
limits  of  toleration  on  a  Catholic  campus.  For  example,  a  good  deal  of 
publicity  was  focused  on  Boston  College  when  William  Baird  was  invited 
to  speak  at  the  Heights.  Because  of  his  calculated  efforts  to  circumvent  the 
law  in  Massachusetts,  which  at  that  time  forbade  the  public  display  or  sale 
of  contraceptive  devices,  he  found  himself  in  the  toils  of  the  law  in  1967 
after  an  appearance  at  Boston  University.  The  administration  at  Boston 
College  made  a  strong  effort  to  discourage  any  overtures  to  him  from 
student  organizations  at  University  Heights. 

In  late  March  1969,  however.  The  Heights  editorial  staff  interviewed 
Baird  in  the  paper's  office  and  published  a  full  account  with  obvious 
embellishments.  A  month  later,  against  the  expressed  wishes  of  the  admin- 
istration, Baird  spoke  to  an  audience  in  Fulton  Hall.  As  reported  by  The 
Heights,  "He  addressed  himself  to  the  inadequacy  of  Massachusetts  birth 
control  laws,  the  inhumanity  of  illegal  abortions,  and  the  hypocrisy  of 
'Humanae  Vitae.'  "■'^  In  particular,  he  challenged  state  officials  to  explain 
why  it  was  illegal  for  him  to  distribute  birth  control  information  when  the 
archbishop  of  Boston  was  free  to  distribute  pamphlets  on  the  rhythm 
method.  Apart  from  the  merits  of  the  arguments,  the  student  activists  had 
succeeded  in  embarrassing  the  University. 

In  addition  to  the  Baird  affair  there  were  incidents  of  crude  language, 
offensive  pictures,  and  journalistic  bias  in  The  Heights.  The  matter  came 


A  Restless  Campus        355 

to  a  head  in  February  1970  with  an  article  about  and  a  purported  interview 
with  Paul  Krassner,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Yippie  movement.  An 
alumnus  who  was  a  Boston  journalist  and  former  member  of  The  Heights 
staff  called  the  article  "the  lowest  form  of  journalism  he  ever  saw  in  his 
life."''*  The  article,  extremely  offensive  in  its  obscene,  descriptive  language, 
was,  according  to  legal  counsel,  open  to  criminal  libel — that  is,  the  trustees, 
as  official  publishers  of  the  paper,  would  be  hable  in  any  lawsuit.  The 
administration  took  action.  In  implementing  the  recommendation  of  the 
University  Communication  Board,  the  editorial  staff  was  notified  that  the 
newspaper  would  be  legally  and  fiscally  separated  from  the  University, 
because  the  latter  "could  no  longer  support  patent  irresponsibility."''^ 
Although  use  of  the  name  was  initially  prohibited,  the  newspaper  was  later 
allowed  to  use  "The  Heights"  on  its  masthead  with  the  qualification, 
"Boston  College's  Independent  Student  Weekly."  It  was  also  given  office 
space  in  McElroy. 


And  so  Boston  College  came  through  the  restless  years  relatively  un- 
scathed. But  quiet  would  not  yet  return,  for  the  worst  was  yet  to  come. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  William  L.  O'Neill,  Coming  Apart:  An  Informal  History  of  America  in  the  60' s 
(Chicago:  Quadrangle  Books,  1971),  p.  279. 

2.  Ibid.,  p.  289.  See  also  Allen  J.  Matusow,  Unravelling  of  America:  A  History  of 
Liberalism  m  the  1960's  (New  York:  Harper  &  Row,  1984). 

3.  An  editorial  in  The  Heights  (September  24,  1968)  urged  the  removal  of  the 
American  flag  and  the  flagpole  from  the  College  green. 

4.  The  Heights  (June  20,  1968)  contained  an  excellent  brief  biography  of  Father 
Joyce. 

5.  BCA.  Some  students  picketed  the  academic  procession  from  Bapst  Library  to 
McHugh  Forum  with  signs  saying  that  the  money  for  the  elaborate  inauguration 
should  have  been  given  to  the  poor. 

6.  The  Heights  (October  2,  1968). 

7.  Ibid. 

8.  See  below,  Chapter  34. 

9.  The  Heights  (October  2,  1968). 

10.  In  1985  Bernard  Cardinal  Law,  Archbishop  of  Boston,  appointed  Paul  Devhn 
chancellor  of  the  archdiocese,  the  first  layman  to  hold  that  post. 

11.  At  this  time  there  were  no  student  representatives  on  SOM  and  SON  EPCs.  A&S 
had  2  students  and  14  faculty  members;  SOE  had  2  students  and  9  faculty 
members.  The  Heights  (October  2,  1968). 

12.  Minutes,  A&S  EPC,  October  2,  1969.  BCA. 

13.  Minutes,  A&S  EPC,  passim,  1969.  BCA. 

14.  The  Heights  (October  2,  1968). 

15.  BCA. 

16.  BCA. 

17.  The  Heights  (December  10,  1968). 

18.  The  Heights  (September  24,  1968). 


356        History  of  Boston  College 

19.  The  AAUP  does  not  require  reasons  for  the  termination  of  non-tenured  faculty. 

20.  The  Heights  (July  11,  1969). 

21.  Minutes,  AScS  Faculty  Meeting,  May  6,  1969.  BCA. 

22.  Report  to  the  Faculty  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  by  the  EPC,  May  20, 
1969.  BCA. 

23.  W.  Seavey  Joyce  to  John  R.  Willis,  May  22,  1969.  BCA. 

24.  Richard  E.  Hughes  to  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Faculty,  June  3,  1969.  BCA. 
Since  he  had  been  a  presidential  appointment,  Richard  Hughes  resigned  when 
Father  Joyce  left  office  in  1972. 

25.  See  The  Heights  (February  25,  1969). 

26.  Ibid. 

27.  Ibid. 

28.  The  Heights  (March  11, 1969). 

29.  Minutes,  UAS  Meeting,  May  6,  1970.  BCA. 

30.  Ibid. 

31.  The  Heights  (September  15,  1990). 

32.  This  arrangement  allowed  juniors  to  finish  the  program.  See  The  Heights  (Octo- 
ber 20,  1970). 

33.  The  Boston  Globe  (April  27,  1968)  reported  that  of  a  student  body  of  6289  at 
Boston  College,  only  13  were  blacks. 

34.  The  Heights  (August  2,  1968). 

35.  The  Boston  Globe  (March  28,  1968)  carried  a  feature  article  on  the  new 
program. 

36.  The  Heights  (February  11,  1969). 

37.  Ibid.  (February  18,  1969). 

38.  Ibid.  (March  4,  1969). 

39.  Ibid.  (March  18, 1969). 

40.  "Black  Talent  and  Black  Studies  Program:  A  Summary."  Hereinafter  this  item 
will  be  referred  to  as  "A  Summary." 

41.  "A  Summary,"  p.  7. 

42.  Ibid.,  p.  8. 

43.  Ibid.  See  The  Heights  (April  29,  1970). 

44.  "A  Summary,"  p.  10. 

45.  The  Heights  (April  29,  1969). 

46.  The  Heights  (February  24,  1970;  March  18,  1970). 

47.  Ibid. 


CHAPTER 


31 


"The  Strike" 
and  Other  Protests 


While,  as  previously  noted,  there  were  several  student  protests  and  building 
or  office  occupations  during  the  troubled  years  of  Father  Joyce's  presidency, 
none  of  them  substantially  interrupted  the  daily  routine  of  the  University 
as  did  "the  strike"  in  the  spring  of  1970.  While  the  tactic  employed  may 
have  been  suggested  by  student  reaction  elsewhere  to  national  and  interna- 
tional issues,  the  trigger  for  the  strike  was  purely  local  and  economic:  a 
proposed  tuition  increase  of  $500.  Although  nonviolent  and,  indeed, 
almost  gentlemanly  in  comparison  with  the  student  protests  and  takeovers 
on  some  other  campuses,  this  strike  nevertheless  was  a  trauma  of  major 
proportions  for  a  normally  peaceful  and  rational  community.  As  such,  it 
deserves  attention  in  some  detail  in  this  history. 

The  Tuition  Trauma 

During  the  1950s  and  1960s  tuition  increases  had  usually  taken  place  every 
other  year.  Thus,  a  freshman  arriving  in  September  1961  found  a  tuition 
of  $1000.  In  this  student's  junior  year,  there  was  a  $200  increase  to  $1200, 
where  the  tuition  remained  during  the  final  two  years.  A  student  entering 
the  University  in  1965  paid  a  tuition  of  $1400,  which  rose  to  $1600  in  the 
junior  and  senior  years.  In  Father  Walsh's  final  year,  1967-1968,  the 

357 


358        History  of  Boston  College 

tuition  for  the  following  year  was  not  raised,  so  that  when  Father  Joyce 
assumed  the  presidency  the  tuition  was  still  $1600.  During  his  first  year,  a 
tuition  increase  of  $400  was  adopted  for  1969-1970.  There  was,  as  the 
last  chapter  showed,  some  protest  at  the  size  of  the  increase,  but  no 
demonstration  or  other  outbreak  occurred. 


Since  finances  were  the  most  serious,  if  not  the  most  visible,  problem  that 
Father  Joyce  encountered,  a  brief  explanation  of  the  origin  of  the  fiscal 
crisis  is  presented  here.  For  nearly  90  years  Boston  College's  budget  had 
included  no  salaries  for  Jesuits.  Jesuit  services  were  contributed  as  a  "living 
endowment"  to  the  institution.  In  the  1950s  it  was  decided  to  assign  salaries 
to  Jesuits  comparable  to  those  paid  to  laymen  for  similar  service.  These 
Jesuit  salaries  were  paid  back  in  one  check  to  the  rector  of  the  Community. 
Each  year  the  Jesuits  tallied  their  accounts  and  calculated  the  excess.  They 
contributed  this  excess  to  Boston  College.  The  College  set  the  gift  aside  as 
the  Loyola  fund,  intended  for  building  expansion.  In  the  mid-1960s  the 
University  began  to  have  an  annual  operating  deficit,  but  the  auditors  offset 
the  losses  by  transferring  portions  of  the  Loyola  fund  to  balance  the  books. 
This  method  of  balancing  operating  results  had  obscured  the  need  for 
tuition  increases,  but  when  Father  Joyce  took  office,  the  Loyola  fund  was 
running  out  and  the  reality  of  an  operating  deficit  faced  him.  It  took 
extraordinary  measures,  including  substantial  tuition  increases,  to  move 
toward  a  balanced  budget. 


In  view  of  the  operating  deficit  disclosed  in  the  early  part  of  the  Joyce 
presidency,  it  was  clear  that  during  the  1950s  and  1960s  tuition  increments 
had  been  too  modest.  Nevertheless  it  is  understandable  in  the  light  of  past 
practice  that  students  who  had  absorbed  a  $400  raise  in  tuition  in  1969— 
1970  would  be  shocked  at  the  prospect  of  an  additional  $500  increase  for 
1970-1971.  The  manner  of  announcing  the  increase  may  also  have  contrib- 
uted to  student  activism.  The  president's  office  issued  a  release  stating  that, 
at  its  March  20  meeting,  the  Board  of  Directors  had  authorized  and 
recommended  a  $500  increase  in  tuition,  but  added,  "The  final  determina- 
tion will  be  made  during  the  week  of  April  6  after  University  officers  meet 
with  representatives  of  the  undergraduate  government."  Thus  the  students, 
instead  of  being  faced  with  an  administrative  decision,  could  conclude  that 
the  tuition  issue  was  a  matter  of  negotiation.  The  president's  release 
explained  that  the  University's  financial  report  for  the  fiscal  year  1969— 
1970  showed  that  operating  expenses  were  expected  to  exceed  income  by 
an  estimated  $4.2  million.  To  pay  current  bills  Boston  College  would  have 
to  borrow  up  to  $2  million;  were  the  tuition  increase  not  established, 
borrowing  at  the  end  of  the  following  fiscal  year  would  reach  about  $5 
million.  Even  though  the  Budget  Committee  had  effected  cuts  of  more  than 
a  million  dollars  for  1970-1971,  the  $500  tuition  increase  was  needed  to 
stem  the  University's  mounting  indebtedness. 

On  the  Wednesday  after  the  Easter  break,  Father  Joyce  addressed  some 


"The  Strike"  and  Other  Protests       359 

4000  students  in  Roberts  Center,  explaining  the  University's  financial  crisis 
and  the  meaning  of  a  $500,  $400,  or  $300  tuition  increase  in  relation  to 
the  deficit.  As  the  session  ended  there  was  stamping  of  feet  and  cries  of 
"Strike!"  were  heard. 

The  following  day  the  undergraduate  government  cabinet  met  with 
Father  Joyce  and  agreed  to  a  tuition  increase  of  $300  for  1970—1971,  with 
a  strong  likelihood  that  there  would  be  another  increase  in  1971—1972  and 
that  this  increase  could  be  in  excess  of  $300.  It  was  agreed  that  any  further 
increase  would  involve  student  participation  in  the  Budget  Committee  and 
other  bodies  determining  the  amount  of  increase.  The  undergraduate 
congress,  however,  rejected  this  agreement.  On  Sunday  the  student  govern- 
ment announced  a  strike,  and  on  Monday,  April  13,  it  began. 

The  vast  majority  of  students  were  passive  participants  in  the  strike.  Most 
commuting  students  did  not  come  to  campus.  Resident  students  remained 
in  their  quarters  or  wandered  the  campus.  Throughout  the  strike  some 
classes  were  held  quietly,  particularly  in  the  School  of  Management.  A 
small  number  of  activists  manned  the  entrance  to  the  campus,  turning  away 
most  cars  seeking  entrance.  Entrances  to  classroom  and  office  buildings 
were  also  picketed.  As  the  strike  became  protracted,  some  resident  students 
went  home. 

Nevertheless,  at  first  it  seemed  as  though  the  strike  might  be  short-lived. 
On  Wednesday,  April  15,  the  administration  and  student  negotiators 
agreed  upon  a  19-point  package,  which  included  a  tuition  increase  of  $240. 
The  student  representatives  stipulated  that  the  proposed  agreement  must 


Making  banners  for  the 
first  student  strike  in 
Boston  College  history. 


360        History  of  Boston  College 

be  submitted  to  a  student  referendum,  which  they  insisted  could  not  be 
held  until  the  following  Tuesday,  April  21.  Obviously  they  expected  a 
favorable  vote,  but  an  activist  group  lobbied  for  rejection  and  the  student 
poll  rejected  the  agreement  by  a  vote  of  3395  to  1203.  A  stalemate  had 
been  reached. 

The  faculty  found  themselves  in  the  awkward  position  of  onlookers  as 
the  administration  and  students  negotiated.  They  were  sympathetic  with 
the  financial  plight  of  the  students  but  deplored  the  disruption  of  classes. 
As  a  further  round  of  administration-student  negotiations  was  imminent, 
on  April  22  the  faculty  voted  to  establish  a  four-member  "committee  of 
accountability"  to  monitor  the  discussions.  John  Mahoney  of  the  College 
of  Arts  and  Sciences,  James  Bowditch  of  the  School  of  Management,  Mary 
Griffin  of  the  School  of  Education,  and  Dorothy  Walker  of  the  School  of 
Nursing  were  chosen  to  constitute  this  committee.  Many  faculty  meetings 
were  held  during  the  strike,  as  well  as  several  emergency  meetings  of  the 
University  Academic  Senate.  Later  in  the  decade  the  UAS  came  to  seem  an 
ineffectual  organization,  with  diminished  faculty  and  student  support,  but 
during  the  strike  it  was  a  valuable  instrument  for  bringing  all  elements  of 
the  University  together  to  wrestle  with  the  crisis.  At  a  meeting  on  April  22 
the  senate  resolved  that  while  negotiations  continued,  the  time  would  be  a 
reading  period,  professors  and  students  would  be  free  to  meet  with  one 
another,  and  final  examinations  would  be  held  on  material  covered  before 
the  strike  began  on  April  13. 

Some  more  radical  students  concluded  that  the  protest  was  lagging,  so 
on  April  23rd  they  occupied  the  president's  office  in  Botolph  House.  They 
remained  there  eight  days,  with  the  administrative  activities  shifted  to  other 
locations.  At  this  time  an  article  appeared  in  the  Boston  Globe  under  the 
headline,  "Restraint  Key  to  BC  Strike."  The  article  began: 

The  tuition  strike  that  has  all  but  closed  Boston  College  is  unique  among 
campus  protests.  The  boycott  of  classes  will  go  into  its  third  week  tomorrow, 
and  the  watchword  is  restraint.  The  strike  has  produced  no  violence,  vandal- 
ism, or  any  other  of  the  elements  associated  with  campus  unrest.  Strike 
leaders  have  gone  out  of  their  way,  in  fact,  to  condemn  a  building  takeover 
by  a  small  but  peaceful  group  of  dissidents  who  do  not  have  the  general 
support  of  the  6000  undergraduates. 

None  of  this  is  surprising  to  anyone  familiar  with  the  academic  climate  at 
the  Heights.  The  surprising  thing  is  that  the  strike  occurred  at  all  on  a  campus 
that  had  long  been  exempt  from  the  tensions  that  generate  student  uprisings.' 

But  an  editorial  cartoon  appeared  in  another  Boston  daily  depicting  a  large 
eagle  perched  atop  Gasson  Hall;  a  huge  teardrop  hung  from  the  eagle's  eye. 
The  sadness  and  shock  of  that  cartoon  surely  expressed  the  sentiments  of 
many  loyal  alumni  and  friends  of  the  University  who  were  unhappy  that 
the  administration  had  allowed  students  to  bring  everything  to  a  standstill. 
One  outcome  of  the  tuition  struggle  was  Father  Joyce's  formation  of  the 
Coalition  for  Aid  to  Private  Higher  Education.  In  this  effort  he  had  the 


"The  Strike"  and  Other  Protests        361 


Strikers  manning  the 
"battlements"  of  Gas- 
son  Hall.  Note  the  strike 
banner  on  the  tower. 


eager  support  of  students.  Twenty-four  colleges  in  New  England  joined  the 
coalition,  and  on  April  30  a  group  of  college  administrators  (including 
Father  Joyce)  and  students  went  to  Washington,  where  they  made  presen- 
tations to  congressmen  and  congressional  committees. 

Continued  negotiation  between  the  administration  and  student  represen- 
tatives resulted  in  agreement  on  16  points,  most  of  which  had  been 
proposed  in  the  earlier  agreement.  No  student  would  be  forced  to  leave  for 
financial  reasons  because  of  the  tuition  increase,  and  the  administration 
guaranteed  significant  student  participation  in  recruiting  and  admission 
policy,  a  student-faculty-administration  committee  to  pursue  federal  and 
state  funding,  and  severe  curtailment  of  University  spending.  There  were 
two  points  on  which  agreement  was  not  reached:  The  students  agreed  to  a 
tuition  increase  of  $240  for  1970-1971  but  wanted  a  promise  of  no 
increase  for  the  following  year — a  promise  the  administration  was  unwill- 
ing to  give.  The  administration  accepted  the  students'  suggestion  that  two 
students  be  full  voting  members  of  the  Budget  Committee,  but  rejected  the 
further  demand  that  any  two  members  of  the  committee  could  have  veto 
power  on  any  item  under  discussion. 

A  student  referendum  on  the  agreed  and  non-agreed  points  was  sched- 
uled for  May  5.  At  this  point,  on  April  30,  an  influential  faculty  member, 
vice-chairman  of  the  University  Academic  Senate  and  chairman  of  the 
History  Department,  Thomas  O'Connor,  sent  a  letter  to  the  student  body 
that  expressed  the  issues  and  the  gravity  of  the  situation  as  viewed  by  the 


362        History  of  Boston  College 

faculty.  An  astute  and  statesmanlike  assessment  of  the  University's  anguish, 
it  stated  in  part: 

Here  in  brief  is  a  faculty  comment  and  account  of  what  has  happened:  When 
the  $500  tuition  increase  was  first  announced,  the  faculty  overwhelmingly 
sympathized  with  the  students'  reaction  of  anger  and  surprise.  Many,  or  even 
most,  of  the  faculty  were  clearly  in  sympathy  with  the  notion  of  a  nonviolent 
tuition  boycott  of  classes.  While  we  understood  the  serious  financial  problems 
which  Fr.  Joyce  had  to  face,  we  also  understood  the  desire  of  the  students  to 
make  absolutely  clear  to  the  Administration  how  burdensome  such  an 
increase  would  be  to  them,  and  to  insist  that  the  Administration  not  settle  on 
such  a  large  tuition  increase  without  a  determined  attempt  to  solve  the 
immediate  fiscal  problems  of  B.C.  in  other  ways,  if  at  all  possible.  On  this 
issue,  students  and  faculty  stood  together. 

After  the  first  negotiated  settlement  was  rejected  in  the  referendum,  and 
the  newspapers  carried  stories  that  all  classes  were  cancelled  for  the  remain- 
der of  the  term,  students  began  to  drift  away  from  the  campus.  Then  began  a 
sequence  of  developments  frequently  observed  in  campus  controversies  else- 
where. The  direction  of  the  strike  and  of  the  negotiations  came  more  and 
more  under  the  influence  of  political  activists.  In  particular,  one  faction 
gained  power  in  and  over  the  UGBC,  the  strike  tactics  committee,  and  the 
student  negotiating  team — power  far  out  of  proportion  to  their  number  and 
influence  in  the  student  body  as  a  whole.  Botolph  House  was  occupied.  Then 
broad  political  demands  were  introduced  into  the  controversy,  demands 
which  were  not  part  of  the  original  tuition  protest.  The  key  demand,  which 
became  central  to  negotiations,  concerns  the  University  Budget  Committee. 

Concerned  alumnus  and  faculty 
member  Thomas  H.  O'Connor  ad- 
dressed a  helpful  letter  to  the  student 
body  urging  an  end  to  the  strike. 


"The  Strike"  and  Other  Protests        363 

All  parties  agreed  that  there  should  be  student  members  on  this  committee 
for  the  purpose  of  information  and  assurance  of  good  faith.  But  now  the 
issue  has  escalated  into  a  demand  for  an  absolute  veto  over  the  committee's 
decisions,  a  demand  which  the  Administration,  the  Faculty,  and  many  stu- 
dents as  well,  agree  is  unreasonable  and  unworkable. 

As  a  result  the  second  phase  of  negotiations  has  been  brought  to  an 
absolute  deadlock  over  these  political  issues.  There  is  no  chance  whatever 
that  the  strike  can  be  resolved  at  the  bargaining  table.  Our  only  hope,  as  I  see 
it,  is  to  accept  those  points  on  which  both  students  and  administration  are 
agreed,  and  leave  the  long-range  issues  for  future  resolution.  I  can  assure  you 
that  this  will  not  mean  allowing  the  Administration  simply  to  "file  and 
forget"  these  questions.  The  Faculty  will  stand  firmly  with  you  to  see  that 
this  does  not  happen. 

On  to  the  Next  Issue:  Vietnam 

The  student  referendum  was  to  be  held  on  May  5.  But  events  external  to 
the  University  suddenly  thrust  themselves  into  the  midst  of  campus  deci- 
sions. The  Vietnam  war  was  escalated  by  the  United  States  move  into 
Cambodia,  and  on  May  4  at  Kent  State,  protesting  students  were  killed  by 
National  Guardsmen.  Across  America,  college  campuses  exploded  and  the 
National  Students'  Association  called  for  a  nation-wide  strike.  Boston 
College  students'  reaction  to  the  proposed  nation-wide  strike  was  added  to 
the  May  5  referendum.  By  a  narrow  margin,  1464  to  1282,  the  students 
rejected  the  administration  position  against  a  tuition  cap  for  1971—1972 
and  a  student  veto  on  the  budget  committee.  But  continuation  of  the  strike 
as  an  instrument  to  get  the  students'  view  accepted  was  overwhelmingly 
rejected.  However,  by  a  vote  of  1669  to  900,  what  came  to  be  called  the 
"strike  against  Cambodia"  was  endorsed.  So  on  the  very  same  day,  the 
tuition  strike  ended  and  an  antiwar  strike  began.  That  same  day  Father 


EXCERPTS  FROM  JOYCE  LETTER  TO  PARENTS  CONCERNING  COURSE  AND 
EXAMINATION  REQUIREMENTS 

1.  Any  day  undergraduate  who,  for  good  reason,  wishes  to  postpone  the 
completion  of  his  worl<  for  the  semester,  including  examinations,  may 
do  so  providing  that  he  makes  suitable  arrangements  with  the  profes- 
sor(s)  involved  to  complete  all  such  requirements  and  in  fact  does 
complete  such  requirements  on  or  before  October  1, 1970. 

2.  Any  student  presently  enrolled  in  any  course  may  withdraw  from  that 
course  without  prejudice  prior  to  May  15, 1970. 

3.  All  students  may  elect  to  be  graded  on  a  pass-fail  basis  in  their  present 
work. 

4.  Any  student  may  take  finals  if  he  so  desires. 

5.  Study  projects  and  papers  assigned  before  April  13  must  be  completed, 
or  agreements  made  with  individual  professors  for  the  completion  of 
course  requirements. 


364       History  of  Boston  College 

Joyce  issued  an  eloquent  condemnation  of  the  war  in  Southeast  Asia  and 
urged  other  universities  along  with  Boston  College  to  support  the  nation- 
wide strike.  The  following  day  the  faculty  adopted  Father  Joyce's  statement 
as  its  own.  The  University  Academic  Senate  adopted  flexible  plans  to  enable 
students  to  satisfy  course  and  examination  requirements. 

The  turbulent  year  ended  with  an  uneventful  commencement  on  June  8. 
Sixteen  years  later  a  participant  in  the  strike  negotiation,  Professor  John 
Mahoney  of  the  English  Department,  gave  an  address  to  a  group  of  alumni 
priests.  Reminiscing  about  the  strike  period,  he  said: 

Vietnam  was  a  trauma.  We  knew  what  a  strike  was;  we  knew  what  dissent 
was;  we  knew  what  argument  was;  we  knew  what  student  protests  were;  and 
yet  somehow  or  other  we  came  through  that  phenomenon  with  a  degree  of 
what  one  might  call  soberness  and  a  kind  of  wisdom.  It  seemed  to  me  we 
learned  from  the  trauma  of  Vietnam.  We  learned  something  about  how  a 
university  can  be  resilient  and  strong,  about  how  a  university  can  continue 
its  activity  as  a  university  while  not  isolating  itself  from  the  world.  So  many 
of  the  young  men  and  women  of  that  time  seem  so  very  different  from  the 
people  sitting  in  my  classes  today,  especially  at  the  undergraduate  level.  They 
seemed  so  much  more  troubled,  so  much  more  angry,  so  much  more 
disturbed.  There  also  was  a  very  special  dimension,  an  enthusiasm,  intellec- 
tual curiosity,  a  kind  of  idealism,  a  kind  of  interest  in  putting  one's  talents  to 
use,  a  kind  of  need  to  build  a  better  world.  With  all  the  negative  things,  and 
heaven  knows  there  were  enough  of  those,  disruptions,  disorder,  a  challenge 
to  authority,  there  was  a  sense  of  growing,  a  sense  of  somehow  or  other 
becoming  a  part  of  the  new  world.- 

There  was  indeed,  as  Professor  Mahoney  remembers,  a  kind  of  relief 
when  classes  resumed  quietly  in  September  1970.  Perhaps  there  was,  as  he 
put  it,  a  soberness  and  wisdom  on  campus.  But  while  there  was  no 
repetition  of  any  campus-wide  disruption  during  the  final  two  years  of 
Father  Joyce's  presidency,  there  were  occasional  limited  disturbances. 

In  December  representatives  of  the  Air  Force  came  to  recruit  civilian 
personnel  for  their  Electronic  Systems  Division.  The  Placement  Office 
scheduled  the  interviews  in  the  old  Alumni  Hall  building  on  Common- 
wealth Avenue.  A  group  of  12  protesting  students  entered  the  interview 
room  and  disrupted  proceedings  by  shouting,  chanting,  and  banging  on  the 
table.  The  students  were  warned  four  times  by  University  officers  of  their 
breach  of  regulations.  Finally  in  late  afternoon  a  temporary  restraining 
order  was  issued  in  Middlesex  Superior  Court.  A  week  later  the  injunction 
was  broadened  to  restrain  Boston  College  students  from  preventing  appli- 
cants and  employers  from  conducting  placement  interviews  on  campus. 

Coeducation  and  Women's  Issues 

The  academic  year  1970—1971  was  the  first  year  of  campus-wide  under- 
graduate coeducation,  and  women  students  were  not  slow  to  employ  the 


"The  Strike"  and  Other  Protests        365 


In  occasionally  turbulent  sessions  of 
the  University  Academic  Senate  and 
in  meetings  during  the  strike,  Law 
School  dean  Richard  G.  Huber  was 
a  respected  advocate  of  reason. 


demonstration  methods  common  on  American  campuses  to  press  their 
interests.  No  doubt,  through  inertia  and  inexperience  rather  than  disinter- 
est, the  institution  was  slow  to  make  all  the  provisions  necessary  to  adjust 
to  the  advent  of  a  large  female  population.  The  women's  protest  was 
sparked  by  the  announcement  that  the  position  of  dean  of  women,  then 
held  by  Ann  Flynn,  would  be  abolished  in  June.  A  Women's  Action 
Coahtion  was  formed,  in  part  to  petition  the  retention  of  Dean  Flynn  but 
also  to  demand  improved  and  equal  treatment  in  a  number  of  areas, 
including  admissions,  financial  aid,  counseUng,  health  services,  placement 
service,  courses,  security,  and  athletic  facilities.  A  petition  on  these  matters 
was  submitted  to  Father  Joyce.  Dissatisfied  with  the  president's  written 
response,  on  March  19  some  30  members  of  WAC  and  supporters  occupied 
the  offices  of  Vice  President  for  Student  Affairs  Mclntyre  and  Dean  of 
Students  Father  Hanrahan.  The  students  refused  to  leave  when  requested, 
so  another  temporary  restraining  order  was  obtained  from  Middlesex 
Superior  Court  specifically  against  the  occupation  of  administrative  offices. 
The  protest  ended  and  the  order  was  dissolved  on  April  2. 


Military  Recruitment 

There  was  more  intense  opposition  to  military  recruitment  in  1971-1972. 
It  is  true  that  a  poll  by  the  undergraduate  government  in  November  revealed 
that  on  the  issue  of  the  acceptability  of  military  recruting  on  campus,  1338 


366        History  of  Boston  College 

students  voted  in  favor,  with  1192  opposed.  But  a  small  group,  appealing 
sometimes  to  religious  principles  and  obtaining  the  support  of  several 
Jesuits,  were  more  adamantly  than  ever  opposed  to  what  they  saw  as 
cooperation  in  the  war  effort.  Two  disruptions  of  military  recruiting 
sessions,  one  in  October  and  one  in  December,  led  to  disciplinary  hearings 
before  the  University  Conduct  Board;  to  the  chagrin  of  the  administration, 
in  both  instances  the  student  protesters  were  exonerated.  Their  defense 
pointed  to  the  University's  commitment  in  the  student  guide  to  high 
principles  of  Christian  humanism  and  contended  that  the  protests  were 
precisely  in  support  of  such  ideals.  The  conduct  board  was  convinced  and 
found  the  students  not  guilty.  The  tensions  on  this  issue  at  Boston  College 
might  have  been  an  early  presage  of  the  debate  in  the  Catholic  Church  a 
decade  and  a  half  later,  when  the  American  bishops  addressed  themselves 
to  issues  of  nuclear  armaments. 

When  the  protesters  were  turned  away  from  the  building  where  military 
recruiting  was  taking  place  in  December,  about  30  people  (not  all  of  them 
Boston  College  students)  occupied  Hopkins  House,  then  the  offices  of  the 
senior  vice  president  and  dean  of  faculties.  During  the  night,  Boston 
College  officers  urged  them  to  leave  so  that  outside  authorities  would  not 
have  to  be  involved.  At  5:45  in  the  morning  they  were  informed  that  if  they 
did  not  leave  in  15  minutes  Newton  police  would  be  called.  Fifteen  persons 
remained,  eight  of  them  Boston  College  students,  and  at  6:30  a.m.  they 
were  arrested  and  charged  with  criminal  trespass.  Later  in  the  month  they 
were  found  guilty  and  put  on  probation. 

The  announcement  of  Father  Joyce's  resignation  in  January  1972,  to  be 
effective  in  June,  may  well  have  had  a  tempering  effect  on  protest  in  the 
second  semester.  In  April  there  was  widespread  escalation  of  antiwar 
activity  on  many  American  campuses  because  of  the  escalation  of  the  air 
war  over  Vietnam,  and  locally  there  was  some  violence  and  arrests  at 
Harvard  and  Boston  University.  A  call  for  an  academic  strike  at  Boston 
College  was  rejected  by  a  student  referendum,  but  a  large  majority  (1997 
to  181)  felt  that  the  University  should  continue  to  be  involved  in  antiwar 
activities. 

Intrusion  by  The  Heights 

Father  Joyce  ruefully  learned,  as  did  many  of  his  fellow  presidents,  that  the 
1968  to  1972  period  was  not  a  time  of  ease  or  tranquility  on  college 
campuses.  Besides  the  various  protests  recorded  here,  the  student  paper, 
The  Heights,  was  a  particular  irritant  for  the  administration,  as  indicated 
in  the  previous  chapter.  Representatives  of  The  Heights  also  planted  a 
listening  device  in  a  trustees'  meeting  in  the  president's  office  on  February 
19,  1971.  On  March  2  The  Heights  ran  the  full  text  of  the  meeting,  along 
with  some  derisive  editorial  comments. 

Most  of  the  faculty  queried  by  the  staff  found  The  Heights  conduct  a 


"The  Strike"  and  Other  Protests       367 

shocking  invasion  of  privacy.^  Father  Joyce  issued  a  statement  apologizing 
to  the  trustees  and  indicating  that  the  University  was  undertaking  a  serious 
investigation  of  the  matter.  After  assembhng  evidence  with  the  help  of  a 
private  investigator,  the  University  turned  the  matter  over  to  the  Attorney 
General's  office,  which  studied  the  case  for  six  weeks.  Then  on  May  20  two 
former  editors  of  The  Heights  were  arrested  and  charged  with  conspiring 
to  obtain  information  illegally  and  to  use  the  information  thus  obtained. 
The  trial  was  deferred  until  September,  when  the  Attorney  General's  office 
and  the  judge  accepted  a  plea  of  nolo  contendere.  The  former  editors  were 
assessed  small  court  costs,  ending  an  unhappy  episode  in  the  University's 
history.  Relations  between  The  Heights  and  the  administration  remained 
strained  for  the  remaining  months  of  Father  Joyce's  presidency. 

It  should  be  recorded  that  after  the  few  years  that  saw  the  strike,  the 
several  protests  and  occupations  of  buildings,  and  the  disruption  of  the 
customary  campus  routine — with  occasional  examples  of  incivility — the 
University  soon  returned  to  its  accustomed  academic  serenity.  There  were 
changes,  but  by  no  means  were  all  of  them  aftereffects  of  the  protest 
movement. 

Back  to  Normal 

Many  observers  thought  that  students  now  became  more  relaxed,  more 
casual,  more  comfortable  in  their  university  surroundings.  While  it  is  true 
that  the  old  dress  code  (ties  and  jackets  prescribed  for  an  all-male  student 
body)  had  passed  away,  a  new  mode  of  conduct  came  into  being.  Gradually 
the  extreme  forms  of  "hippie"  dress — long  hair,  beards,  shells,  sandals, 
and  the  like — began  to  disappear.  Men  did  not  return  to  shirts  and  ties, 
tending  instead  to  dress  in  a  relaxed  and  casual  style.  Sweaters,  jerseys, 
slacks,  and  occasionally  Levi's  and  jeans  (although  these,  too,  began  to 
disappear)  indicated  that  the  future  process  of  learning  would  take  place  in 
a  much  less  rigid  atmosphere.  Relations  between  students  and  faculty 
became  more  relaxed  and  informal,  and  there  was  more  interaction; 
students  freely  talked  with  teachers  (including  Jesuits)  and  vice  versa. 

Jesuits,  too,  showed  signs  of  change,  presumably  not  motivated  by  the 
protest  movement.  Younger  Jesuits,  especially,  began  to  wear  civilian  garb 
(shirts,  ties,  tweed  jackets,  and  slacks)  rather  than  black  suits  with  clerical 
collar  or  the  black  habit  of  earher  days,  and  some  even  called  themselves 
and  had  others  call  them  by  their  first  names  rather  than  "Father."  On 
campus,  at  least,  these  changes  in  clerical  attire  and  style  were  taken  in 
stride.  The  faculty  in  general  seemed  more  responsive  to  the  needs  and 
desires  of  the  students,  offering  new  courses,  experimental  seminars,  and 
lively  interactive  tutorials  that  were  far  different  from  the  formal  type  of 
lecture  that  had  formerly  been  prevalent. 

Another  factor  that  quietly  but  profoundly  influenced  the  campus  was 
the  extension  of  coeducation  to  all  four  undergraduate  schools  in  1970. 


368        History  of  Boston  College 

School  of  Nursing  students  had  been  on  campus  for  10  years  and  School  of 
Education  women  for  18  years  when  coeducation  was  made  universal,  so 
the  presence  of  women  undergraduates  was  not  an  abrupt  phenomenon. 
But  an  immediate  result  of  universal  coeducation  was  the  doubling  of  an 
apphcant  pool  for  what  remained  a  relatively  steady  undergraduate  enroll- 
ment after  the  mid-1970s,  and  this  meant  a  more  highly  selected  student 
body.  In  addition  to  this  academic  impact  of  coeducation,  there  is  little 
doubt  that  the  influx  of  a  large  number  of  women  students  in  the  1970s 
and  thereafter  had  a  benign  effect  on  the  life  and  spirit  of  the  campus.  To 
give  one  example:  The  happy  burgeoning  of  musical  and  artistic  activity 
on  campus  in  recent  years  might  have  happened  without  universal  coedu- 
cation, but  it  probably  would  not  have  blossomed  as  soon  or  with  such 
vigor. 

Another  development  simultaneous  with  full  coeducation  was  the  explo- 
sion of  on-campus  housing  for  students.  When  Father  Walsh  left  office  in 
1968,  the  upper  campus  dormitories  he  and  Father  Maxwell  had  built 
housed  1500  students.  The  next  two  decades  would  see  provision  for  three 
times  that  number  in  campus  residences.  The  combination  of  these  two 
factors — increased  numbers  of  women  students  and  more  students  residing 
in  dormitories — posed  a  new  problem  for  University  authorities  in  the 
1970s:  the  question  of  coeducational  housing  and  parietal  rules.  It  was 
clear  that  Boston  College  had  left  behind  its  simple  and  uncomplicated 
origins  and  had  moved  into  the  complex  context  of  modern  university  life. 


The  less  pleasant  aspects  of  Father  Joyce's  administration  have  been 
recorded  in  this  chapter.  Fortunately  there  were  positive  developments  and 
achievements  that  call  for  other  chapters. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  Boston  Globe  (April  26,  1970). 

2.  Tape  of  address  in  the  University  historian's  office. 

3.  The  Heights  (March  9,  1971). 


CHAPTER 


32 


Academic  and  Social 
Innovations 


On  April  11,  1969,  President  Joyce  addressed  the  Boston  College  faculty 
on  "the  contemporary  university."'  The  traditional  university,  "thought  of 
primarily  as  a  reservoir  of  accumulated  knowledge  and  a  haven  for  wise 
and  reflective  men,"  was  mirrored  in  the  "shaped  lindens  and  Gothic 
structures"  of  the  campus  which  recalled  a  "day  that  valued  both  elegance 
and  detachment  and  wished  to  provide  for  the  faculty  and  students  ...  a 
setting  that  fostered  such  qualities  of  mind."-  But  today,  he  said,  "all  this 
is  changed."  He  argued  that  new  expectations  call  for  hard,  pragmatic 
action;  that  students  call  for  relevance  and  immediacy;  that  there  will  be 
new  knowledge,  new  forms  that  will  respond  to  the  needs  of  the  day.  In 
summary,  "the  new  university  is  summoned  to  play  a  role  in  social 
change."^ 

In  the  course  of  his  remarks,  Father  Joyce  had  referred  to  the  objectives 
and  hopes  of  a  Catholic  and  Jesuit  university  which  recognized  the  mystery 
of  a  transcendent  God.'  Lest  there  be  any  misunderstanding,  however,  a 
faculty  member  wanted  to  set  the  record  straight.  While  not  openly 
disagreeing  with  Father  Joyce's  comments  in  the  context  of  a  Catholic 
university  and  its  value  system.  Professor  Severyn  T.  Bruyn,  Department  of 
Sociology,  subscribed  to  the  thesis  that  a  university  has  its  own  set  of  values 
expressed  in  the  development  of  civilized  society:  "The  premise  that 
education  must  be  independent  of  both  church  and  state  in  its  aims,  in  its 

369 


370        History  of  Boston  College 

rhetoric,  in  the  pursuit  of  values  and  knowledge  is  fundamental  to  the 
future  of  the  university."^  Expressed  in  various,  though  substantially  simi- 
lar, formulae,  this  thesis  has  been  expounded  by  many  educators  on 
Catholic  campuses  in  recent  years.  It  has  always  been  the  theme  of  those 
who  profess  to  believe  that  a  Catholic  university  is  a  "contradiction  in 
terms."  But  Father  Joyce,  while  he  had  no  intention  "of  abandoning  our 
Catholic  identity,  much  less  our  Catholic  heritage  and  tradition,"  was  not 
going  "to  accept  the  narrowly  apologetic  and  catechetic  role  in  which  some 
have  cast  the  Catholic  university."*'  The  faculty  prepared  itself  for  innova- 
tions. 

The  Committee  on  Liberal  Education 

In  the  light  of  these  thoughts  on  the  new  goals  for  the  American  and 
Catholic  university.  Father  Joyce  then  reviewed  with  the  faculty  the  pro- 
grams and  proposals  that  were  under  discussion  in  his  office  and  elsewhere 
on  campus.  Among  others,  the  University  Academic  Senate  Committee  on 
Curriculum  and  Education  had,  in  the  spring  of  1969,  commissioned  a 
blue  ribbon  committee  on  undergraduate  education.  With  Professor  Rich- 

''*t      The  crown  jewel  of  the 
campus,  Bapst  library. 


Academic  and  Social  Innovations        371 

ard  Hughes  as  chairman,  it  was  entitled  University  Committee  on  Liberal 
Education,  which  yielded  the  avuncular  acronym  U.N.C.L.E.  (With  refer- 
ence to  a  popular  television  program  of  the  day,  Professor  Hughes  became 
"the  Man  from  U.N.C.L.E.") 

Shortly  after  he  was  asked  to  coordinate  U.N.C.L.E.,  Hughes  was 
appointed  dean  of  Arts  and  Sciences  amid  the  controversy  described  in  a 
previous  chapter.  On  becoming  dean,  he  sent  an  open  letter  to  students 
and  faculty  which  was  a  frank  assessment  of  the  situation  as  he  saw  it.  He 
wrote  in  part: 

I  hope  I  can  say  this  without  sounding  stuffy:  There's  no  reason  why  we 
shouldn't  be  creating  a  superb  educational  experience  in  the  college.  Almost 
all  the  ingredients  are  here — a  high-level  student  body,  a  superior  faculty  as 
our  best  resources — but  somehow  we're  bedeviled  by  Aristotelian  harmatia, 
we're  just  missing  the  mark.  There  are  some  grand  things  going  on  .  .  .  but 
it's  not  hanging  together  very  well.  We've  got  dynamic  enclaves  but  no 
community.  And  unless  we  can  create  a  community  here,  we're  not  going  to 
move  very  far  or  very  fast.' 

In  a  sense,  this  was  the  challenge  to  the  U.N.C.L.E.  committee,  at  least  as 
interpreted  by  its  chairman.  This  committee,  composed  of  10  faculty 
members  and  students  from  the  four  undergraduate  schools,  went  about 
its  work  in  a  businesslike  way.  There  was  a  fact-finding  subcommittee  and 
another  for  inspecting  programs  at  other  universities.  U.N.C.L.E.  began  its 
meetings  in  early  September  1969  with  a  discussion  of  several  key  questions 
such  as  the  integrity,  influence,  and  reaction  of  academic  departments,  the 
future  effects  of  substantive  changes  on  the  undergraduate  colleges,  and 
perceived  faculty  apprehension  about  a  slide  toward  "a  general  college."* 

The  crucial  question  was:  What  is  a  liberal  education?  Is  it  aristocratic 
or  democratic?  Is  it  objective  or  subjective?  Since  this  question  has  never 
been  satisfactorily  resolved,  though  perennially  posed,  there  was  no  reason 
to  believe  that  U.N.C.L.E.  would  have  the  final  answer.  But  the  committee 
did  make  a  vahant  effort  by  proposing,  discussing,  and  refining  in  order  to 
make  suggestions  tailored  to  existing  structures  at  Boston  College.  The 
most  significant  contribution  of  the  committee  was  its  proposal  that  there 
should  be  a  "core  curriculum,"  however  that  was  defined  and  designed. 

U.N.C.L.E.  submitted  an  interim  report  on  April  27,  1970.'  Working  on 
a  tight  schedule,  the  committee  was  anxious  to  hear  the  reaction  of 
departments  and  faculty  in  order  to  produce  a  final  report  in  the  fall.  A 
basic  premise  for  the  committee  was  that  "all  students  entering  the  Univer- 
sity, regardless  of  school  or  major,  will  participate  in  the  liberal  education 
program,  and  sections  will  be  established  without  regard  to  school  affilia- 
tion."'" Moreover,  the  program  could  be  satisfied  "either  through  a  univer- 
sity core  or  alternative  programs,"  both  of  which  had  provisions  for  honors 
candidacy."  Although  a  revised  list  might  be  proposed  for  the  final  report, 
the  interim  report  contained  a  core  program  with  the  following  alterna- 
tives: To  fulfill  the  core,  students  would  take  2  courses  in  history,  English, 


372        History  of  Boston  College 

theology,  and  philosophy;  3  courses  in  the  humanities  (any  approved 
courses  from  the  above  disciplines  or  from  the  classics,  modern  languages, 
fine  arts,  and  speech);  and  2  courses  in  the  natural  sciences  (with  a  choice 
from  mathematics,  physics,  chemistry,  biology,  and  geology). ^- 

The  interim  report  noted  that  the  distribution  of  these  courses  could  be 
satisfied  throughout  the  regular  four  years  and  would  not  affect  departmen- 
tal requirements  for  the  major.  The  committee  was  extremely  generous  in 
permitting  alternate  programs,  called  "counter  programs,"  and  experimen- 
tal programs  which,  some  thought,  only  served  to  dilute  the  core  require- 
ments. 

At  the  end  of  the  semester,  the  EPC  of  Arts  and  Sciences  appointed  a 
subcommittee  to  seek  opinions  from  the  members  of  the  College  and  the 
University  on  the  interim  report  throughout  the  summer  and  into  the  fall.'^ 
One  of  the  most  interesting  critiques  came  from  the  School  of  Management. 
Although  it  may  have  gone  beyond  the  complaints  of  the  School  of  Nursing 
and  the  School  of  Education,  the  School  of  Management  faculty  probably 
represented  the  general  reaction  of  the  professional  schools  to  the  interim 
report.  Sympathetic  to  U.N.C.L.E.'s  desire  to  provide  liberal  education 
programs  that  are  "dynamic,  viable,  and  relevant,"  the  School  of  Manage- 
ment felt  that  it  could  best  do  this  by  continuing  to  offer  an  "intensive 
four-year  integrated  program  to  students  having  a  strong  professional 
orientation."'"  The  School  of  Management  also  reminded  U.N.C.L.E.  of 
requirements  for  accreditation  by  the  Association  of  Colleges  of  Business. 

But  that  was  not  the  real  problem.  The  basic  issue — which  was  not 
new — ^was  that  the  deans  and  faculties  of  the  professional  schools  continued 
to  resent  "the  inequality  of  the  education  offered  to  students  from  the 
different  colleges."'^  Repeating  an  old  grievance,  the  School  of  Manage- 
ment maintained  that  objectives  of  fairness,  equahty,  and  quality  could  be 
quickly  obtained,  "if  that  is  what  is  wanted,"  by  addressing  directly  the 
undergraduate  admission  policy,  cross  registration,  and  assignment  of 
faculty.  "In  brief,"  commented  the  SOM  representatives  with  candor,  "we 
reject  forthrightly  the  notion  that  where  a  course  is  taught  in  the  University 
determines  whether  it  is  liberal  or  not."'^  This  was  an  undisguised  challenge 
to  Arts  and  Sciences'  claim  as  the  guardian  of  liberal  arts  in  the  University. 
Finally,  for  good  measure,  the  School  of  Management  also  hinted  that 
Professor  Hughes,  as  both  dean  of  Arts  and  Sciences  and  chairman  of 
U.N.C.L.E.,  could  be  involved  in  a  subtle  conflict  of  interest.'^ 

U.N.C.L.E.'s  Report 

In  drafting  the  final  report,  U.N.C.L.E.  kept  in  mind  two  principles 
accepted  by  the  EPCs  (and  always  encouraged  by  the  AAUP),  namely  that 
students  should  be  permitted  to  arrange  their  schedules  as  freely  as  possible 
and  that  "the  determination  of  the  curriculum  is  the  province  of  the 
faculty."'^  Making  an  honest  effort  to  incorporate  suggestions,  the  commit- 


Academic  and  Social  Innovations        373 


In  the  era  before  the  opening 
of  O  'Neill  Library  there  were 
few  vacant  chairs  in  Bapst's 
Gargan  hall. 


tee  submitted  its  report  in  October  1970.  With  this  report  and  recommen- 
dations, U.N.C.L.E.  considered  that  it  had  fulfilled  the  charge  given  to  it  by 
the  Curriculum  and  Educational  Policy  Committee  of  the  UAS  in  March 
1969.>' 

Actually,  this  final  report  did  not  differ  significantly  from  the  first  draft. 
A  philosophical  preamble  had  been  added  and  minor  changes  were  made 
in  recommendations.  Once  again  it  stressed  choice  among  viable  alterna- 
tives and  recommended  a  standing  committee  in  each  college  to  supervise 
alternatives.  Certain  core  courses  would  be  designated  "honors"  courses, 
and  a  student  would  have  to  include  10  such  courses  to  be  considered  for 
honors.  Mathematics  and  modern  language  were  not  required  but — like 
sociology,  political  science,  and  psychology — could  be  taken  as  alternatives. 

The  Arts  and  Sciences  EPC  showed  no  deference  to  the  committee 
chairman  (and  dean)  in  its  review  of  the  U.N.C.L.E.  report.  It  pointed  out 


374        History  of  Boston  College 

that  U.N.C.L.E.  provided  no  reasons  for  its  choices;  that  there  was  nothing 
to  show  that  U.N.C.L.E.'s  core  was  better  than  the  one  in  place;^°  that 
improved  advisement  and  more  classroom  space  would  have  to  be  found; 
and  that  faculty  adjustments  might  be  difficult.  The  academic  vice  president, 
however,  in  a  strong  plea  for  core,  underlined  the  argument  that  with  4000 
undergraduates  enrolled  in  professional  schools,  there  must  be  a  liberal 
core  to  their  education. 

The  last  hurdle  was  U.N.C.L.E.'s  recommendation  that  the  UAS  estab- 
lish, by  election,  a  university  core  curriculum  committee.  This  proposal 
immediately  became  controversial  and  revived  the  earlier  dispute  between 
the  UAS  and  the  individual  EPCs.  The  EPCs  feared  that  the  UAS  or  one  of 
its  committees  would  preempt  responsibility  for  the  core  and,  by  impUca- 
tion,  for  liberal  education  at  Boston  College.  As  an  example  of  faculty 
support,  Professor  Louis  Kattsoff  of  the  Mathematics  and  Philosophy 
departments  wrote  a  long  letter  to  the  academic  community  to  make  a 
strong  case  for  the  UCCC.  If  it  is  to  be  a  "University  Core,"  he  wrote,  it 
should  have  a  University  committee  to  oversee  it.^' 

The  New  Core  Curriculum 

Tying  together  comments  and  reports  of  the  past  two  years,  the  UAS 
Standing  Committee  on  Curriculum  and  Educational  PoHcy  submitted  its 
own  report  on  February  17,  197L--  An  excellent  history  of  the  case,  it  was 
especially  clear  on  the  constitution  and  purpose  of  the  UCCC  versus  the 
authority  and  responsibility  of  the  individual  EPCs.  Elected  members  of 
the  UCCC  would  include  two  faculty  members  from  each  of  the  three 
divisions  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  one  faculty  member  from  each  of  the 
professional  schools,  and  three  members  of  the  student  body.  The  dean  of 
faculties  would  chair  the  committee.  The  purpose  of  the  UCCC,  constituted 
by  the  UAS,  would  be  to  request  and  approve  courses  in  the  core,  to  provide 
direction  for  programs,  and  to  set  controls  over  experiments  or  alternatives. 

This  important  question,  so  long  debated,  was  finally  settled  in  May 
1971.  At  that  time  the  UAS  adopted  a  new  core  curriculum  in  which  the 
required  courses  were  reduced  from  17  (as  in  the  old  core)  to  12.  But 
options  were  increased.  As  approved  there  were  two  courses  in  philosophy, 
theology,  social  sciences,  mathematics/natural  sciences,  history,  and  hu- 
manities. Since  the  underlying  premise  was  that  the  "core"  was  a  University 
program,  the  UAS  insisted  on  cross-registration  so  that  all  courses  would 
be  open  to  all  students,  regardless  of  undergraduate  affiUation.  This  would 
eliminate  past  inequities.  There  was  provision  for  extensive  advisement  to 
assist  students  in  choices.^^ 

Opposition  to  a  core  curriculum,  past  or  present,  came  from  UGBC.  It 
preferred  the  system  adopted  by  Holy  Cross,  which  eliminated  all  core 
requirements  in  favor  of  electives.  Timothy  Anderson,  who  had  been  elected 
president  of  UGBC  in  February  1971,  ran  on  a  platform  which  promised 


Academic  and  Social  Innovations        375 

an  end  to  the  core  curriculum.-''  Incidentally,  Anderson  assumed  an  impor- 
tant leadership  role  in  the  protests  and  strike  which  hit  the  campus  in  that 
spring  semester. 

To  insure  that  the  core  curriculum  would  indeed  provide  a  true  frame- 
work of  liberal  learning,  the  UAS  created  a  permanent  Council  of  Liberal 
Education  (a  variation  on  UCCC),  which  was  charged  with  approving 
courses  to  be  included  in  the  minimum  liberal  education  core.  This  council 
is  still  operative. 

The  Board  of  Directors,  which  had  discussed  the  question  at  its  April 
meeting,  made  its  decision  in  May.  After  listening  to  an  explanation  by  the 
academic  vice  president,  the  board  unanimously  approved  "the  Liberal 
Education  Core  Curriculum  approved  by  the  University  Academic  Sen- 
ate."" In  a  second  resolution,  including  a  Solomon-like  compromise,  the 
board  further  decreed  that  minimum  core  requirements  would  come  under 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  UAS;  "otherwise  the  curriculum  of  each  college 
remains  in  the  jurisdiction  of  each  college.  "^'^  In  other  words,  the  individual 
EPCs  might  add  to  the  core,  but  could  not  delete  courses  from  it. 

Over  the  years,  despite  occasional  criticism,  the  University  Academic 
Planning  Committee  has  several  times  reaffirmed  "a  belief  in  the  wisdom 
and  educational  value  of  a  soundly  conceived,  well-taught,  and  skilfully 
administered  core  that  reflects  the  distinctive  goals  of  Boston  CoUege."^^ 
Other  models  were  offered,  but  always  within  the  parameters  drawn  by  the 
Board  of  Directors  and  the  UAS.  In  1986  there  was  a  discussion  of  the  core 
at  a  faculty  day  program.  "Boston  College  has  a  good  core  curriculum,  but 
there  is  still  room  for  improvement,"  was  the  general  consensus  of  those 
present  at  the  annual  meeting.-'  That  same  year  the  seniors  thought  it 
pertinent  to  explain  in  their  yearbook  why  and  how  the  core  courses  "were 
intended  to  provide  the  cultural  background,  intellectual  training,  and 
structures  of  basic  principles  by  which  students  could  comprehend  a 
complex  world  and  cope  with  rapid  changes  as  they  occurred."-'  Mention 
will  be  made  later  of  another  study  of  the  core  curriculum,  ongoing  in 
1990. 


Participating  in  Societal  Change:  Pulse 

Father  Joyce  insisted  that,  in  addition  to  the  academic  programs,  Boston 
College  should  play  a  role  in  shaping  social  change.  The  University  had 
long  been  involved  with  urban  problems  and  inner-city  issues,  but  these 
had  been  addressed  by  faculty  and  administrators.  He  thought  it  time  to 
involve  the  students.  In  October  1969  the  Social  Action  Committee  of  the 
UGBC  was  formed  and  charged  with  responsibility  for  establishing  a  social 
action  agency.  The  Social  Action  Committee,  now  known  as  "Pulse,"  came 
from  the  initiative  of  former  UGBC  president  Joseph  Fitzpatrick  and  a 
group  of  concerned  students.  Two  consultants  were  hired,  a  budget  was  set 
up,  and  assistance  was  supphed  by  supervisors  in  a  work-study  program. 


376        History  of  Boston  College 


In  October  1970  the  Pulse  program  directorship  was  placed  in  the  Univer- 
sity table  of  organization  under  Weston  M.  Jenks,  University  Director  of 
Counseling.'" 

Pulse  gained  instant  recognition  and  success.  The  committee  immediately 
identified  as  spheres  of  interest  the  Jamaica  Plain  Youth  Center,  a  project 
concerned  with  drugs,  dehnquency,  and  unemployment;  housing  develop- 
ment and  public  housing  ownership;  and  a  cerebral  palsy  Montessori  class, 
a  pilot  pre-school  class  in  cooperation  with  the  Massachusetts  Department 
of  Pubhc  Health.  Several  other  projects  of  a  similar  nature  followed. 

The  two  unique  features  of  the  program  as  it  developed — and  not 
duplicated  at  other  area  institutions — were  (1)  the  academic  accreditation 
given  to  social  action  projects  and  (2)  the  substantial  financial  commitment 
of  the  University.  The  support  given  to  Pulse  by  the  administration  and 
faculty  was  clear  proof  of  Boston  College's  intention  to  become  involved 
with  society  beyond  the  campus  gates.  This  endorsement  was,  in  fact, 
envied  by  students  at  other  institutions  in  the  Boston  area. 

Over  the  years  Pulse  has  made  an  enormous  contribution  to  social 
programs  in  Massachusetts,  beyond  the  state,  and  even  overseas.  It  is  an 
enriching  program  for  students,  and  those  fortunate  enough  to  be  involved 
consider  it  one  of  the  great  experiences  of  their  collegiate  years.  At  the 
faculty  level,  one  of  the  driving  forces  behind  the  program  has  been  Joseph 
Flanagan,  S.J.,  chairman  of  the  Philosophy  Department."  There  will  be 

Father  Joseph  Flanagan,  chair- 
man of  the  Philosophy  Depart- 
ment since  1 965,  was  a  major 
force  behind  the  Pulse  pro- 
gram and  the  Perspectives  on 
Western  Culture  curriculum. 


Academic  and  Social  Innovations       377 

occasion  to  mention  his  contribution  in  subsequent  pages.  For  the  past 
several  years  the  director  has  been  Richard  Keeley  who,  with  the  Pulse 
Council,  edits  the  program's  paper  and  publishes  the  annual  report. 

Another  example — one  of  several  that  could  be  cited — of  the  social 
conscience  of  the  students  was,  as  the  director  put  it,  "an  adventure  in 
service  and  learning."  In  February  1970,  46  seniors  and  2  graduate 
students  from  the  School  of  Education  went  to  work  as  reading  tutors  with 
children  in  South  Boston.^-  Under  the  direction  of  Professor  John  Savage, 
these  students,  in  lieu  of  a  class  session  each  week,  spent  one  hour  every 
Monday  afternoon  tutoring  children  with  reading  disabilities.  Although  all 
had  completed  student  teaching,  few  had  ever  worked  in  an  intensive 
clinical  or  tutorial  program  in  the  inner  city.  According  to  Professor  Savage, 
"For  the  children  and  youth  service  workers  in  South  Boston,  it  was  novel 
to  be  'invaded'  by  such  a  large  group  at  one  time  for  this  purpose."^^ 

The  program  was  set  up  with  the  cooperation  of  the  South  Boston  Action 
Center  and  consisted  in  tutoring  disadvantaged  children  in  the  so-called 
"D  Street  Project,"  a  low-income  city  housing  development  located  in 
South  Boston.  The  Boston  College  students  worked  in  four  adjoining 
apartments  with  74  children  from  grades  1  through  6  who  were  selected 
by  Action  Center  personnel  from  public  and  parochial  schools  in  the  area. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  number  of  such  programs  in  the  undergrad- 
uate colleges  that  reflected  the  growing  awareness  on  the  part  of  students 
and  faculty  alike  of  the  potential  for  social  action  that  resided  within  the 
academic  community.  Some  programs  were  not  unique  to  Boston  College. 
However,  as  the  projects — which  ranged  from  reading  programs  to  building 
houses — moved  from  Boston  to  Appalachia  to  Jamaica,  they  took  on  the 
added  dimension  of  a  ministry  or  apostolate  traditionally  associated  with 
a  Jesuit  institution.  More  will  be  said  of  this  aspect  in  a  later  chapter. 

The  Academic  Calendar  Revised 

A  revision  of  the  academic  calendar  had  been  under  discussion  for  some 
time  at  various  levels.  (Experimentation  had  also  been  going  on  at  other 
institutions.)  With  the  appointment  of  a  university  registrar,  the  adoption 
of  new  registration  procedures,  and  a  change  in  the  format  of  the  University 
catalog,  it  seemed  an  appropriate  time  to  review  the  semester  schedule. 
Consequently,  the  UAS  Curriculum  and  Educational  Policy  Committee, 
chaired  by  Louis  Kattsoff,  took  a  new  look  at  the  calendar  at  its  meeting 
in  October  1971.  The  UAS  also  appointed  a  subcommittee  on  semester 
division,  with  Robert  O'Malley  of  the  Chemistry  Department  as  chairman. 
A  change  in  the  term  calendar,  which  might  appear  to  be  a  simple 
adjustment,  immediately  provoked  reactions  from  a  number  of  interest 
groups,  including  student  body,  faculty,  administration,  advisement-orien- 
tation, food  services,  athletics,  and  plant  services.  Even  the  weather,  storm 
cycles,  excessive  heat  or  cold,  family  vacations,  and  summer  jobs  were 


378        History  of  Boston  College 

proposed  as  factors  to  be  taken  into  account.  Although  there  was  talk  of 
quarters  and  trimesters  (year-round  facilities  for  a  3-term  3-course  sched- 
ule), the  semester  was  still  the  most  popular  format  at  Boston  College  and 
other  area  institutions.  The  real  question  was  whether  the  first  term  should 
extend  beyond  Christmas — that  is,  one  or  two  weeks  of  class  or,  alterna- 
tively, readings,  followed  by  examinations.  In  November  Professor  O'Mal- 
ley  reported  that,  a  result  of  researching  calendar  changes,  two  possibihties 
had  emerged:  first,  there  could  be  early  semester  beginnings  and  endings, 
or,  second,  there  could  be  two  4-month  semesters  with  a  month  off  between 
them.^'* 

Criticism  of  the  plan  for  ending  the  first  semester  before  Christmas 
holidays  usually  centered  on  insufficient  time  for  examinations.  Moreover, 
there  was  no  unanimity  on  the  number  of  required  class  days  in  a  semester. 
Harvard  and  MIT  held  to  70,  Boston  University  and  Tufts  to  somewhat 
fewer.  The  academic  vice  president's  office  supplied  data  for  the  past  decade 
which,  although  there  were  fluctuations,  showed  a  median  of  68  days  a 
semester  at  Boston  College."  It  was  agreed  by  all  that  examinations  before 
Christmas  would  necessitate  classes  beginning  immediately  after  Labor 
Day,  which  would  bring  students  and  faculty  back  to  campus  in  late 
August.^*^ 

After  Professor  O'Malley's  explanatory  article  had  appeared  in  the 
February  10,  1972,  Thursday  Reporter  (an  administration  publication 
later  called  Biweekly),  people  began  to  take  sides.  Though  some  faculty 
expressed  opposition  to  the  early  termination  of  the  first  semester,  most 
favored  it  or  were  indifferent.  Students  expected  a  change  and,  for  the  most 
part,  did  not  see  the  question  as  a  big  issue.  In  fact  some  felt  that,  in  the 
traditional  schedule,  the  time  between  Labor  Day  and  the  beginning  of 
class  was  wasted."  The  subcommittee's  proposal,  therefore,  was:  first 
semester — 15  weeks  (66  days  of  class,  5  examination  days,  and  4  days  for 


1972-1973  CALENDAR 

Fall  Term: 

September  5 — classes  begin 

December  18-22 — examinations 

December  23-January  7 — recess 

Spring  Term: 

January  8 — classes  begin 

May  14-25 — examinations 

June  4 — commencement 

1973-1974  CALENDAR 

Fall  Term: 

September  4 — classes  begin 

December  17-22 — examinations 

December  23-January  13 — recess 

Spring  Term: 

January  14 — classes  begin 

May  2-10 — examinations 

May  27 — commencement 

Academic  and  Social  Innovations        379 


Since  1970  the  Campus 
School,  founded  by  John 
Eichorn  (pictured  here),  has 
served  some  60  multihandi- 
capped  pupils  between  the 
ages  of  6  and  25. 


registration);  second  semester — 15.2  weeks  (68  days  of  class,  5  examina- 
tion days,  and  3  days  for  registration). 

Opposition  to  the  proposed  new  calendar  was  directed  mainly  at  the 
decision  to  implement  the  change  in  September  1972.  This  was  particularly 
true  of  the  University  Orientation  Committee,  which  needed  more  time  to 
reorganize  the  freshmen  assistance  program.  The  director  of  athletics  was, 
perhaps,  the  most  outspoken  critic,  since  winter  and  spring  sports  events 
had  been  scheduled  for  the  next  several  years.  While  the  Council  for 
Counseling  Services  favored  experimenting  with  a  new  calendar,  it  felt  the 
adjustment  could  not  be  made  for  September  1972.^**  Despite  this  opposi- 
tion, the  experiment  began  in  September  for  the  1972-1973  academic  year. 


Expanding  the  Doctoral  Program 

Social  programs  and  social  involvement  must,  indeed,  be  a  concern  to  the 
modern  educational  institution  in  the  United  States.  But  many  maintain 
that  the  classic  university,  in  its  historical  origins  and  setting,  is  still 
measured  largely  by  its  scholarly  contribution  to  knowledge  in  the  arts  and 
sciences.  At  American  universities,  given  their  German  heritage,  this  is 
usually  done  at  the  highest  academic  level — that  is,  at  the  doctoral  level, 
where  research  and  publication  are  normal  products  of  a  professor's 
efforts. 

Over  the  years,  the  Boston  College  Graduate  School  had  offered  a  widely 
recognized  and  rigorously  defined  master's  degree  in  the  arts,  sciences,  and 
education.  That  degree  entitled  recipients  to  apply  to  prestigious  universi- 
ties for  the  pursuit  of  higher  studies.  During  Father  Walsh's  tenure,  the 
major  emphasis  was  on  the  attraction  of  outstanding  undergraduate  stu- 
dents and  the  improvement  of  undergraduate  programs.  But  the  graduate 


380        History  of  Boston  College 

offerings  were  not  neglected.  From  1960  to  1968,  biology,  chemistry, 
philosophy,  and  physics  were  added  to  the  three  existing  doctoral  programs 
(economics,  education,  and  history)  that  had  been  inaugurated  in  1952.  In 
the  late  sixties  and  early  seventies,  chairmen  from  other  departments,  with 
pressure  from  vocal  faculty  members,  felt  that  the  time  had  come  when 
Boston  College  should  not  only  preserve  the  wisdom  of  the  past  but  should 
add  to  it.  This  was  one  reason  to  expand  doctoral  programs,  but  the 
emphasis  in  proposals  was  on  the  responsibility  of  training  future  Ph.D.s 
for  college  and  university  faculties.  The  administration  took  this  obhgation 
seriously,  and  there  was  a  dramatic  expansion  of  such  programs. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  describe  each  program  in  detail  here,  for  the  basic 
format  for  doctoral  studies  follows  a  prescribed  design,  and  the  reasons 
adduced  for  initiating  a  program  therefore  are  quite  similar.  That  depart- 
ment growth  and  stability  are  critical  to  the  success  of  this  kind  of  academic 
venture,  however,  is  proved  by  an  example.  The  first  doctoral  program 
inaugurated  in  the  Joyce  presidency  had  to  be  canceled.  The  Department  of 
Germanic  Studies  had  two  internationally  recognized  scholars.  Professor 
Heinz  Bluhm,  who  had  formerly  held  a  chair  at  Yale,  and  Professor  Joseph 
Szoverffy,  an  acknowledged  authority  in  German  philology.  With  a  good 
supporting  staff,  the  department  was  quite  adequate  to  offer  the  Ph.D. — a 
program  that  had  a  bright  future,  inasmuch  as  its  only  competitor  was 
Harvard.  However,  the  sudden  resignation  of  Professor  Szoverffy,  who  was 
politically  unhappy  at  Boston  College,  forced  the  department  to  turn  away 
doctoral  applicants,  of  whom  there  were  many.  One  senior  professor  (as 
opposed  to  two  at  Harvard)  was  not  sufficient  to  carry  the  program.^'  (In 
addition,  the  Priorities  Committee  had  recommended  that  the  doctoral 
program  in  Germanic  Studies  be  discontinued.) 


Located  for  nearly  two  dec- 
ades in  Roberts  Center,  the 
Campus  School  now  occupies 
quarters  built  for  it  in  1 989  in 
the  former  auditorium-gymna- 
sium of  Campion  Hall. 


Academic  and  Social  Innovations        381 

The  English  Department's  proposal  for  a  doctoral  program  is  an  example 
of  a  mature,  responsible,  honest,  and  highly  academic  approach  to  this 
critical  decision.  In  one  sense,  this  department — considering  its  faculty 
strength — was  perhaps  the  best  prepared  to  offer  the  Ph.D.,  yet  it  was  the 
most  cautious  in  electing  to  do  so.  As  the  chairman  wrote  to  the  president, 
"Having,  I  think,  established  ourselves  as  an  effective  graduate  department, 
we're  anxious  to  expand  but  not  to  endanger  our  reputation."'"'  The 
department  discussed  the  proposed  Ph.D.  in  1957  and  1958,  taking  an 
inventory  of  library  holdings,  faculty,  publications,  and  present  and  future 
course  offerings.  It  was  immediately  recognized  that  there  were  deficiencies 
in  hbrary  resources,  the  most  serious  gaps  being  in  reference,  English 
history,  medieval  Latin  literature,  Germanic  language,  and — most  serious 
of  all  for  the  Ph.D. — in  the  periodical  collection.'" 

Ten  years  later,  after  much  discussion,  the  chairman  submitted  a  progress 
report  on  the  Ph.D.  program.  This  report  concentrated  on  a  review  of  the 
market  for  Ph.D.s.  Noting  that  "the  American  universities  produce  only  a 
fraction  of  what  the  field  ideally  requires"  (with  most  of  these  granted  by  a 
small  number  of  high-yield  institutions),  the  report,  with  facts  and  figures, 
explained  "the  unique  contribution  smaller  universities  might  make  to  the 
academic  community."''-  In  discussing  the  competition  for  students  and 
faculty,  the  department  felt  that  Boston  College's  philosophy  of  education, 
which  affected  the  thrust  of  the  program,  was  an  advantage.  Moreover, 
given  the  newness  and  smallness  of  the  program,  there  was  ample  oppor- 
tunity to  try  new  approaches  to  a  research  degree  with  added  emphasis  on 
insight,  creativity,  and  discovery.''^  The  course  requirements  were  necessar- 
ily traditional.  The  report  also  added  an  impressive  list  of  faculty  publica- 
tions. 

The  department  was  so  confident  of  success  that,  in  the  fall  of  1968 
(although  the  program  had  not  been  formally  approved),  an  attractive 
brochure  describing  the  chief  features  of  the  program  was  distributed. 
Confidence  was  based  in  good  part  on  the  extremely  favorable  evaluations 
of  faculty  members  from  distinguished  universities.  For  the  administration, 
the  last  hurdle  was  financial.  In  order  to  attract  superior  doctoral  appli- 
cants, the  chairman  strongly  recommended  generous  subsidies  for  their 
support— -subsidies  that  exceeded  those  of  other  doctoral  departments.  But 
this  was  a  negotiable  component,  and  patience  was  its  own  reward. 

Early  in  the  second  semester  (1968—1969),  the  president  communicated 
to  the  chairman  "the  good  news  that  that  Board  of  Directors  has  unani- 
mously endorsed  the  application  of  your  department  for  permission  to 
begin  a  program  of  studies  leading  to  the  Ph.D.  degree."'*''  Father  Joyce 
congratulated  Professor  Hughes  for  his  part  in  "steer  [ing]  the  proposal 
through  to  a  successful  conclusion,  and  your  colleagues  for  an  excellently 
structured  doctoral  program."''^  The  first  students  were  accepted  for  the 
fall  term  of  1969-1970.  Over  the  years,  as  it  was  meant  to  do,  the  program 
has  enhanced  the  academic  reputation  of  Boston  College. 


382        History  of  Boston  College 

Other  Investments  in  Reputation 

Although  some  were  beginning  to  have  second  thoughts  on  the  implications 
of  the  financial  burden,  other  doctoral  programs  came  into  existence  in 
quick  succession  at  about  this  time.  The  Modern  Language  Department, 
which  submitted  its  application  in  1966,  was  an  interesting  case  because 
its  appeal  to  the  administration  was  based  almost  entirely  on  the  job 
opportunity  market.  A  regional  study  for  the  years  1960—1964  revealed 
that  only  111  doctoral  degrees  in  modern  languages  were  granted  by  all 
New  England  institutions  combined,  with  58  of  those  coming  from  Yale. 
Harvard  had  granted  17  in  romance  languages  and  17  in  German.  In 
addition  to  the  academic  and  commercial  markets,  the  federal  government, 
as  exemplified  by  the  establishment  of  the  NDEA  doctoral  scholarships, 
was  anxious  to  increase  the  pool  of  language  experts  for  sensitive  govern- 
ment posts  and  for  the  advantages  language  fluency  brought  to  interna- 
tional business  transactions.  The  Modern  Language  Department  began  its 
doctoral  program  in  the  late  sixties.  Professor  Normand  Cartier,  Father 
Joseph  D.  Gauthier,  Professor  Maria  Simonelli,  and  others  made  it  an 
attractive  undertaking. 

The  departments  of  Sociology,  Political  Science,  and  Theology  (which 
participates  in  a  joint  program  with  Andover-Newton  Theological  School) 
launched  their  doctoral  programs  in  1970—1971.'"^  All  of  these  programs 
were  thoroughly  researched,  cogently  presented,  and  academically  solid. 
The  Board  of  Directors  accepted  the  academic  rationale  of  the  departments. 

Departments  offering  the  doctorate — as  every  dean  knows — exercise  a 
strong  attraction  for  senior  faculty  who  are  oriented  toward  research  and 
pubhcation.  A  graduate  school  with  many  doctoral  departments,  however, 
is  a  very  expensive  investment.  Once  the  decision  is  made,  there  is  a  ripple 
effect:  Science  laboratories  and  instrumentation  must  be  adequate,  library 
holdings  must  be  increased  in  certain  fields,  salaries  may  be  higher  for 
those  whose  schedules  are  reduced,  and  graduate  assistants  and  fellows 
must  be  subsidized.  But  the  rewards  are  beyond  a  mere  price  tag  in  terms 
of  prestige  and  influence.  Those  former  students  who  earned  their  Ph.D.s 
and  Ed.D.s  at  Boston  College  are  now  senior  faculty  members  in  institu- 
tions across  the  country,  superintendents  of  school  systems,  and  research 
scientists.  These  scholars  have  carried  the  name  of  Boston  College  to  the 
highest  levels.''^ 


The  University  Chaplain's  Team 

The  Joyce  years  saw  a  change  in  an  important  aspect  of  student  life.  At  a 
Jesuit  college  or  university,  the  spiritual  formation  of  students  has  a  high 
priority.  In  the  late  sixties  and  early  seventies  the  team  approach  to  campus 
ministry  was  gaining  advocates  at  Catholic  schools  across  the  country. 
Boston  College  was  an  early  convert  to  this  practice. 


Academic  and  Social  Innovations        383 

The  whole  concept  of  a  university  chaplain  was  fairly  new.  For  many 
years,  as  the  four  undergraduate  colleges  grew  and  developed  their  own 
identities,  a  chaplain  was  assigned  to  each  one.  He  was  responsible  for  the 
spiritual  and  personal  counseling  of  his  students  and,  indeed,  was  fre- 
quently an  academic  advisor  as  well.  The  system  had  certain  advantages, 
one  of  which  was  the  frequency  of  personal  contacts.  But  there  was  no 
University  policy,  no  collaboration,  no  coordination,  no  one  person  in 
charge.  This  situation  began  to  change  in  the  1967-1968  year  when  Father 
"Jack"  Gallagher  was  appointed  University  chaplain,  although  chaplains 
were  still  assigned  to  particular  schools. 

Stability,  and  a  new  approach  and  new  style,  came  with  the  appointment 
of  Father  Leo  "Chet"  McDonough  in  1971.  He,  with  the  other  Jesuits 
assigned  to  that  mission,  had  been  expelled  from  Iraq  in  1968.  A  typical 
missionary,  he  was  energetic,  personable,  enthusiastic,  available  to  students, 
and  totally  committed  to  his  apostolate.  He  was  ably  assisted  by  Fathers 
James  Larkin,  "Jack"  Seery,  Frank  Lazetta,  and  James  Halpin,  all  of  whom 
had  formerly  been  assigned  to  a  particular  school.  Father  Halpin,  who  was 
director  of  the  Program  for  the  Study  of  Peace,  led  a  liturgy  every  day  for 
the  students  at  the  Chestnut  Hill  Avenue  apartments  where  he  lived.  These 
four  members  of  the  team  were  unofficially — but  generously — assisted  by 
Fathers  David  Gill  of  the  Classics  Department  and  Frederick  Adelmann  of 
Philosophy. 

As  Father  Halpin  explained,  "The  chaplain  has  to  create  his  office  and 
make  his  presence  felt  on  campus. "''^  It  was  in  this  sense  that  Father 
McDonough  made  a  special  difference.  The  students  of  those  days  will 
always  remember  the  coffee  and  donut  hour  after  the  Saturday  night  liturgy 
at  St.  Joseph's  chapel.  Father  McDonough  said,  "I  am  laughed  at  a  lot  for 


Father  Leo  "Chet"  Mc- 
Donough, head  of  a  team  of 
chaplains  in  the  early  1 970s. 


384        History  of  Boston  College 

this,  but  we  still  manage  to  get  600  people  to  come  together."'"  For  him, 
that  was  the  point.  The  entire  student  body  mourned  the  loss  of  a  good 
friend  when,  in  August  1975,  Father  Chet  McDonough  died  from  a 
persistent  heart  condition. 

Other  Changes  and  Notes  of  Interest 

In  the  second  semester  of  the  1971-1972  academic  year — the  last  six 
months  of  the  Joyce  administration — there  was  movement  on  several  fronts. 
Although  computers  had  been  in  use  for  years  in  banks  and  other  business 
operations,  universities  were  just  beginning  to  realize  their  potential  for 
record  keeping.  At  Boston  College,  the  computer  center — tucked  away  in 
the  basement  of  Gasson — was  fast  becoming  the  nerve  center  of  the 
campus.  Financial,  registration,  and  grade  records,  no  longer  filed  in  steel 
cabinets  in  deans'  offices,  were  now  stored  in  an  IBM  370/145.  (Of  course, 
the  equipment  became  more  sophisticated  as  the  years  went  by.)  Father 
Joseph  Pomeroy,  S.J.,  a  computer  expert,  commuted  daily  from  Holy  Cross 
to  supervise  the  center.  Bernard  Gleason,  a  senior  analyst  at  the  center, 
spent  much  of  his  time  training  staff  in  the  proper  methods  to  retrieve 
information,  and  was  also  occupied  in  devising  defenses  against  the  theft 
of  confidential  information — a  problem  that  has  continued  to  plague  the 
industry.^" 

Computer  keyboards  and  screens,  printers,  and  optical  scanners  have,  in 
recent  years,  become  the  tools  of  publication,  as  the  typewriter  has  become 
a  museum  piece.  To  coordinate  this  vast  endeavor  for  both  established 
professors  and  those  looking  for  recognition,  Charles  Flaherty  ('60)  was 
appointed  director  of  research  administration.  A  man  of  wide  commit- 
ments, Flaherty  is  a  state  representative  from  Cambridge  who  has  also 
served  as  state  Democratic  party  chairman.  In  his  work  as  director,  he 
identifies  sources  for  funding  research  projects,  assists  faculty  members  in 
preparing  their  proposals  for  foundations  or  federal  agencies,  and,  when 
necessary,  negotiates  with  a  possible  sponsor.  As  a  representative  in  the 
Massachusetts  legislature,  he  has  often  been  helpful  in  explaining  and 
interpreting  for  the  administration  education  bills  that  have  been  intro- 
duced to  the  General  Court.  At  the  same  time,  of  course,  he  is  careful  to 
avoid  a  conflict  of  interest  in  discussing  issues  that  might  affect  his  position 
at  Boston  College.  While  not  always  successful  with  proposals  in  Washing- 
ton, Boston  College  did  receive  over  $5  million  in  federal  grants  for 
research  in  1971,  and  better  than  $5.5  miUion  from  all  sources — state, 
local,  private.^^ 

Other  people  were  also  bringing  credit  to  Boston  College.  Two  members 
of  the  alumni  added  episcopal  purple  to  their  maroon  and  gold.  In  February 
1972  Lawrence  J.  Riley  ('36)  and  Joseph  F.  Maguire  ('41)  were  appointed 
auxiliary  bishops  of  Boston  by  Pope  Paul  VI.  Bishop  Riley  had  been  active 


Academic  and  Social  Innovations        385 


Albert  M.  Folkard  ('37)  of  the 
English  Department  was  director 
of  the  honors  program  in  the  Col- 
lege of  Arts  and  Sciences,  1964— 
1981.  In  1980  the  University  de- 
clared Folkard  a  Doctor  of  Hu- 
mane Letters,  honoris  causa. 


in  the  Fulton  Debating  Society;  later  on  he  became  an  eloquent  spokesman 
for  the  Church.  Bishop  Maguire  is  now  the  Ordinary  in  Springfield. 

As  the  semester  came  to  a  close,  a  search  was  under  way  for  a  new  dean 
of  Arts  and  Sciences.  Controversial  in  his  appointment,  Dean  Hughes  was 
again  in  the  news  as  he  left  office.  The  dean's  tenure  was  tied  to  President 
Joyce's  administration;  when  the  president  resigned,  Hughes  rightly  con- 
cluded that  his  mandate  had  ended.  Professor  Thomas  Owens  of  the 
Philosophy  Department  chaired  the  search  committee.  Since  the  search  was 
on  for  a  new  president,  the  committee  decided  to  recommend  an  acting 
dean  in  the  person  of  Father  James  Skehan,  chairman  of  Geology  and 
Geophysics. ^- 

For  some  reason  or  other,  the  professional  schools  always  seemed  to 
escape  the  internal  controversies  that  were  so  easily  generated  within  Arts 
and  Sciences.  In  April,  when  the  campus  grounds  were  beginning  to  recover 
from  the  winter  snows,  the  School  of  Nursing  celebrated  its  25th  anniver- 
sary with  a  day-long  conference.  Many  of  those  present  remembered  the 
early  days  in  1947  when  the  school  occupied  cramped  quarters  at  126 
Newbury  Street.  Despite  the  austerities  of  those  years  before  the  move  to 
Gushing  Hall,  the  school  had  earned  almost  instant  recognition  for  the 
quality  of  its  programs  and  the  dedication  of  its  faculty.  Rita  Kelleher,  in 


386       History  of  Boston  College 

particular,  who  as  dean  had  nurtured  the  school  in  its  infancy,  could  take 
pride  in  the  achievements  of  its  graduates/^ 


Referring  to  the  1972  commencement,  the  Thursday  Reporter  summa- 
rized "Four  Years  of  Change": 

The  men  and  women,  who  this  weekend  will  end  their  careers  as  undergrad- 
uate students  at  Boston  College,  have  lived  through  four  years  unlike  any 
others  in  the  history  of  the  University.  They  arrived  at  the  tail-end  of  the 
rapid  growth  which  transformed  the  campus  from  a  small,  commuter- 
oriented  college  to  a  university  teeming  with  residents,  and  at  the  beginning 
of  years  of  social  unrest  and  financial  strain  which  still  have  not  run  their 
entire  course. 

They  witnessed  the  inauguration  of  a  new  president,  W.  Seavey  Joyce,  S.J., 
and  saw  the  last  year  of  his  term,  experiencing  with  him  all  of  the  traumas 
and  growing  pains  of  an  institution  which  was  only  just  learning  how  to 
manage  its  new  size." 

These  same  students  now  return  to  the  campus  with  fond  memories,  like 
those  who  went  before  them  and  those  who  followed.  There  is,  however,  a 
difference.  They  have  more  to  talk  about. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  This  address  was  later  published  in  pamphlet  form  under  the  title,  "Notes 
Toward  the  Idea  of  a  Catholic  University."  BCA. 

2.  Ibid.,  p.  1. 

3.  Ibid.,  p.  6. 

4.  Ibid.,  p.  n. 

5.  The  Heights  (April  22,  1969)  carried  excerpts  from  Professor  Bruyn's  comments. 

6.  "Notes,"  p.  11. 

7.  The  Heights  (May  6,  1969). 

8.  The  Heights  in  almost  every  weekly  issue  in  1969—1970  reported  the  progress  of 
U.N.C.L.E. 

9.  BCA. 

10.  See  Interim  Report,  p.  5. 

11.  Ibid. 

12.  Ibid. 

13.  EPC,  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  Annual  Report,  1969-1970,  p.  5.  BCA. 

14.  Report  of  Curriculum  Committee  of  SOM  to  U.N.C.L.E.  Report  of  April  27, 
1970  and  June  10,  1970.  BCA. 

15.  Ibid. 

16.  Ibid. 

17.  Ibid. 

18.  Minutes,  EPC  meeting,  A&S,  May  12,  1969. 

19.  The  report  is  found  in  the  archives. 

20.  It  should  be  remembered  that  Boston  College  already  had  a  "core,"  but  not  as 
well  defined  as  the  one  that  replaced  it. 

21.  BCA. 

22.  BCA. 


Academic  and  Social  Innovations        387 

23.  For  an  excellent  account  of  the  UAS  action,  see  Bridge  {Summer  1971). 

24.  Ibid.  (March  1971). 

25.  Minutes,  Board  of  Directors  Meeting,  April  23  and  24,  1971;  also,  June  18  and 
19,  1971.  Botolph  House  file. 

26.  /i)Z(f.,Junel8and  19,  1971. 

27.  Memo  from  John  L.  Mahoney  to  All  Members  of  UAPC.  Subject:  Core  Curricu- 
lum, September  11,  1974.  BCA. 

28.  See  Biweekly  {May  1986). 

29.  SMfcTMrn{1986),  p.  268. 

30.  For  the  early  history  of  Pulse  see  "First  Annual  Report,"  November  2,  1970. 
BCA. 

31.  See  "Joseph  Flanagan,  S.J.,  Attracts  National  Notice  for  His  Teaching."  Biweekly 
(April  24,  1986).  The  article  draws  attention  to  Father  Flanagan's  work  in 
Perspectives  and  Pulse. 

32.  "An  Informal  Report  on  the  Boston  College-South  Boston  Tutoring  Project,"  by 
John  Savage.  BCA. 

33.  Ibid. 

34.  Minutes,  UAS  Committee  on  Curriculum  and  Educational  Policy,  November  18, 
1971. 

35.  Father  Donovan  to  R.  O'Malley,  December  29,  1971. 

36.  Memo  from  R.  O'Malley  to  Curriculum  and  Educational  Policy  Committee, 
January  13,  1972. 

37.  Memo  from  R.  O'Malley  to  Curriculum  and  Educational  Policy  Committee, 
February  22,  1972. 

38.  Weston  M.  Jenks  to  Father  Donovan,  March  21,  1972. 

39.  Heinz  Bluhm  to  W.  Seavey  Joyce,  June  14,  1971.  Annual  Report.  BCA. 

40.  R.  E.  Hughes  to  Michael  P.  Walsh,  November  7,  1961 .  BCA. 

41.  "Discussion  of  Proposed  Ph.D.  Program,  1957-1958."  BCA. 

42.  "The  Ph.D.  in  English."  A  Report,  May  1969.  BCA. 

43.  Ibid. 

44.  Father  Joyce  to  R.  E.  Hughes,  February  4,  1969.  BCA. 

45.  Ibid. 

46.  For  a  good  description  of  the  political  science  doctoral  program  see  Bridge 
(Summer  1971). 

47.  As  further  recognition  of  Boston  College's  contribution  to  higher  education. 
Graduate  School  Dean  Donald  J.  White  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  Council  of 
Graduate  Schools  in  the  United  States.  Significant  doctoral  programs  mounted  by 
the  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work,  the  School  of  Nursing,  and  the  Graduate 
School  of  Management  will  be  mentioned  later. 

48.  See  "Campus  Ministry:  The  Team  Approach,"  Bridge  (February  1972).  There 
was  also  provision  for  ministry  for  non-Catholics  and  Jews. 

49.  Ibid. 

50.  Thursday  Reporter  (February  10,  1972). 

51.  "The  Three  Lives  of  Charlie  Flaherty,"  Bridge  (April  1972). 

52.  See  Thursday  Reporter  (February  3,  1972;  April  20,  1972). 

53.  Bridge  (June  1972);  Thursday  Reporter  (April  20,  1972). 

54.  June  2,  1972. 


CHAPTER 


33 


An  Overview  of  the  Joyce  Era 


Although  the  Joyce  administration  was  beset  by  daunting  financial  prob- 
lems, a  surprising  amount  of  construction  planning,  renovation,  and  build- 
ing took  place.  Several  projects  carried  over  from  the  previous  administra- 
tion. The  finishing  touches  were  being  put  on  McGuinn  Hall  in  the  summer 
of  1968,  and  the  building  opened  in  the  fall.  Higgins  Hall  had  been 
completed  in  1966  and  became  home  to  the  Biology  and  Physics  depart- 
ments, which  moved  from  Devlin. 


Renovation  and  Conversion 

Devlin  Hall,  the  original  science  building,  was  in  need  of  major  renovation 
to  give  enlarged  facifities  to  the  Chemistry  Department  and  the  Geology 
and  Geophysics  Department  and  to  accommodate  a  science  library.  Plans 
were  drawn  and  the  cost  estimated  at  about  $2.4  million.  Before  a  contract 
was  signed,  Father  Joyce's  appointment  to  succeed  Father  Walsh  was 
announced.  When  Father  Joyce  was  consulted,  he  agreed  that  the  project 
should  go  forward.'  The  renovation  and  modernization  of  Devlin  Hall — a 
massive  undertaking — was  completed  in  the  summer  of  1969. 

Other  significant  renovations  took  place  as  well.  In  the  spirit  of  Vatican 
Council  II,  St.  Joseph's  chapel  in  Gonzaga  Hall  was  redone  to  create  a 

388 


An  Overview  of  the  Joyce  Era        389 

more  intimate  arrangement  of  altar  and  benches  to  reflect  the  closer 
relationship  of  congregation  and  priest  in  celebrating  the  eucharistic  ht- 
urgy.  At  the  same  time,  however,  there  was  a  change  in  the  time-honored 
tradition  of  no  class  on  holy  days  of  obligation.  In  1970  only  the  civil 
holidays  were  recognized  as  legitimate  interruptions  of  the  academic  pro- 
gram— which  prompted  some  to  ask  if  the  University  was  becoming  too 
secular. 

The  Bapst  auditorium,  which  had  been  the  scene  of  so  many  liturgical 
and  academic  functions,  was  converted  into  stack  space.  Even  a  superficial 
survey  of  Bapst,  which  had  been  dedicated  in  1928,  revealed  the  inadequa- 
cies of  this  building.  Designed  for  a  student  body  of  1200,  at  this  time  it 
was  expected  to  serve  8000.  Among  other  deficiencies,  there  was  no  space 
for  further  book  acquisitions. 

The  decision  for  conversion  to  stack  space  was  made  final  in  September 
1969,  and  the  contract  was  given  to  John  Bowen  Building  Contractors.  The 
second  floor  (auditorium)  was  refashioned  into  a  double  stack  section  with 
a  mezzanine  (a  second  deck)  similar  to  the  first  floor.  This  new  facility 
provided  shelving  for  190,000  volumes  and  70  new  carrels  along  the  walls 
for  individual  study.  Done  at  a  cost  of  $170,000,  the  conversion  was 
completed  for  use  in  January  1970.- 

Provision  of  housing  for  resident  students  seems  to  have  been  a  perennial 
problem  for  Boston  College  in  the  decades  after  World  War  II,  but  in  the 
Joyce  era  the  phrase  "housing  crisis"  expressed  a  pressing  emergency.  In 
1966  Father  Walsh  had  the  architectural  firm  of  Sasaki  Associates  do  a 
development  and  feasibility  study  of  the  lower  campus,  with  emphasis  on 
dormitories.^  On  Lactate  Sunday  1969,  Father  Joyce  announced  to  the 
alumni  that  ground  would  soon  be  broken  for  twin  towers,  Boston  Col- 
lege's first  venture  in  high-rise  residences,  on  the  former  reservoir  behind 
Alumni  Hall."*  But  a  month  later  it  was  announced  that  plans  for  the  22- 
story  dormitory  had  to  be  scrapped  because  of  engineering  and  financial 
problems  (the  interest  rates  for  construction  loans  were  too  high). 

An  interim  solution  to  the  housing  problem  was  the  purchase  of  a 
number  of  apartment  properties  on  South  Street  which  provided  344  beds. 
Extensive  renovation  was  involved.  The  cost  of  the  property  and  improve- 
ments was  $1.4  million.  These  apartments,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Greychff  dormitory,  were  sold  in  1981.^ 

Other  Remedies  for  the  Housing  Crisis 

The  1969-1970  academic  year  was  notable  for  a  desperate  remedy  for  the 
housing  crisis.  The  large  Jesuit  house  of  studies  in  Weston  had  been  partially 
vacated  when  the  Jesuit  theologate  was  moved  to  Cambridge.  Arrangements 
were  made  to  house  99  freshman  men  and  four  prefects  in  one  wing  of  the 
great  building  in  Weston.  The  students  were  transported  to  and  from 


390       History  of  Boston  College 

"Weston  by  bus.  The  frisky  freshmen,  however,  were  not  compatible  neigh- 
bors for  the  Jesuit  fathers  resident  at  Weston,  some  of  whom  were  infirm. 
A  number  of  pranks  caused  tensions,  but  the  final  straw  was  a  fire  set  in  a 
former  science  laboratory  in  the  basement  early  in  December.  The  best 
solution  seemed  to  be  to  evacuate  the  students  at  once  and  send  them  home 
for  Christmas  vacation,  with  examinations  postponed.  During  the  vacation 
makeshift  accommodations  for  second  semester  were  found  in  upper 
campus  residences — in  prefects'  rooms,  study  halls,  lounges,  kitchens,  and 
chapels.*^ 

In  the  spring  of  1970  overtures  were  made  for  the  purchase  of  the 
Somerset  Hotel  in  Kenmore  Square.  According  to  a  press  release  (April  16, 
1970),  the  University  was  prepared  to  make  payments  to  the  City  of  Boston 
in  lieu  of  taxes.  An  attractive  feature  of  the  hotel,  according  to  the  release, 
was  the  350-car  garage  that  would  provide  parking  for  the  resident  students 
and  supervisory  staff.  It  was  thought  that  junior  and  senior  students  would 
be  assigned  to  the  Kenmore  Square  residence.  However,  the  city  objected 
to  the  proposed  purchase  and  the  project  was  abandoned. 

In  subsequent  months  a  much  more  promising  housing  acquisition  was 
pursued:  The  Towne  Estates  in  Brighton  were  for  sale.  Acquisition  of  these 
apartments  so  close  to  the  campus  would  have  been  a  giant  step  toward 
solving  the  University's  housing  problems.  The  purchase  price  of  $8  miUion 
was  a  pleasant  contrast  to  the  estimated  $25  million  for  the  abandoned 
plan  for  twin  towers.^  Boston  Mayor  Kevin  White  led  opposition  to  the 


The  popular  modular  apartments,  known  as  the  "mods,"  were  erected  in  the 
summer  and  fall  of  1 970. 


An  Overview  of  the  Joyce  Era        391 

Boston  College  plan.  On  July  21  in  a  City  Hall  hearing  room,  the  Board  of 
Appeals  received  opinions  on  the  Boston  College  proposal.  Father  Joyce 
made  a  lengthy  and  eloquent  presentation  of  the  University's  housing  needs, 
stating  that  Boston  College's  survival  as  a  major  educational  institution 
depended  upon  the  Board's  approval.  Through  the  manager  of  the  AUston- 
Brighton  Little  City  Hall,  however,  Mayor  White  urged  the  board  to  reject 
the  Boston  College  plan.  Not  unexpectedly,  the  mayor  prevailed. 

While  these  negotiations  were  in  progress,  the  University  had  engaged 
the  architectural  firm  of  Hugh  Stubbins  and  Associates  to  draw  plans  to 
accommodate  500  students  in  mobile  homes  on  the  "Lawrence  Basin"  (the 
land  made  by  filling  the  small  reservoir). ^  But  the  architect  found  that  there 
was  not  enough  space  for  a  sufficient  number  of  mobile  units,  so  the  best 
alternative  seemed  to  be  a  two-story,  duplex-type  modular  construction. 
The  proposed  construction  was  in  the  City  of  Boston,  and  this  time  it 
proceeded  with  the  mayor's  blessing.  The  "mods,"  as  the  residences  came 
to  be  known,  were  shipped  in  halves  on  flatbed  trucks  by  the  manufacturer. 
Arbor  Homes,  Inc.,  from  Waterbury,  Connecticut.  Ground  was  broken  on 
August  25,  1970.  Forty-three  modular  apartments  were  erected  to  house 
516  students.  The  project  proceeded  through  the  first  semester.'  This 
construction  was  financed  initially  by  a  bank  loan  of  $2.4  million.  In  1974 
the  loan  balance  was  refinanced  on  more  favorable  terms  with  the  Massa- 
chusetts Health  and  Educational  Facilities  Authority.'" 

In  September  1970  some  500  students  were  placed  temporarily  in 
apartments  in  Brighton  and  motels  scattered  from  Brighton  to  the  Route 
128  Holiday  Inn.  They  were  moved  to  campus  on  a  weekly  basis  as  the 
new  modular  apartments  became  available,  with  full  occupancy  of  the  new 
campus  facilities  by  Christmas.  Another  200  students  started  the  academic 
year  living  in  the  Howard  Johnson's  Motel  at  Newton  Corner.  Also  starting 
in  September  1970  and  continuing  for  two  years,  the  University  leased  25 
apartments  in  Byron  Village  on  Lagrange  Street  in  Newton,  which  accom- 
modated 84  students. 

Growth  of  the  resident  student  population  on  the  upper  campus  created 
the  need  for  some  kind  of  commons  for  entertainment  and  social  activities. 
Although  O'Connell  Hall  seemed  ideal  for  this  purpose,  it  was  housing  82 
students.  Plans  therefore  were  made  to  construct  small  townhouses  near 
Tudor  Road  to  accommodate  the  students  from  O'Connell.  Known  origi- 
nally as  the  Townhouses  and  later  as  Medeiros  Townhouses,  these  buildings 
were  designed  by  architect  Hugh  Stubbins.  The  cost  of  construction  was 
$948,000,  financed  partly  with  a  HUD  loan  at  3  percent  for  $710,000  and 
partly  from  internal  University  resources.  The  new  facilities,  completed  in 
1971,  provided  98  beds." 

A  more  permanent  solution  to  the  housing  problem  was  undertaken  in 
what  turned  out  to  be  Father  Joyce's  last  year  as  president.  At  its  December 
1971  meeting,  the  Board  of  Directors  authorized  the  Flatley  Construction 


392        History  of  Boston  College 


The  Medeiros  townhouses  were  completed  in  1 971  on  the  upper  campus. 


Corporation  to  build  four  mid-rise  dormitories  behind  St.  Mary's  Hall, 
with  an  eventual  capacity  for  724  students. ^^  Approval  for  this  project  was 
given  by  the  City  of  Newton  in  March  1972. 


First  Steps  Toward  a  Recreation  Complex 

The  only  nonresidential  construction  during  the  Joyce  presidency  was  the 
first  phase  of  the  recreation  complex.  For  years  the  students  had  lacked 
facilities  for  games  and  exercise.  Indeed  it  is  a  tribute  to  the  forbearance  of 
the  resident  students  that,  especially  during  the  1950s  and  1960s,  there 
were  not  outbursts  of  animal  spirits  due  to  the  absence  of  an  outlet  for 
physical  activity.  The  closest  the  students  came  to  mounting  a  protest  was 
an  announcement  in  an  April  Fool  issue  of  The  Heights  in  1969,  wherein 
they  had  Father  Joyce  proclaiming  a  $4  million  athletic  complex. 

But  the  following  fall  William  Flynn,  director  of  athletics,  proposed  a 
multipurpose  athletic  facility  and  field  house  that  would  be  a  bubble 
construction.'^  Flynn  was  told  there  were  no  University  funds  for  such  an 
undertaking.  He  proposed  to  the  undergraduate  students  that  they  make 
an  annual  $25  contribution  toward  an  athletic  facility.  The  issue  was  put 
to  the  student  body  at  the  time  of  student  elections  in  early  1971.  Close  to 
80  percent  of  the  students  voting  approved  the  special  fee. 

Flynn  discovered  that  Daniel  TuUy  could  provide  a  structure  in  the  shape 
of  a  hyperbolic  paraboloid  which  would  give  more  style  and  permanence 


An  Overview  of  the  Joyce  Era        393 

than  the  proposed  double  bubble.  TuUy  designed  and  engineered  the 
building,  and  it  was  constructed  by  Creative  Building  Systems  of  Melrose, 
Massachusetts,  at  a  cost  of  $1.6  million.  The  initial  part  of  the  ultimately 
much-expanded  complex  was  dedicated  in  March  of  1972. i" 

Two  Opinion  Polls 

Father  Joyce  authorized  two  professional  studies  of  opinion  about  Boston 
College  known  as  the  Becker  Report  and  the  John  Price  Jones  Report.  The 
Becker  Research  Corporation  of  Cambridge  did  an  in-depth  interview  of 
343  alumni  in  December  1969  and  January  1970.  Of  this  group  294  were 
from  a  representative  sample  of  all  Boston  College  alumni  and  49  were 
from  a  group  of  influential  alumni  considered  close  to  the  University.'^  The 
Becker  Report  was  published  in  April  1970.  It  should  be  noted  that  the 
interviews  on  which  the  report  was  based  took  place  some  months  before 
the  student  strike  of  1970.  The  most  significant  conclusion  of  the  research- 
ers was  that,  to  a  considerable  extent,  the  alumni  constituted  at  that  time  a 
benign  but  uninformed  and  largely  unexploited  potential,  and  that  much 
improved  communication  with  the  alumni  was  needed."^ 

Some  individual  findings  were  that  the  majority  (92  percent)  had  positive 
feelings  about  Boston  College.  They  rated  its  academic  excellence  as  high, 
and  they  had  enjoyed  their  undergraduate  experience  (especially  the  older 


William  J.  Flynn  ('39),  director  of 
athletics  since  1 957,  has  actively 
promoted  athletics  for  young  people. 


394        History  of  Boston  College 

graduates).  Consistently,  the  better-informed  alumni  tended  to  be  more 
favorable.  Open  hostility  was  marginal  and  sprang  mainly  from  older 
alumni  who  were  alienated  by  the  disappearance  of  cherished  traditions  of 
discipline,  Jesuit  influence,  and  CathoHc  orientation  and  by  the  perceived 
indulgence  of  radical  youth. '^  Noteworthy  minority — and,  in  some  cases, 
majority — opposition  was  registered  against  such  things  as  free  class  atten- 
dance, tolerance  of  hippie  dress  and  hair  style  and  liquor  in  rooms,  and  a 
campus  office  for  Students  for  a  Democratic  Society  (SDS).  The  strongest 
opposition  (68  percent)  was  to  unlimited  freedom  of  the  press;  even  4  in 
10  among  most-recent  graduates  opposed  this.'^ 

The  alumni  wanted  the  University  to  do  even  more  to  build  quality 
education,''  but  at  the  same  time  they  insisted  that  more  should  be  done 
for  the  average  student.-°  While  placing  top  priority  on  the  need  for  a  new 
library,  respondents  had  other  funding  interests  in  addition  to  further 
capital  construction — namely,  endowments  for  scholarships,  faculty  sala- 
ries, and  fellowships.-'  The  alumni  as  a  whole  did  not  place  a  very  high 
priority  on  unbeaten  football  seasons  and  bowl  games.  Less  than  a  third 
felt  that  the  University  should  put  great  emphasis  on  varsity  football.-^ 

In  November  1971  the  John  Price  Jones  Company  of  New  York  submit- 
ted to  the  Board  of  Directors  a  study  of  the  development  potentials  of 
Boston  College  which  had  been  prepared  over  the  preceding  six  months.-^ 
Preparation  for  the  report  had  included  interviews  with  trustees,  directors, 
administrators,  faculty,  students,  alumni,  parents,  foundation  and  corpo- 
rate executives,  members  of  the  President's  Council,  educators,  government 
officials,  and  churchmen.  The  "bottom  line,"  as  the  saying  goes,  was 
positive:  "All  of  the  information  acquired  in  this  study  has  convinced  us 
that  Boston  College  has  a  latent,  'dammed  up'  potential  which  is  more 
than  adequate  for  its  future  needs.  .  .  ."^•'  Much  sound  development  advice 
was  given  in  the  report,  most  of  which  has  been  put  into  operation  in 
subsequent  years.  One  last  piece  of  advice  may  be  taken  as  a  general 
summary  of  the  thrust  of  the  report.  "Boston  College  stands  on  a  tempo- 
rary plateau  from  which  it  can  go  up  or  down.  The  re-establishment  of 
credibihty  in  its  Christian  and  fiscal  integrity  will  provide  an  upward  thrust 
which  will  place  it  in  the  forefront  of  American  Universities."^^ 

Presidential  leadership  was  assessed  in  the  report.  Father  Joyce's  creden- 
tials were  presented  most  favorably: 

Father  W.  Seavey  Joyce,  the  23rd  President  of  Boston  College,  brought  a 
wealth  of  experience  to  the  post.  He  is  one  of  the  few  Jesuit  administrators 
in  the  country  who  includes  both  a  distinguished  academic  record  and  key 
leadership  in  the  surrounding  community  as  parts  of  his  credentials.  The 
College  of  Business  Administration  flourished  under  his  leadership,  and  he  is 
well-known  to  all  major  Boston  executives  for  his  role  in  the  Citizen  Semi- 
nars." 

But,  perhaps  inevitably,  many  who  were  dissatisfied  with  the  way  things 


An  Overview  of  the  Joyce  Era        395 


James  A.  Woods,  S.J.,  dean  of  the 
Evening  College  since  1 968  and 
dean  of  the  Summer  Session  since 
1983. 

were  going  at  the  University  tended  to  lay  much  of  the  blame  upon  the 
president.  As  the  report  puts  it: 

There  was  universal  appreciation  that  the  times,  economic  and  social,  are 
turbulent  and  that  Father  Joyce  may  have  inherited  more  problems  than  is 
generally  recognized. 

However,  among  alumni,  faculty,  administration,  and  the  Jesuit  Commu- 
nity, there  was  almost  universal  disapproval  of  the  manner  in  which  Univer- 
sity problems  have  been  handled.  The  financial  situation,  "administrative 
permissiveness,"  the  decline  of  Catholicity  and  "the  Jesuit  presence" — all 
were  mentioned  repeatedly  in  the  interviews. ^^ 

The  perception  that  vocal  minorities  were  unduly  influencing  University 
decisions  was  expressed  by  faculty  who  claimed  that  the  majority  mood  of 
both  students  and  faculty  did  not  require  the  decision  to  remove  the  ROTC 
unit  from  the  campus.^' 

Administrative  Changes 

As  can  be  seen  from  the  Becker  and  John  Price  Jones  reports,  there  was 
some  vocal  opposition  to  the  administration,  and  at  times  Father  Joyce 
suffered  unnerving  manifestations  of  it.  In  the  fall  of  1970  rumors  surfaced 
to  the  effect  that  the  Joyce  presidency  was  in  peril  with  the  trustees.^'  The 
matter  was  serious  enough  that  after  the  trustees'  meeting  of  December  20, 
a  press  conference  was  held  the  next  day  at  which  the  chairman  of  the 
board,  Father  Joseph  Shea,  announced  that  the  trustees  had  recommended 
certain  changes  in  the  structure  of  the  administrative  office  of  the  president 
to  strengthen  it,  particularly  in  the  areas  of  development,  finance,  and 


396        History  of  Boston  College 

communication.^"  It  was  perhaps  unfortunate  that  at  this  press  conference 
it  was  also  announced  that  as  of  January  1,  1971,  Father  Francis  Nicholson 
would  succeed  Father  Joyce  as  rector  of  the  Jesuit  Community.  Although 
Father  Shea  made  it  clear  that  a  number  of  other  Jesuit  presidents  were 
being  relieved  of  the  duties  of  rector  and  that  this  change  at  Boston  College 
had  been  in  the  making  for  some  time,  the  timing  of  the  change  was  misread 
by  some  as  a  reflection  on  the  president's  leadership. 

One  of  the  changes  in  the  structure  of  the  president's  office  had  to  do 
with  the  executive  vice  president.  Father  Francis  X.  Shea.  Father  Shea  had 
been  a  controversial  administrator.  While  no  announcement  was  made 
about  the  elimination  of  his  position,  rumors  arose  to  the  effect  that  he  had 
been  asked  to  resign. ^'  The  actual  situation  was  stated  by  Father  Joyce  in 
writing  letters  of  recommendation  for  Father  Shea  for  several  college 
presidencies:  "Since  many  of  the  functions  which  he  originally  performed 
[as  executive  vice-president]  have  been  essentially  phased  out  by  the  Board 
of  Directors,  Father  Shea  is  very  much  interested  in  applying  his  academic 
ideas  and  programs  at  the  highest  administrative  levels  at  other  universities 
which  offer  challenging  opportunities."^^  Father  Shea  had  no  administrative 
function  in  the  spring  semester  of  1971.  He  submitted  his  resignation  as 
executive  vice  president  on  July  8,  the  day  after  his  appointment  as 
president  of  St.  Scholastica  College  in  Duluth.^^ 


Francis  J.  Nicholson,  S.J. 
('42),  of  the  Law  School 
faculty,  first  rector  of  Bos- 
ton College  Jesuits  after 
separation  of  the  offices  of 
rector  and  president. 


An  Overview  of  the  Joyce  Era        397 


Genesis  of  the  Priorities  Committee 


There  was  some  supportive  student  reaction  to  rumors  of  Father  Joyce's 
departure.  The  Boston  Herald  account  of  the  press  conference  mentioned 
above  noted  that  Mark  Shanahan,  a  senior  "who  identified  himself  as  a 
leader  of  campus  leftists,"  said  that  he  had  organized  a  movement  in 
support  of  Father  Joyce  and  that  500  students  had  signed  the  endorsement.^'' 
In  an  interview  with  The  Heights  concerning  the  same  press  conference,  it 
was  significant  that  Father  Joyce  said,  "I  think  the  faculty  are  worried  about 
the  academic  priorities.""  The  significance  was  that  shortly  thereafter, 
Father  Joyce  established  a  Committee  on  University  Priorities  that  came  to 
be  known  simply  as  the  Priorities  Committee.  A  small  body  with  a  wide- 
ranging  commission,  membership  included  Robert  Anzenberger  ('72),  Paul 
August  ('73),  Professor  P.  Albert  Duhamel  of  the  English  Department,  Rev. 
Charles  Donovan,  S.J.,  dean  of  faculties  (chairman),  Rev.  Donald  MacLean, 
S.J.,  of  the  Chemistry  Department  (who  replaced  Professor  Robert  O'Mal- 
ley  of  the  Chemistry  Department  in  June  when  the  latter  became  ill). 
Professor  Richard  Maffei  of  the  School  of  Management,  Rev.  Thomas 
O'Malley,  S.J.,  of  the  Classics  Department,  and  Professor  Donald  White  of 
the  Economics  Department.  An  indication  of  how  seriously  the  work  of  the 
Priorities  Committee  was  taken  is  that  when  Professor  White  was  named 
dean  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Arts  and  Sciences  to  replace  Samuel 
Aronoff,  who  resigned  at  the  end  of  the  1970-1971  academic  year,  the 
effective  date  of  Professor  White's  assumption  of  office  was  after  the 
submission  of  the  Priorities  Committee  report,  with  Father  Walter  Feeney 
in  the  role  of  acting  dean  until  that  time. 

The  Priorities  Committee  consulted  widely  and  met  often.  As  things 
turned  out,  however,  its  effectiveness  was  probably  more  a  matter  of 
sustaining  community  morale  during  its  deliberations  than  in  the  impact  of 
its  report,  which  Father  Joyce  had  published  in  full  (23  pages)  in  the 
February  17,  1971,  issue  of  the  Thursday  Reporter.  Since  Father  Joyce  had 
submitted  his  resignation  the  month  before,  it  was  clear  that  a  new 
administration  would  be  addressing  the  issues  raised  by  the  Priorities 
Committee.  The  Priorities  Committee  report  became  a  springboard  for  two 
important  committees,  one  on  finance  and  one  on  academics,  that  Father 
Monan  established  in  the  early  months  of  his  presidency. 

A  few  of  the  concrete  recommendations  of  the  Priorities  Committee  were 
implemented  at  once — for  example,  closing  of  the  Institute  of  Human 
Sciences,  phasing  out  of  doctoral  programs  in  Italian  and  German  studies, 
and  centralization  of  registration  functions.  In  some  respects  the  Priorities 
Committee  was  understandably  reacting  to  the  traumas  of  the  strike  era — 
for  instance,  in  its  emphasis  on  judicial  systems  and  the  building  of 
community.  The  Priorities  Committee  was  the  first  nonfinance  body  to 
study  University  finances.  It  did  so  in  depth,  and  this  may  have  been  one  of 
its  major  contributions  inasmuch  as  committee  member  Dean  Donald 


398        History  of  Boston  College 


John  R.  Smith,  financial 
vice  president  and  treas- 
urer. 


White  was  drafted  by  Father  J.  Donald  Monan  to  head  his  first  major 
committee,  on  financial  planning,  shortly  after  assuming  the  presidency  in 
1972. 


Addressing  the  Fiscal  Situation 

Several  of  Father  Joyce's  key  appointments  were  made  with  an  eye  to 
turning  around  the  fiscal  situation  of  the  University.  During  his  second  year 
in  office  he  persuaded  the  dean  of  the  Law  School,  Father  Robert  Drinan, 
to  assume  the  new  office  of  vice  president  and  provost,  which  had  as  its 
responsibility  leadership  in  development,  pubhc  relations,  and  alumni 
relations.  It  was  felt  that  Father  Drinan's  national  visibility  and  personal 
dynamism  would  energize  a  new  development  movement.  How  this  ar- 
rangement would  have  prospered  was  never  known,  for  Father  Drinan  left 
Boston  College  to  run  for,  and  win,  a  seat  in  Congress.  His  replacement  as 
dean  of  the  Law  School  was  Richard  Huber,  who  had  been  a  member  of 


An  Overview  of  the  Joyce  Era        399 

the  Law  School  faculty  since  1957.  During  his  15  years  as  dean,  Huber  was 
to  bring  the  Law  School  to  maturity.  During  the  early  and  sometimes 
turbulent  days  of  the  University  Academic  Senate  (UAS),  Ruber's  was  an 
influential  voice  of  reason. 

A  significant  recruit  to  the  Joyce  administration  was  John  R.  Smith,  who 
became  financial  vice  president  in  December  1970.  Smith  had  held  top 
budgeting  and  management  positions  with  the  Raytheon  Company  and 
Bendix  Aviation  Corporation.  With  support  from  the  Board  of  Directors, 
he  was  able  to  effect  a  positive  turnaround  of  the  financial  situation  of  the 
University  in  a  relatively  short  period.  The  financial  vice  president  was 
chairman  of  the  University  Budget  Committee,  which  in  the  aftermath  of 
the  strike  included  two  faculty  and  two  student  members,  along  with 
leading  administrators.  With  a  happy  combination  of  openness  and  humor. 
Smith  has  led  the  Budget  Committee  through  its  annual  struggles  and 
developed  it  into  an  important  instrument  in  promoting  University  policy. 


THREE  APPOINTMENTS  TO  DEAN 

Upon  the  retirement  of  Dean  Donald  Donley  of  the  School  of  Education, 
Lester  Przewlocki  was  appointed  successor  in  1970.  Dean  Przewlocki  was 
one  of  several  School  of  Education  faculty  to  have  earned  a  doctorate  at  the 
University  of  Chicago.  He  had  served  as  a  public  school  administrator  in 
the  Chicago  area  before  moving  to  Chestnut  Hill.  When  Father  John  V. 
Driscoll  chose  to  move  to  other  professional  work  in  1971,  the  deanship  of 
the  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work  was  assumed  by  Edmund  Burke,  a 
graduate  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work  in  1956,  who  had  joined 
the  faculty  in  1967.  After  the  death  of  Dean  Margaret  Foley  in  1970,  Eleanor 
Voorhies  of  the  School  of  Nursing  faculty  served  as  acting  dean  until  the 
appointment  of  Mary  Dineen  in  1972.  Coming  from  a  prestigious  career 
with  the  National  League  for  Nursing,  Dean  Dineen  was  to  give  the  School 
of  Nursing  14  years  of  assured  professional  leadership. 


Mary  Dineen,  dean  of  the  School  of 
Nursing,  1972-1986. 


400        History  of  Boston  College 

The  Joyce  Administration  Draws  to  a  Close 

The  first  semester  of  the  1971—1972  academic  year  seemed  somewhat 
upbeat  for  the  Joyce  administration.  While  protests  of  mihtary  recruiting 
were  still  threatened  and  relations  with  The  Heights  remained  strained,  the 
financial  posture  of  the  University  was  much  improved.  The  completion  of 
the  modular  apartments  had  alleviated  the  most  pressing  residential  crisis, 
a  glamorous  recreational  facility  was  under  construction,  a  new  core 
curriculum  was  in  place,  and  the  work  of  the  Priorities  Committee  was 
coming  to  a  conclusion.  Perhaps  with  these  positive  developments  in  mind 
the  president  addressed  an  optimistic  letter  to  the  Students  of  Boston 
College  in  September.  Characterizing  the  academic  year  1970-1971  as  "a 
very  difficult  one,"  he  noted  their  intense  involvement  in  University  affairs 
and  their  "moral  outrage  at  the  evils  of  society,"  which  "were  replaced  by 
a  sense  of  frustration  and  a  year  of  student  apathy."  But,  he  wrote 
cheerfully,  "all  that  is  behind  us  now."^*  However,  Father  Joyce  was  more 
optimistic  than  the  times  or  circumstances  warranted.  The  Heights  staff 
had  just  been  evicted  from  their  campus  office  in  McElroy  and  the  editorials 
were  bitter;  Timothy  Anderson,  UGBC  president,  was  calling  for  the 
abolition  of  the  core  program,  the  abolition  of  tenure,  the  reinstatement  of 
The  Heights,  and  the  adoption  of  a  new  judicial  code  for  campus  offenses.^^ 
Unfortunately,  the  president  was  never  able,  even  in  his  last  year,  to  capture 
the  high  ground;  in  fact,  a  September  1971  issue  of  The  Heights  featured 
an  article  that  had  appeared  in  Boston  After  Dark  which  predicted  the 
president's  ouster.  The  prediction,  though  at  the  time  a  mere  speculation, 
was  correct  as  regarded  the  length  of  Father  Joyce's  term  in  office.  On 
January  7,  1972,  Father  Joyce  submitted  his  resignation,  effective  at  the 
end  of  the  academic  year  or  upon  the  naming  of  a  successor. 

The  esteem  in  which  Father  Joyce  was  held  in  the  Greater  Boston 
Community  was  reflected  in  the  page  one  editorial  that  appeared  in  the 
Boston  Globe  on  January  24,  1972,  entitled  "Father  Joyce  Steps  Down." 
The  thirteen  paragraphs  of  the  editorial  enumerated  the  major  problems 
Father  Joyce  had  faced — finances,  the  Daly  case,  the  tuition  strike,  and 
conflict  with  the  student  newspaper.  Its  effort  to  put  these  in  perspective  is 
quoted  in  part: 

The  role  of  the  college  president  in  recent  years  has  been  much  like  that  of  a 
bullfighter — exciting,  certainly,  and  perhaps  even  ennobling  at  times,  but 
fraught  with  possibilities  for  conscious  pain  and  suffering. 

This,  plainly  has  been  the  case  with  the  Very  Rev.  W.  Seavey  Joyce,  S.J.,  a 
modest,  earnest  scholar  whose  presidency  of  Jesuit-run  Boston  College  will 
close  when  his  resignation  becomes  effective  at  the  end  of  the  current 
academic  year. 

An  economic  historian,  Father  Joyce  was  inaugurated  in  October  1968.  He 
brought  to  his  new  tasks  a  distinguished  background  in  urban  affairs,  both 
academic  and  actual. 


An  Overview  of  the  Joyce  Era       401 

He  became  president  of  B.C.  at  a  time  when  campus  turmoil  was  at  or 
near  its  peak  around  the  nation,  and  almost  from  the  start  faced  a  crossfire 
of  claims  and  pressures  from  students,  faculty,  alumni,  and  the  virtually  all- 
powerful  trustees,  the  latter  being  a  self-perpetuating  body  of  ten  Jesuits. 

But  amid  all  the  Sturm  und  Drang,  there  has  been  significant  progress,  for 
which  Fr.  Joyce  deserves  immense  credit.  The  financial  situation,  desperate 
two  years  ago,  has  been  turned  around.  A  broadening  of  the  base  of  university 
control  is  planned,  with  laymen  sharing  authority  with  the  Jesuits.  Doctoral 
programs  have  been  established  in  a  number  of  areas. 

As  Father  Joyce  departs,  bearing  the  scars  of  his  struggles,  the  good  wishes 
of  all  ought  to  accompany  him.  It  is  fair  to  say  that  he  has  faced  up  to  the 
tasks  assigned  him  with  great  patience,  strength,  and  dedication.  No  more 
could  be  asked  of  any  man. 

A  President  Not  a  Rector 

For  the  first  time  in  Boston  College's  history,  a  president  was  to  be 
appointed  who  was  not  rector  of  the  Jesuit  Community.  The  trustees 
announced  {Bridge,  February  1972)  that  an  11-member  search  committee 
would  be  established,  comprised  of  two  trustees,  two  directors,  one  alum- 
nus, one  administrator,  three  faculty  members,  and  two  students.  The 
faculty  and  student  members  were  to  be  chosen  by  the  respective  UAS 
caucuses.  The  mandate  of  the  committee  was  to  submit  five  candidates  to 
the  trustees.'**  Father  James  Devlin  of  the  Boston  College  staff  and  Father 
William  O'Halloran,  rector  of  the  Jesuits  at  Holy  Cross  College,  repre- 
sented the  trustees,  with  Father  Devlin  serving  as  chairman  of  the  search 
committee.  The  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Joseph  Loscocco,  and 
David  Nelson,  Massachusetts  Assistant  Attorney  General  for  Consumer 
Affairs,  represented  the  directors.  Richard  Schoenfeld  of  the  class  of  1943, 
past  president  of  the  Alumni  Association,  was  the  alumnus  member.  The 
administrator  of  the  committee  was  Dean  Lester  Przewlocki  of  the  School 
of  Education.  The  faculty  members  were  Professor  AHce  Bourneuf  of 
Economics,  Professor  P.  Albert  Duhamel  of  English,  and  Professor  Mary 
Griffin  of  Education.  The  student  members  were  Thomas  Flynn,  president 
of  UGBC,  and  Richard  Hogan,  a  student  in  the  Graduate  School  of  Business 
Administration.  There  never  had  been  a  Boston  College  committee  so 
constructed,  cutting  across  all  elements  of  the  University  community,  nor 
had  any  committee  ever  had  so  weighty  a  mandate.  It  fulfilled  its  charge 
energetically  and  with  happy  results. 


Most  American  college  presidents  between  1968  and  1972  had  problems 
similar  to  those  Father  Joyce  faced.  For  reasons  that  need  not  be  repeated, 
the  times  were  troublesome  in  society,  in  academe,  and  in  the  Church.  Yet 
through  all  the  contentious  episodes  of  his  administration  Father  Joyce  was 


402        History  of  Boston  College 

self-possessed  and  uncomplaining.  He  served  as  president  in  an  era  that 
was  often  frustrating  for  the  chief  executive,  and  he  served  with  dignity  and 
grace. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  James  Devlin,  S.J.,  former  director  of  campus  planning,  to  Charles  Donovan, 
S.J.,  January  21,  1986.  BCA. 

2.  A  good  description  of  this  project  is  found  in  The  Heights  (September  16,  1969). 

3.  BCA. 

4.  Alumni  News  (April  1969). 

5.  Francis  Mills,  Director  of  Financial  Resources,  to  Father  Donovan,  March  26, 
1986.  BCA. 

6.  Edward  J.  Hanrahan,  S.J.,  former  dean  of  students,  to  Father  Donovan,  April  10, 
1986.  BCA. 

7.  Alumni  News  (July-August  1970). 

8.  See  Budget  Committee  file,  BCA. 

9.  Alumni  News  (September-October  1970). 

10.  Francis  Mills  to  Father  Donovan,  1986. 

11.  Ibid. 

12.  Bridge  (February  1972). 

13.  The  Heights  (October  14,  1969). 

14.  Letter  of  William  J.  Flynn,  December  30,  1985.  BCA. 

15.  Becker  Report,  p.  1.  BCA. 

16.  Ibid.,  p.  v.,  p.  viii. 

17.  Ibid.,  p.  vi. 

18.  Ibid.,p.xv. 

19.  Ibid.,p.xix. 

20.  Ibid.,  p.  XX. 

21.  Ibid.,  p.  xxii. 

22.  Ibid.,  p.  xvii. 

23.  John  Price  Jones,  A  Study  of  the  Development  Potential  of  Boston  College.  BCA. 

24.  Ibid.,  p.  viii. 

25.  Ibid.,  p.  328. 

26.  Ibid.,  pp.  176-177. 

27.  Ibid.,  p.  34. 

28.  Ibid.,  p.  60. 

29.  The  Heights  (December  15,  1970). 

30.  Press  conference  transcript,  December  21,  1970.  BCA. 

31.  The  Heights  (February  8,  1971). 

32.  BCA. 

33.  Thursday  Reporter  (September  23,  1971). 

34.  Boston  Herald  (December  22,  1970). 

35.  The  Heights  Qanuary  14,  1971). 

36.  September  1971.  BCA. 

37.  The  Heights  (September  20,  1971). 
3  8 .  Bridge  (February  1 972) . 


CHAPTER 


34 


The  Man  from  New  York 


J.  Donald  Monan,  S.J.,  assumed  the  presidency  of  Boston  College  on 
September  5,  1972.  A  man  of  many  talents,  he  was  at  home  in  the  library, 
the  classroom,  and  the  board  room,  as  well  as  on  the  hockey  rink  and  the 
golf  course.  A  philosopher  by  training  and  temperament,  he  was  the  co- 
author of  The  Philosophy  of  Human  Knowing:  A  Prelude  to  Metaphysics 
and  author  of  Moral  Knowledge  and  Its  Methodology  in  Aristotle.  These 
learned  publications  entitled  him  to  join  the  select  circle  of  Aristotelian 
scholars  who  meet  periodically  to  discuss  a  common  interest. 

Father  Monan  was  born  in  Blasdell,  New  York  on  December  31,  1924. 
He  attended  Canisius  High  School  in  Buffalo  and  at  age  18  entered  the 
New  York  Province  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  at  St.  Andrew-on-Hudson.  At 
the  conclusion  of  his  philosophical  studies,  he  taught  at  St.  Peter's  College 
in  Jersey  City.  Following  study  of  theology  at  Woodstock  College,  he  was 
ordained  to  the  priesthood  in  1955.  After  earning  his  Ph.D.  in  Philosophy 
at  the  University  of  Louvain,  he  continued  his  postdoctoral  research  at 
Oxford,  the  University  of  Paris,  and  the  University  of  Munich.  In  1960  he 
joined  the  Philosophy  Department  of  LeMoyne  College  in  Syracuse,  New 
York,  and  the  next  year  became  chairman  of  the  department. 

In  1968  Father  Monan  became  academic  dean  and  vice  president  of 
LeMoyne,  serving  as  director  of  the  long-range  academic  and  fiscal  plan- 
ning committee.  At  this  time  he  also  observed  and  influenced  the  operation 

403 


404        History  of  Boston  College 

of  a  complex  major  Jesuit  university  as  a  trustee  of  Fordham  University. 
With  this  preparation  and  these  credentials,  Father  Monan  was  ready  to 
meet  the  challenge  of  being  the  twenty-fourth  president  of  Boston  College. 


The  New  England  Province  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  was  established  in  1926, 
separating  the  region  from  the  Maryland-New  York  Province.  Since  1926 
eight  presidents  of  Boston  College  (Fathers  Dolan  through  Joyce)  were  New 
Englanders.  By  the  year  of  Father  Monan's  appointment,  province  lines 
were  no  longer  barriers  in  the  assignment  of  Jesuits.  Individual  Jesuits 
could  engage  in  apostolic  work  in  another  province  with  their  Provincial's 
approval.  Similarly,  Jesuit  institutions  in  a  given  province  could  recruit 
Jesuits  from  other  provinces.  Thus  Father  William  Mclnnes,  formerly  asso- 
ciate dean  of  the  School  of  Management,  served  as  president  of  the 
University  of  San  Francisco,  and  Father  Donald  Maclean,  formerly  of  the 
Boston  College  Chemistry  Department,  was  president  of  St.  Joseph's  Col- 
lege in  Philadelphia  and  Spring  Hill  College  in  Alabama.  It  was  this  policy 
of  flexibility  in  recruitment  of  Jesuits  nationally  that  enabled  Boston  College 
to  secure  the  services  of  a  Jesuit  of  the  New  York  Province  as  its  twenty- 
fourth  president. 


Father  Monan  was  subjected  to  the  ritual  interviews  of  new  presidents 
by  the  Boston  press,  the  Boston  College  community,  and  students.  He  was 
restrained,  circumspect,  and  prudent  in  his  responses — virtues  which 
would  characterize  his  administration.  Although  reporters — especially  on 
campus — tried  to  draw  him  into  controversial  statements  on  Catholic 
education,  student  involvement,  faculty  appointments,  ROTC,  and  aca- 
demic goals,  his  responses  were  designed  to  preserve  his  freedom  of  action.' 
In  the  years  ahead,  he  would  lead  the  University  to  new  heights  in  academic 
enrichment,  in  renovation  and  construction  of  the  physical  plant,  in  alumni 
relations,  and  in  fiscal  solvency.  He  would  also  be  sympathetic  to  the 
expansion  of  athletic  programs  for  men  and  women. 


Changes  in  Governance 

Upon  his  arrival  the  new  president  was  faced  with  a  revision  of  the 
governance  of  the  University  which  had  been  evolving  under  his  two 
predecessors.  At  a  meeting  in  1967,  Father  Walsh  had  requested  the  Board 
of  Trustees  to  take  formal  action  on  a  proposed  change  in  the  corporate 
structure  of  Boston  College.^  The  trustees  unanimously  agreed  that,  on 
amendment  of  the  by-laws,  two  boards  would  be  established:  The  first, 
called  the  Board  of  Trustees,  would  all  be  Jesuits;  the  second,  called  the 
Board  of  Directors,  would  number  not  more  than  25  Jesuits,  laymen,  and 
women.3  At  a  subsequent  meeting,  the  Board  of  Trustees,  in  refining  plans 
for  the  governance  of  the  University,  began  to  anticipate  the  separate 
incorporation  of  the  Jesuit  Community  at  Boston  College.'' 


The  Man  from  New  York        405 


Rev.  J.  Donald  Monan,  S.J.,  twenty-fourth  president. 


406        History  of  Boston  College 

The  1967  revision  of  the  by-laws  preserved  "the  paramount  legal  author- 
ity and  responsibility  of  the  Board  of  Trustees"  but  reserved  to  the  Board 
of  Directors  "all  necessary  and  convenient  powers  to  direct  and  manage 
the  business  and  affairs  of  the  corporation,  hereinafter  referred  to  as  the 
University."^  These  powers  included  the  right  to  adopt  all  major  changes  in 
educational  pohcies  and  programs,  to  approve  the  granting  of  degrees  (in 
course  and  honorary),  to  enact  and  amend  statutes  of  the  University,  to  act 
on  tenure  and  promotion,  to  establish  new  schools  or  institutes,  to  review 
the  budget,  to  authorize  sale  of  land,  and  to  purchase  property. 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  trustees  on  September  6,  1968,  Father  Joyce 
stated  that  when  he  met  with  the  Board  of  Regents  on  October  8,  he  would 
announce  the  implementation  of  the  new  Board  of  Trustees  and  the  new 
Board  of  Directors,  as  approved  during  the  year.*  At  the  same  time,  letters 
were  sent  to  the  regents  inviting  them  to  accept  appointment  to  the  new 
board.^  The  newly  constituted  Board  of  Directors  met  for  the  first  time  on 
October  8,  1968.  The  principal  business  of  the  meeting  was  the  election  of 
officers  (Henry  Leen  became  chairman),  the  appointment  of  an  executive 
committee,  and  determination  of  the  terms  of  office  for  board  members. 

Since,  in  the  revised  by-laws,  the  president  of  Boston  College  was  no 
longer  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  the  trustees  turned  their  attention 
to  the  election  of  a  chairman.  After  considering  Jesuit  candidates  from 
inside  and  outside  the  New  England  Province,  the  trustees,  voting  by 
written  ballot,  authorized  the  president  to  approach  Father  Joseph  L.  Shea, 
at  that  time  rector  of  Cheverus  High  School  in  Portland,  Maine.  Father 
Shea  accepted  the  invitation  to  serve  and  was  duly  appointed  a  trustee  of 
Boston  College.^  Consequently,  by  the  fall  of  1968,  in  accordance  with  the 
revised  by-laws,  two  University  boards  were  in  place  and  functioning. 
There  remained  only  one  further  legal  alteration  to  complete  the  new  order 
of  governance. 

Separate  Incorporation  of  the  Jesuit  Community 

There  was  a  movement  at  this  time  within  the  Jesuit  Educational  Associa- 
tion to  separate  the  office  of  rector  from  that  of  president  in  Jesuit  colleges 
and  universities  in  the  United  States.'  A  leader  in  this  movement  was  Father 
Paul  C.  Reinert,  president  of  St.  Louis  University  and  also  of  the  Jesuit 
Educational  Association.  He  had  convinced  several  administrators,  includ- 
ing Father  Michael  Walsh,  that  the  separate  incorporation  of  the  Jesuit 
communities  would  be  in  the  best  interest  of  all.'°  There  would  be  several 
advantages  to  this  approach.  It  would  make  the  Board  of  Trustees  and  its 
actions  better  reflect  the  University's  several  constituencies;  it  would  capi- 
talize on  the  emergence  of  the  laity  after  Vatican  II  in  highly  responsible 
positions;  and  it  would  separate  policy  making  from  internal  administra- 
tion in  keeping  with  modern  university  practice.  At  a  meeting  of  the  board 
on  January  25,  1968,  Father  Walsh  urged  the  members  to  study  documents 


The  Man  from  New  York        407 

which  he  provided  on  the  separate  incorporation  of  the  Jesuit  Community 
at  St.  Louis  University. 

The  creation  of  a  separate  corporation  was,  of  course,  the  responsibiUty 
of  the  Jesuits  at  Boston  College  and  the  superiors  of  the  New  England 
Province  of  the  Society.  The  Provincial  at  this  time  was  Father  William  G. 
Guindon,  who  had  served  as  chairman  of  the  Boston  College  Physics 
Department  from  1953  to  1963.  He  was  famihar  with  the  process  because 
he  had  recently  been  involved  in  the  separate  incorporation  of  the  Holy 
Cross  community.  The  Jesuit  Community  at  Chestnut  Hill  was  fortunate 
to  have  as  its  agent  in  these  negotiations  Father  Francis  J.  Nicholson  who, 
as  a  professor  at  the  Boston  College  Law  School,  had  an  appreciation  of 
the  legal  issues  involved  in  forming  a  separate  corporation.  He  had  been 
appointed  superior  of  the  Jesuit  Community  on  July  1,  1968;  and,  when 
the  offices  of  rector  and  president  had  been  separated,  he  became  rector  on 
January  1,  1971. 

Shortly  after  Father  Nicholson's  appointment  as  rector,  and  confirming 
his  status  as  official  agent  for  the  Community  and  the  Province,  the 
Provincial  briefly  outlined  the  issues  that  should  receive  particular  atten- 
tion: residence  and  property;  pension  benefits;  an  estimate  of  annual 
revenues  and  expenses;  hiring  and  retirement  of  Jesuits;  and  the  continuing 
interest  of  the  Jesuits  in  Boston  College  as  an  apostolate." 

Father  Nicholson,  now  rector,  accompanied  by  Father  Ernest  Foley,  his 
advisor  on  pensions,  Daniel  Holland,  Esq.,  counsel  to  the  corporation,  and 
Paul  Devlin,  financial  advisor,  made  his  first  presentation  to  the  board  on 
June  18,  1971.'^  The  rector  explained  that  the  Community  had  all  but 
completed  the  legal  process  of  incorporation.  (In  fact,  the  corporation, 
under  the  name  of  the  Jesuit  Community  of  Boston  College,  with  all  the 
powers,  rights,  and  privileges  of  a  corporation  in  Massachusetts,  was 
approved  on  July  20,  1971,  by  John  F.  X.  Davoren,  Secretary  of  the 
Commonwealth.)"  Father  Nicholson  then  went  on  to  review  the  proposed 
agreement  with  Boston  College,  which  covered  the  following  points:  a 
pension  plan  for  retired  Jesuits,  provision  for  housing  arrangements  for 
Jesuits  in  St.  Mary's  Hall  and  Bellarmine  House  in  Cohasset,  and  provision 
for  an  annual  contribution  by  the  Jesuit  Community  to  the  University. '■•  In 
brief,  the  basic  purpose  of  separate  incorporation  was  to  clarify  the  legal 
and  financial  relationship  of  the  Community  to  the  University. 

S.  Joseph  Loscocco,  Joseph  F.  Cotter,  and  John  Lowell  formed  the 
subcommittee  of  the  Board  of  Directors  to  work  out  an  agreement  with 
Father  Nicholson  and  his  advisors.  Fathers  Ernest  Foley  and  John  Trzaska. 
The  sympathetic  attitude  of  this  committee  can  be  measured  from  its 
comments: 

We  strongly  believe  that  a  Boston  College  without  Jesuits  is  no  Boston 
College,  and  we  wish  to  do  everything  in  our  power  to  encourage  a  greater 
Jesuit  apostolic  mission  at  Boston  College.  . .  .  We  also  believe  that  the  entire 


408        History  of  Boston  College 

past  service  credit  to  Boston  College  be  actuarially  computed  and  recognized 
in  a  legal  way  as  an  obligation  of  Boston  College  to  the  Jesuit  Community." 

In  this  atmosphere  of  mutual  cooperation,  an  agreement  was  signed  on 
June  22,  1972. 


MAJOR  PROVISIONS  OF  THE  JESUIT-B.C.  AGREEMENT 

The  University  agreed: 

1.  To  transfer  to  the  Jesuit  Community  fee  simple  title  to  St.  Mary's  Hall 
and  the  Cohasset  property. 

2.  To  remunerate  Jesuit  members  of  the  faculty  and  staff  at  the  same  level 
as  their  non-Jesuit  colleagues. 

3.  To  provide  an  annual  pension  of  $2900  to  retired  Jesuits.  (Since,  in 
1971,  living  costs  per  Jesuit  per  annum  were  set  at  $6500,  the  New 
England  Province  agreed  to  pay  $3600  as  a  pension  to  the  same  Jesuits. 
The  University  also  agreed  to  pay  a  lump  sum  to  fund  pensions  for 
those  already  retired  in  compensation  for  contributed  services  over 
the  years.) 

4.  To  perform  certain  services  for  the  Community,  such  as  accounting 
and  repairing. 

The  Jesuit  Community  agreed: 

1.  To  recompense  the  University  for  resident  use  of  University  property. 

2.  To  supply  personnel  for  academic,  administrative,  and  religious  needs 
of  the  University. 

3.  To  make  financial  contributions  to  the  University  in  such  amounts  and 
for  such  purposes  as  may  be  determined  by  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  Jesuit  Corporation. ^'^  (In  fact,  as  a  pledge  of  future  gifts,  in  early 
December  1972  Rector  Father  Nicholson  presented  a  check  from  the 
Community  for  $400,000  to  President  ].  Donald  Monan  for  scholarships 
to  Boston  College  students. )i' 


At  the  time,  many  interpreted  the  legal  incorporation  of  the  Jesuit 
Community  as  a  sign  that  the  Jesuits  intended  to  disassociate  themselves 
from  the  University.  Actually,  in  the  years  following  signing  of  the  agree- 
ment, the  relationship  between  the  two  corporations  has  been  marked  by 
mutual  respect  and  cooperation.  Although  a  few  critics  still  register  oppo- 
sition to  the  separate  incorporation  of  the  Jesuit  Community,  this  new 
form  of  governance  has  added  a  professionalism  that  was  sometimes 
lacking  when  a  more  fraternal  form  of  administration  was  the  order  of  the 
day.  By  reason  of  an  exception  written  into  the  by-laws  (since  no  one 
actively  involved  with  the  University  is  eligible  as  a  board  member),  the 
rector  of  the  Jesuit  Community  sits  on  the  Board  of  Trustees  and  represents 
the  interests  of  the  Community  in  those  deliberations.  The  advantages  of 
dual  incorporation  will  become  clearer  as  the  story  unfolds. 

A  Reconstituted  Board 

As  the  months  went  by,  however,  it  became  more  difficult  to  determine  the 


The  Man  from  New  York        409 

proper  forum  for  particular  University  policy  decisions.  Clearly,  having  two 
independent  boards  (trustees  and  directors)  did  not  solve  all  the  problems 
of  governance  at  Boston  College.  There  was  duplication  and,  indeed, 
ambiguity,  in  dealing  with  the  owners  of  the  corporation  as  distinct  from 
those  who  managed  its  affairs.  Accordingly,  on  September  3,  1972,  Father 
Devlin  (secretary)  notified  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  a  special  meeting  to  be 
held  on  October  13  at  which  the  main  topic  for  discussion  would  be  the 
estabhshment  of  a  single  board  with  an  expanded  membership.  On  Novem- 
ber 19  the  trustees  voted  unanimously  to  merge  both  boards  into  one,  with 
an  initial  membership  of  35.'* 

With  the  ehmination  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  the  reconstructed  Board 
of  Trustees  met  on  December  8,  1972.  Father  Joseph  Shea,  chairman, 
commented  on  the  historical  significance  of  the  first  meeting  of  the  enlarged 
board.  Father  Monan  then  introduced  the  new  members.  (Many  of  the 
former  directors  had  accepted  an  invitation  to  join  the  expanded  board.) 
The  first  piece  of  business  was  the  election  of  officers:  Cornelius  Owens 
('36),  executive  vice  president  of  AT&T,  was  elected  chairman;  Thomas 
Galligan  ('41),  chairman  of  the  board  of  Boston  Edison  Co.,  was  elected 
vice  chairman;  William  J.  O'Halloran,  S.J.,  rector  of  the  Jesuit  Community 
at  Holy  Cross,  was  elected  secretary."  With  Chairman  Owens  presiding 
over  a  highly  qualified  and  enthusiastic  board,  Boston  College  began  a  new 
era  of  growth,  vitality,  and  institutional  influence. 


David  S.  Nelson  ('57,  J.D. 
'60).  Judge  Nelson  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors under  Father  Joyce,  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  in  1972,  and  has 
served  as  chairman  of  the 
board. 


410        History  of  Boston  College 

The  Commuter  Center 

The  1972—1973  academic  year  was  just  getting  under  way  when  Father 
Monan  moved  into  Botolph  House.  According  to  John  Maquire,  dean  of 
admissions,  2555  freshmen  had  been  admitted  to  the  class  of  1976.  For 
many  who  had  been  promised  campus  housing,  there  was  no  room  at  the 
inn.  As  had  happened  on  previous  occasions,  off-campus  housing  had  to  be 
found  until  the  Hillside  apartments  were  completed.  In  a  temporary 
arrangement,  200  students  lived  in  relative  luxury  from  September  1972 
to  March  1973  at  the  Howard  Johnson  Motel  in  Newton  Corner.  The 
theme  of  student  housing  in  the  Monan  years  will  be  taken  up  in  the  next 
chapter  when  building  construction  is  considered. 

Resident  students  were  not  the  only  concern.  The  University  was  making 
a  new  effort  to  accommodate  commuters  who,  though  only  a  few  short 
years  ago  the  mainstay  of  the  University,  were  now  a  minority.  Indeed,  they 
were  beginning  to  feel  like  the  proverbial  poor  relations.  They  sometimes 
spoke  of  seceding  from  UGBC — which,  they  thought,  had  not  done  enough 
for  them — and  forming  their  own  organization.  Just  as  hundreds  of  stu- 
dents before  them  in  the  1930s,  1940s,  and  1950s,  these  commuters 
plodded  up  the  hill  from  the  Green  Line  in  the  morning  and  returned  in  the 
afternoon.  Many  came  in  cars,  it  is  true,  and  thereby  caused  a  parking 
problem.  But  it  was  nine  to  three,  just  like  high  school,  and  they  felt  left 
out.  James  Scannell,  who  later  became  director  of  admissions,  said,  "I  was 
a  sophomore  before  I  knew  where  the  infirmary  was  and  a  senior  before  I 
knew  there  were  handball  courts,  let  alone  that  I  could  use  them."-° 
According  to  Father  James  Halpin,  who  became  their  advocate,  the  plight 
of  the  commuter  surfaced  at  every  student  meeting:  Parking  was  insuffi- 
cient; facilities  were  inadequate;  campus  functions,  especially  if  scheduled 
in  the  evening,  were  difficult  to  attend.  They  were,  they  said,  second-class 
citizens.^' 

Finally,  as  a  result  of  discussions  between  the  commuters'  council  and 
the  administration,  and  with  a  big  assist  from  Father  Halpin  and  the 
cooperation  of  James  Mclntyre,  vice  president  for  student  affairs,  a  com- 
muter center  was  established  at  Murray  House  on  Hammond  Street.  (This 
facility  was  named  in  honor  of  John  Courtney  Murray,  S.J.,  well-known 
American  theologian  of  the  Second  Vatican  Council.)  UGBC  gave  an  initial 
funding  of  $6000,  and  a  board  of  governors  for  the  center  was  formed.  A 
series  of  events  was  scheduled,  including  seminars,  lectures,  films;  there 
was  also  a  dining  room  and  a  large  kitchen  which  made  it  possible  to  serve 
lunches  and  dinners.  From  the  beginning,  the  Board  of  Governors  insisted 
that  the  center  was  not  to  be  used  as  a  hangout.  Although  it  was  primarily 
for  the  commuters,  it  was  open  to  the  University  at  large,  since  it  would 
defeat  its  purpose  if  it  further  isolated  the  commuters  from  the  rest  of  the 
campus.  So,  while  the  center  gave  the  commuters  an  identity,  with  a  facility 
of  their  own,  it  also  provided  a  place  for  resident  students  and  faculty  to 
meet  the  commuter  population  outside  the  formal  classroom  environment. 


The  Man  from  New  York        411 


Francis  B.  Campanella,  named  exec- 
utive vice  president  in  July  1973. 


It  was  agreed  by  everyone  with  a  sense  of  history  that  if  Boston  College 
lost  its  commuter  population,  it  would  lose  an  important  link  with  the 
past — with  its  history,  origins,  traditions,  and  mission.  Having  a  significant 
commuter  population  was  also  one  way  to  avoid  the  charge  of  elitism — a 
word  that  was  never  found  in  the  vocabulary  of  the  founding  fathers.  In 
Jesuit  terms,  all  the  students  were  indeed  select!  quidem;  but  not  elite  as 
society  generally  understands  that  word  today. 


The  Boston  College  Women's  Center 

In  contrast  to  the  commuter  center,  which  had  its  origins  in  antiquity, 
another  center  evolved  from  the  modern  character  of  the  University.  On 
March  8,  1973,  International  Women's  Day,  the  Boston  College  Women's 
Center  was  opened  in  McElroy  123.  On  that  day,  200  members  of  the 
Boston  College  community  dropped  by  to  borrow  books,  sip  coffee,  chat, 
or  just  to  satisfy  their  curiosity.  This  event  took  place  eight  months  after 
Alice  Jeghelian,  director  of  affirmative  action,  and  Ginger  McCourt  of  the 
Placement  Office,  with  an  assist  from  Carole  Wegman,  who  presented  the 
budget,  submitted  a  proposal  to  the  Office  of  Campus  Planning. 

The  center  opened  under  the  direction  of  Elizabeth  Wyatt,  director  of 
women's  affairs,  although  it  came  under  the  larger  umbrella  of  the  Wom- 
en's Action  Committee  as  the  organization  ultimately  responsible  for  all 
functioning  matters.  It  was  programmed  to  serve  as  a  multipurpose  facility 
for  all  women  on  campus — that  is,  faculty,  staff,  and  students.  Its  sponsors 
spoke  of  a  three-fold  purpose:  It  would  provide  a  sense  of  identity,  through 
common  interests,  for  Boston  College  women;  it  would  act  as  a  resource 
center  for  information  on  jobs,  medical  referrals,  and  career  counsehng; 
and  it  would  gradually  build  up  a  specialized  library  of  books  by  women 


412        History  of  Boston  College 

for  women,  with  an  emphasis  on  career  encouragement  through  illustration 
of  historical  accomplishments.  The  center  was  open  daily  in  the  afternoon 
from  one  to  six.'^ 

A  Foothold  for  the  Arts 

Another  acquired  property,  on  the  corner  of  Hammond  and  Beacon  streets, 
was  Hovey  House.  Originally  destined  for  a  University  Art  Center,  it  was 
given  to  the  Fine  Arts  Department,  which  had  been  looking  for  a  suitable 
home  on  campus.  Unfortunately,  the  high  expectations  of  that  department 
were  short-lived  when  the  City  of  Newton  imposed  crippling  restrictions 
on  this  structure.  Citing  zoning  laws  and  fire  regulations,  city  inspectors 
allowed  offices  to  function  but  refused  permission  for  classrooms,  even  on 
the  first  floor.  The  required  renovations,  which  involved  electrical  work, 
new  fixtures,  new  exits,  and  other  safety  measures,  would  be  extensive  and 
expensive.  This  sudden  reversal  of  fortune  forced  the  department,  at  a 
moment's  notice,  to  find  classrooms  on  campus  wherever  it  could." 

In  fact,  it  was  an  uphill  struggle  for  the  arts  to  gain  support  from  the 
administration  and  to  find  a  hospitable  climate  for  growth  on  the  Heights. 
For  too  long  such  a  department  was  looked  upon  as  a  luxury,  although  it 
was  fully  compatible  with  the  Latin  inscription  on  the  University's  seal, 
religioni  et  bonis  artibus.  In  a  certain  sense,  however,  the  University  has 
made  up  for  a  slow  start  by  its  generous  support  in  recent  years  of  the  fine 
arts,  applied  arts,  and  performing  arts. 


NOTABLES  IN  THE  ARTS  AT  BOSTON  COLLEGE 

In  applied  arts,  Allison  Macomber,  artlst-in-residence,  maintained  a  studio 
on  the  top  floor  of  Lyons,  where  he  attracted  a  large  group  of  budding 
painters  and  sculptors.  Alexander  Peloquin,  well-known  composer  and 
conductor,  brought  his  engaging  personality,  talent,  and  wit  to  his  classes 
in  the  history  of  music  as  well  as  to  the  University  Chorale,  which  performed 
in  many  cities  in  the  United  States  and  Europe.  In  her  lectures  on  the 
Renaissance  art  of  Italy,  Josephine  von  Henneberg  trained  her  students,  as 
she  insisted,  not  to  practice  but  to  intelligently  enjoy  art.  Olga  Stone,  never 
far  from  her  grand  piano,  is  remembered  for  her  survey  of  western  music, 
her  advanced  piano  instruction,  and  her  eagerly  awaited  recitals  in  Barat 
House.  Joseph  Larkin,  S.J.,  and  J.  Paul  Marcoux  communicated  their  enthu- 
siasm and  professional  competence  to  the  students  in  drama  and  theater. 
In  another  category  of  the  performing  arts,  Robert  Ver  Eecke,  S.J.,  intro- 
duced interpretive  dance  to  campus  liturgical  functions  such  as  the  always 
impressive  Baccalaureate  Mass.  And  Father  Francis  Sweeney,  director  of  the 
Humanities  Series,  over  the  years  brought  to  the  campus  an  incredible 
range  of  artists — poets,  dancers,  writers,  choristers,  and  musicians — to 
inspire  Boston  College  students  to  profit  from  their  example,  to  imitate 
their  excellence,  and  to  applaud  their  accomplishments.  Through  the 
efforts  of  these  people,  art  gained  a  foothold  at  Boston  College.^" 


The  Man  from  New  York        413 

Military  and  CIA  Recruitment 

Going  from  sublime  to  more  mundane  matters,  a  brief  reference  should  be 
made  to  the  difficulties  that  developed  over  recruitment  efforts  by  members 
of  the  military  and  the  CIA.  To  the  more  disciplined  ranks  of  an  older 
generation  of  alumni,  news  reports  of  protest  and  demonstration  were 
always  distressing.  The  Vietnam  syndrome  died  slowly  at  the  Heights.  In 
October  1972  Navy,  Marine,  and  Air  Force  recruiters  visited  the  campus. 
The  University  Academic  Senate  had  affirmed  an  open  policy  on  recruit- 
ment; UGBC  decided  not  to  interfere,  since  there  were  so  many  more 
important  things  to  do.  Moreover,  learning  from  past  experience,  they 
considered  it  "hopelessly  frustrating  to  block  recruiters  from  entering 
buildings."^^  But  a  small  group  of  students  promised  that  there  would  be 
demonstrations. 

In  the  fourth  week  of  October  some  30  students  picketed  Alumni  Hall 
and  blocked  the  entrance  for  about  45  minutes.  Dr.  James  Mclntyre  told 
the  students  that  the  court  injunction,  which  Boston  College  had  requested 
in  1971  when  20  students  were  arrested,  was  still  in  effect.  On  his  arrival 
at  the  scene,  Philip  Burling,  University  attorney,  informed  the  protestors 
that  they  were  "now  in  contempt  of  court."  Faced  with  the  prospect  of 
arrest,  the  students  left  the  scene,  and  recruiters  entered  Alumni  Hall.^*  The 
students  tried  to  have  the  last  word  by  showing  films  and  providing 
information  on  the  horrors  of  war,  suggesting  by  implication  the  contribu- 
tion of  those  who  succumbed  to  the  persuasion  of  recruiters.  In  this 
connection  the  confrontation  continues  to  the  present  day  over  the  resto- 
ration of  ROTC." 

The  New  Team 

Every  chief  executive  picks  his  own  staff — at  least,  those  who  will  be  his 
top  advisors.  Indeed,  it  has  been  said  that  the  character  of  a  university 
reflects  to  some  degree  the  personalities  of  its  chief  officers.  In  an  early 
interview  with  The  Heights,  Father  Monan  was  asked  if  he  had  any  present 
or  future  plans  to  appoint  an  executive  vice  president.  He  replied,  "Not  at 
the  present,  no.  As  far  as  the  creation  of  new  vice  presidential  positions  or 
the  changing  of  any  other  vice  president,  I  don't  contemplate  it."'" 

However,  new  appointments  were  being  made  at  the  beginning  of  the 
second  semester.  In  February  1973  Margaret  A.  Dwyer,  assistant  academic 
dean  at  Le  Moyne  College,  was  named  executive  assistant  to  the  president. 
A  native  of  Syracuse  and  a  graduate  of  Le  Moyne  College,  she  had  earned 
her  master's  degree  in  counseling  at  Boston  College  in  1956.  Returning  to 
Le  Moyne,  Dwyer  held  a  number  of  administrative  positions,  including 
registrar  and  dean  of  women,  which  brought  her  into  contact  with  students 
and  faculty.^'  In  subsequent  years,  she  was  a  key  figure  in  negotiations 
which  led  to  the  consolidation  of  Boston  College  and  Newton  College,  and 
was  promoted  to  a  vice  presidency. 


414        History  of  Boston  College 


Margaret  A.  Dwyer  (M.Ed.  '56), 
vice  president. 


After  careful  deliberation  and  an  extensive  search,  the  president  made  a 
key  appointment  in  July  1973.  At  that  time  Francis  B.  Campanella,  an 
associate  professor  in  the  School  of  Management,  was  offered  the  position 
of  executive  vice  president.  His  educational  credentials  and  management 
background  eminently  fitted  him  for  this  post.  A  1958  graduate  of  Rensse- 
laer Polytechnic  Institute  with  a  B.S.  degree  in  management  engineering,  he 
earned  an  MBA  at  Babson  Institute  and  a  doctorate  in  business  administra- 
tion at  Harvard  in  1970.  A  nationally  recognized  management  consultant, 
Campanella  was  charged  by  Father  Monan  to  introduce  up-to-date  man- 
agement practices  in  the  University,  which,  in  some  areas,  were  sorely 
needed.  His  two  top  priorities  were  to  develop  an  information  system  for 
the  vice  presidents  and  middle  administrators  and  to  establish  management 
standards.  Over  the  years  he  has  worked  very  closely  with  John  Smith, 
financial  vice  president,  in  shaping  the  University  budget.  While  open  to 
dialogue  with  all  campus  constituencies,  he  is  well  known  for  having  the 
courage  of  his  convictions  in  facing  student  protests  over  tuition  increases. 
By  assuming  responsibility  for  the  internal  management  of  the  University, 
the  executive  vice  president  has  allowed  the  president  to  concentrate  on 
academic  programs,  development,  alumni,  and  the  many  demands  of 
professional  organizations  in  which  he  is  an  officer. 


The  Man  from  New  York        415 

A  good  development  program  was  a  necessity  at  Boston  College,  where 
academic  programs  were  becoming  more  expensive,  where  new  construc- 
tion was  in  progress,  and  where  renovations  could  not  be  postponed.  The 
hard  work  of  James  A.  Hayden,  Jr.,  director  of  development,  was  reflected 
in  the  increase  in  annual  giving  from  $359,000  in  1972  to  $500,000  in 
1973.  Hayden  worked  closely  with  Robert  J.  Desmond,  who  had  been 
appointed  vice  president  of  university  resources  in  the  summer  of  1973.^° 
With  an  MBA  from  Syracuse  University,  he  had  experience  in  fund  raising 
at  St.  Louis  University,  the  University  of  Dallas,  and  Le  Moyne  College.  He 
directed  his  attention  and  energies  to  foundation  relations,  the  deferred 
giving  program  (with  particular  emphasis  on  the  University's  endowment), 
and  favorable  press  coverage.^' 

To  complete  the  team,  Thomas  P.  O'Malley,  S.J.,  was  appointed  dean  of 
Arts  and  Sciences.  He  succeeded  James  Skehan,  S.J.,  who  had  been  acting 
dean  from  January  1972  to  July  1973.  Father  O'Malley,  a  1951  Boston 
College  graduate  with  an  M.A.  from  Fordham  and  a  doctorate  from  the 
University  of  Nijemegen,  Netherlands,  was  an  administrator  of  proven 
experience.  Former  chairman  of  the  Classics  and  Theology  departments 
and  a  member  of  the  Priorities  Committee,  he  had  a  broad  knowledge  of 
the  campus  and  its  academic  programs.  He  would  try,  he  said  in  an 
interview,  to  give  job  coherence  to  his  own  office  and  to  influence  the 


Thomas  P.  O'Malley,  S.J.  ('51),  dean  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences, 
1973-1980.  Father  O'Malley  left  Boston  College  to  assume  the  presidency  of 
John  Carroll  University  in  Cleveland. 


416        History  of  Boston  College 

quality  of  life  at  Boston  College.  As  a  personal  contribution,  he  was  for 
many  years  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the  University  Chorale.  He  had  a 
good  voice  and,  while  a  graduate  student  at  Fordham,  sang  in  the  chorus 
with  the  Metropolitan  Opera  Company  in  New  York.  An  accomplished 
and  witty  speaker,  he  brought  a  flamboyant  style  to  his  office  which  was  a 
delight  to  those  who  attended  his  meetings.  He  was  later  elected  president 
of  John  Carroll  University  in  Cleveland.^^ 

In  a  continuing  effort  to  establish  closer  and  better  rapport  with  the 
University's  neighbors,  Neil  P.  O'Keefe,  S.J.,  was  appointed  director  of 
community  relations.  A  1953  Boston  College  graduate,  Father  O'Keefe 
served  as  a  naval  officer  in  the  post-Korean  War  period,  then  entered  the 
Society  of  Jesus.  After  his  ordination,  he  earned  a  Ph.D.  in  Political  Science 
at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  There  was  a  growing  awareness  that  local 
constituencies  had  a  legitimate  claim  on  certain  University  services.  Coor- 
dinating the  community  service  activities  for  all  campus  departments  and 
agencies,  he  encouraged  people  to  think  about  community  problems.  Many 
of  his  days  were  spent  at  Newton  City  Hall  working  out  joint  endeavors 
for  Boston  College  and  Newton." 

It  should  be  emphasized  that  Boston  College  did  not  have  to  apologize 
for  its  service  to  the  City  of  Newton  and  surrounding  towns;  the  concern 
has  always  been  there.  In  a  sense  Father  O'Keefe  was  continuing  the  earlier 
work  of  Fathers  Seavey  Joyce  and  George  Drury,  who  were  vice  presidents 
for  community  affairs.^'' 

Addressing  Fiscal  Matters 

It  is  generally  conceded  that  the  two  most  important  areas  in  collegiate 
management  are  the  fiscal  and  academic  needs  of  the  institution.  Father 
Monan  inherited  a  financial  situation  at  Boston  College  that  was  at  best 
precarious,  at  worst  dangerous.  In  fact,  if  the  financial  officers  and  trustees 
had  not  combined  to  make  the  hard  decisions,  it  could  have  been  disastrous. 
When  fiscal  year  1971-1972  came  to  an  end  on  June  30,  Boston  College 
had  a  balanced  budget,  reversing  a  deficit  trend  and  also  representing  a  25 
percent  reduction  in  the  University's  short-term  debt.  This  was  accom- 
plished, according  to  the  financial  vice  president,  through  a  $100  increase 
in  tuition,  a  1971-1972  freeze  on  faculty  and  administrative  salaries,  and 
fiscal  frugality  across  the  board.^^  However,  a  long-term  liability  of  several 
million  dollars  still  had  to  be  retired. 

Father  Monan  was  determined  to  improve  the  financial  health  of  the 
institution  which,  in  his  set  of  priorities,  was  the  first  step  in  "developing 
an  over-all  academic  and  fiscal  plan."^*^  His  immediate  remedy  was  creation 
of  a  long-range  fiscal  planning  committee  that  would,  in  addition  to 
balancing  the  budget,  project  both  revenues  and  expenditures  for  the  next 
five  years.  Part  of  his  plan  was  to  absorb  the  deficit  with  which  the  school 
was  saddled.  In  November  1972  the  president  sent  out  letters  of  appoint- 


The  Man  from  New  York        417 


Donald  J.  White  ('44),  dean  of 
the  Graduate  School  of  Arts 
and  Sciences  since  1971, 
headed  the  Long-Range  Fiscal 
Planning  Committee  in  1972. 


ment  to  the  Long-Range  Fiscal  Planning  Committee.  Donald  J.  White, 
dean  of  the  Graduate  School,  was  named  chairman.  Other  members  of  the 
committee  included  vice  presidents  and  deans;  also,  John  Bolan,  director 
of  institutional  research.  Professor  Evan  Collins  of  the  School  of  Education, 
Professor  Mary  Ann  Glendon  of  the  Law  School,  and  two  students.  The 
committee  held  its  first  meeting  on  November  27,  1972.^^ 

The  point  made  by  the  president  to  the  committee  was  that  sound  fiscal 
planning  was  a  necessary  prerequisite  for  commitment  to  quality  academic 
goals  and  auxifiary  programs.  He  made  the  same  point  to  a  general 
gathering  of  faculty  on  March  8,  1973,  when  he  said,  "My  first  financial 
priority  will  be  to  maintain  and  improve  the  academic  distinction  of  the 
University."'^  Fiscal  planning  and  academic  planning  were,  he  said,  two 
sides  of  the  same  coin.  He  also  mentioned  at  that  time  that  faculty  increases 
would  again  be  lower  than  they  should  be,  but  would  increase  the  following 
year.  He  then  informed  the  faculty  that  there  were  8000  applications  for 
the  undergraduate  colleges,  with  50  percent  from  the  top  20  percent  of 
their  high  school  class.  Finally,  he  confided  to  the  faculty  that  Boston 
College  would  have  to  find  new  sources  of  revenue  to  subsidize  the 
advanced  academic  and  professional  programs. '^ 

In  his  charge  to  the  Fiscal  Planning  Committee,  Father  Monan  set  May 


418        History  of  Boston  College 

1,  1973,  as  a  deadline  for  submitting  its  five-year  plan  for  University 
finances.  Observing  the  deadline,  the  committee  turned  in  its  report  to  the 
Board  of  Trustees  and  projected  balanced  budgets  for  the  next  five  years.  A 
comfortable  amount  of  growth  was  built  into  this  report,  about  $14 
million  dollars  in  additional  income  and  expenditures  by  academic  year 
1978—1979,  and  a  modest  surplus  was  expected  if  the  U.S.  economy  was 
sufficiently  stable.  At  the  same  time,  the  University  had  to  reduce  costs  and 
build  revenues  on  new  sources  of  support.  The  basic  goals  of  the  fiscal  plan 
included:  (1)  reduction  of  the  University's  short-term  debt,  (2)  building  a 
reserve  fund  for  emergency  needs,  (3)  funding  physical  renovation  of  the 
campus,  and  (4)  an  increase  in  the  University's  endowment,  which  was 
embarrassingly  small.'"' 

The  report  also  called  for  a  2  percent  increase  in  enrollment  and  an 
annual  tuition  increase  of  about  5  percent.  As  a  result  of  these  measures, 
the  report  projected  income  from  tuition  and  fees  at  $37,178,000  by  the 
academic  year  1978-1979 — more  than  $10  million  over  current  income. 
In  addition,  the  report  seriously  recommended  that  auxiliary  enterprises — 
housing,  food  services,  and  athletics — which  for  some  time  had  been  a 


A  scene  (Act  11,  Scene  IV)  from  Henry  IV,  directed  in  1973  by  Father  Joseph 
Larkin  in  the  challenging  confines  of  Campion  auditorium.  From  left  to  right 
are  Peter  }.  Brash  ('76)  as  Francis,  Jay  Korejko  (ex-B.C.)  as  Bardolph,  Karola 
Hillenbrand  ('74)  as  Mistress  Quickly,  Gary  Trabolsi  ('74)  as  Falstaff,  and 
Paul  Lambert  ('75)  as  Prince  Hal. 


The  Man  from  New  York        419 

drain  on  the  operating  budget,  be  made  self-supporting  as  soon  as  possible. 
It  was  anticipated  that  University  expenses  would  increase  by  5  percent  a 
year  for  supplies  and  6  percent  for  personnel.  This  was  an  added  reason 
for  more  effective  use  of  present  and  future  resources.'*^ 

To  begin  to  implement  these  recommendations,  the  Board  of  Trustees 
approved  a  $1.5  million  spending  cut  for  1973-1974.  Cuts  were  made 
from  each  category  across  the  board,  with  a  precise  saving  of  $1,444,000. 
There  was  also  a  modest  tuition  increase  of  $50  which,  of  course,  was 
protested  by  the  UGBC.''-  However,  the  Board  of  Trustees  had,  at  their 
meeting  on  December  8,  1972,  frozen  room  and  board  fees  for  1973— 
1974.  With  the  increase  in  tuition,  budget  cuts,  and  revenue  from  the 
recreational  complex  and  football,  John  Smith,  financial  vice  president, 
predicted  a  breakeven  budget  for  1973-1974  and  a  zero-based  budget  for 
1974—1975.  The  picture  was  looking  a  little  brighter. 

As  an  integral  part  of  this  consolidated  long-range  plan,  there  was  an 
accelerated  effort  to  broaden  and  deepen  other  sources  of  income.  For 
example,  the  Development  Office  alerted  alumni  who  worked  with  firms 
with  matching  gift  programs  that  a  personal  gift  would  be  doubled  in  value 
by  the  company's  contribution.  In  1972—1973  this  program  amounted  to 
$32,595.  In  the  same  year,  corporations  sympathetic  to  the  philosophy  of 
education  at  Boston  College  contributed  gifts  in  the  amount  of  $72,275, 
while  foundation  support  continued  to  increase.  The  annual  telethon 
carried  on  by  devoted  alumni  and  the  Estate  Planning  Council  also  made 
substantial  contributions. 

In  the  long  term,  perhaps  the  most  important  innovation  has  been  the 
Fides  banquet  and  its  derivative  receptions.  As  originally  organized,  those 
alumni  who  contributed  $1000  during  the  year  were  given  membership  in 
the  Fides  organization.  The  first  annual  Fides  banquet,  a  formal  dinner, 
was  held  in  the  Oval  Room  of  the  Copley  Plaza  Hotel  on  the  Sunday  night 
before  commencement  in  May  1973.  In  recent  years,  the  format  has 
changed  and  the  banquet,  now  the  President's  Circle  dinner,  has  been 
moved  to  McElroy  Commons.  Since  the  growth  in  numbers  and  the 
increase  in  contributions  have  been  spectacular,  there  are  now  several 
categories  within  the  original  organization,  and  dinners  and  receptions  are 
held  for  each  group.  For  many  members  the  most  interesting  feature  of  the 
banquet  before  commencement  is  the  presence  of  the  honorary  degree 
candidates  of  that  year,  who  make  a  few  remarks. 

A  review  of  figures  from  the  late  sixties  into  the  early  seventies  indicates 
the  steady  growth  of  annual  giving  by  alumni.  In  1967-1968  there  were 
1915  alumni  donors  who  contributed  $66,199;  in  1970-1971,  3916 
donors  contributed  $237,845;  and  in  1972-1973,  6125  donors  contrib- 
uted $500,166.  It  was  encouraging  for  the  administration  to  note  that,  in 
just  four  years,  the  annual  giving  fund  had  grown  from  less  than  $100,000 
to  over  half  a  million  dollars.''^  The  steady  growth  would  continue.  In 


420        History  of  Boston  College 

1988-1989,   with   28,729   donors,   the   annual   giving   fund   reached 
$5,686,050.^ 


With  a  soHd  financial  plan  which  promised  positive  results,  the  president 
was  prepared  to  examine  the  academic  programs  already  in  place,  the 
changes  or  substitutions  that  might  be  made,  and  the  possibility  of  new 
programs  that  would  enlarge  the  reputation  of  the  University.  At  the  end  of 
his  first  year  in  office,  Father  Monan  had  the  confidence  of  the  faculty  and 
had  given  sound  leadership  to  the  administration.  With  the  cooperation  of 
all  segments  of  the  campus  community,  slowly  but  surely  he  was  moving 
Boston  College  into  a  new  era. 


ENDNOTES 

1.  See  The  Heights  (September  19,  1972). 

2.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  December  14,  1967.  BCA. 

3.  Ibid. 

4.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  January  10,  1968. 

5.  Trustees  of  Boston  College,  By-Laws,  1960-1972.  BCA. 

6.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  September  6,  1968.  BCA. 

7.  Ibid. 

8.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  November  8  and  23,  1968.  BCA. 

9.  See  P.  A.  FitzGerald,  S.J.,  Governance,  passim.  It  was  customary  for  Father 
General  to  appoint  the  rector  of  a  given  college;  that  person  was  then  elected 
president  by  the  trustees. 

10.  See  Paul  C.  Reinert,  S.J.,  "First  Meeting  of  the  Board,"  Jesuit  Educational 
Quarterly  (January  1968). 

11.  William  G.  Guindon,  S.J.,  to  Francis  J.  Nicholson,  S.J.,  January  11,  1971.  BCA. 

12.  Minutes,  Board  of  Directors,  June  18,  1971.  BCA. 

13.  BCA. 

14.  Minutes,  Board  of  Directors,  June  18,  1971.  BCA. 

15.  S.  Joseph  Loscocco  to  Francis  J.  Nicholson,  S.J.,  October  17,  1971.  JEA  file, 
BCA. 

16.  Francis  J.  Nicholson,  S.J.,  "Jesuits  Incorporate,"  Bridge  (February  1973). 

17.  Ibid.,  "A  Scholarship  Gift." 

18.  See  Minutes,  Boards  of  Trustees,  1 960-1 972.  BCA.  On  November  9,  1 97 1 ,  by 
an  act  of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature,  the  original  limitation  of  10  members  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  was  removed.  In  the  composition  of  the  new  board,  there 
were  33  men  and  2  women;  22  laypeople  and  13  Jesuits;  33  white  people  and  2 
blacks. 

19.  Minutes,  Board  of  Trustees,  December  8,  1972.  BCA. 

20.  "Boston  College  Rediscovers  the  Commuter,"  Thursday  Reporter  (September  28, 
1972). 

21.  See  Bridge  (December  1972);  also  The  Heights  (October  10,  1972). 

22.  Thursday  Reporter  (March  8,  1973);  also  The  Heights  (March  6,  1973). 

23.  The  Heights  (October  17  and  31,  1972). 

24.  For  a  good  summary  see  Marylou  Buckley,  "The  Arts  at  Boston  College,"  Bridge 
(February  1973). 

25.  The  Heights  {October  17,  1972). 


The  Man  from  New  York        421 

26.  Ibid.  (October  31,  1972). 

27.  For  a  fuller  account  of  these  confrontations,  see  the  papers  of  Edward  J.  Hanra- 
han,  S.J.,  dean  of  students  at  the  time.  BCA. 

28.  The  Heights  (September  19,  1972). 

29.  Bridge  (May-June  1973). 

30.  Annual  giving  has  increased  every  year,  and  by  the  mid-eighties  it  was  well  over 
$5  million. 

31.  Bridge  (October-November  1973). 

32.  Ibid.  Father  Charles  Donovan,  John  Smith,  and  James  Mclntyre  remained  in  their 
respective  offices. 

33.  The  more  recently  established  Office  of  Community  Affairs,  with  Jean  McKeigue 
as  director  and  with  ambitious  outreach  initiatives,  continues  the  work  of  the 
men  mentioned  here. 

34.  Thursday  Reporter  (September  28,  1972). 

35.  The  Heights  (December  5,  1972). 

36.  Thursday  Reporter  (November  30,  1972). 

37.  Ibtd.  (March  15,  1973). 

38.  Ibid. 

39.  Bridge  (October-November  1973). 

40.  Ibid. 

41.  The  Heights  (December  5,  1972) 

42.  See  Annual  Fund  comparison  chart,  Bridge  (October-November  1973). 

43.  Figures  from  the  office  of  University  Development. 

44.  See  A  Report  on  the  Boston  College  Development  Year  1988-1989. 


CHAPTER 


35 


spectacular  Progress 


In  September  1973  Father  Monan  proceeded  to  the  next  phase  of  planning 
with  the  appointment  of  the  University  Academic  Planning  Council 
(UAPC).  The  president  himself  became  titular  chairman  of  the  council  and 
attended  all  meetings  during  the  many  months  of  its  deliberations.  The 
director  of  the  routine  operation  of  the  council  and  chair  of  its  meetings 
was  Dean  of  Faculties  Father  Donovan.  The  council  had  26  members:  4 
administrators;  12  faculty  members  (one  from  each  professional  school 
and  seven  from  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences);  and  10  students  (seven 
undergraduates  and  three  students  from  the  Graduate  School  of  Arts  and 
Sciences).^ 

Two  important  subcommittees  were  established:  one  on  University  goals, 
headed  by  John  Mahoney,  and  one  on  resources  for  financing  academic 
plans,  headed  by  Frank  Campanella.  A  first  draft  of  a  goals  statement  was 
submitted  to  the  community  for  reaction  in  December.  At  the  same  time 
the  UAPC  issued  a  planning  document  to  each  instructional  unit — that  is, 
each  school  and  department— asking  for  a  five-year  plan  including  not  only 
school  or  department  goals  but  also  a  projection  of  the  unit's  contribution 
to  the  University  goals.  While  the  schools  and  departments  were  preparing 
their  reports,  the  UAPC  developed  position  papers  on  six  broad  topics: 
faculty  development,  quaUty  of  instruction  and  advisement,  research,  in- 

422 


spectacular  Progress       423 

structional  workloads,  the  core  curriculum,  and  undergraduate  admissions 
policy. 

Unless  an  institution  decides  to  depart  radically  from  its  current  mission, 
goals  statements  can  sound  like  an  assertion  of  the  obvious.  To  some  extent 
that  was  true  of  the  UAPC  goals  statement,  since  it  was  an  unswerving 
reaffirmation  of  the  traditional  commitments  of  Boston  College.  In  view  of 
the  turbulent  times  higher  education,  including  Boston  College,  had  re- 
cently been  through,  however,  the  UAPC  felt  its  reaffirmation  of  the 
University's  historic  goals  necessary  and  significant.  While  many  ideals 
were  proposed  in  the  nine-page  goals  statement,  three  mandates  were 
fundamental  for  the  entire  document:  (1)  reaffirmation  of  the  reUgious 
tradition  and  commitment  of  Boston  College,  calling  especially  for  a  strong 
and  influential  Theology  Department,  an  assertive  and  effective  chaplaincy, 
and  a  continuation  of  the  Jesuit  presence  at  existing  levels;  (2)  a  continuing 
commitment  to  quality  undergraduate  liberal  education,  with  renewed 
emphasis  on  effective  teaching;  and  (3)  a  continuing  commitment  to 
University  status,  evidenced  by  support  for  professional  education,  quality 
graduate  programs,  and  emphasis  on  scholarship  and  research. 


As  the  story  of  Boston  College  in  the  20th  century  unfolds,  attention  focuses 
on  the  relative  numbers  of  Jesuit  and  lay  faculty  members.  When  the 
institution  was  exclusively  a  liberal  arts  college  for  under  1500,  it  was  not 
difficult  to  staff  it  mostly  with  Jesuits,  since  the  number  of  classes  was  not 
great  and  the  disciplines  were  those  Jesuits  usually  pursued.  Once  the 
University  decided  to  add  professional  schools  in  law,  social  work,  nursing, 
management,  and  education — subjects  pursued  by  very  few  Jesuits — it  was 
inevitable  that  the  proportion  of  lay  faculty  would  grow  dramatically. 

The  table  below  shows  the  gradual  rise  and  then  decline  of  Jesuit  faculty 
as  well  as  the  steady  growth  of  lay  faculty: 


1920 
1930 
1940 
1960 
1980 
1990 


Jesuit  Faculty 
28 
45 
71 
100 
63 
32 


Lay  Faculty 

3 

30 

41 

246 

495 

538 


The  above  figures  represent  full-time  Jesuit  teachers.  They  do  not  show 
the  much  larger  Jesuit  presence  at  the  University  in  other  roles.  For 
example  in  1989-1990,  in  addition  to  the  32  full-time  teachers,  there  are 
17  university  administrators  who  are  Jesuits,  15  Jesuits  who  teach  part- 
time  in  retirement,  26  Jesuits  from  many  parts  of  the  world  who  are 
students,  and  36  Jesuits  who  have  ministries  outside  the  University, 
administer  the  Jesuit  Community,  or  are  in  retirement.  The  Boston 
College  community  of  132  Jesuits  is  among  the  largest  in  the  world. 


424        History  of  Boston  College 

"Jesuit  Education  at  Boston  College" 

An  interesting  byproduct  of  the  UAPC  planning  process  was  a  document 
produced  by  members  of  the  Jesuit  Community,  "Jesuit  Education  at 
Boston  College."  The  document  was  the  product  of  a  grassroots  discussion 
group  including  Jesuits  varying  widely  in  age,  experience  at  Boston  College, 
and  academic  background.  It  was  a  splendid  overview  of  the  mission  of 
education  in  Jesuit  history  and  the  postwar  change  at  Boston  College  from 
a  highly  structured  philosophical-literary  education  to  what  the  document 
called  the  "hegemony  of  the  departments." 

While  sharing  with  non-Jesuit  colleagues  the  motivation  and  vision  of 
Jesuit  education,  the  document  was  also  a  thinking  through  for  the  Jesuits' 
own  consideration  of  whether  the  Boston  College  of  the  1970s  was  an 
appropriate  setting  for  Jesuits  in  an  educational  apostolate.  After  carefully 
weighing  pros  and  cons,  "Jesuit  Education  at  Boston  College"  concluded 
optimistically  that  Boston  College  was  an  attractive  setting  not  only  for 
New  England  Jesuits  but  for  national  and  international  Jesuits  as  well. 
Since  Jesuits  at  other  Jesuit  colleges  were  wrestling  with  similar  problems 
and  options  at  that  time,  this  document  was  widely  circulated,  and  it 
became  something  of  a  blueprint  for  the  American  Jesuit  mission  in  higher 
education.  Shaped  principally  by  Father  Joseph  Appleyard,  it  was  published 
in  pamphlet  form,  enhanced  by  engaging  illustrations  by  Professor  Thomas 
O'Connor,  whose  talented  pen  has  graced  so  many  Boston  College  publi- 
cations. The  document  was  reprinted  in  The  Heights  in  October  1974  and 
in  Boston  College  Focus  in  December  of  that  year. 


The  UAPC  Report 

In  February  1975  the  UAPC  report  was  completed  and  published.  Some  of 
its  highhghts  were  a  strong  reaffirmation  of  the  importance  of  a  good  core 
curriculum  with  a  guaranteed  distribution  of  liberal  arts  courses  for  every 
undergraduate,  including  courses  in  philosophy  and  theology.  Particular 

Thomas  F.  Flynn  ('74)  and 
Stephen  E.  Fix  ('74)  were  stu- 
dent members  of  the  Univer- 
sity Academic  Planning  Coun- 
cil. That  service  may  have 
presaged  things  to  come,  for 
both  are  now  college  deans: 
Flynn  at  Mt.  St.  Mary's  Col- 
lege in  Maryland  and  Fix  at 
Williams  College. 


spectacular  Progress       425 

attention  was  paid  to  the  kind  of  teaching  needed  for  core  courses  and 
suggested  mechanisms,  such  as  a  continuing  seminar  on  core  curriculum 
teaching,  to  keep  facuhy  attention  focused  on  the  special  nature  and  needs 
of  core  instruction.  The  report  stressed  University-mindedness  and  collegi- 
ality,  a  note  established  in  the  goals  statement  and  echoed  throughout  the 
report.  The  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  specifically  was  urged  to  develop 
comprehensive  institutional  goals  and  esprit  to  counteract  department 
insularity — the  same  exhortation  President  Butterfield  of  Wesleyan  had 
addressed  to  the  A&S  faculty  in  1963. 

Among  the  report's  specific  responses  to  school  and  departmental  plans 
was  the  suggestion  that  the  Philosophy  Department  develop  strength  in 
areas  traditional  in  Jesuit  education — namely,  classical  and  medieval  phi- 
losophy— and  the  department  was  discouraged  from  the  use  of  many 
teaching  fellows  for  core  courses.  Two  undergraduate  programs,  economics 
and  psychology,  were  warned  about  being  too  pre-professional;  and  two 
doctoral  programs,  psychology  and  sociology,  were  asked  to  review  their 
programs  and  resources  with  outside  help.  The  report  suggested  that  the 
School  of  Management  consider  streamlining  its  administrative  structure 
and  warned  the  School  of  Education  about  an  apparent  lessening  of 
emphasis  on  the  liberal  arts  component  of  the  curriculum. 

The  trustees  reviewed  the  UAPC  report  and  asked  the  president  to  inform 
them  in  a  year  on  progress  in  implementation  of  its  recommendations.  One 
of  the  suggestions  of  the  UAPC  report  was  that  a  successor  planning 
committee  be  established.  In  September  1975  Father  Monan  set  up  a 
University  Planning  Council  composed  of  15  members  (8  faculty  members, 
4  administrators,  and  3  students).^  The  principal  charge  the  president  gave 
to  the  UPC  was  to  prepare  the  University's  report  preliminary  to  the  spring 
re-evaluation  visit  of  the  New  England  Association  of  Schools  and  Colleges. 
Much  of  the  work  of  the  committee  was  stimulation  and  coordination, 
because  each  academic  unit  had  to  prepare  a  statement  about  its  own 
programs.  The  final  report,  finished  by  February,  contained  only  147  pages, 
but  they  were  pages  packed  with  data  and  tables,  giving  a  remarkably 
comprehensive  picture  of  the  University  in  1975-1976.  Particularly  impres- 
sive were  the  concise  statements  from  the  several  departments  and  profes- 
sional schools — forthright  and  rather  low-key  expressions  of  achievement 
and  aspiration.  The  New  England  Association's  visiting  team,  headed  by 
University  of  New  Hampshire  president  Eugene  S.  Mills,  filed  a  favorable 
report,  and  re-accreditation  was  granted. 

The  impressive  reports  of  the  Arts  and  Sciences  departments  for  the  re- 
evaluation  document  once  again  reminded  the  administration  of  an  on- 
going worry  that  had  been  voiced  by  President  Butterfield  in  1963  and 
repeated  by  the  UAPC  report  in  1975:  that  self-centered  disciplinary 
strength  in  the  departments  might  inhibit  a  general  vision  of  liberal 
education.  One  strategy  the  University  adopted  to  minimize  faculty  frag- 
mentation and  promote  interdisciplinary  dialogue  was  a  series  of  faculty 


426        History  of  Boston  College 

weekends  at  the  Andover  Inn  on  the  campus  of  Andover  Academy.  The  first 
was  held  in  October  1974,  and  by  January  1990  a  total  of  103  such  faculty 
gatherings  had  been  held.  Sponsored  by  the  University  Council  on  Teaching, 
the  Andover  workshops  have  gathered  twenty  or  so  faculty  at  a  time,  from 
varied  disciplines  and  professions  and  at  diverse  stages  of  academic  and 
Boston  College  experience,  to  discuss  in  a  relaxed  and  relatively  unstruc- 
tured way  the  challenges  and  opportunities  of  the  teaching  profession.  In 
recent  years  new  members  of  the  faculty  have  been  invited  to  fall  weekends. 
On  a  few  occasions  faculty  groups  have  gone  to  Andover  to  focus  on  a 
special  issue  such  as  the  core  curriculum,  but  the  principal  purpose  of  these 
meetings  has  been  an  exchange  of  faculty  views  on  teaching.  Organizer  and 
hostess  for  all  of  these  faculty  retreats  has  been  Katharine  Hastings, 
assistant  to  four  academic  vice  presidents. 

The  Consolidation  with  Newton  College 

In  late  1973  Father  Monan  and  the  trustees  were  unexpectedly  faced  with 
a  decision  that  may  rank  in  importance  with  Father  Gasson's  1907  decision 
to  move  Boston  College  from  the  South  End  to  Chestnut  Hill.  Newton 
College  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  tragically  unable  to  survive  as  an  independent 
private  college  because  of  unmanageable  debt,  approached  Boston  College 
to  see  if  the  Newton  College  traditions  and  educational  commitments 
could  survive  consohdation  with  Boston  College. 

The  Newton  College  of  the  Sacred  Heart  was  begun  by  the  Society  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  in  1946  at  the  generous  and  insistent  invitation  of  then 
Archbishop  Richard  Cushing.  In  1 944  Archbishop  Cushing  contacted  Sister 
Eleanor  Kenny,  R.S.C.J.,  superior  of  the  Country  Day  School  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  on  Centre  Street  in  Newton,  to  inform  her  that  the  Schrafft  estate 
(now  Barat  House)  was  available.  If  the  adjoining  Harriman  estate  (now 
Putnam  House)  were  purchased,  the  Sisters  would  have  one  of  the  most 
attractive  sites  on  the  East  Coast  for  a  women's  college.  He  promised 
financial  help  in  acquiring  the  properties. ^  In  a  short  time,  the  estates  were 
acquired,  and  in  September  1946  a  total  of  41  students  (11  commuters 
and  30  boarders)  became  freshmen  in  the  new  college. 

Because  of  the  outstanding  reputation  of  the  Religious  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  as  educators  and  through  contact  with  their  own  preparatory  schools 
around  the  world,  Newton  College  prospered  and  very  soon  had  an 
enrollment  quite  satisfactory  for  a  small  college  for  women:  nearly  400  in 
1957,  over  600  in  1961,  and  over  800  by  the  late  sixties.  In  only  its  eighth 
year  of  existence  the  college  was  accredited  by  the  New  England  Associa- 
tion of  Schools  and  Colleges.  After  several  intermediate  accreditation 
reviews,  in  1964  the  college  received  accreditation  for  a  10-year  period,  the 
normal  approval  for  a  mature  and  well-functioning  institution  of  higher 
education. 

With  faith,  energy,  and  courage  the  leaders  of  the  young  college  em- 
barked on  a  remarkable  schedule  of  building.  Architects  were  Maginnis 


spectacular  Progress       All 


A  dramatic  setting  for  a  liturgy,  beneath  the  St.  Patrick  window  in  Gasson 
assembly  hall. 


428        History  of  Boston  College 

and  Walsh,  the  firm  that  had  beautified  the  Boston  College  campus.  The 
buildings  were  not  lavish  or  extravagant,  but  they  were  of  high  quality  and 
impeccable  taste.  The  unusual  vitality  of  this  educational  enterprise  is 
revealed  in  an  impressive  statistic:  Between  1948  and  1969  Newton  College 
erected  12  buildings  that  comprised  a  complete  and  gracious  campus. 

Few  educators  in  the  robust  1950s  foresaw — or  even  dreamed  of — the 
changes  that  would  shake  higher  education  in  the  1960s.  One  thing  not 
predicted  was  the  variety  of  social  forces  that  would  suddenly  make  the 
small  college  for  women  an  endangered  species.  One  statistic  that  authori- 
ties at  Newton  College  could  ruefully  report  to  their  constituencies  when 
their  own  plight  became  evident  was  that  of  300  liberal  arts  colleges  for 
women  in  existence  in  1960,  only  146  remained  in  1973.  In  1969  James 
Whalen  became  the  first  lay  president  of  Newton  College.**  By  1972 
President  Whalen  was  beginning  to  inform  the  faculty  and  friends  of  the 
college  that  the  institution's  huge  debt  would  have  to  be  retired  if  the  college 
was  to  survive.^  In  1973  a  major  fund  drive  was  undertaken,  with  a  goal  of 
$6  million.  But,  gifts  and  pledges  did  not  meet  a  third  of  the  goal,  and 
catastrophe  faced  the  gallant  institution. 


PRESIDENT  WHALEN'S  STATEMENT  IN  THE  ALUMNAE  MAGAZINE 

In  the  last  month  of  1973,  we  were  beset  by  very  serious  problems.  Our 
lending  institutions,  which  had  pledged  financing  through  1976,  reviewed 
the  results  of  the  capital  campaign  and  indicated  that  they  were  no  longer 
able  to  extend  unsecured  credit  to  the  college.  This  reduced  our  "survival 
time"  by  eighteen  months  and  certainly  created  a  more  immediate  prob- 
lem. It  was  clear  to  them  we  were  not  getting  sufficient  support  and  would 
not  be  able  to  retire  the  debt.  Without  a  successful  campaign  the  college 
was  in  serious  financial  condition.  In  addition,  applications  for  admission 
were  quite  inadequate  in  terms  of  our  budgetary  needs.  Applications  to 
Newton  had  been  dwindling  over  the  past  ten  years  in  spite  of  a  really  fine 
effort  on  the  part  of  our  admissions  staff.  This  decline,  which  would 
ultimately  result  in  operating  deficits,  coupled  with  the  huge  debt,  dictated 
the  necessity  to  determine  an  alternative  course  of  action.  We  began,  at 
that  time,  to  examine  the  possibilities  for  affiliation  with  another  college.' 


In  some  respects  it  was  natural  for  Newton  College  to  turn  to  Boston 
College  at  this  juncture.  The  Society  of  the  Sacred  Heart  and  the  Society  of 
Jesus  had  been  allied  in  many  parts  of  the  world  in  educational  and  spiritual 
matters  for  more  than  a  century  and  a  half.  Locally,  two  Boston  College 
Jesuits,  Father  Thomas  Fleming,  long-time  treasurer,  and  Father  W.  Seavey 
Joyce  before  his  presidency,  had  been  chaplains  to  the  religious  community 
at  Newton  College  from  the  day  it  opened  through  the  early  years  of 
growth.  Before  the  erection  of  the  Barry  Science  building,  Newton  College 
students  took  some  of  their  science  classes  at  Boston  College.  But  besides 
such  ties  there  was  the  more  basic  reality  that  the  two  institutions  shared  a 


spectacular  Progress       429 

common  religious  impulse  and  ideal.  Of  course,  the  proximity  of  the  two 
campuses  was  a  positive  factor  in  the  consideration  of  a  possible  union. 

Discussions  and  negotiations  between  the  two  boards  of  trustees  and  the 
two  presidents  proceeded  during  January  and  February  1974.^  Father 
Monan  called  upon  Professor  Evan  Collins  of  the  School  of  Education, 
who  had  been  a  college  president  himself,  and  Professor  John  Neuhauser 
of  the  School  of  Management  to  help  work  out  some  of  the  details  of  the 
consolidation.  At  a  meeting  on  February  28  the  Newton  College  trustees, 
and  on  March  1  the  Boston  College  trustees,  approved  a  cooperative 
agreement  leading  to  consolidation  of  Newton  College  into  Boston  College. 
It  was  agreed  that  the  two  presidents  would  speak  to  their  respective 
constituencies  at  noon  on  Monday,  March  11,  and  that  a  press  conference 
making  public  the  consolidation  would  take  place  at  Newton  College  at 
2:00  p.m.  the  same  day. 

Essential  elements  of  the  agreement  were  that  Boston  College  would 
assume  the  liabilities  of  Newton  College,  which  were  approximately  $5 
million.  Boston  College  would  also  assume  Newton's  assets,  which  had  a 
book  value  of  approximately  $11.5  million  and  an  estimated  replacement 
value  of  $25  million.  Newton  College  agreed  to  transfer  to  Boston  College 
its  land  and  buildings  and  certain  equipment  and  furnishings,  effective 
June  30,  1974.  Newton  College  would  continue  to  function  as  normally  as 
possible  under  its  board  of  trustees  through  the  academic  year  1974-1975. 
As  of  June  30,  1975,  Newton  College  was  to  cease  to  exist  as  an  under- 
graduate college  except  for  the  purpose  of  conferring  degrees.  With  the 
commencement  of  the  class  of  1976,  this  function  would  cease  also. 


In  1976  Mary  Kinnane  (Ph.D. 
'63),  professor  of  speech  and 
higher  education,  was  named 
an  honorary  Fultonian  by  the 
debating  society.  Congratulat- 
ing her  with  Father  Monan  are 
John  Lawton,  chairman  of  the 
Speech  Department,  and 
James  Unger  ('64),  one  of  the 
stars  in  Fulton's  history. 


430        History  of  Boston  College 

Under  the  terms  of  the  consohdation  agreement,  Newton  College  stu- 
dents in  the  classes  of  1974  and  1975  were  to  receive  Newton  College 
academic  degrees.  Students  of  the  class  of  1976,  who  were  sophomores  at 
the  time  of  the  agreement,  could  qualify,  at  their  option,  for  either  a  Boston 
College  or  a  Newton  College  degree.  Students  of  the  class  of  1977,  who 
were  freshmen,  would  receive  Boston  College  degrees.  Newton  College 
would  not  accept  a  class  of  1978,  though  Boston  College  would  consider 
all  applicants  to  the  class  of  1978  at  Newton.  Former  Newton  College 
students  wishing  to  complete  their  degrees  could  apply  to  Boston  College 
as  transfer  students,  and  their  admittance  would  be  automatic  if  they  left 
Newton  in  good  standing. 

To  strengthen  the  consolidation  and  provide  continuity,  T.  Vincent 
Learson,  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Newton  College,  and  Sister 
Jean  Ford,  Provincial  of  the  Washington  Province  of  the  Society  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  and  also  a  Newton  College  board  member,  accepted  member- 
ship on  the  Boston  College  Board  of  Trustees.* 

The  Implementation  Task  Force 

In  announcing  the  consohdation  to  its  several  publics,  the  University  listed 
pertinent  facts  about  Newton  College.  The  campus  consisted  of  some  40 
acres  containing  15  major  buildings.  There  was  residence  hall  capacity  for 
735  students.  There  were  55  classrooms  and  seminar  rooms,  with  an 
additional  32  locations  equipped  for  laboratory  or  specialized  use.  Partic- 
ular features  noted  were  a  fully  air-conditioned  library  with  a  200,000- 
volume  capacity  and  a  seating  capacity  of  531;  a  fully  air-conditioned 
chapel  seating  800,  with  a  basement  function  room  seating  750;  an  air- 
conditioned  faculty  wing  and  student  center;  and  a  new  air-conditioned 
science  building  with  laboratories,  rooftop  greenhouse,  and  a  330-seat 
auditorium. 

Father  Monan  set  up  a  task  force  to  recommend  possible  uses  of  the 
Newton  facilities  as  well  as  new  uses  for  Chestnut  Hill  facilities  freed  by 
movement  across  town.  Director  of  Admissions  John  Maguire  was  named 
chairman  of  this  important  body.'  In  his  charge  to  the  task  force  in  his 
letter  of  invitation.  Father  Monan  prescribed  that  recommended  uses  of  the 
Newton  Campus  be  such  as  to  provide  a  sense  of  full  citizenship  in  the 
University  on  the  part  of  students  and  faculty  in  the  two  locations;  to 
guarantee  utilization  of  the  distinctive  characteristics  of  Newton  facilities 
to  their  maximum  advantage;  and  to  fulfill  already  identified  needs  and 
improve  the  status  of  existing  University  programs.  >°  Father  Monan  asked 
that  recommendations  be  submitted  to  him  by  January  15,  1975. 

The  task  force  proved  to  be  an  extraordinarily  active  body.  Thirty 
plenary  sessions  were  held  in  addition  to  the  meetings  of  important 
subcommittees  that  were  set  up.  The  experience  of  other  universities  with 
several  campuses  was  studied,  and  four  such  centers  were  visited  in  New 


spectacular  Progress       43 1 

Jersey,  West  Virginia,  and  Ohio.  Community  opinions  were  sought  in 
meetings  with  Newton  College  alumnae,  the  Newton  Neighborhood  Asso- 
ciation, the  Chestnut  Hill  Association,  Boston  College  women  administra- 
tors, the  University  Academic  Planning  Council,  the  Jesuit  Community,  the 
Newton  Planning  Department,  the  Newton  Board  of  Aldermen,  and  the 
mayor  of  Newton. 

One  of  the  task  force's  early  decisions  was  the  unanimous  rejection  of  a 
proposal  to  maintain  Newton  as  an  all-women's  college.  It  was  felt  that  the 
problems  Newton  College  had  been  experiencing  in  attracting  students 
might  persist  under  Boston  College's  aegis,  and  that  such  a  solution  would 
leave  unaddressed  the  pressing  problems  of  women  at  the  Chestnut  Hill 
campus. 

One  of  the  aims  of  the  task  force  was  to  identify  programs  that  might 
preserve  the  Newton  College  tradition.  One  of  these  was  studio  art,  and 
Professor  Robert  Carovillano  headed  a  subcommittee  on  this  program. 
After  studying  the  matter  with  the  advice  of  the  chairman  of  the  Fine  Arts 
Department  at  Amherst  College,  Professor  Carovillano's  committee  rec- 
ommended that  the  Boston  College  Fine  Arts  Department  expand  to 
embrace  the  studio  art  program  that  had  been  a  strong  feature  of  the 
Newton  College  curriculum — a  proposal  embraced  by  the  task  force.  A 
second  Newton  emphasis  was  continuing  education  for  women;  it  was 
decided  that  this  program  should  be  adopted  by  Boston  College.  The 
current  Boston  College  program  for  women  in  poUtics  and  government, 
located  at  Newton  and  headed  by  Betty  Taymor,  is  a  result  of  that 
commitment. 


Decision:  What  to  Newton? 

The  School  of  Education,  the  School  of  Management,  and  the  School  of 
Nursing  were  all  considered  for  location  at  Newton.  These  suggestions 
were  vetoed  principally  because  of  the  interdependence  of  these  undergrad- 
uate professional  schools  with  Arts  and  Sciences.  The  School  of  Manage- 
ment studied  the  proposed  move  in  a  position  paper,  but  a  poll  of  faculty 
and  students  showed  that  well  over  80  percent  of  the  SOM  community 
opposed  relocation.  But  the  Law  School,  which  had  been  raising  funds  for 
an  addition  to  More  Hall,  expressed  interest  in  the  ample  facilities  of  the 
Newton  site. 

After  considering  a  number  of  alternative  options,  the  task  force  recom- 
mended four  possible  uses  for  the  Newton  campus: 

1.  Location  at  Newton  of  both  the  Boston  College  Law  School  and,  as 
a  coordinate  emphasis,  a  series  of  distinctive  undergraduate  programs 
under  a  common  umbrella  such  as  a  center  for  innovative  instruction. 
Student  population  at  Newton  would  be  1200  to  1500,  including 
some  735  dormitory  residents. 


432        History  of  Boston  College 


In  1979  the  Office  of  Student 
Affairs  on  College  Road  was 
named  Donaldson  House  in 
honor  of  George  Donaldson 
('29),  the  founder  and  director 
of  the  Office  of  Career  Plan- 
ning and  Placement.  Kevin 
Duffy,  vice  president  for  stu- 
dent affairs,  joined  Father 
Monan  in  honoring  Donald- 
son and  his  wife,  Genevieve. 


2.  A  combination  of  distinctive  undergraduate  programs  at  Newton, 
with  the  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work  as  a  smaller  co-tenant. 
About  1100  to  1300  students  would  study  on  the  campus  under  this 
plan. 

3.  Use  of  the  Newton  facilities  entirely  for  undergraduate  residence  and 
instruction.  Estimated  enrollment  would  be  1000  to  1200. 

4.  Undergraduate  utilization  of  the  Newton  campus  as  a  "busing  satel- 
lite," with  dormitory  residents  transported  to  the  Chestnut  Hill 
campus  for  virtually  all  classes,  and  one  or  more  professional  schools 
such  as  the  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work  and  the  Law  School 
located  at  Newton. 

Of  these  four  plans,  the  task  force  strongly  favored  the  first,  believing  the 
others  to  be  feasible  but  progressively  less  desirable."  In  the  event  that  the 
task  force's  first  option  was  adopted  by  the  University,  including  the  move 
of  the  Law  School  from  More  Hall,  the  task  force  recommended  that  More 
Hall  become  a  comprehensive  arts  center  for  both  art  history  and  studio 
art,  as  well  as  an  academic  student  union — a  concept  that  may  have  been 
borrowed  from  the  UAPC,  whose  deliberations  overlapped  those  of  the  task 
force. 

Father  Monan  discussed  the  Nevnon  task  force  recommendations  with 
the  trustees.  At  a  press  conference  in  Barat  House  on  March  3,  1975,  he 
announced  that  the  Nevnon  task  force's  first  option,  the  Law  School  and 
distinctive  undergraduate  programs,  would  be  lodged  at  Newton.  The  hope 
was  to  have  the  Law  School  in  operation  at  Newton  by  September  and  the 


spectacular  Progress       433 

undergraduate  program  or  programs  by  the  following  January.'-  The 
president's  next  move  was  to  set  up  a  committee  to  plan  distinguished 
undergraduate  programs.  Professor  Paul  Doherty  of  the  English  Depart- 
ment chaired  the  committee,  which  had  a  representative  from  each  Arts 
and  Sciences  department  plus  four  students.  The  brunt  of  the  work  in 
shaping  the  committee's  proposals  was  done  by  a  subcommittee  also 
headed  by  Paul  Doherty,  joined  by  Professors  Michael  Connolly,  John 
Donovan,  Robert  O'Malley,  and  Paul  Thie,  plus  a  student.  Marc  Thiba- 
deau." 

Interdisciplinary  Programs 

The  committee  suggested  10  interdisciplinary  core  programs,  most  of 
which  would  involve  two  or  three  departments.  It  was  not  the  committee's 
role  to  implement  the  proposals;  that  was  up  to  interested  faculty  members 
in  the  various  departments.  (It  must  be  noted  that  none  of  the  suggested 
new  programs  came  into  being.)  The  committee  included  in  its  recommen- 
dations two  interdisciplinary  programs  that  already  existed.  Pulse  and 
Perspectives,  which  were  originally  sponsored  by  Father  Joseph  Flanagan, 
chairman  of  the  Philosophy  Department. 

It  is  interesting  that  although  the  University  Academic  Planning  Council 
had  extended  an  invitation  to  departments  to  create  alternatives  to  the  core 
curriculum,  none  was  forthcoming.  Similarly  no  new  curricular  experiment 
followed  the  report  of  the  Newton  Undergraduate  Programs  Committee. 
This  lack  of  action  may  have  been  due  to  departmental  inertia  or  perhaps 
to  faculty  skepticism  about  the  viability  or  value  of  interdisciplinary 
courses,  an  attitude  the  Doherty  committee  noted  in  its  report:  "We  are 
cognizant  of  the  fact  that,  to  some,  interdisciplinary  courses  are,  almost  by 
definition,  courses  which  lack  the  rigor  and  accountability  of  normal 
departmental  offerings;  that  in  seeking  accommodation,  two  disciplines 
will  find  a  least-common  denominator  of  agreement."'-'  At  any  rate  Per- 
spectives, which  was  indeed  scheduled  on  the  Newton  campus  starting  in 
1975-1976,  has  undoubtedly  been  the  most  popular  and  longest-lived 
interdisciplinary  program  at  Boston  College.  It  started  in  1973  under  the 
sponsorship  of  the  Philosophy  and  Theology  departments.  The  original 
course,  which  is  still  being  offered,  was  Perspectives  on  Western  Culture, 
planned  for  incoming  freshmen  and  granting  six  credits  of  the  philosophy- 
theology  core  requirements.  In  1975—1976  there  were  10  sections  of 
Perspectives  on  Western  Culture,  with  25  students  in  each  section.'^ 

Father  Flanagan  and  his  associates  who  started  Perspectives  were  re- 
warded by  substantial  and  continuing  grants  from  the  National  Endow- 
ment for  the  Humanities,  which  supported  summer  developmental  plan- 
ning and  enabled  Perspectives  faculty  to  bring  outstanding  scholars  from 
other  campuses  to  share  in  the  planning  process.  Perspectives  on  Western 
Culture  was  developed  into  a  two-year  sequence  for  a  possible  12  credits. 


434        History  of  Boston  College 


Marianne  Martin  came  to  Boston 
College  in  1 977  to  chair  the  ex- 
panded Fine  Arts  Department  on  the 
Newton  campus.  She  was  later  direc- 
tor of  the  new  gallery  in  Devlin  Hall 
until  her  sudden  death  in  1 989. 


Year-long  Perspectives  sequences  have  also  been  fashioned  for  the  fields  of 
humanities,  science,  and  social  science. 

So  the  Law  School  moved  to  Newton  along  with  Perspectives.  But  in  the 
end  it  was  the  newly  expanded  Fine  Arts  Department  that,  with  Music, 
became  the  principal  undergraduate  presence  on  the  Newton  campus.  The 
former  Barry  Science  Pavilion  became  the  Barry  Fine  Arts  Pavilion,  with 
laboratories  transformed  into  studios  and  a  gallery.  Putnam,  the  former 
home  of  studio  arts  at  Newton  College,  became  a  conference  center  until 
the  Alumni  Association  took  it  over  in  1986.  Thus  the  Newton  task  force's 
recommendation  to  locate  Fine  Arts  in  More  Hall  was  not  followed.  At  the 
time  it  was  appropriate  to  unify  studio  art  and  art  history  at  Newton,  since 
studio  art  had  been  a  strong  feature  of  the  Newton  College  experience. 
Under  the  chairmanship  of  Marianne  Martin,  a  distinguished  art  historian, 
the  newly  structured  department  attracted  outstanding  faculty  and  enthu- 
siastic students.  Exhibits  of  faculty  and  student  work  as  well  as  exhibits  of 
contemporary  artists  have  given  the  department  well-earned  recognition. 
Ten  years  later  the  gallery  has  been  given  a  more  central  location  in  Devlin 
Hall,  and  plans  are  afoot  for  a  fine  arts  building  to  be  constructed  near 
Robsham  Theater. 


Monan  the  Builder 

Like  his  immediate  predecessors,  Father  Monan  found  that — whatever  his 
inclinations — he  was  to  be  a  builder.  When  his  term  began,  the  Hillside 
dormitories  were  already  under  construction.  Even  after  the  notice  of 
resignation  by  Father  Joyce  and  long  before  a  successor  was  named,  on 
February  11,  1972,  the  Board  of  Directors  approved  the  construction  of  a 
series  of  student  residences  behind  St.  Mary's  Hall.  It  had  been  hoped  that 
over  800  students  could  be  accommodated  in  the  new  buildings,  but  certain 
compromises  had  to  be  made  with  the  City  of  Newton  after  some  protests 


spectacular  Progress       435 

about  the  proposed  size  of  the  structures.  Approval  was  granted  by  the 
Board  of  Aldermen  in  April  for  four  buildings.'*  Construction  was  begun 
in  the  spring  by  the  Fahey  (later  the  Flatley)  Construction  Co.  of  Braintree. 
The  architectural  firm  was  Design  Alliance. 

When  Father  Monan  arrived  on  campus  he  found  under  construction 
two  five-story  and  two  six-story  buildings  to  contain  110  3 -bedroom 
apartments  and  22  2-bedroom  apartments,  with  all  bedrooms  scheduled  to 
accommodate  two  students.  The  1972-1973  academic  year  began  with 
about  200  students  lodged  in  the  Howard  Johnson's  Motel  in  Newton 
Corner.  It  was  expected  that  one  building  of  the  new  residence  complex 
would  be  completed  in  the  fall  so  that  the  students  could  be  moved  from 
the  motel,  but  construction  went  more  slowly  than  anticipated.  Then,  in 
the  winter  of  1973,  the  Newton  town  fathers  were  reluctant  to  approve 
occupancy  of  one  unit  when  the  others  were  in  what  was  called  a  "hard 
hat"  status.  Finally  on  March  28  and  29,  187  students  were  moved  into 
Building  A  of  the  Hillside  dormitories.'^  The  remaining  buildings  were 
finished  later  and  occupied  in  September  of  that  year.  The  Hillside  resid- 
ences were  built  and  furnished  at  a  cost  of  $4,765,854,  financed  through 
the  Massachusetts  Health  and  Educational  Facilities  Authority  (HEFA).'* 

Even  while  the  Hillside  dormitories  were  under  construction,  plans  went 
forward  for  what  were  originally  called  the  Reservoir  dormitories,  later 
named  Edmond's  Hall  in  honor  of  long-time  admissions  administrator. 
Father  Edmond  Walsh.  In  September  1974,  874  students  were  housed  in 
dormitories  on  South  Street,  in  apartments  in  the  Cleveland  Circle  area, 


Walsh  and  Edmond's  halls,  student  residences. 


436        History  of  Boston  College 

and  in  the  Chestnut  Hill  Motel;  the  aim  of  the  added  campus  facilities  was 
to  give  these  students  Boston  College  housing.^'  Brian  Massey  of  Design 
Alliance  was  architect  and  the  Peabody  Construction  Co.  of  Braintree  the 
general  contractor  for  the  Reservoir  dormitories. 

Ground  was  broken  on  February  28,  1974.  The  nine-story  building  was 
to  contain  208  apartments  to  house  808  students.  The  cost  of  the  building 
was  $6,326,500  and  of  the  equipment,  $400,000.  A  HUD  interest  subsidy 
grant  assisted  in  the  financing  of  Edmond's  Hall.-"  The  new  dormitory  was 
occupied  in  the  fall  of  1975  and  dedicated  on  September  19.-' 

While  new  buildings  were  being  planned  and  constructed,  old  buildings 
needed  repair  and  renovation.  The  most  ambitious  and  costly  renovation 
involved  the  flagship  structure  of  the  campus,  Gasson  Hall.  The  external 
renovation  of  Gasson  began  in  the  spring  of  1974.  Appropriately  the 
architects,  Kennedy,  Kennedy,  Keefe  and  Carney,  were  the  direct  successors 
to  the  original  architects  of  Gasson  Hall,  Maginnis  and  Walsh,  and  the 
contractor,  Walsh  Bros.,  had  been  the  builders  of  St.  Mary's  Hall  and 
Devlin.  Gasson's  masonry  was  pointed,  eroded  stones  were  replaced,  and 
the  roof  was  repaired.  The  tower  pinnacles  and  the  east  and  west  porches 
were  restored.  Leaded  Gothic  windows  were  repaired  and  new  thermal- 
pane  wooden  sash  windows  installed. 

The  interior  renovation  of  Gasson  was  more  dramatic.  Graduates  of 
classes  before  the  mid-1970s  will  recall  the  four  interior  staircases  off  the 
rotunda.  Fire  regulations  required  the  elimination  of  these  staircases  and 
the  installation  of  stairways  close  to  the  building's  exits.  Two  elevators 
took  the  place  of  former  stairways.  Central  heating  and  air  conditioning 
replaced  the  sputtering  and  banging  radiators  that  had  been  a  cold  weather 


In  November  1977  renovated 
Gasson  Hall  was  rededicated. 
The  elegant  assembly  hall, 
which  had  served  as  the  trea- 
surer's office  for  many  years, 
was  returned  to  its  original 
beauty  and  function.  Admiring 
a  replica  of  the  building  is 
Boston  College's  oldest  alum- 
nus, Monsignor  Charles  Finn 
('99).  On  Monsignor  Finn's 
right  is  Father  Paul  FitzGerald, 
university  archivist,  and  on  his 
left.  Father  Francis  McManus, 
long  dean  of  men  in  SOM,  sec- 
retary of  the  university,  and 
alumni  chaplain. 


spectacular  Progress       437 


The  renovated  Fulton  room  in  Gasson  Hall. 


feature  of  Gasson.  Renovated  classrooms  in  the  upper  floors  made  Gasson 
one  of  the  largest  teaching  centers  of  the  campus.  Painstaking  restoration 
of  the  original  Irish  Room,  the  assembly  hall,  the  honors  program  library, 
and  the  Fulton  room  on  the  third  floor  recaptured  the  pristine  elegance  of 
those  facilities.-^  Gasson  Hall  was  rededicated  on  November  6,  1977.  The 
dean,  Father  O'Malley,  read  Father  Gasson's  words  at  the  original  dedica- 
tion of  the  building.^^  Roy  Heffernan  of  the  class  of  1916  spoke  for  the 
alumni.  The  cost  of  the  extensive  renovations  of  Gasson  Hall  was  nearly 
%2>.5  milhon,  financed  through  Massachusetts  HEFA  bonds.^" 

The  popular  modular  apartments  assembled  in  1970  needed  major 
attention  by  1974.  The  roofs  were  not  sufficiently  sloped  for  effective 
drainage,  so  more  sharply  sloped  roofs  were  added  and  new  red  cedar 
shingles  applied  to  the  sides  of  each  unit  at  a  cost  of  $300,000.  These 
renovations  were  accomphshed  in  the  spring  and  summer  of  1974.^^ 

In  February  1974  the  Board  of  Trustees  authorized  an  addition  to  the 
Recreation  Complex.  The  $1,366,000  expansion  was  funded  by  raising  the 
student  fee  from  $25  to  $32.  Among  the  new  faciUties  in  the  RecPlex  were 
4  tennis  courts,  3  handball  courts,  2  squash  courts,  and  a  large  wooden 
floor  for  judo  and  dancing.  The  extension  provided  flexibility  in  the  rapidly 
developing  sports  activities  for  women.^'^  The  dedication  of  the  completed 
complex  was  held  on  February  28,  1976. 

In  1976  the  Cutler  home  at  300  Hammond  Street  was  acquired  by  the 


438        History  of  Boston  College 

University.  The  University  Academic  Planning  Committee  had  suggested 
several  years  earlier  the  desirability  of  a  faculty  center.  Father  Monan 
designated  the  new  property  for  that  purpose,  and  the  building  was  named 
Connolly  House  in  honor  of  two  former  University  librarians,  Fathers 
Terence  Connolly  and  Brendan  Connolly.  A  subcommittee  of  the  University 
Council  on  Teaching  composed  of  Michael  Connolly,  Mary  Griffin,  Rich- 
ard Huber,  Vera  Lee,  and  Richard  Stevens,  along  with  Father  Thomas 
Fitzpatrick  (who  became  coordinator  of  scheduUng)  and  Katharine  Has- 
tings (who  represented  the  dean  of  faculty's  office),  with  much  assistance 
from  Frank  Campanella,  guided  the  renovation  and  decoration  of  the 
elegant  facility  that  opened  in  the  spring  of  1976.-^ 

Before  the  addition  of  the  Newton  campus,  plans  were  afoot  for  an 
extension  to  More  Hall  to  accommodate  growth  of  the  Law  School,  and  a 
fund  drive  had  been  launched  for  this  project.  When  the  decision  was  made 
to  move  the  Law  School  to  the  Newton  campus,  over  a  million  dollars  was 
needed  to  renovate  Stuart  House  for  Law  School  purposes.  Large  pitched 
classrooms,  an  elaborate  moot  courtroom,  lounges,  and  other  facilities 
gave  the  Law  School  a  fresh  and  commodious  home. 

At  the  same  time,  the  former  science  facilities  of  Newton  College  were 
converted  into  studios  and  a  gallery  was  created  to  transform  Barry  Science 
Pavilion  into  the  Barry  Fine  Arts  Pavihon.  Parking  lots  and  new  roads  were 
added  to  the  Newton  campus.  By  September  1976  over  $1,370,000  had 
been  expended  in  converting  Newton  College  to  Boston  College  uses.-* 

The  elegant  apartments  of  Edmond's  Hall  were  occupied  in  September 
1975.  It  had  been  hoped  that,  with  the  addition  of  these  living  accommo- 
dations for  over  800  students,  the  University  would  be  able  to  divest  itself 

Connolly  House,  the  faculty  house  on  Hammond  Street,  was  named  for  two 
librarians,  Fathers  Terence  and  Brendan  Connolly. 


spectacular  Progress       439 

of  properties  on  South  Street.  But  demand  for  housing  increased  each  year, 
so  that  in  the  spring  of  1978  the  trustees  authorized  another  high-rise 
residence  hall  to  be  built  between  Edmond's  and  St.  Ignatius  Church. 

The  new  structure  was  planned  mostly  for  sophomore  students.  It 
provided  a  living  style  transitional  between  that  of  the  upper  campus  and 
Newton  campus  dormitories  and  the  complete  apartment  living  of  Hillside, 
Edmond's,  and  the  modulars.  The  eight-person  suites  contained  all  the 
amenities  of  Edmond's,  with  the  exception  of  cooking  facilities.  Walsh  Hall 
provided  dining  accommodations  for  650,  as  well  as  laundries,  lounges, 
and  common  areas.  The  building  consisted  of  three  wings  of  eight,  six,  and 
four  stories  as  it  moved  northward  from  the  height  of  Edmond's  towers  to 
the  lower  levels  of  More  Hall  and  St.  Ignatius  Church.  Design  Alliance  was 
architect  for  Walsh  Hall  and  Perini,  the  contractor.  The  cost  of  the  building 
was  $9,166,000,  with  an  added  $1,744,000  for  equipment.^'  With  the 
completion  of  Walsh,  Boston  College  was  finally  able  to  divest  itself  of 
eight  three-story  brick  buildings  on  South  Street,  which  since  1969  had 
housed  200  students.^" 

The  new  building  was  being  completed  when  Father  Michael  P.  Walsh 
died  on  April  23,  1982.  The  trustees  decided  to  name  the  building  for  him, 
and  a  dedicatory  ceremony  was  held  with  his  brothers,  sisters,  and  friends 
present  on  October  7,  1982. 

While  residential  facilities  were  being  pushed  forward,  another  badly 
needed  facility  was  undertaken:  a  parking  garage.  It  was  decided  to  locate 
it  to  the  east  of  McHugh  Forum  and  the  stadium  in  a  position  where  it 
could  be  expanded  alongside  the  stadium.  Sasaki  Associates  drew  the  plans 
and  Richard  White  and  Sons  did  the  construction.  The  garage  provided 
spaces  for  429  cars.  Its  cost  was  $2,422,000,  financed  through  Massachu- 
setts HEFA  bonds.31 

The  New  Library 

In  the  1970s  the  University's  greatest  building  challenge  since  the  move  to 
Chestnut  Hill  was  the  need  for  a  new  library.  Beautiful  Bapst  Library  was 
built  for  an  undergraduate  student  body  of  approximately  a  thousand 
students.  Even  with  the  addition  of  satellite  libraries  in  the  professional 
schools,  the  library  facilities  of  the  University  were  inadequate.  For  twenty 
years  faculty  planning  committees,  students,  accrediting  agencies,  and  the 
administration  had  acknowledged  and  bemoaned  the  library  crisis.  Early  in 
his  administration  Father  Monan  made  a  new  library  a  building  and  fund- 
raising  priority.  With  the  appointment  of  Thomas  O'Connell  as  University 
librarian  in  1975,  Boston  College  had  a  professional  who  had  recently 
directed  major  library  construction  at  York  University  in  Canada.  O'Con- 
nell knew  that  it  fell  to  him  to  carry  out  and  enlarge  upon  the  plans  of  his 
predecessor.  Father  Brendan  Connolly. 


440        History  of  Boston  College 

A  library  building  program  committee  and  a  library  design  committee 
were  established.  By  spring  1978  The  Architects  Collaborative,  with  Roys- 
ton  T.  Daley  as  principal  architect,  had  been  commissioned  to  design  the 
library.  The  site  chosen  for  the  new  building  was  the  one  named  by  Father 
Brendan  Connolly  some  years  earlier.  But  its  proximity  to  the  original 
Gothic  structure  posed  a  problem:  how  to  achieve  the  mass  needed  for  the 
library  without  clashing  with  Gasson  Hall,  the  architectural  centerpiece  of 
the  campus.  From  beginning  to  end,  the  architects'  sensitivity  to  the 
primacy  of  the  original  Maginnis  and  Walsh  buildings  was  edifying.  The 
hillside  site  had  advantages.  It  permitted  a  low-profile  facade  of  three 
stories  facing  Gasson,  Devlin,  and  St.  Mary's,  with  five  stories  on  the 
downhill  side.  The  problem  of  strong  western  sun  on  the  Gasson  side  was 
handled  by  minimizing  windows  and  introducing  a  deep  loggia  two  stories 
high.  The  windowless  wall  above  the  loggia  provides  a  serene  background 
for  the  ornate  Gothic  buildings  and  at  the  same  time  sets  a  frame  for  the 
spacious  plaza  that  replaced  the  old  parking  lot. 

Groundbreaking  in  that  parking  lot  took  place  on  October  18,  1981, 
with  Smith  College  president  Jill  Conway  as  principal  speaker.  She  said  of 
the  new  library,  "This  will  be  a  great  and  much  needed  addition  to  the 
scholarly  resources  of  this  great  city  of  libraries  ...  a  unique  contribution, 
one  which  .  .  .  only  this  institution  can  make."  Father  Monan  noted  the 
significance  of  the  occasion  in  his  remarks: 

After  fifty  years  of  Boston  College's  existence  in  the  South  End,  in  1909 
Father  Gasson  stood  only  a  few  feet  from  where  we  are  assembled  and  placed 
a  spade  in  the  earth  to  convert  it  from  fertile  farm  land  into  this  magnificent 
University  campus.  Seventy-two  years  later,  I  have  the  privilege  of  welcoming 
each  of  you  as  we  reenact  Father  Gasson's  beginning — and,  indeed,  begin 
anew." 

Construction  so  close  to  St.  Mary's  Hall  gave  the  Jesuits  ringside  seats 
during  the  30  months  of  mechanical  wizardry.  Considerable  blasting  was 
needed  to  prepare  the  site,  and  it  was  not  until  mid-March  1982  that  The 
Heights  could  report  that  this  activity  was  90  percent  completed."  As  the 
building  progressed  during  the  cold  weather,  huge  yellow  tarpaulins  covered 
the  ends  of  the  operation,  allowing  work  to  continue.  Observers  became  so 
used  to  this  color  configuration  that  the  ultimate  removal  of  the  tarpaulins 
made  the  finished  wall  of  the  building  seem  almost  bland.  The  general 
community  had  a  say  in  the  choice  of  the  stone  cladding  for  the  library. 
Five  stone  mockups  of  different  coloring  and  texture  were  set  up  outside 
Devlin  Hall  and  people  were  asked  to  express  a  preference.  A  warm 
Rockville  granite  from  Minnesota  was  chosen.  Cut  in  large  pieces,  it  at 
times  spans  floor  to  floor.  The  exception  to  the  granite  cladding  is  the 
loggia,  which  presents  plain  concrete.  The  architect  sought  a  cloistral  effect 
in  the  loggia  that  would  echo  the  ecclesiastical  roots  of  the  University.^" 
Construction  manager  of  the  library  building  was  Richard  White  Sons  of 


spectacular  Progress       441 

Auburndale,  Edmond  White  ('51),  president.  Project  manager  was  Kevin 
Hines  ('70). 

When  completed,  the  $28  million  structure,  with  a  capacity  of  a  million 
books,  embraced  the  holdings  of  the  Bapst,  Management,  Science,  and 
Nursing  libraries.  The  long-familiar  card  catalogues  from  Bapst  are  in  the 
new  library — but  in  storage.  They  were  replaced  by  the  Geac  Library 
Computer  System,  which  was  available  to  library  patrons  through  video 
display  terminals  throughout  the  hbrary.  (In  1989  the  Geac  system  had 
already  been  outgrown  and  was  replaced  by  a  more  sophisticated  system 
dubbed  Quest,  which  runs  on  the  University's  IBM  mainframe.)  The  system 
also  facilitates  management  of  the  circulation  and  acquistions  functions  of 
the  library.  Facilities  not  hitherto  available  in  the  University's  libraries  are  a 
media  services  department,  a  library  photocopy  center,  and  a  vision 
resources  room  to  aid  blind  or  limited-vision  patrons.  The  south  end  of  the 
building  houses  the  University  Computer  Center,  a  student  terminal  area 
with  150  terminals,  9  classrooms,  faculty  research  space,  and  the  University 
Telecommunications  Center. 

Complementing  the  generous  services  of  the  library  is  its  attractive 
interior,  with  mauve  wall-to-wall  carpeting,  natural  oak  furniture  and 
woodwork,  royal-blue  shelving,  cozy  alcoves,  and  spectacular  views  of  the 
Boston  skyline. 

Long  before  the  building's  completion,  the  trustees  had  decided  that  it 
should  bear  the  name  of  an  illustrious  alumnus,  Thomas  P.  O'Neill,  Jr. 
('36),  Speaker  of  the  United  States  House  of  Representatives.  October  14, 
1984,  was  chosen  as  the  day  for  dedicating  the  library  and  honoring  the 
man  whose  name  it  bears.  Despite  a  chilling  wind,  the  event  was,  both 
intellectually  and  artistically,  one  of  the  most  sparkling  in  the  University's 
history.  Guests  were  seated  in  the  plaza  facing  the  library.  The  faculty 
marched  from  Gasson  in  academic  gowns,  and  the  platform  participants 
approached  a  temporary  stage  from  the  new  building.  The  invocation  was 
given  by  a  classmate  of  Speaker  O'Neill's,  Lawrence  Riley,  auxiliary  bishop 
of  Boston.  Chairman  of  the  trustees.  Judge  David  Nelson,  welcomed  the 
gathering  and,  speaking  for  the  faculty.  Professor  P.  Albert  Duhamel  gave 
a  bookman's  delighted  response  to  the  occasion.  The  principal  address  was 
given  by  Ernest  L.  Boyer,  president  of  the  Carnegie  Foundation  for  the 
Advancement  of  Teaching. 

There  followed  an  interlude  of  music  and  dance.  Alexander  Peloquin  led 
the  University  Chorale  in  a  rendition  of  "God  My  Glory,"  which  he  had 
composed  for  the  occasion.  The  text  of  "God  My  Glory"  is  a  poetic 
interpretation  of  Psalm  19  by  Father  Francis  Sullivan  of  the  Theology 
Department,  written  for  the  ceremony  as  a  piece  to  be  performed  outdoors 
and  choreographed.  Jesuit  artist-in-residence  Father  Robert  VerEecke  was 
choreographer  and  led  the  Boston  College  dance  group  in  a  dramatic 
interpretation. 

In  his  dedicatory  remarks  Father  Monan  stressed  the  practical  outcomes 


442       History  of  Boston  College 


Thomas  F.  O'Connell  {'50), 
university  librarian  from  1 976 
to  1 986,  stands  before  the 
O'Neill  Library,  which  he 
planned  and  saw  to  comple- 
tion. 


expected  from  Jesuit  education  as  exemplified  in  the  enlightened  public 
service  of  Speaker  O'Neill.  He  said,  "Throughout  the  history  of  Western 
culture,  human  knowledge  and  understanding  have  been  recognized  as 
good  within  their  own  right,  worth  pursuing  for  their  own  sake.  But  in  the 
entire  history  of  Jesuit  education  since  the  founding  of  our  first  lay  college 
at  Messina  in  1548,  learning  has  never  been  regarded  as  a  good  only  for 
itself — but  as  the  critical  ingredient  of  leadership  for  effective  service  to 
others. "^^ 

In  his  response  Speaker  O'Neill  said,  "The  soul  of  a  Catholic  University 
is  its  chapel.  Its  heart  is  its  library.  ...  I  have  decfined  many  offers  to  name 
buildings  after  me.  Quite  honestly,  I  do  not  believe  in  naming  them  after 
public  officials  who  are  still  in  office.  But  this  time  I  made  an  exception 
because  this  college  has  meant  so  much  to  me,  to  my  family,  and  to  my 
community." 

Master  of  ceremonies  for  the  occasion  was  University  Librarian  Thomas 
O'Connell,  who  reflected  the  long-delayed  satisfaction  of  many  when  he 
observed,  "This  library  is  not  the  work  of  any  single  person  or  group. 
Some  of  its  roots,  intellectual  and  physical,  are  buried  in  antiquity,  and 
some  of  its  attributes  contain  computer  technology  that  is  incorporated  in 
no  other  library  on  this  continent.  Truly  the  many  who  have  been  involved 
in  this  building  must  have  received  in  full  measure  the  grace  to  see,  as 
William  Butler  Yeats  has  said,  'In  all  poor  foolish  things  that  live  a  day, 
Eternal  Beauty  wandering  on  her  way.'  " 


spectacular  Progress       443 

Renovation  of  Bapst 

Even  while  O'Neill  was  under  construction,  the  exterior  of  Bapst  Library 
underwent  thorough  rehabilitation  similar  to  that  given  to  Gasson  a  few 
years  earlier.  When  that  was  completed,  and  just  after  the  dedication  of 
O'Neill,  an  elaborate  interior  renovation  of  Bapst  was  begun.  The  Archi- 
tects Collaborative,  with  Royston  Daley  as  co-principal,  were  responsible 
for  design,  and  the  construction  management  team  of  Richard  White  Sons, 
with  Kevin  Hines  as  project  manager,  oversaw  construction. 

The  original  floor  in  the  basement  of  Bapst  was  removed  and  the  ground 
further  excavated  to  provide  ceiling  room  in  the  floors  above  for  utility 
purposes.  A  heavier  floor  slab  was  installed  suitable  for  the  expected 
increased  weight  of  the  compact  shelving  needed  to  double  the  capacity  of 
the  Burns  stacks.  For  months  jackhammers  cut  holes  through  the  granite 
beneath  all  the  windows  of  Gargan  Hall  and  the  floor  below  (now  Kresge 
Hall)  to  provide  vents  for  the  heating  and  airing  of  Bapst. 

The  most  magical  transformation  in  Bapst  was  what  was  done  to  the 
area  that  for  many  years  had  been  an  auditorium  and,  in  later  years,  the 
upper  stacks.  The  border  paintings  on  the  original  ceiling,  barely  discernible 
in  the  years  when  stacks  obscured  them,  were  meticulously  redone.  Quiet 
carrels  and  an  ingenious  mezzanine  provide  one  of  the  choicest  study  spaces 
on  campus. 

The  most  dramatic  renovations  of  Maginnis  and  Walsh's  masterpiece 
were  in  the  north  end  facing  Commonwealth  Avenue,  where  state-of-the- 
art  and  exquisitely  beautiful  quarters  have  been  provided  for  the  Burns 
Library,  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  Judge  John  J.  Burns  ('21).  Burns 
Library  houses  the  University's  rare  books  and  special  collections,  as  well 
as  the  University  archives.  The  magnificent  Ford  Tower,  dark  and  mostly 
unused  for  better  than  half  a  century,  has  been  brought  into  central  use;  its 
stone  walls  were  cleaned  and  brightened,  with  one  wall  becoming  backdrop 
for  an  imposing  tapestry.  Burns  is,  of  course,  air-conditioned  and  climate- 
controlled  and  is  equipped  with  a  Halon  fire-suppressant  system.  To 
accommodate  air-conditioning,  the  stained  glass  windows  on  the  top  level 
had  to  be  sealed  with  thermal-panes;  these  the  architects  placed  on  the 
inside  and,  in  one  of  their  most  impressive  accomplishments,  managed  to 
make  the  thermal-pane  glass  practically  unnoticeable. 

The  architects  were  faced  with  one  external  challenge:  providing  the 
elevator  that  had  to  be  an  appendage  to  the  building.  Many  shuddered  at 
the  prospect  of  an  ugly  protuberance  marring  Bapst's  fine  exterior  lines. 
Fortunately  Maginnis  and  Walsh  had  provided  a  tiny  wing,  making  the 
north  end  of  the  building  slightly  wider  than  the  body  of  the  Hbrary.  Behind 
that  wing,  tucked  into  the  northwest  corner  along  College  Road,  a  tower 
was  erected  for  the  elevator  and  for  air-conditioning  machinery  for  Burns 
Library.  Thought  was  given  to  using  pudding  stone  for  the  tower  to  match 
that  in  the  original  building,  but  such  stone  is  no  longer  available.  So  it  was 


444        History  of  Boston  College 

decided  to  use  limestone  that  matches  the  trim  of  Bapst.  The  elevator  tower 
is  a  masterpiece,  which,  only  a  few  months  after  its  completion,  seemed  to 
have  always  been  part  of  the  building. 

When  built  in  the  1920s,  Bapst  Library  cost  $800,000;  the  renovation 
cost  $6.2  million.  The  Kresge  Foundation,  which  in  1979  had  contributed 
$250,000  toward  Robsham  Theater,  donated  half  a  million  dollars  for  the 
Bapst  renovation.^*" 

Bapst  Library  was  rededicated  and  Burns  Library  dedicated  in  ceremo- 
nies in  Gargan  Hall  on  April  22,  1986,  with  members  of  the  Burns  family 
in  attendance.  The  invited  speaker  for  the  occasion  was  Yale  historian 
Jonathan  Spence,  who  related  the  treasures  of  the  Burns  Library  to  one  of 
his  scholarly  interests,  the  cultural  legacy  left  by  the  sixteenth-  and  seven- 
teenth-century Jesuit  missionaries  to  China.  University  Librarian  Thomas 
O'Connell  was  awarded  the  Joseph  Coolidge  Shaw  medal,  which  had  been 
struck  to  honor  the  completion  of  O'Neill  Library.  Thus  O'Connell  wound 
down  his  very  productive  10  years  of  service  as  shaper  of  the  University's 
libraries.  (Some  months  earlier  he  had  announced  his  retirement.)  He  was 
succeeded  in  September  by  Mary  J.  Cronin,  who  had  been  director  of 
university  libraries  at  Loyola  University  in  Chicago.  With  a  doctorate  in 
German  Hterature  as  well  as  a  degree  in  library  science  and  having 
experience  with  the  Boston  Public  Library  and  the  Marquette  University 
libraries  as  well  as  that  at  Loyola,  Dr.  Cronin  brought  a  rich  background 
to  the  task  of  managing  the  enhanced  facilities  of  the  University's  Hbraries. 


Mary  J.  Cronin,  university 
librarian. 


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spectacular  Progress       445 

This  account  of  the  construction  that  has  taken  place  in  the  first  decade 
and  a  half  of  Father  Monan's  presidency  has  brought  us  well  into  the 
1980s.  It  is  necessary  in  the  next  chapter  to  return  to  other  important 
developments  of  the  1970s. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  The  administrators  were  Father  Monan,  Father  Donovan,  Frank  Campanella,  and 
Donald  White.  The  faculty  members  were  James  L.  Bowditch,  SOM;  Laurel  A. 
Eisenhauer,  Nursing;  Joseph  F.  Flanagan,  S.J.,  Philosophy;  Ernest  L.  Fortin, 
A.A.,  Theology;  Jocelyn  N.  Hillgarth,  History;  James  L.  Houghteling,  Law;  John 
L.  Mahoney,  English;  Michael  Malec,  Sociology;  Francis  M.  McLaughlin,  Eco- 
nomics; Edward  J.  Power,  Education;  Irving  J.  Russell,  Chemistry;  and  Carolyn 
Thomas,  Social  Work.  The  students  were  Joseph  J.  David,  A8cS  '75;  Cynthia  L. 
Feldman,  SOM  '75;  Stephen  E.  Fix,  A&S  '74;  Thomas  F.  Flynn,  A&S  '74;  John 
F.  McDonough,  A&S  '75;  Howard  A.  McLendon,  SOM  '75;  Josephine  L.  Ursini, 
SOM  '74;  and  Robert  W.  McNutt,  Robert  J.  Santoro,  and  Marilyn  J.  Terry  of 
Graduate  A&S. 

2.  The  faculty  members  were  Geraldine  Conner,  Social  Work;  Marjorie  Gordon, 
Nursing;  Francis  Kelly,  Education;  Cynthia  Lichtenstein,  Law;  Thomas  Owens, 
Philosophy;  Harold  Petersen,  Economics;  Donald  Plocke,  S.J.,  Biology;  and 
David  Twomey,  Management.  The  students  were  Linda  Bucci  and  Mary  Mac- 
Vean,  '76,  and  Carl  Ostermann,  a  graduate  student.  The  administrators  were 
Frank  Campanella,  Executive  Vice  President;  Father  Charles  Donovan,  Dean  of 
Faculties  (who  served  as  chairman);  Kevin  Duffy,  Director  of  Housing;  and  John 
Maguire,  Dean  of  Admissions,  Records,  and  Financial  Aid. 

3.  See  Sister  Eleanor  Kenny,  ed.,  "Early  Days  at  Newton  College."  Newton  College 
archives,  BCA. 

4.  Sister  Eleanor  Kenny  was  president  from  1946  to  1956;  Sister  Gabrielle  Husson 
was  president  from  1956  to  1969. 

5.  Newton  Newsnotes  (August-September  1974),  p.  8.  BCA. 

6.  Ibid. 

7.  The  chairman  of  the  Boston  College  Board  of  Trustees  at  the  time  was  Cornelius 
W.  Owens,  '36,  LL.B.  '73,  Executive  Vice  President  of  AT&T.  The  Newton 
College  Board  Chairman  was  T.  Vincent  Learson,  retired  chairman  of  the  board 
of  IBM. 

8.  "Fact  Sheet  on  the  Consolidation  of  Newton  College  into  Boston  College," 
issued  by  Father  Monan's  office  on  March  10,  1974.  BCA. 

9.  In  addition  to  John  Maguire  the  task  force  included  three  administrators:  Father 
Robert  Braunreuther  of  the  Housing  Office;  Kevin  Duffy,  Director  of  Housing; 
and  Father  Thomas  O'Malley,  Dean  of  A&S;  plus  nine  Boston  College  faculty 
members  and  two  members  of  the  Newton  College  faculty.  The  Boston  College 
faculty  members  were  Robert  Carovillano,  Evan  Collins,  P.  Albert  Duhamel, 
Anne  Ferry,  Mary  Griffin,  John  Lewis,  Harold  Petersen,  Helen  Manock  Saxe,  and 
Richard  Stevens.  The  Newton  College  faculty  representatives  were  Frances  Fer- 
gusson  and  Marie  Mullin  McHugh.  Student  members  of  the  task  force  were, 
from  Boston  College,  John  Brennan,  Matthew  Fissinger,  James  Moran,  and  Joan 
Quinlan;  from  Newton  College,  Kathy  Joyce  and  Jacqueline  Regan. 

10.  Father  Monan  to  members  of  the  University  Task  Force  on  Newton  College, 
March  27,  1974.  BCA. 

11.  Newton  Task  Force  Final  Report.  BCA. 

12.  The  Heights  (March  10,  1975). 


446        History  of  Boston  College 

13.  Paul  Doherty  to  Father  Charles  Donovan,  August  20,  1986.  BCA. 

14.  Report  of  the  Newton  Committee,  p.  5.  BCA. 

15.  Ibid.,  p.  3. 

16.  The  Heights  (April  25,  1972). 

17.  The  Heights  (April  3,  1973). 

18.  BCA. 

19.  Director  of  Housing  Kevin  Duffy,  The  Heights  (September  23,  1974). 

20.  BCA. 

21.  Focus  (October  1975). 

22.  Ibid.  (September  1974);  Bridge  (Winter  1978). 

23.  Seep.  129. 

24.  BCA. 

25.  The  Heights  (March  25,  1974;  September  16,  1974). 

26.  The  Heights  (September  22,  1975). 

27.  Focus  (May  1976). 

28.  BCA. 

29.  BCA. 

30.  Biweekly  January  29,  1981). 

31.  BCA. 

32.  "A  Celebration  of  Heritage  and  Promise." 

33.  The  Heights  (March  18,  1982). 

34.  "A  Celebration  of  Heritage  and  Promise." 

35.  Ibid. 

36.  Biweekly  (September  26,  1985). 


CHAPTER 


36 


A  Mission  Redefined 


Classes,  library  research,  office  consultations,  academic  meetings,  student 
activities,  staff  assignments,  and  administrative  decisions  make  up  the  daily 
routine  of  a  campus  community.  To  the  uninitiated,  these  undertakings 
may  seem  isolated  and  unrelated,  and  it  may  be  difficult  to  connect  one  to 
another.  In  reality,  however,  the  people  involved  combine  their  efforts  to 
implement  what  is  generally  called  the  "mission"  of  the  university — that  is, 
fulfilling  the  fundamental  reason  for  the  founding  of  the  institution  and  its 
continued  existence.  This  mission,  in  turn,  is  accomplished  through  stated 
goals,  some  of  which  are  immediate  and  others  long-term. 

Boston  College,  in  common  with  all  universities,  must  search  for  truth. 
But  it  also  embraces  a  particular  value  system  rooted  in  the  Judeo-Christian 
tradition  which  is  basic  to  the  Jesuit  method  of  education.  Since  institutions 
of  learning  are  located  in  a  particular  time  and  place,  from  time  to  time  the 
mission  has  to  be  tested,  measured,  reappraised,  and  reaffirmed.  Coming 
as  it  did  after  the  rebellious  sixties.  Father  Monan's  administration  pre- 
sented a  good  opportunity  for  reappraisal. 

At  the  end  of  Father  Monan's  fifth  year  as  president,  the  University 
published  A  Report:  Boston  College  1972-1977.  With  an  introductory 
message  from  the  president,  the  report  was  an  excellent  summary  of  plans, 
projects,  and  achievements,  and  it  clearly  indicated  the  direction  in  which 
the  University  was  moving.  During  those  five  years,  the  president,  as  already 

447 


448        History  of  Boston  College 

mentioned,  commissioned  several  University-wide  planning  efforts  which 
would  bear  fruit  in  the  late  1970s  and  early  1980s.  The  report  in  fact  not 
only  reviewed  the  past  but  set  the  tone  for  the  future.  But  "mission"  was  at 
the  heart  of  the  enterprise;  the  president  was  clear  on  that  point: 

During  the  years  covered  by  this  report,  our  nation  .  .  .  faced  history's 
recurring  lesson  that  intellectual  dexterity  and  public  power  by  themselves 
are  shallow  grounds  in  which  to  fix  personal  or  national  pride.  The  moral 
dilemma  of  Vietnam,  the  unraveling  of  Watergate, . . .  the  reversal  not  merely 
of  legal  protection  but  of  society's  reverence  for  the  human  unborn,  posed 
for  all  colleges  a  fundamental  question  of  mission.  If  colleges  had  confined 
their  educational  interests  in  the  past  to  the  values  of  truth  and  aesthetics,  did 
not  the  public  good  require  that  they  now  assume  responsibility  to  assist 
students  with  other  values  as  well? 

This  is  not  a  new  question  for  Boston  College.  Indeed  it  voiced  a  presup- 
position about  the  integrality  of  the  person  to  be  educated,  to  which  the 
tradition  of  Jesuit  education  had  addressed  itself  since  its  beginnings.  The 
currency  of  the  question  throughout  American  society,  however,  provided 
one  of  the  first  signs  in  a  quarter  of  a  century  that  the  college  whose  mission 
embraces  values  of  specific  religious  and  ethical  tradition  will  be  newly  prized 
for  its  distinctive  contribution  to  the  society's  larger  welfare.' 

A  Vision  of  Purpose 

In  February  1975  Boston  College  issued  a  newly  defined  statement  of 
purpose  that  affirmed  once  again  its  humanistic  and  professional  goals  and 
clearly  carried  forward  the  religious  aspirations  that  were  enunciated  at  its 
founding  in  1863.  The  University  Academic  Planning  Council,  described 


Kevin  P.  Duffy  became  vice 
president  for  student  affairs  in 
1977. 


A  Mission  Redefined       449 

and  analyzed  in  the  preceding  chapter,  emphasized  this  aspect  of  the  total 
program.  Boston  College,  the  council  noted,  "subscribes  to  a  fundamen- 
tally religious  vision,  not  narrow  or  restrictive,  but  generous  and  open."- 
The  University  reaffirmed  a  belief  in  God  as  Creator  and  Redeemer  "whose 
life  and  teachings  proclaimed  a  higher  goal  of  thought  and  action."^ 
Moreover,  as  part  of  a  contemporary  institution  of  learning  with  this  ideal, 
administrators,  faculty,  staff,  and  students  were  encouraged  to  share  in  this 
common  vision  and  in  this  common  purpose. 

The  fulfillment  of  this  religious  dimension  obviously  involved  the  Jesuits 
in  a  special  way,  since  they  were  particularly  concerned  with  the  moral  and 
religious  dimension  of  the  whole  enterprise.  The  mission  of  Boston  College 
is  closely  tied  to  the  Jesuit  Community  and  influenced  by  the  Society's 
history  and  ideals.  In  an  address  to  the  presidents  of  Jesuit  universities 
throughout  the  world,  the  General  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  had  this  to  say: 

On  this  point,  the  Jesuit  community  at  the  university  ought  to  exercise — not 
its  power,  but  its  authority:  that  is  to  say,  it  should  be  the  "author"  of  the 
task  to  be  accomplished  by  all  the  members  of  the  educational  community. 
Its  role  is  that  of  guaranteeing,  with  and  for  ail  of  the  members  of  the 
educational  community,  the  transmission  of  Gospel  values  and  the  discovery 
of  an  evangelical  life  orientation,  which  is  the  distinctive  mark  of  the  Catholic 
university.'' 

The  so-called  Jesuit  Statement,  referred  to  in  Chapter  35,  elaborates  at 
length  on  this  characteristic  of  Boston  College.  Noting  that  "the  society  we 
live  in  is  deeply  influenced  by  values  which  we  do  not  share  as  Jesuits,  .  .  . 
the  purely  academic  ideals  of  the  secular  university  tradition  in  America  are 
not  reliable  enough  guides  for  our  purposes."^  If  Boston  College  reflected 
that  tradition  exclusively,  "then  we  need  a  very  searching  examination  of 
academic  conscience.""^  But  the  Jesuits  who  designed  this  statement  were 
confident  that  faculty  and  students  chose  Boston  College  because  of  the 
values  they  expect  to  find  here,  educationally,  morally,  and  religiously.^  The 
Jesuits,  many  of  them  trained  to  the  doctoral  level  at  secular  universities, 
did  not  in  any  way  intend  thereby  to  dismiss  or  dilute  the  academic  thrust 
of  the  institution.  As  Father  General  Kolvenbach  said  to  the  presidents, 
"Ignatius  was  well  aware  of  the  fact  that  a  school  is  a  school;  a  university  is 
a  university.  It  has  its  own  finality;  it  is  not  simply  an  opportunity  for 
evangelization  or  the  defense  of  the  faith."^ 

Boston  College  alumni  and  alumnae  are  hving  proof  of  the  principles 
that  permeate  a  Jesuit  education.  They  are  the  extension  of  the  University 
in  the  world  of  politics,  medicine,  law,  teaching,  business,  the  home,  or 
other  occupations.  As  Father  Monan  has  often  said,  "the  true  value  of  a 
Boston  College  education  is  to  be  found  in  the  lives  of  the  alumni  and  in 
the  quality  of  the  decisions  they  make."'  In  this  instance,  numbers  can 
make  a  difference,  especially  when  Boston  CoUege  graduates  are  combined 
with  those  of  other  Jesuit  colleges  and  universities  in  the  United  States. 


450        History  of  Boston  College 


June  Gary  Hopps  became  dean  of 
the  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work 
in  1977. 


Many  Jesuit  graduates  in  the  military,  government  agencies,  and  other 
associations  have  expressed  the  existence  of  a  fraternal  bond  which  came 
from  their  common  educational  experience. 


Financial  Support  of  Alma  Mater 

In  1964  there  were  roughly  34,000  alumni.  By  1977  there  were  67,000, 
and  in  1990  the  number  stood  at  about  100,000.  In  addition  to  the  credit 
they  bring  to  their  alma  mater  by  their  personal  lives,  alumni  have  become 
more  and  more  active  in  various  aspects  of  the  University's  life.  Nowhere 
has  this  been  more  apparent  than  in  their  increased  financial  support, 
which  testifies  to  their  faith  in  its  future.  In  1976  the  Alumni  Association 
received  the  United  States  Steel  Foundation  Award  from  the  Council  for  the 
Advancement  and  Support  of  Education,  in  recognition  of  the  continued 
success  of  the  annual  giving  program.  Alumni  also  gave  of  their  time  in 
soliciting  other  alumni  and  sympathetic  donors  who  did  not  matriculate  at 
Boston  College.  In  particular,  hundreds  of  alumni  volunteered  their  time 
manning  telephones  in  the  Annual  Fund  Telethon,  which  in  1976—1977 
raised  nearly  $450,000.  This  effort  represented  3500  hours  spent  by  600 
alumni,  faculty,  and  students  calhng  "For  Boston." 

Beginning  in  1973,  the  second  year  of  Father  Monan's  administration, 
there  was  a  noticeable  increase  in  philanthropic  support  from  corporations, 
foundations,  and  friendly  admirers  which,  as  far  as  the  administration  is 
concerned,  demonstrated  renewed  trust  in  the  mission  and  management  of 
the  University.  With  this  encouragement,  the  president  began  to  feel  that 


A  Mission  Redefined       451 

the  time  was  right  to  consider  a  capital  funds  drive.  In  April  1976  the  New 
Heights  Advancement  Campaign  was  launched  with  a  dinner  at  the  Copley 
Plaza  Hotel.  Its  objective  was  to  raise  $21  million  over  five  years.  The 
national  chairman,  James  P.  O'Neill  ('42),  senior  vice  president  at  Xerox, 
put  the  campaign  in  perspective:  "Our  goal  is  to  provide  present  and  future 
Boston  College  students  with  the  best  educational,  spiritual,  and  social 
dimensions  of  a  college  experience.  .  .  .  For,  unless  we  respond  with 
enthusiasm  and  generosity,  how  shall  Boston  College  continue  to  challenge 
students  to  do  their  best?"'" 

A  capital  funds  drive  had  become  a  necessity.  In  1976  the  operating 
budget  was  in  excess  of  $53  miUion.  The  sources  of  the  University's  budget 
were  tuition  and  fees  (65  percent),  sponsored  programs  and  sponsored 
research  (18  percent),  auxiliary  services  such  as  dormitories,  food  service, 
and  the  bookstore  (14  percent),  and  annual  gifts  and  endowment  income 
(3  percent).  This  picture  clearly  showed  that  tuition  was  bearing  the  brunt 
of  operating  costs  and  that  the  direct  costs  of  education  accounted  for 
more  than  75  percent  of  expenditures." 

The  attractive  campaign  brochure  contained  a  clear  exposition  of  needs. 
The  University's  priorities  were  grouped  under  four  headings:  new  con- 
struction (library,  theater,  recreation  complex,  and  Law  School),  $10.5 
million;  endowment  (professional  chairs,  faculty  enrichment,  and  scholar- 
ships), $3  milhon;  University  renovation  and  modernization  (Gasson  Hall, 
Newton  College,  classrooms,  studio  art,  and  health  facility),  $2.25  million; 
and  University  support  programs  (scholarships,  library  acquisitions,  and 
salaries),  $5.3  million. 

These  priorities,  it  should  be  stressed,  were  needs,  not  luxuries,  and,  in 
turn,  all  were  realized.  By  June  30,  1977,  more  than  $8.2  million  had  been 
given  or  pledged  to  New  Heights;  by  1979  an  additional  $10  million  had 
been  donated  or  pledged.  Finally,  as  reported  by  Chairman  O'Neill,  by 
1981  the  New  Heights  Advancement  Campaign  had  raised  more  than  $25 
million.  1^  The  success  of  the  campaign  was  further  proof  that  Boston 
College  was  moving  forward  with  substantial  support  from  several  sources. 
It  was  an  encouraging  sign. 

Financial  Objectives 

When  he  accepted  the  presidency  of  Boston  College,  Father  Monan  staked 
out  three  objectives  in  the  financial  area:  first,  to  eliminate  the  accumulated 
deficit;  second,  to  create  a  system  for  keeping  the  operating  budget  in 
balance;  and  third,  to  reduce  the  high  interest  cost  of  long-term  debt 
through  refinancing.  By  the  end  of  1976  the  president  informed  the  trustees 
that  all  three  objectives  had  been  met.  While  initiative  and  direction  may 
come  from  the  top.  Father  Monan  was  quick  to  give  credit  to  the  Long- 
Range  Fiscal  Planning  Committee,  which  operated  under  the  overall  direc- 
tion of  the  executive  vice  president."  Their  long-range  plan  was  built  on 


452        History  of  Boston  College 


At  commencement  in  May 
1 980,  the  University  further 
emphasized  its  commitment  to 
the  Universal  Church.  In  con- 
ferring an  honorary  doctor  of 
laws  degree  on  Joseph  Cardi- 
nal Malulu,  archbishop  of  Kin- 
shasa, Zaire,  Boston  College 
greeted  the  good  shepherd  of  6 
million  Catholics  and  the  rec- 
ognized leader  of  the  Christian 
churches  in  Africa.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  the  exercises.  Cardi- 
nal Medeiros,  who  presided, 
and  Cardinal  Malulu  simulta- 
neously blessed  the  students 
and  their  families. 


two  assumptions  which  involved  the  heart  of  the  enterprise — namely, 
student-faculty  ratio.  The  committee  stated,  "With  minor  exceptions, 
Boston  College  plans  to  maintain  enrollments  at  current  levels  for  the 
existing  mix  of  academic  programs."'''  This  meant  in  practice  that  the 
undergraduate  enrollment  would  remain  at  8500,  with  necessary  fluctua- 
tions in  the  Graduate  School,  the  Law  School,  the  MBA  program,  and  the 
Graduate  School  of  Social  Work.  Since  the  most  significant  expenditures 
were  those  for  salaries  and  wages,  there  was  an  absolute  commitment  at 
Boston  College  not  to  increase  numbers  of  personnel  over  the  next  five 
years.'^  With  no  enrollment  growth  and  a  freeze  on  faculty  "slots,"  the 
current  student-faculty  ratios  could  be  maintained  without  detriment  to 
the  academic  programs.  The  freeze  on  positions  also  affected  administrative 


Mary  D.  Griffin,  who  had  served  for 
seven  years  as  associate  dean  of  the 
School  of  Education,  became  dean  in 
1979  and  held  that  position  until 
1986. 


A  Mission  Redefined       453 

officers,  as  well  as  secretarial,  clerical,  security,  and  custodial  hiring.  The 
hard-working  committee  concluded  with  this  summary: 

This  is  a  plan  which  results  in  balanced  operating  budgets  under  conditions 
where  no  growth  is  foreseen  in  the  student  body,  in  faculty  or  staff,  or  in 
physical  facilities.  It  anticipates  a  time  for  consolidation  after  decades  of 
continuous  growth.  During  this  period  (1976-1981)  we  must  continue  to 
upgrade  our  academic  programs,  to  develop  our  management  personnel  at 
all  levels,  and  to  improve  our  administrative  practices."^ 

Endowed  Academic  Chairs 

The  New  Heights  Advancement  Campaign  gave  a  much-needed  impetus  to 
the  funding  of  endowed  academic  chairs  at  Boston  College.  The  first  was 
the  Thomas  I.  Gasson,  S.J.,  Chair,  named  in  honor  of  the  13th  president  of 
the  University.  Endowed  by  the  Jesuit  Community  at  Boston  College,  it  is 
reserved  to  a  Jesuit  scholar.  The  first  holder  of  the  Gasson  Chair,  in  1980- 
1981,  was  William  B.  Neenan,  S.J.,  a  member  of  the  Missouri  Province  of 
the  Society  and,  at  the  time  of  his  appointment,  professor  of  economics  at 
the  University  of  Michigan.  Upon  completion  of  one  year,  Father  Neenan 
was  named  dean  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  when  Father  Thomas 
O'Malley  moved  to  John  Carroll  University  as  president. 

The  second  holder  of  the  chair  in  1981-1982  was  Avery  Dulles,  S.J., 
called  "one  of  the  finest  minds  on  the  American  university  scene."  The  son 
of  the  late  Secretary  of  State  John  Foster  Dulles  and  a  convert  to  Catholi- 
cism, he  taught  a  graduate  seminar  on  the  uses  of  Scripture  in  theology  and 


Father  William  B.  Neenan  was 
the  first  Gasson  professor  in 
1980-1981.  The  next  year  he 
became  dean  of  the  College  of 
Arts  and  Sciences,  and  he  suc- 
ceeded Father  Joseph  Fahey  as 
academic  vice  president  and 
dean  of  faculties  in  1987. 


454       History  of  Boston  College 

led  a  seminar  on  the  phenomenon  of  knowledge.  After  a  vacancy  in  1982— 
1983,  the  next  occupant  of  the  chair  in  1983-1985  was  F.  Paul  Prucha, 
S.J.,  a  historian  from  Marquette  University  considered  the  country's  leading 
authority  on  the  relationship  of  the  American  Indians  to  the  United  States 
Government.  Author  of  15  books,  he  won  several  national  awards  for  his 
most  recent  publication.  The  Great  Father  (2  vols.).  His  public  lectures  in 
Gasson  100  were  always  well  attended. 

He  was  followed  in  1985-1986  by  Robert  Barth,  S.J.,  a  literary  scholar 
at  the  University  of  Missouri  specializing  in  the  English  romantic  poets. 
His  further  interest  in  the  relationship  between  literature  and  religion  is 
reflected  in  his  publications,  such  as  Coleridge  and  Christian  Doctrine 
(Harvard,  1969).  Happily,  in  1988  Father  Barth  accepted  the  University's 
invitation  to  become  dean  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  The  next 
occupant  of  the  Gasson  Chair  was  Gerald  Cavanaugh,  S.J.,  in  1986—1987. 
Professor  of  Management  at  the  University  of  Detroit,  he  researches,  writes, 
and  lectures  on  the  ethics  of  business  and  the  corporation.  In  September 
1987  Joseph  A.  Fitzmyer,  S.J.,  internationally  renowned  Scripture  scholar 
and  ecumenist,  began  a  two-year  occupancy  of  the  Gasson  Chair.  During 
his  tenure  as  Gasson  professor,  he  guided  through  to  publication  The  New 
Jerome  Biblical  Commentary,  which  has  been  hailed  as  a  monumental 
achievement  of  American  Catholic  biblical  scholarship.  Father  Fitzmyer 
was  succeeded  by  a  mathematician,  Paul  A.  Schweitzer,  S.J.,  a  New 
England  Jesuit  who  is  a  professor  at  the  Pontifical  Catholic  University  of 
Rio  de  Janeiro. 

The  second  endowed  chair  was  named  in  honor  of  the  Speaker  of  the 
U.S.  House  of  Representatives,  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  1936.  Ranking 
high  among  the  University's  celebrations,  a  gala  dinner  was  held  in  Wash- 
ington on  December  9,  1979,  to  honor  Thomas  "Tip"  O'Neill,  Jr.,  on  his 
67th  birthday.  More  than  1000  friends  of  the  Speaker  and  his  alma  mater, 
including  President  Jimmy  Carter,  attended  the  affair  and  contributed  over 
$1.3  million  to  endow  a  chair  in  political  science  in  his  name.  The  O'Neill 
Chair  was  inaugurated  on  January  30-31,  1980,  by  a  symposium,  "The 
United  States  Congress,"  sponsored  by  the  Political  Science  Department 
and  attended  by  500  political  scientists,  journalists,  and  members  of  the 
Boston  College  community.'^ 

Samuel  Beer,  Eaton  Professor  of  Government  at  Harvard,  was  the  first 
occupant  of  the  O'Neill  Chair.  His  appointment  was  effective  January 
1982,  upon  his  retirement  from  Harvard,  and  his  public  lectures  in  Gasson 
Hall  were  well  attended  and  well  received.  Beer  was  succeeded  by  Congress- 
man Richard  Boiling,  Democrat  from  Missouri.  Retiring  from  the  House 
in  the  fall  of  1982,  Boiling  accepted  an  appointment  for  January  1983.  He 
was  a  popular  choice  who,  according  to  the  Congressional  Record,  had 
"influenced  the  House  more  than  any  member  of  his  generation."  His  fas- 
cinating book,  House  Out  of  Order,  was  required  reading  for  House  members. 


A  Mission  Redefined       455 

Boiling  was  followed  in  the  O'Neill  Chair  by  Jody  Powell,  press  secretary 
in  the  Carter  administration.  His  lectures  on  the  use  and  misuse  of  the 
press — especially  in  official  Washington — were  always  lively,  enlightening, 
and  amusing.  Next,  for  the  academic  year  1986-1987,  was  Herbert  Kauf- 
man, an  acknowledged  authority  on  bureaucracy,  bureaucrats,  and  Ameri- 
can federal  agencies."*  In  1987-1988  the  chair  was  held  by  Francis  E. 
Rourke  of  the  Johns  Hopkins  University,  an  authority  on  the  presidential 
bureaucracy.  In  the  spring  and  fall  of  1989  the  O'Neill  Chair  occupant  was 
a  professor  of  law  at  Georgetown  University,  Eleanor  Holmes  Norton,  who 
had  chaired  the  Equal  Employment  Opportunity  Commission  in  the  Carter 
administration.  She  was  succeeded  for  the  1990-1991  academic  year  by 
William  Schneider,  political  analyst  and  journalist,  and  a  former  senior 
resident  fellow  at  the  Hoover  Institute. 

A  third  endowed  chair  is  located  in  the  Accounting  Department  of  the 
Carroll  School  of  Management.  Joseph  L.  Sweeney  (class  of  1923),  retired 
chairman  of  the  board  of  Barclay,  Brown  and  Jones,  made  a  substantial  gift 
to  the  University  for  this  purpose.  Following  Mr.  Sweeney's  wish,  expressed 
in  his  will,  President  Monan  appointed  Professor  Stanley  Dmohowski, 
School  of  Management,  as  first  occupant  of  the  Sweeney  Chair.  The 


Samuel  H.  Beer  was  the  first  occupant  of  the  Thomas  P.  O'Neill  Chair  in 
political  science.  With  Professor  Beer  and  Father  Monan  is  Gary  Brazier  of 
the  Political  Science  Department. 


456        History  of  Boston  College 

appointment,  effective  September  1,  1984,  will  continue  as  long  as  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Boston  College  faculty.  Another  chair  in  the  Carroll  School 
of  Management  is  the  Peter  F.  Drucker  Chair  in  Management  Science, 
established  in  1987  by  John  A.  McNeice  ('54),  CEO  of  Colonial  Manage- 
ment Association.  The  first  Drucker  Professor,  Frank  Morris,  former 
president  of  the  Boston  Federal  Reserve  Bank,  joined  the  Boston  College 
faculty  in  September  1989. 

A  gift  in  1989  from  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  Thomas  A. 
Vanderslice  ('53)  estabhshed  the  first  endowed  professorship  in  the  physical 
sciences,  the  Margaret  A.  and  Thomas  A.  Vanderslice  Chair  in  Chemistry. 
Professor  T.  Ross  Kelly,  a  20-year  veteran  of  the  Chemistry  Department, 
was  named  to  fill  the  Vanderslice  Chair.  Kelly,  an  organic  chemist,  was  a 
former  National  Institutes  of  Health  Career  Development  Award  Winner. 

Alumni  in  the  medical  profession  funded  the  Michael  P.  Walsh,  S.J., 
Chair  in  Bioethics.  Named  to  honor  the  former  Boston  College  president 
who  had  been  so  devoted  to  premedical  students  and  alumni  doctors,  the 
chair  is  to  be  occupied  for  the  first  time  in  September  1990  by  Father  John 
J.  Paris,  S.J.  ('59).  Father  Paris  is  professor  of  social  ethics  at  the  College  of 
the  Holy  Cross  and  adjunct  professor  of  medicine  at  the  University  of 
Massachusetts  Medical  School.  He  has  served  as  visiting  scholar  and  visiting 
professor  at  the  University  of  Chicago,  Yale  Law  School,  Georgetown 
University,  Princeton  University,  and  the  University  of  Minnesota. 

Among  other  chairs  endowed  in  the  current  development  campaign  are 
two  in  the  School  of  Education.  The  Boisi  Professorship  in  Education  and 
Public  Policy  has  been  endowed  by  Geoffrey  T.  Boisi  ('69)  and  Norine 
Isacco  Boisi  ('69).  George  F.  Madaus  of  the  School  of  Education  faculty 
has  been  named  the  first  Boisi  Professor.  John  V.  Brennan  established  the 
Anita  L.  Brennan  Professorship  in  Education  in  honor  of  his  wife. 

Trustee  Thomas  J.  Flatley  established  the  John  J.  and  Margaret  O'Brien 
Flatley  Endowment,  part  of  which  funds  the  Margaret  O'Brien  Flatley 
Chair  in  Catholic  Theology  for  the  scholarly  preservation  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  tradition  of  Christianity. 

Patrick  G.  Carney  of  the  class  of  1970  has  estabhshed  the  Frederick  J. 
Adelmann,  S.J.,  Chair  in  honor  of  the  long-time  professor  and  former 
chairman  of  the  Philosophy  Department. 

James  F.  Cleary  ('50),  co-chair  of  the  Campaign  for  Boston  College,  and 
Barbara  Coliton  Cleary  have  endowed  the  James  F.  Cleary  Chair  in  Finance. 
The  John  J.  L.  Collins,  S.J.,  Chair  in  Finance  honors  a  former  member  of 
the  Finance  Department.  Corporate  gifts  by  Merrill  Lynch  and  Chase 
Manhattan  and  individual  gifts  from  former  students  of  Father  Collins 
funded  the  chair. 

The  Boston  Edison  Foundation  and  other  donors  established  the  Thomas 
J.  Galligan,  Jr.,  Chair  in  Strategic  Management.  Mr.  Galligan  ('41,  Hon. 
'75)  is  former  chairman  and  chief  executive  officer  of  Boston  Edison  and 
has  served  as  chairman  of  the  Boston  College  Board  of  Trustees. 


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Staff  meeting  in  the  Francis 
Thompson  room  of  Burns  Li- 
brary. Burns  librarian  Robert 
O'Neill  is  at  the  end  of  the 
table  at  the  right.  Next  to  him 
with  her  back  to  the  window 
is  university  librarian  Mary 
Cronin.  (Photograph  by  Dan 
Dry) 


The  beauty  of  Burns  Library  illumined  at  night  by  its  interior  lights,  by 
spotlights  on  Ford  Tower,  and  by  the  mellow  glow  of  street  lamps  on  Linden 
Lane.  (Photograph  by  Lee  Pellegrini) 


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The  gracious  dormitories  on  Commonwealth  Avenue  blend  well  with  their 
Gothic  neighbors.  The  dormitory  nearer  Linden  Lane  is  Voute  Hall.  (Photo- 
graph by  Lee  Pellegrini) 


^/(^'Ih^;-'^^ 


A,^1*i,., 


In  1 988  the  campus  entrance  at  Linden  Lane  was  beautified  with  a  land- 
scaped circle  and  an  iron  fence  with  granite  pillars,  echoing  the  style  of  the 
first  Chestnut  Hill  buildings.  The  upper  photograph  was  taken  at  dawn. 
(Photographs  by  Lee  Pellegrini) 


Class  activities  in  the  Cam- 
pus School's  magical  new 
quarters  in  Campion  Hall. 
The  photograph  at  the  top 
shows  a  teacher,  Maria 
Braz,  workifig  with  student 
Eric  Nolan,  who,  through 
eye  movements,  is  commu- 
nicating with  the  help  of  a 
picture  board.  In  the  other 
photograph,  using  a  DEC 
talk  computer  activated  by 
a  barely  visible  head 
switch,  student  Neil  Bowen 
is  scanning  words  that  he  is 
to  deliver  in  a  play.  Artie 
DePietro  is  being  posi- 
tioned by  Maria  Braz  so 
that  he  can  see  his  lines  for 
the  play  on  the  pink  sheet 
behind  his  head.  (Photo- 
graphs by  Lee  Pellegrini) 


The  opening  game  in  renovated  Alumni  Stadium,  September  1,  1 988,  against  Southern 
California.  (Photograph  by  Dan  Dry) 


Entrance  to  Conte  Forum,  facing  Beacon  Street.  (Photograph  by  Lee  Pellegrini) 


1984  Heisman  Trophy  winner,  Doug  Flutie.  {Photograph  by  Dan  Dry) 


Conte  Forum  provides  spacious  and  state-of-the-art  facilities  for  basketball  and  hockey 
as  well  as  a  long-needed  setting  for  Baccalaureate  Mass  and  other  major  assemblies. 
(Photograph  by  Lee  Pellegrini) 


A  Mission  Redefined       457 

The  Burns  Foundation,  established  by  the  family  of  John  J.  Burns  ('21) 
for  whom  Burns  Library  is  named,  has  established  a  Burns  Library  Visiting 
Scholar  in  Irish  Studies  Chair  beginning  in  the  1991—1992  academic  year. 
Distinguished  contributors  to  and  scholars  of  Irish  literature  and  culture 
will  serve  for  a  semester  or  year,  using  the  resources  of  the  Irish  collection 
in  their  classes  and  research. 


In  April  1974  the  Boston  College  community  was  saddened  by  the  death  of 
Director  of  Libraries,  Father  Brendan  Connolly.  The  first  American  Jesuit  to 
earn  a  doctorate  in  library  science,  Father  Connolly  had  succeeded  Father 
Terence  Connolly  as  head  of  the  Boston  College  library  system  in  1959.  His 
intelligence  and  wit  made  him  a  popular  figure  on  campus,  as  well  as  a 
forceful — though  frustrated — advocate  of  a  new  library  building.  Upon 
Father  Connolly's  death  Father  Monan  commented  In  a  campus  publication, 
"The  heart  of  Boston  College  skipped  a  beat  at  the  loss  of  Father  Brendan 
Connolly.  If  there  Is  truth  In  the  saying  that  a  university  is  its  library.  It  is 
truer  still  that  the  library  reflects  the  librarian.  Father  Brendan  Connolly  was 
a  university  librarian  of  broadest  vision  and  discriminating  judgment.  He 
was  a  student's  librarian  who  opened  the  full  range  of  library  treasures  to 
the  student  body.  He  was  a  librarian's  librarian  in  foreseeing  unerringly  the 
directions  the  science  would  assume."" 


New  Appointments 

For  over  a  year  after  the  death  of  librarian  Father  Brendan  Connolly,  Bapst 
librarian  Jeanne  Aber  served  as  interim  director  of  libraries  while  a  search 
committee  headed  by  Philip  McNiff  (class  of  '33),  Director  of  the  Boston 
Public  Library,  sought  a  replacement  for  Father  Connolly.  Eventually  an 
alumnus,  Thomas  O'Connell  ('50),  was  chosen  as  university  librarian. 
O'Connell,  with  experience  at  Harvard's  Widener  and  Lament  hbraries, 
had  served  as  director  of  libraries  at  York  University  in  Toronto,  where  he 
supervised  the  construction  of  new  library  facilities  and  a  dramatic  expan- 
sion of  the  university's  collection.  In  a  decade  of  service  to  his  alma  mater, 
O'Connell  was  to  move  the  Boston  College  libraries  from  the  nineteenth 
century  to  the  twenty-first. 

Father  Monan  made  two  other  important  academic  appointments  in  the 
1970s:  new  deans  for  the  School  of  Management  and  the  School  of 
Education.  After  11  years  of  creative  leadership,  Albert  Kelley  resigned  as 
SOM  dean  to  accept  a  vice  presidency  with  Arthur  D.  Little,  Inc.,  and  John 
Neuhauser  of  the  Computer  Science  Department  was  named  acting  dean 
while  a  national  search  was  undertaken.  When  the  interviews  were  over, 
the  search  committee  and  faculty  recommended  that  Neuhauser  become 
permanent  dean.  Neuhauser  had  joined  the  SOM  faculty  in  1969,  after 
earning  a  doctorate  at  Renssalaer  Polytechnic  Institute.  Assuming  charge 
of  a  prospering,  self-confident  School  of  Management,  he  was  to  give  it 
humane  and  cheerful  leadership  into  even  more  prosperous  days. 


458        History  of  Boston  College 


Alice  E.  Bourneuf  joined  the  Eco- 
nomics Department  in  1 959  as  a 
tenured  full  professor,  the  first 
woman  faculty  member  of  the  Col- 
lege of  Arts  and  Sciences  luith  that 
rank.  The  University  conferred  on 
her  an  honorary  Doctor  of  Science 
degree  in  1977,  the  year  of  her  re- 
tirement. In  October  1 979  the  office 
of  the  academic  vice  president  and 
dean  of  faculties  was  named  Bour- 
neuf House. 


A  change  of  guard  in  the  School  of  Education  followed  a  similar  path. 
When  Lester  Przewlocki  decided  to  devote  his  energies  to  the  classroom, 
associate  dean  Mary  Griffin  was  acting  dean  in  the  year  1979-1980,  then 
received  appointment  as  permanent  dean.  Like  Przewlocki,  Mary  Griffin's 
doctoral  studies  were  done  at  the  University  of  Chicago,  and  she  had  held 
varied  teaching  and  administrative  posts  before  joining  the  School  of 
Education  faculty  in  1965.  She  had  served  for  seven  years  as  associate  dean. 
Dean  Griffin  was  to  give  eight  years  of  buoyant  and  imaginative  leadership 
during  difficult  times  for  schools  of  education. 


Celebrating  the  Bicentennial 

As  the  two-hundredth  anniversary  of  American  independence  approached, 
Father  Monan  announced  that  from  April  1975  to  July  1976  Boston 
College  would  celebrate  the  bicentennial  with  a  variety  of  events  and 
awards.  Mary  Kinnane,  professor  of  higher  education,  headed  the  Presiden- 
tial Bicentennial  Committee  that  orchestrated  a  lively  and  varied  series  of 
events  throughout  the  year.  The  first  event  in  the  busy  schedule  was  a 
specially  arranged  football  engagement  with  Notre  Dame  at  Schaeffer  (now 
Foxboro)  Stadium  on  September  15th  that  featured  a  spectacular  patriotic 
halftime  performance  by  the  Boston  College  band.  Several  weeks  later  on 
September  28th,  the  academic  highlight  of  the  bicentennial  program  oc- 
curred, a  convocation  in  the  Recreation  Complex  at  which  the  attorney 
general  of  the  United  States,  Hon.  Edward  H.  Levi,  was  the  speaker.  Jazz 
pianist  Mary  Lou  Williams  played  the  "Gloria"  from  her  Mass.  Levi, 
Williams,  and  four  others  were  awarded  honorary  degrees.  Alexander 
Peloquin  led  the  chorale  in  a  performance  of  his  own  composition,  "A 
Prayer  for  Us."  Dean  Donald  White  of  the  Graduate  School  chaired  the 
committee  that  planned  the  convocation. 

A  feature  of  the  bicentennial  celebration  that  involved  a  broad  spectrum 
of  the  University  was  the  creation  of  200  Good  Citizen  Awards.  For  those 


A  Mission  Redefined       459 

awards  the  artist-in-residence  Allison  Macomber  created  the  Rale  Medal- 
hon,  which  showed  the  figure  of  Sebastian  Rale,  S.J.,  a  scholar  and 
missionary  to  the  Abnaki  Indians  of  Maine  in  the  late  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries  who  spent  30  years  compiling  a  dictionary  of  the 
Abnaki  language.  The  reverse  of  the  medallion  showed  the  bell  tower  of 
Gasson  Hall,  beloved  symbol  of  the  University. 

Dean  Richard  Huber  of  the  Law  School  chaired  the  committee  that 
distributed  the  medals  to  departments,  schools,  officers,  and  organizations 
throughout  the  University  for  conferral  upon  locally  designated  medal 
recipients.  The  medalists  formed  a  rich  and  varied  company.  The  Under- 
graduate Government  of  Boston  College  conferred  a  medal  upon  the 
beloved  and  recently  deceased  University  chaplain.  Father  Leo  "Chet" 
McDonough,  in  metnoriam.  Similarly  memorialized  was  Richard  Leonard 
('50),  who  had  been  controller  for  14  years  before  his  death  in  1976.  Other 
medal  recipients  were  Helen  Landreth,  curator  of  the  Irish  Collection  in 
Bapst  Library  for  30  years;  John  Cardinal  Wright  ('31),  head  of  the 
Congregation  for  Religious  at  the  Vatican;  Philip  J.  McNiff  ('33),  director 
of  the  Boston  Pubhc  Library;  Theodore  Marier  ('34),  director  of  the 
Archdiocesan  Choir  School;  Cornelius  Moynihan  ('26),  retired  associate 
justice  of  the  Massachusetts  Superior  Court  and  a  former  professor  of  the 
Law  School;  John  L.  "Jack"  Foley  ('56),  associate  director  of  audio-visual 


Vice  President  George  Bush 
received  an  honorary  degree 
and  was  the  speaker  at  com- 
mencement in  1982. 


460        History  of  Boston  College 

services  for  many  years;  and  Samuel  E.  Carter,  S.J.,  (GSSW  '58),  bishop  of 
Jamaica.^"  The  distribution  of  the  medals  provided  wide  community  in- 
volvement in  the  bicentennial  celebration  at  the  same  time  that  it  honored 
200  distinguished  friends  of  Boston  College. 

The  Alumni  Awards  of  Excellence  that  have  become  a  feature  of  the 
University's  calendar  each  spring  were  awarded  for  the  first  time  in  1976  as 
part  of  the  bicentennial  commemoration.  Library  exhibits,  musical  and 
dramatic  programs,  and  special  course  offerings  were  other  facets  of  the 
University's  hearty  salute  to  America's  bicentennial. 

A  Home  for  the  Performing  Arts 

For  decades  a  major  cultural  need  on  campus  had  been  a  proper  home  for 
the  performing  arts.  With  architectural  plans  for  a  theater  finally  complete, 
America's  premier  entertainer  accepted  an  invitation  to  visit  the  campus 
on  behalf  of  this  cause.  On  the  evening  of  May  19,  1978,  Bob  Hope  gave  a 
benefit  performance  to  launch  a  fund-raising  campaign  for  the  new  Univer- 
sity theater,  which  would  cost  $5,032,244.  Governor  Hugh  Carey  of  New 
York,  who  appeared  on  stage  with  Father  Monan  and  Hope,  attended  the 
show  with  his  daughter  Marianne,  class  of  1978.  It  was  a  classy  but  jovial 
affair  (Father  Monan  presented  Hope  with  a  B.C.  jacket),  with  tickets  at 
ringside  going  for  $1000.  John  and  Gloria  Cataldo  worked  long  and  hard 

In  May  1978  Bob  Hope 
starred  in  a  fund-raiser  in 
Roberts  Center  for  the  pro- 
posed theater. 


A  Mission  Redefined       461 


Robsham  Theater  opened  in  1981. 

to  create  a  proper  environment  at  Roberts  Center  and  especially  in  Mc- 
Elroy  Commons,  where  florists  and  chefs  freely  contributed  their  services 
to  prepare  a  magnificent  setting  for  the  supper  at  w^hich  Bob  Hope  and  his 
wife,  Dolores,  made  a  brief  post-performance  appearance.^'  The  event 
raised  well  over  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars. 

The  main  theater  seats  600  and  there  are  smaller  stage  rooms  and  several 
classrooms.  It  opened  to  a  black  tie  audience  on  October  30,  1981,  with  a 
production  of  Camelot.  Speaking  on  that  occasion.  Father  Monan  said, 
"At  last  we  have  a  superb  instrument  for  teaching  and  learning  in  the 
performing  arts,  whose  values  Jesuits  have  integrated  into  their  curricula 
for  more  than  400  years  and  for  the  last  116  here  at  Boston  CoUege."-- 
The  theater,  it  should  be  noted,  was  the  first  to  be  opened  in  the  Boston 
area  in  50  years. 

On  the  evening  of  October  25,  1985,  in  an  emotional  ceremony,  this 
facility  was  named  the  E.  Paul  Robsham,  Jr.,  Theater  Arts  Center,  in  honor 
of  a  young  man  who  died  in  a  tragic  automobile  accident  in  the  summer  of 
1983.  His  parents  unveiled  the  plaque  in  the  presence  of  many  friends  from 
the  campus  and  beyond.  Paul  was  in  the  class  of  1986.^^ 


The  Irish  Connection 

It  is  interesting  that  during  the  nineteenth  and  early  twentieth  centuries, 
when  Boston  College's  Irish  heritage  was  a  daily  reality  in  its  students  and 


462       History  of  Boston  College 

most  of  its  faculty,  there  was  nothing  about  Ireland  or  Irish  culture  in  the 
curriculum.  Father  John  E.  Murphy  introduced  Gaelic  literature  in  Irish 
and  English  in  the  1930s,  but  the  program  waned  after  the  war.  Father 
Martin  Harney  of  the  History  Department  founded  an  extracurricular  club 
in  the  1950s  named  after  Blessed  (now  Saint)  Oliver  Plunkett,  whose 
purpose  was  to  celebrate  and  perpetuate  Irish  culture. 

But  it  was  not  until  the  late  twentieth  century  (after  the  advent  of  much 
greater  curricular  flexibility)  that  Irish  studies  became  available  to  Boston 
College  students  as  an  organized  academic  program.  Adele  Dalsimer  of  the 
English  Department  and  Kevin  O'Neill  of  the  History  Department  are 
directors  of  this  lively  undertaking.  An  organization.  Friends  of  Irish 
Studies,  supports  the  program  with  gifts  that  facilitate  its  scholarly  and 
artistic  activities.  One  course  in  the  program,  "Field  Study  in  Ireland:  Early 
Christian  Ireland,"  is  concerned  with  the  religious  and  artistic  effects  of 
Irish  monasticism.  It  includes  a  two-week  study  tour  visiting  major  monas- 
tic sites.  A  related  development  is  a  junior  year  abroad  at  University  College 
in  Cork.  Margaret  Dever  of  the  EngHsh  Department  leads  an  annual  five- 
week  Summer  Theatre  Workshop  at  Dubhn's  Abbey  Theatre  for  Boston 
College  students.  The  Maeve  Finley  Scholarship,  established  by  a  member 
of  Friends  of  Irish  studies,  enables  a  Boston  College  graduate  to  pursue 
Irish  studies  in  the  Emerald  Isle.  The  University  is  proud  that  a  respected 
international  journal.  The  Irish  Literary  Supplement,  is  now  publishing  in 
association  with  the  Irish  Studies  Program  at  Boston  College. 


Adele  M.  Dalsimer  of  the  English 
Department,  co-director  of  the  Irish 
Studies  program.  In  the  spring  of 
1990  approval  was  given  for  an 
M.A.  in  Irish  Studies. 


A  Mission  Redefined       463 

In  1989  the  Carroll  School's  Management  Center  established  a  program 
to  help  business  men  and  women  from  Ireland  to  develop  entrepreneurial 
skills.  Named  "Development  of  Entrepreneurs  in  Boston  for  Ireland" 
(DEBI),  the  program,  headed  by  Boston  College's  John  McKiernan,  aims 
to  assist  the  economy  of  Ireland.  To  date  participants  have  come  both  from 
the  Republic  of  Ireland  and  from  Northern  Ireland. 

Thus,  in  some  ways  the  ties  between  Boston  College  and  Ireland  are 
stronger  today  than  they  were  in  the  days  of  the  redoubtable  Irish  founder, 
Father  John  McElroy. 

One  cannot  discuss  Irish  studies  at  Boston  College  without  mention  of 
the  grand  lady  who  presided  for  years  over  the  Irish  Collection.  Helen 
Landreth,  known  to  decades  of  students  and  faculty,  came  to  the  Bapst 
Library  in  1946  at  the  invitation  of  Father  Terence  Connolly.  Her  publica- 
tions, scholarship,  and  encyclopedic  knowledge  of  all  things  Irish  com- 
manded the  respect  of  scholars  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  Her 
close  friendship  with  such  legendary  figures  of  Ireland  as  Eamon  DeValera, 
Sean  McBride,  Maude  Gonne,  and  Mrs.  Erskin  Childers  gave  authenticity 
and  authority  to  her  talks  and  writings.-'' 

Helen  Landreth  wore  with  pride  the  Golden  Medal  of  the  Eire  Society, 
just  as  she  cherished  the  Bicentennial  Medallion  from  Boston  College.  She 
was,  indeed,  the  ideal  curator  of  the  Irish  Collection  in  Bapst.  Only  age 
and  infirmities  could  force  her  to  retire,  and  she  died,  mourned  by  all,  on 
November  8,  1981. 

/.  Paul  Marcoux,  faculty  direc- 
tor of  drama,  coaching  Paul 
O'Brien  ('66)  for  the  opening 
presentation  in  Robsham  The- 
ater, Camelot. 


464        History  of  Boston  College 

The  Pope's  Visit,  and  Anniversaries 

Boston  and  Boston  College  welcomed  the  Holy  Father  at  the  beginning  of 
his  first  visit  to  the  United  States.  Pope  John  Paul  IPs  plane  touched  down 
at  Logan  International  Airport  on  Monday  afternoon,  October  1,  1979, 
where  he  was  met  by  Humberto  Cardinal  Medeiros  and  Mrs.  Jimmy 
Carter,  the  president's  wife. 

To  share  in  the  Pope's  visit,  the  Office  of  Student  Ministry  sponsored  a 
walk,  beginning  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  from  the  Snake  and  Apple 
to  the  Common.  There  were  not  enough  tickets  to  accommodate  the 
enthusiastic  response.  Several  students  fluent  in  French,  Spanish,  Itahan,  or 
German  were  asked  to  lend  their  assistance  at  the  media  center.  Laetitia 
Blain,  director  of  the  University  Chorale  at  St.  Ignatius  Church,  sang  the 
responsorial  psalm  at  the  papal  Mass.  And  30  Boston  College  choristers 
joined  the  275 -voice  choir  under  the  direction  of  Father  Francis  Strahan. 

Later  in  the  evening.  Father  Monan  and  the  Boston  College  band  met 
His  Holiness  at  the  entrance  to  the  cardinal's  residence  on  Commonwealth 
Avenue.  The  band  played  "Highlander,  you  won't  mind  leaving  your 
country,"  which  was  played  at  Warsaw  when  Karol  Wojtyla  was  elected 
Pope.  His  message  on  the  Common,  as  elsewhere,  was,  "I  want  to  repeat 
what  I  keep  telling  youth.  You  are  the  future  of  the  world,  and  the  day  of 
tomorrow  belongs  to  you."-^ 

In  1980  Boston  celebrated  the  350th  anniversary  of  its  founding.  Boston 
College  deemed  it  appropriate  to  present  a  doctor  of  laws  degree,  honoris 
causa,  to  Kevin  Hagan  White,  who  had  presided  as  mayor  for  16  years  over 
the  affairs  of  the  "City  on  a  Hill."  A  1955  graduate  of  Boston  College  Law 
School,  Mayor  White,  as  the  citation  read,  "blended  ...  a  feehng  for 
tradition  with  courage  for  innovation."  On  the  same  platform  was  the 
Governor  of  the  Commonwealth,  the  Honorable  Edward  J.  King  ('48).  The 
first  graduate  to  win  the  governorship,  he  was  cited  for  bringing  to  his  high 
position  a  "leadership  that  [was]  energetic,  unselfish,  and  straightforward." 
Alma  Mater  was  pleased  to  confer  on  him  a  doctor  of  public  administration 
degree,  honoris  causa.-'^  The  other  recipients  of  degrees  on  that  occasion 
were  Germaine  Bree,  authority  on  French  literature  who  was  the  com- 
mencement speaker;  Bernard  O'Keefe,  master  of  business  enterprises;  and 
Albert  M.  Folkard,  for  many  years  director  of  the  honors  program  at 
Boston  College. 

Two  important  anniversaries  were  commemorated  in  1979.  On  October 
25,  a  special  Boston  College  Citizens  Seminar  was  held  at  Faneuil  Hall  to 
commemorate  the  25th  year  of  the  program.  Governor  Edward  King,  the 
principal  speaker,  reviewed  the  highlights  of  the  program  from  the  point  of 
view  of  one  who  had  been  involved  in  the  growth  of  the  city  and  the  state. 
An  honored  guest  was  Father  W.  Seavey  Joyce,  S.J.,  former  president  of 
Boston  College  who,  as  dean  of  the  then  College  of  Business  Administra- 
tion, was  largely  responsible  for  the  institution  of  the  seminars  in  1954. 


A  Mission  Redefined       465 


Thomas  J.  Flatley,  a  trustee  of  Boston  College  and  patron  of  Irish  programs  at  the 
University,  with  Kevin  O'Neill  of  the  History  Department,  co-director  of  the  Irish 
Studies  program. 


In  1979  the  Law  School  celebrated  its  fiftieth  anniversary  with  a  convocation  in  the 
RecPlex.  Senator  Edward  M.  Kennedy  (LL.D.  '66)  was  principal  speaker.  At  the  time 
he  was  an  unannounced  candidate  for  the  presidency,  and  former  Law  School  dean 
Father  Robert  Drinan  ('42,  LL.M.  '49),  at  the  podium,  made  capital  of  the  situation. 
On  the  platform,  from  the  left,  are  Hon.  Joseph  P.  Warner  ('58,  LL.B.  '61),  Alumni 
Association  president;  Law  School  dean  Richard  G.  Huber;  Chief  Justice  Edward  F. 
Hennessey  of  the  Massachusetts  Supreme  Judicial  Court;  Senator  Kennedy;  Father 
Monan;  Father  Drinan;  James  M.  Langan  ('30,  J.D.  '34),  president  of  the  Fellows  of 
the  Boston  College  Law  School;  and  Father  Francis  J.  Nicholson  ('42),  Law  School 
faculty  member. 


BOSTON 


466        History  of  Boston  College 


The  determined  gleam  in  Father 
Joseph  Larkin's  eye  may  reflect  relief 
that,  after  his  25  years  of  directing 
plays  in  less-than-ideal  settings,  Rob- 
sham  is  a  reality. 


The  seminars  have  been  a  continuing  forum  for  local  and  national  business 
leaders. 

The  following  day,  October  26,  an  elaborate  convocation  commemo- 
rated the  50th  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  Boston  College  Lawr  School. 
Held  in  the  recently  dedicated  William  J.  Flynn  Student  Recreation  Com- 
plex, the  ceremony  attracted  2000  attendees — students,  faculty,  alumni, 
friends,  and  leaders  of  the  legal  profession  in  Boston.  Undoubtedly,  the 
most  excitement  was  created  by  Senator  Edward  M.  Kennedy,  the  main 
speaker,  who  was  widely  known  to  have  presidential  ambitions.  In  fact,  he 
was  accompanied  by  a  Secret  Service  detail  which  insisted  upon  a  sweep  of 
the  complex  before  the  public  was  allowed  to  enter.  In  his  address,  the 
senator  said: 

For  fifty  years,  you  have  educated  students  to  adapt  the  law's  great  purposes 
to  public  and  private  use.  And,  for  fifty  years  Boston  College's  lawyers, 
judges,  professors,  and  public  servants  have  provided  distinguished  service  to 
our  Boston  community,  our  Commonwealth,  and  our  nation  as  a  whole.^^ 

On  October  14th,  a  cold,  blustery  afternoon,  1400  people  from  the 
Boston  College  community  gathered  to  witness  the  dedication  of  the 
William  J.  Flynn  Student  Recreation  Complex.  On  the  platform  outside 
the  "RecPlex,"  as  it  was  called,  were  Daniel  Tully,  architect;  Daniel  Cotter, 
president  of  UGBC;  Governor  Edward  King,  former  varsity  football  player; 
WilUam  J.  Flynn;  Judge  John  J.  Irwin,  president  of  the  Alumni  Association; 
and  J.  Donald  Monan,  S.J. 

To  those  who  offered  congratulations.  Bill  Flynn  insisted,  "It's  the 


A  Mission  Redefined       467 

Student  Recreation  Complex,  and  always  will  be."  One  of  the  most  popular 
facilities  on  campus — and  the  most  used — it  was  brought  to  completion 
largely  through  the  efforts  and  inspiration  of  Flynn.  In  addition,  the 
occasion  afforded  an  opportunity  to  honor  this  man  for  his  33  years  of 
service  to  Boston  College  as  teacher,  coach,  alumni  director,  and  director 
of  athletics.  Father  Monan  observed  that  "Bill  Flynn  has  set  standards  of 
excellence  for  all  of  us."  A  black  tie  testimonial  dinner  followed  the 
dedication,  at  which  many  national  and  local  sports  figures  spoke.^^ 

New  Opportunities  and  More  Appointments 

An  important  change  in  the  administration  took  place  at  the  end  of  the 
1978—1979  academic  year.  Father  Charles  Donovan,  who  had  planned  to 
retire  as  academic  vice  president  in  1978,  agreed  to  remain  at  his  post  for 
another  year  to  give  the  search  committee  more  time  to  choose  his  succes- 
sor. The  committee  at  length  extended  an  invitation  to  J.  Allan  Panuska, 
S.J.,  who  accepted  and  was  confirmed  by  the  president  and  trustees.  Flis 
appointment  as  AVP  was  effective  July  1,  1979. 

Father  Panuska  came  with  impressive  credentials.  A  member  of  the 
Maryland  Province  of  the  Society,  he  had  earned  his  Ph.D.  in  Biology  at  St. 
Louis  University  and  was  a  teacher-researcher  for  several  years  at  George- 
town. As  former  rector  of  the  Jesuit  Community  at  Georgetown  and 
Provincial  of  the  Maryland  Province,  he  was  an  experienced  administrator. 


Father  J.  Alan  Panuska,  academic 
vice  president  and  dean  of  faculties, 
1979-1982.  Father  Panuska  left 
Boston  College  to  become  president 
of  Scranton  University. 


468        History  of  Boston  College 

He  possessed  in  abundance  those  qualities  necessary  for  the  chief  academic 
officer  of  the  University:  leadership  ability,  high  academic  standards,  and 
familiarity  with  the  goals  and  mission  of  the  institution.  Father  Panuska's 
warm  and  engaging  personaUty  endeared  him  to  students  and  faculty  alike 
during  his  three  busy  years  in  office.  He  left  Boston  College  in  1982  to 
become  president  of  the  University  of  Scranton.-' 

Father  Donovan's  retirement  as  AVP  was  the  occasion  of  several  campus 
receptions,  culminating  in  the  presentation  of  a  Festschrift,  Inscape,  pub- 
hshed  in  his  honor.  His  retirement  was  short-lived  however,  as  he  immedi- 
ately accepted  the  position  of  University  historian.^"  One  result  of  that 
appointment  is  the  present  volume,  co-authored  with  an  able  historian. 
University  archivist  Father  Paul  A.  FitzGerald,  S.J. 

Shortly  after  Father  Panuska's  arrival,  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences 
received  good  news  about  a  proposal  for  a  grant  made  two  years  earlier.  In 
May  1977  the  Andrew  W.  Mellon  Foundation  had  contacted  the  president's 
office  to  indicate  that  it  would  be  open  to  a  proposal  in  the  faculty 
development  area.  With  that  encouragement,  Father  Donovan,  Dean 
White,  Father  O'Malley,  Father  Panuska  (on  visits  to  the  campus),  Richard 
Landau,  and  several  faculty  members  drew  up  a  proposal.^^  In  response  to 
the  proposal  from  Arts  and  Sciences,  the  Mellon  Foundation  awarded 
Boston  College  $360,000  in  October  1979  "for  use  during  a  period  of 
approximately  four  years  in  support  of  a  program  for  faculty  and  curricula 
development."^-  In  communicating  this  good  news  to  the  faculty  of  Arts 
and  Sciences,  Dean  O'Malley  wrote: 

The  grant  is,  clearly,  a  reflection  of  the  high  regard  in  which  the  Mellon 
Foundation  holds  the  faculty  in  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  It  will 
provide  much-needed  support  services  for  research  and  related  activities,  and 
will  afford  people  who  develop  proposals  the  opportunity  to  do  some  quite 
interesting  things  which  otherwise  would  be  impossible  for  them  and  for  the 
College.^^ 

A  Mellon  Committee  of  nine  members,  with  Professor  Michael  Mann  of 
Economics  as  chairman,  was  installed,  and  procedures  were  set  up  for 
faculty  applications.  Although  the  proposal  was  aimed  primarily  at  tenured 
faculty  members,  in  practice  junior  faculty  could  also  apply  for  grants  to 
develop  their  careers.  The  principal  criteria  used  in  evaluating  proposals 
were  the  quality  of  the  work  proposed  and  the  degree  to  which  the  project 
would  contribute  to  a  faculty  member's  scholarly  productivity.  Some 
faculty  grants  were  very  generous  and  were  funded  up  to  $8000.  Smaller 
grants,  however,  were  more  often  the  case. 

Over  time  the  Mellon  Grant  was  an  important  component  in  encourag- 
ing faculty  to  complete  projects  that  had  been  languisjiing  for  one  reason 
or  another.  It  also  expanded  the  possibility  of  summer  grants  to  faculty 
hard  pressed  during  the  year.  The  new  AVP,  as  Father  O'Malley  noted,  was 
very  much  interested  in  the  idea  of  faculty  career  development.^''  The 


A  Mission  Redefined       469 


On  April  30,  1984,  a  welcoming 
reception  was  held  in  McElroy 
Commons  for  Boston's  new  arch- 
bishop, Bernard  [now  cardinal) 
haw.  Dean  Mary  Griffin  of  the 
School  of  Education  is  shown 
with  the  archbishop  and  Father 
Monan. 


Mellon  Grant  also  motivated  other  schools  of  the  University  to  look  for 
ways  and  means  to  encourage  their  faculties  to  be  more  productive. 


Two  More  Controversies 

While  the  faculty  members  in  Arts  and  Sciences  were  savoring  their  good 
fortune,  students  were  involved  in  a  divisive  campus  controversy  revolving 
around  MassPIRG  (Massachusetts  Public  Interest  Group)  and  its  funding. 
PIRG,  which  came  to  the  campus  in  1972,  provides  an  opportunity  for 
students  to  join  in  concerted  action  on  problems  that  concern  them,  such 
as  environmental  protection,  consumer  misrepresentation,  corporate 
abuses,  and  racial  restrictions.  At  this  time  PIRG  was  a  popular  student 
organization  active  on  many  campuses  in  the  Boston  and  New  England 
area. 

But  to  be  successful,  it  had  to  be  adequately  funded.  At  Boston  College, 
it  was  agreed  that  if  a  majority  of  the  students  (as  actually  happened)  voted 
to  fund  PIRG,  the  administration  would  allow  four  dollars  to  be  added  to 
each  student's  tuition  as  a  means  of  collecting  contributions.  At  the  same 
time,  there  was  a  guaranteed  refund  provision  for  those  students  who  did 
not  wish  to  support  PIRG.  These  provisions  brought  about  a  confrontation 
between  two  groups:  PIRG,  abetted  by  UGBC,  lobbied  for  the  four  dollars 
while  others,  notably  the  Young  Americans  for  Freedom  (YAF),  opposed 
the  method  of  collection.  YAF,  in  fact,  mounted  an  aggressive  campaign  to 
convince  students  to  ask  for  a  refund.  This  active  campus  group  was  quite 
successful,  and  long  lines  formed  at  the  Murray  conference  room  seeking 
refunds.  In  November  1979,  35  percent  of  the  students  collected  refunds, 
which  drastically  reduced  the  effectiveness  of  the  PIRG  operation.  Support 
for  PIRG  has  continued  to  be  a  controversial  issue. 


470        History  of  Boston  College 

Another  item  of  ongoing  campus  discussion,  which  concerned  faculty 
and  students  alike,  was  the  much-debated  question  of  "grade  inflation." 
Unknown  to  students  of  an  earlier  age,  this  new  phenomenon,  which 
conferred  academic  honors  on  almost  everyone,  was  not  confined  to  Boston 
College.  Nation-wide  in  scope,  it  supposedly  had  its  origin  in  the  Vietnam 
War,  when  good  grades  insured  exemption  from  the  draft  through  entrance 
to  graduate  or  professional  school.  At  that  time  faculty  members  felt  that 
assigning  even  a  formerly  respectable  grade  such  as  "C"  reductively  made 
them  agents  sending  students  to  war;  hence  the  scale  of  grades  became 
largely  limited  to  "A"  and  "B."  After  the  war  this  grading  aberration 
continued  as  a  settled  pattern,  so  that  even  indifferent  students  resented  a 
grade  of  "B— ".  Father  Joseph  Fahey,  successor  as  academic  vice  president 
to  Father  Panuska,  made  the  issue  of  inflated  grades  a  major  focus  of  his 
administration. 

As  the  decade  of  the  1980s  began,  Boston  College  had  achieved  a  position 
of  academic  prominence  nationally.  As  the  decade  unfolded,  the  Universi- 
ty's athletic  teams,  both  male  and  female,  would  also  attract  national 
attention. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  A  Report:  Boston  College  1 972-1 977,  p.  3. 

2.  Report  of  the  University  Academic  Planning  Council,  1975,  p.  2.  BCA. 

3.  Ibid. 

4.  Peter-Hans  Kolvenbach,  S.J.,  "The  Jesuit  University  Today"  (Frascati,  Italy,  No- 
vember 5,  1985).  JEA  Collection.  BCA. 

5.  Jesuit  Education  at  Boston  College  (October  1974),  p.  8.  BCA. 

6.  Ibid. 

7.  Ibid.,  p.  9. 

8.  Kolvenbach,  "Jesuit  University,"  1985. 

9.  A  Report,  1 972-1 977,  p.  13. 

10.  See  brochure,  "Boston  College  New  Heights  Campaign."  BCA. 

11.  Ibid. 

12.  See  Annual  Reports  for  1977-1980  and  1980-1981.  BCA. 

13.  The  Boston  College  Long-Range  Financial  Plan,  April  1976.  Foreword.  BCA. 

14.  Ibid.  p.  20. 

15.  Long-Range  Fiscal  Plan,  p.  12. 

16.  The  committee  was  speaking  of  the  operating  budget.  Physical  facilities  and 
renovations  were  planned  and  carried  forward  under  the  capital  funds  drive. 

17.  A  Report  of  Boston  College,  1977-1980,  p.  6. 

18.  See  Biweekly  (November  6,  1986),  p.  4. 

19.  Bridge  (June  1974),  p.  14. 

20.  Focus  (May  1976)  listed  all  the  medalists. 

21.  At  a  later  ceremony,  Dolores  Hope  was  awarded  Boston  College's  Ignatius 
Medal,  its  most  prestigious  honor. 

22.  Boston  College  Magazine  (Winter  1982). 

23.  The  dedication  was  followed  by  a  production  of  "Amadeus"  by  the  Dramatic 
Society. 


A  Mission  Redefined       471 


24. 
25. 
26. 


27. 
28. 
29. 
30. 
31. 
32. 
33. 

34. 


Boston  College  Magazine  (November  1978). 
See  The  Heights  (October  8,  1979);  Colleague  (October  1979). 
Though  Governor  King  was  the  first  graduate  to  hold  that  office,  he  was  not  the 
first  alumnus.  The  Hon.  Charles  F.  Hurley  (ex  '16)  was  Governor  of  the  Com- 
monwealth from  1937-1939. 
Boston  College  Magazine  (November  1979),  p.  8. 
Ibid.,  pp.  5-6;  The  Heights  (October  15,  1979). 
Boston  College  Magazine  (June  1979). 

See  ibid,  for  an  interview  with  Father  Donovan  on  his  18  years  as  AVP. 
See  "Proposal  to  Mellon  Foundation,"  August  2,  1979.  BCA. 
John  E.  Sawyer  to  J.  Donald  Monan,  S.J.,  New  York,  October  4,  1979.  BCA. 
T.P.  O'Malley,  S.J.,  and  Donald  J.  White  to  All  Faculty  Members,  College  of 
Arts  and  Sciences,  October  12,  1979.  BCA. 
O'Malley  and  White  to  Board  of  Chairmen,  November  1,  1979.  BCA. 


CHAPTER 


37 


Progress  in  Athletics 


Boston  College  had  an  athletic  program  long  before  the  turn  of  the  century. 
Intramural  track  and  baseball  began  in  the  1870s.  In  1891  a  group  of 
students  received  permission — but  no  money — to  form  a  football  team.^ 
Two  years  later  an  officially  sponsored  team  took  the  field  and  thus 
inaugurated  a  varsity  sports  tradition  that  would  eventually  bring  Boston 
College  to  the  forefront  of  collegiate  athletics  in  New  England.  There  have 
been  glory  days  and  less  than  glorious  days,  but  in  good  times  and  bad  the 
administration  has  taken  the  position  that  athletics  is  an  integral  part  of 
the  total  collegiate  experience  and  an  asset  to  the  institution.^  A  brief 
survey  of  the  years  from  1978  to  1990  will  document  the  peaks  and  valleys 
that  frame  the  victories  and  defeats  on  the  playing  field,  on  the  hockey  rink, 
in  the  gymnasium,  and  on  the  basketball  court. ^  Like  the  ancient  Greeks, 
the  men  and  women  who  directed  these  programs  were  dedicated  to  the 
proposition  that  competition  is  a  necessary  ingredient  for  growth. 

Background 

Because  football  has  a  way  of  dominating  athletic  programs  and  is  the 
current  popular  measure  of  success  or  failure,  the  1978  season  was  a 
depressing  experience  for  students  and  alumni.  A  new  coach  had  arrived  to 
replace  Joe  Yukica,  who  had  departed  for  Dartmouth.  Success  did  not 

472 


Progress  in  Athletics       473 

follow  Edward  Chlebek  from  Eastern  Michigan  to  Boston  College,  which 
played  a  demanding  schedule  that  included  Pittsburgh,  Texas  A&M,  and 
Syracuse.  The  1978  season  opened  on  September  16th  against  the  Air 
Force  Academy.  Boston  College  lost  this  game  and  every  one  thereafter, 
with  the  last  being  the  hardest  for  the  Eagle  fans  to  accept:  a  29—30  loss  to 
arch-rival  Holy  Cross,  which  brought  to  an  end  the  worst  season  (0—11)  in 
the  proud  history  of  football  at  the  Heights.'*  The  1979  season  was 
somewhat  better  at  5-6,  and  Coach  Chlebek  had  a  winning  season  in  1980 
at  7—4;  but  the  pressure  for  change  prevailed. 

Coach  Jack  Bicknell  came  to  the  Heights  in  the  spring  of  1981.  An 
assistant  coach  at  Boston  College  under  Joe  Yukica  (1968-1975),  he  had 
been  head  coach  at  the  University  of  Maine  for  five  years.  Known  as 
"Cowboy  Jack"  because  of  his  love  of  country  music,  big  boots,  and  horses, 
he  had  developed  a  philosophy  of  sports  that  fitted  well  with  the  philosophy 
of  education  at  a  Jesuit  institution.  He  was  also  known  as  a  clever  offensive 
strategist.  The  future  looked  good. 

When  Coach  Bicknell  moved  into  his  office  at  Roberts  Center,  an 
intramural  discussion  was  going  on  about  the  proposed  formation  of  a 
new  nine-team  conference  that  would  be  known  as  the  Eastern  Football 
Conference.  It  would  include  Boston  College,  Penn  State,  Pittsburgh, 
Rutgers,  Temple,  Syracuse,  West  Virginia,  and  possibly  Army  and  Navy.  It 
was  an  attractive  proposal  that  seemed  to  be  beneficial  to  Boston  College 
football,  but  there  was  a  problem.  If  Boston  College  and  Syracuse  joined 
the  new  football  league,  they  would  probably  have  to  withdraw  from  the 
Big  East  Conference,  which  was  working  so  well  for  all  concerned  in 
basketball.  Athletic  director  Flynn  finally  voted  against  it,  to  the  disappoint- 
ment of  Penn  State  coach  Joe  Paterno,  who  had  sought  to  make  the  new 
conference  a  reahty.^  In  essence,  Paterno  was  attempting  to  use  the  football 
league  as  a  lever  to  create  an  all-sports  conference,  which  would  improve 
Penn  State's  failing  basketball  program.  Located  in  remote  State  College, 
Pennsylvania,  the  Nittany  Lions  constantly  had  problems  attracting  both 
opponents  and  recruits  to  visit  their  rural  area.  Boston  College  and 
Syracuse  tried  to  interest  Paterno  in  a  football  league  only,  but  to  no  avail. 

By  way  of  parenthesis,  the  Big  East  Conference — an  idea  that  originated 
with  athletic  director  Dave  Gavitt  of  Providence  College — was  formed  in 
1979.  The  original  members  were  Boston  College,  Connecticut,  George- 
town, Providence,  St.  Johns,  Seton  Hall,  and  Syracuse;  they  were  later 
joined  by  Villanova  and  Pittsburgh.  The  Big  East  brashly  challenged 
basketball  powerhouses  in  the  Southeast,  Midwest,  and  the  Pacific  Coast — 
and  more  than  held  its  own.  In  the  first  season,  1979-1980,  Syracuse  and 
St.  John's  were  in  the  top  ten  in  the  country.  Georgetown  shortly  emerged 
as  a  national  contender;  Boston  College  was  not  far  behind  and  would,  as 
we  shall  see,  move  rapidly  up  the  ladder  of  national  recognition.  The 
conference  lived  up  to  its  potential  when,  in  the  1981-1982  season,  four 
of  its  teams  (including  Boston  College)  went  to  the  NCAA  tournament.'^ 


474        History  of  Boston  College 

The  Big  East  Conference  is  best  known  for  its  great  basketball  competi- 
tion, but  the  league  also  offers  other  sports  for  men  and  women.  The  men's 
sports  are  cross-country,  indoor  and  outdoor  track,  baseball,  swimming, 
soccer,  golf,  and  tennis.  Women  compete  in  cross-country,  indoor  and 
outdoor  track,  tennis,  swimming,  and  volleyball. 

Increasing  Women's  Participation  in  Sports 

Sports  programs  at  Boston  College — especially  women's  sports — were 
greatly  influenced  by  certain  federal  legislation.  In  1972  Congress  passed 
the  Education  Amendments  Act,  which  included  Title  IX.  This  law  prohib- 
ited the  exclusion  of  anyone  on  the  basis  of  sex  from  participating  in 
intercollegiate  athletics.  Violations  of  the  act  would  result  in  the  denial  of 
benefits  to  any  education  program  or  activity  receiving  federal  assistance. 
Boston  College  of  course  wanted  to  comply  with  this  legislation,  but  as 
originally  written.  Title  IX  was  vague  and  difficult  to  enforce. 

Finally,  in  December  1979,  Secretary  of  Health,  Education,  and  Welfare 
Patricia  Harris  issued  the  long-awaited  interpretation  of  Title  IX.  Colleges 
and  universities  receiving  federal  funds  for  any  of  their  educational  pro- 
grams must  provide  scholarships  for  women's  and  men's  athletics  in 
proportion  to  their  participation  in  sports  programs.  The  ruling  also 
included  "equivalent"  benefits  and  opportunities. 

Coincidentally,  the  Recreation  Complex  opened  in  1972,  the  same  year 
that  Title  IX  was  passed.  According  to  Mary  Carson,  associate  director  of 
the  Athletic  Association,  the  opening  of  the  RecPlex  had  as  much  to  do 
with  the  growth  of  women's  sports  as  Title  IX — and  perhaps  more.^  In  any 
case,  both  developments  combined  to  establish  a  women's  varsity  program 
at  Boston  College.  In  1972  there  were  only  4  women's  teams  on  the  varsity 
level:  basketball,  swimming,  tennis,  and  volleyball.  In  1978  there  were  8 
varsity  teams,  and  in  1980  there  were  13.  And  by  1985  there  were  15 
men's  varsity  sports  and  15  women's. 

Because  the  NCAA  did  not  sponsor  women's  intercollegiate  champion- 
ships in  1971,  Boston  College  joined  the  Eastern  Association  of  Intercolle- 
giate Athletics  for  Women  (EAIAW);  and  in  1973  it  joined  the  Association 
of  Intercollegiate  Athletics  for  Women  (AIAW).  The  women's  swimming 
and  diving  team,  coached  by  Tom  Groden,  won  immediate  recognition; 
success  by  track,  lacrosse,  and  tennis  teams  followed.  The  basketball  team 
was  beginning  to  attract  national  attention. 

Football  in  the  Flutie  Era 

A  brief  account  of  the  major  sports  during  the  1980s  will  illustrate  the 
accelerated  interest  in  and  support  of  athletics  at  the  Heights.  Triumphs 
and  trophies  became  frequent,  but  of  course  there  were  disappointments, 
too. 


Progress  in  Athletics       475 


The  track,  with  the  press  box  high  above  the  field,  in  the  pre-Conte  Forum  era. 


To  begin  with  football,*  Coach  Bicknell's  first  year — with  an  admittedly 
tough  schedule — was  a  5—6  season.  He  did,  however,  discover  a  quarter- 
back: Down  38-0  at  the  end  of  the  third  quarter  against  Penn  State,  he 
decided  to  go  with  a  fourth-string  freshman  quarterback  who  had  been 
belatedly  recruited  from  Natick  High  School.  Boston  College  lost  the  game 
(38-7),  but  in  the  final  quarter  Doug  Flutie  had  passed  for  135  yards  and 
a  touchdown.  As  Coach  Bicknell  later  put  it,  "It  was  like  somebody  hit  a 
switch  and  the  tempo  picked  up."'  It  was  the  beginning  of  the  Flutie  era. 

For  the  next  three  seasons,  Doug  Flutie  led  his  team  to  national  recogni- 
tion and  three  bowls.  There  were  a  few  losses,  but  the  overall  record 
established  Boston  College  as  a  major  team  that  often  played  before  a 
television  audience.  The  financial  reward  to  the  University  was  significant. 
Flutie,  of  course,  did  not  do  this  by  himself.  In  addition  to  head  coach 
Bicknell  and  his  staff,  there  were  outstanding  players  such  as  Mike  Ruth, 
Steve  DeOssie,  Gerard  Phelan,  Brian  Brennan,  Troy  Stratford,  Steve  Stra- 
chan,  Tony  Thurman,  Kelvin  Martin,  and  Ken  Bell.  Several  members  of  the 
1984-1985  squad  were  named  to  the  first  and  second  All-American  teams, 
while  others  received  honorable  mention. 

At  the  end  of  the  1981-1982  season,  Boston  College  was  invited  to  the 
Tangerine  Bowl  in  Orlando,  Florida,  where  the  Eagles  played  Auburn  on 


476        History  of  Boston  College 

December  18th.  To  the  disappointment  of  the  large  Boston  College  contin- 
gent on  hand,  the  Eagles  lost  (33—26).  The  following  year,  the  Eagles  played 
in  the  Liberty  Bowl  against  the  University  of  Notre  Dame  on  December  24, 
1983.  Although  the  score  was  close,  Notre  Dame  prevailed  (19—18). 

But  Boston  College  would  have  its  day.  After  an  excellent  season  in  1984, 
which  saw  victories  over  Alabama,  Temple,  Rutgers,  Syracuse,  and  Miami 
(which  featured  the  "miracle  pass"  from  Flutie  to  Phelan),  Boston  College 
was  invited  to  meet  Houston  in  the  Cotton  Bowl  at  Dallas  on  January  1, 
1985.  It  was  vintage  Flutie,  but  it  also  showed  off  the  strong  Eagle  defense 
and  running  attack.  Boston  College  won  (45-28) — the  first  victory  bowl 
since  Frank  Leahy's  national  champions  beat  Tennessee  (19—13)  in  the 
Sugar  Bowl  on  January  1,  1941.'" 

In  a  fitting  climax  to  his  extraordinary  collegiate  career,  Doug  Flutie  was 
selected  as  winner  of  the  Heisman  Trophy  for  1984  and  was  thus  identified 
as  the  outstanding  college  football  player  in  the  country.  Flutie  became  a 
household  name  across  the  nation,  and  Boston  College,  as  a  result,  enjoyed 
unprecedented  publicity."  In  1986  the  football  team  peaked  again  in  a  9- 
3  season  which  culminated  with  the  defeat  of  Georgia  in  the  Hall  of  Fame 
Bowl.  The  following  three  seasons  brought  diminished  scoreboard  success 
but  much  stirring  play.  A  highhght  was  the  defeat  of  a  bowl-bound  Army 
team  in  the  first  collegiate  football  game  to  be  played  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  in 
November  1988.  The  1989  season  tested  the  composure  of  Boston  College 
fans  because  of  an  incredible  series  of  near  misses — last-minute  defeats  by 
powerhouses  Penn  State  and  Ohio  State  as  well  as  by  Rutgers  and  West 
Virginia.  The  quality  of  the  Boston  College  teams  in  this  era  is  indicated 
by  players  drafted  by  the  National  Football  League,  such  as  Troy  Stratford, 
Darren  Flutie,  Tom  Waddle,  Bill  Romanowski,  Doug  Widell,  and  Jim  Bell. 
The  last  three  were  starters  in  the  1990  Super  Bowl. 

Men's  Ice  Hockey 

Hockey  comes  naturally  to  boys  from  Boston  and  its  suburbs.  In  the 
recruitment  of  players  at  Boston  College,  a  long  tradition  has  favored 
Americans,  with  a  preference  for  local  talent.  Boston  College  was  a 
latecomer  to  a  varsity  game  that  had  long  been  dominated  by  the  Ivy 
League.  But  the  Eagles  were  able  to  catch  on  quickly,  and  there  were 
moments  of  glory.  At  the  end  of  the  1922-1923  season,  the  Eagles  laid 
claim  to  the  mythical  national  championship.  With  a  win  over  Dartmouth 
in  the  NCAA  finals,  the  1948-1949  team  was  the  undisputed  national 
champion.  All-American  Bernie  Burke  ('50),  a  member  of  the  B.C.  Hall  of 
Fame,  was  probably  the  hero  of  that  game,  with  several  crucial  saves.*-  He 
has  since  coached  the  goalies  for  many  years. 

The  modern  period  began  with  the  arrival  of  the  legendary  John 
"Snooks"  Kelley  as  head  coach  in  1932.  With  four  years  out  for  war  duty, 
he  coached  the  Eagles  for  36  years  (1932-1972)  and  posted  his  500th  win 


Progress  in  Athletics       All 

with  a  victory  over  Boston  University  in  the  1971-1972  season.  His  total 
record  was  impressive:  501-243-15.'^ 

Len  Ceglarski  ('51),  a  member  of  the  national  championship  team  of 
1949,  succeeded  Snooks  Kelley  as  head  coach  in  1972.'''  As  coach  at 
Clarkson  he  had  achieved  an  enviable  record,  and  he  was  the  first  choice  to 
replace  his  mentor.  He  continued  the  tradition  of  recruiting  local  talent, 
boys  who  had  learned  to  skate  on  ponds  and  later  honed  their  skills  in 
suburban  high  schools.  The  record  clearly  shows  that  they  were  able  to 
hold  their  own  with  the  best  in  the  country. 

Annually,  Boston  hockey  fans  look  forward  to  the  first  two  Mondays  in 
February  when  the  Beanpot  Tournament  takes  place  before  a  packed  house 
at  Boston  Garden.  Inaugurated  in  1952,  the  tournament  is  a  round-robin 
in  which  the  four  area  NCAA  Division  I  hockey  teams — Boston  College, 
Harvard,  Boston  University,  and  Northeastern — vie  for  possession  of  the 
prized  Beanpot.  Coach  Kelley's  teams  won  eight  Beanpots.  In  more  recent 
years,  Boston  College  won  the  Beanpot  in  1976  and  1983.  Under  Coach 
Ceglarski,  the  Eagles  have  played  in  the  NCAA  championships  seven  times. 
The  cahbre  of  talent  the  hockey  program  has  been  attracting  in  the  1980s 
may  be  judged  by  the  success  in  the  National  Hockey  League  of  such 


Bernie  Burke  ('50),  goalie  of  a  national  championship  hockey  team,  Boston 
College  Hall  of  Fame  member,  and  for  many  years  coach  of  B.C.  goalies.  In 
spanking  new  Conte  Forum  rink  he  reflects  on  the  255,000  fans  drawn  to  the 
Forum  in  1989-1990:  118,000  for  hockey,  116,000  for  men's  basketball, 
and  21,000  for  women's  basketball. 


478        History  of  Boston  College 

alumni  as  Joe  Mullen,  Bob  Sweeney,  Bill  O'Dwyer,  Doug  Brown,  Scott 
Harlow,  Kevin  Stevens,  Brian  Leetch,  and  Craig  Janney. 

Men's  Basketball 

Boston  College  has  sponsored  an  intercollegiate  basketball  team  for  many 
years,  but  only  in  recent  times  has  it  gained  national  respect.  The  change 
began  with  the  arrival  of  Bob  Cousy  as  head  coach  in  1963.  He  had  just 
retired  from  the  Celtics,  ending  a  remarkable  career,  and  his  prominence 
in  the  sport  gave  an  immediate  psychological  lift  to  the  program.  His  first 
year  was  one  of  rebuilding;  then  the  team  found  success.  During  Cousy's 
five  seasons,  there  were  invitations  to  NIT  and  NCAA  tournaments.  Coach 
Cousy  was  the  first  to  recruit  "scientifically"  with  the  scholarships  he  had 
to  offer. 

The  next  few  years  under  coaches  Chuck  Daly  and  Bob  Zuffolato  were 
fairly  lean.  Then  basketball  at  Boston  College  earned  a  national  reputation. 
Tom  Davis,  a  Ph.D.  in  sports  history  and  38  years  old,  took  over  as  head 
coach  in  the  spring  of  1977,  coming  from  a  successful  career  at  Lafayette 
College.  In  his  five  seasons  at  Boston  College,  the  Eagles  were  champions 
of  the  Big  East  in  1981,  with  a  victory  over  Seton  Hall,  and  received  four 


ig  East  basketball  in  Roberts  Center. 


Progress  in  Athletics       479 

post-season  bids.  In  1981  Boston  College  was  one  of  the  16  finalists  in  the 
NCAA  tournament,  ultimately  losing  to  St.  Joseph's  in  the  final  eight.  As 
one  sportswriter  put  it,  "The  Eagles  flew  as  high  as  only  they  knew  they 
could,  to  the  top  of  the  Big  East  and  the  NCAAs."'^  Much  of  the  pubficity 
focused  on  John  Bagley  and  Michael  Adams — and  with  good  reason — but 
Jay  Murphy,  Martin  Clark,  Rich  Schrigley,  and  others  were  extraordinarily 
competitive  team  players. 

In  1982  Davis  accepted  an  invitation  from  Stanford  University,  and  Gary 
Williams,  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Maryland  and  an  assistant  to 
Davis  at  Lafayette  and  Boston  College,  took  over  the  head  coaching  job.  In 
Williams'  first  season  (1982-1983),  the  Eagles  were  25—7  overall  and  12— 
4  in  the  Big  East.  It  was  a  good  start,  especially  with  a  team  that  had  to  be 
rebuilt.  In  the  words  of  a  sports  writer: 

Williams  took  over  a  team  that  lost  three  starters  from  1982  and  was  picked 
to  finish  fifth  in  the  highly  competitive  Big  East  Conference.  Instead,  he 
piloted  the  young  and  exciting  Eagles  to  a  25—7  record  (setting  the  school 
record  for  most  wins  in  one  season),  the  Big  East  regular  season  champion- 
ship and  No.  1  seed  in  the  Conference  playoffs,  and  the  school's  first-ever 
top-tier  seed  in  the  NCAA  Tournament. '*■ 

Williams'  second  season,  1983-1984,  was  slightly  less  successful,  with 
an  18-12  record  overall  and  8-8  in  the  Big  East.  Beginning  in  the  1984— 
1985  season,  with  a  20-11  record,  the  coach  began  to  experience  recruiting 
problems.  He  alleged  that  lack  of  big-time  facilities  hampered  these  efforts, 
and  it  was  true  that  some  of  the  high  school  superstars  in  the  Boston  area 
had  gotten  away.  Williams'  last  season  was  1985—1986,  after  which  he 
accepted  an  invitation  to  coach  the  Buckeyes  at  Ohio  State  University. 

Former  assistant  coach  Kevin  Mackey  (now  head  coach  at  Cleveland 
State)  was  primarily  responsible  for  recruiting  a  number  of  highly  talented 
players,  such  as  Michael  Adams,  John  Garris,  Stu  Primus,  Dominic  Pressley, 
and  Tim  O'Shea.  As  a  result  of  the  graduation  of  these  players  and  very 
little  recruiting  by  Williams,  however,  there  was  little  talent  left  for  new 
head  coach  Jim  O'Brien  ('71),  who  arrived  in  1986.  In  his  second  season 
O'Brien  brought  his  team  to  the  National  Invitational  Tournament  (NIT) 
where,  after  two  victories,  it  lost  to  Connecticut.  Michael  Adams,  John 
Bagley,  and  Dana  Barros  are  recent  players  who  graduated  into  the  Na- 
tional Basketball  Association. 


Other  Men's  Varsity  Sports 

With  the  possible  exception  of  the  University  of  Maine  (which  has  an 
indoor  practice  facility),  collegiate  baseball  in  New  England — at  least  in 
the  north — seems  to  be  on  the  decline.  A  new  academic  calendar  that  calls 
for  final  examinations  to  start  early  in  May  leaves  only  the  month  of  April 
for  outdoor  baseball  competition.  New  England  winters  and  cold  springs 


480        History  of  Boston  College 

are  a  hazard,  and  talented  players  now  prefer  to  go  south.  Moreover,  at 
Boston  College,  where  baseball  scholarships  are  not  available,  it  is  difficult 
to  attract  local  high  school  stars.  Attendance  has  fallen  off  drastically,  and 
at  some  games  only  the  players'  families  are  there  to  applaud  a  double  play 
or  a  home  run.  One  can  only  think  nostalgically  of  the  30,000  spectators 
who  crowded  Braves  Field  to  watch  the  Boston  College-Holy  Cross  base- 
ball game  in  1923. 

But  there  have  been  some  good  years.  Eddie  Pellagrini,  who  had  played 
with  four  major  league  clubs,  became  head  coach  in  1958.  In  1987  he 
announced  that  his  thirtieth  year  as  coach  would  be  his  last,  ending  with 
the  1988  team.  Beginning  in  1960,  there  were  eleven  consecutive  winning 
seasons,  with  a  trip  to  the  NCAA  finals  in  Omaha  in  1967.  From  1972— 
1984,  however,  it  was  a  different  story,  with  only  four  winning  seasons — 
the  last  in  1978.'^  Coach  Pellagrini  said,  "I  know  we  don't  have  the  big 
stadium,  or  the  fifty-game  schedule,  or  the  scholarship  money,  or  even  the 
sunny  weather,  but  we  have  kids  who  put  out  and  know  they  have  to  hustle 
for  everything  they  get."'^  Those  whose  memory  goes  back  a  few  years  will 
remember  Bill  O'Brien  and  Bill  Ruane  (pitchers),  Dan  Zailskas,  Tom 
Sarkisian,  Ned  Yetten,  Rod  Luongo,  George  Ravanis,  Greg  Stewart,  and 
Tim  Dachos,  catcher.  Pellagrini  was  succeeded  as  coach  by  one  of  his 
former  players,  Richard  Maloney  ('60). 

A  brief  account  of  track  and  field,  even  for  recent  years,  presents  a 
problem.  In  view  of  the  variety  of  events  and  the  number  of  participants — 
men  and  women — it  is  impossible  to  compress  a  readable  summary  into  a 
few  paragraphs.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  note,  however,  that  there  have  been 
only  three  track  and  field  coaches  in  the  modern  history  of  Boston  College: 
the  legendary  Jack  Ryder;  his  protege.  Bill  Gilligan,  who  succeeded  Ryder 
in  1952;  and  his  protege.  Jack  McDonald,  who,  on  GiUigan's  retirement, 
became  track  coach  in  1981.^' 

Coach  Ryder  concentrated  on  the  sprints  and  the  relays.  Coach  Gilligan 
developed  outstanding  athletes  in  the  field  events,  including  Harold  Con- 
nolly, who  won  the  Olympic  gold  medal  for  the  hammer  throw  in  Mel- 
bourne, Australia  in  1956.  All  three  coaches,  as  the  records  testify,  devel- 
oped outstanding  athletes  who  have  participated  in  local  and  national 
meets,  in  special  games  such  as  the  Millrose,  and  now  in  the  Big  East 
Conference.  Many  have  set  records  in  their  specialty. •'o  Other  men's  varsity 
sports  programs  do  not  always  receive  the  publicity  they  deserve.  These 
would  certainly  include  cross-country,  which  has  proved  to  be  one  of  the 
best  programs  in  the  East;  soccer,  which — after  tentative  beginnings — by 
1982  earned  the  respect  of  competitors  in  the  Big  East  and  a  NCAA  bid 
(Coach  Ed  Kelly  was  named  Big  East  coach  of  the  year  in  1989);  and 
tennis,  which  has  brought  Boston  College  nine  Big  East  championships  in 
the  last  decade.  Swimming  and  diving,  skiing,  golf,  sailing,  and  lacrosse  are 
other  programs  supported  by  enthusiastic  and  competitive  Boston  College 
teams. 


Progress  in  Athletics       481 


The  RecPlex  and  the  middle 
campus  before  the  construc- 
tion of  O'Neill  Library. 


MsiiL£^Tir£a^tL. 


Women's  Varsity  Sports 

The  rise  of  women's  varsity  sports  at  Boston  College,  as  already  noted,  was 
assisted  by  the  opening  of  the  RecPlex.  Women's  interest  in  sports  was  not 
sparked  by  the  novelty  of  the  new  climate  or  by  temporary  enthusiasm. 
Rather,  it  represented  a  serious  effort  on  the  part  of  women  athletes  to  test 
their  skills  against  their  peers  in  other  colleges,  some  of  whom  had  the 
advantage  of  established  programs.  In  the  process  and  under  good  coach- 
ing, the  women  have  won  their  share  of  honors. 

The  women's  teams  with  the  most  visibility  and  recognition  are  swim- 
ming, tennis,  basketball,  soccer,  field  hockey,  and  track.  The  improvement 
in  these  sports  has  been  dramatic.  For  example,  in  the  1981—1982  basket- 
ball season,  the  Lady  Eagles  finished  with  an  11-15  losing  record  in 
Division  II.  A  year  later,  after  moving  to  Division  I,  they  completed  a 
winning  17-9  season  and  achieved  national  ranking.-'  In  1985—1986  they 
finished  fifth  in  the  tough  Big  East  Conference  and  defeated  fourth  seed  St. 
John's  in  the  conference  championships  before  ending  a  16—13  season.  The 
basketball  team  has  remained  competitive,  and  as  the  decade  of  the  nineties 
begins,  its  prospects  are  even  brighter. 

Women's  tennis  has  also  enjoyed  success.  Ranked  13th  in  1982  in  the 
Eastern  Regional  Championships  in  Division  II,  the  Lady  Eagles  have  now 


482        History  of  Boston  College 

moved  to  Division  I.  The  1985-1986  team  went  10-3  on  the  year,  won  the 
1986  Hihon  Head  Island  Springfest  Tourney,  and  finished  fourth  in  the 
ECAC  championship  tourney.^-  Since  then  the  women's  tennis  team  has 
won  four  ECAC  and  Big  East  championships. 

The  women's  swimming  and  diving  team  has  firmly  established  itself  as 
one  of  the  leading  women's  athletic  programs  within  the  University,  as  well 
as  in  the  East."  In  the  1985—1986  season,  the  team  finished  first  at  the 
ECAC  Women's  Swimming  and  Diving  Championships  in  Springfield, 
Massachusetts,  second  at  the  Big  East  Championships  in  Pittsburgh,  and 
ninth  in  the  NCAA  Division  II  National  Championship  Meets  in  Orlando, 
with  seven  swimmers  named  to  the  All-America  Team.  Women  swimmers 
won  the  New  England  championship  in  1989.  A  similar  story  could  be  told 
of  the  women's  track  and  field  team,  which  has  provided  fierce  competition 
in  New  England  meets.  And  the  women's  ski  team  won  the  regional 
championship  in  the  1985-1986  season  and  again  in  1989. 

Looking  at  the  records,  a  picture  of  consistently  improved  standings 
emerges  for  women's  field  hockey,  soccer,  volleyball,  lacrosse,  softball,  and 
golf.  Talented  women  athletes  are  coming  to  Boston  College,  which  is  the 
ultimate  indication  of  the  program's  success.  And  women  have  brought 
their  share  of  trophies  to  the  Athletic  Department's  showcases. 

Perspectives  on  Athletics 

There  are  basically  three  points  of  view  among  the  members  of  the  Boston 
College  community  who  have  expressed  their  opinions  on  "big-time" 
athletics  at  the  Heights.  Some  have  always  supported  the  sports  program 
with  enthusiasm  and  season  tickets;  others  have  shown  indifference;  and  a 


'''-• '""^  I '^          fei»>  ■'  ■.•"'■  •;'■■'■'-  '-'j. "•''"!;■.'<  "iV*, 

^^^^^^H          ^^^r^^V^^F^     ^^^j^ 

'1  '^^%^ 

^       : .  -:.*»,^ 

Viewing  football  from 
the  president's  box  in 
the  renovated  stadium. 


Progress  in  Athletics       483 

third  group  have  seen  a  conflict  between  academic  standards  and  athletic 
scholarships.  A  challenge  to  the  academic  standards  associated  with  the 
athletic  programs  occurred  in  1984.  In  March  of  that  year  Martin  Clark, 
tri-captain  and  star  of  the  basketball  team,  suddenly  quit  the  team  and 
cited  "serious  problems"  with  the  program.-"  The  situation  was  further 
exacerbated  when  it  became  known  that  a  basketball  player  had  twice 
flunked  out  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  but  was  allowed  to  retain 
his  eligibility  through  enrollment  in  the  Evening  College."  Academic  offi- 
cials of  the  University  were  then  put  in  a  defensive  position  by  the 
intervention  of  faculty  members  who  now  questioned  the  academic  integrity 
of  the  athletic  program.  One  professor  was  quoted  as  saying,  "The  Univer- 
sity's image  is  under  a  very  heavy  cloud.  It  will  take  a  long  time  to  clarify 
matters  and  remove  the  tarnish."^*^  This  dispute  precipitated  an  unfortunate 
explosion  of  adverse  publicity  in  the  Boston  press  and  on  television. 

In  order  to  put  matters  in  perspective,  the  president  clarified  his  position 
in  a  five-page  letter  addressed  to  "The  Faculty  and  Other  Members  of  the 
Boston  College  Community."^^  Father  Monan  justified  the  policies  that  had 
been  in  force  through  1984,  whereby  athletes  were  eligible  under  NCAA 
rules  if  they  were  enrolled  in  a  full-time  program  and  making  due  progress. 
Rejecting  as  inappropriate  the  setting  of  policy  for  eligibility  by  educational 
policy  committees.  Father  Monan  asked  the  vice  presidents  for  advice  in 
dealing  with  the  relationship  between  extracurricular  and  academic  spheres. 
As  a  result  of  that  consultation,  the  president  appointed  a  committee  in  the 
fall  of  1984,  chaired  by  the  academic  vice  president,  "to  determine  whether 
there  should  be  a  single  standard  of  'academic  good  standing'  appHcable  to 
all  students  across  the  University  and  whether  good  standing  .  .  .  should 
become  a  condition  for  participation.  .  .  ."^*  An  athletic  advisory  board 
was  also  appointed,  as  well  as  a  faculty  advisor  to  athletes.  These  steps 
have  helped,  and  the  problems  based  on  the  academic  performance  of  some 
athletes  in  the  past  seem  to  have  been  solved.  The  establishment  of  the 
Office  of  Learning  Resources  for  Student  Athletes,  with  Kevin  Lyons  as 
director  and  Ferna  Phillips  as  assistant  director  (both  full-time  positions), 
produced  unmistakably  positive  results  in  assisting  student  athletes  to  meet 
the  academic  requirements  of  the  University. 

Of  course,  the  problems  at  Boston  College  were  not  unique.  For  some 
years,  accusations  had  been  leveled  at  various  institutions  regarding  recruit- 
ment, admission  standards,  and  private  gifts  to  athletes.  A  number  of 
presidents  felt  that  the  situation  was  getting  out  of  hand  and  that  they 
themselves  should  play  a  more  active  role  in  controlling  abuses.  The 
American  Council  on  Education  appointed  an  ad  hoc  committee  of  20 
college  and  university  presidents  in  1982  to  draft  proposed  changes  tough- 
ening initial  eligibility  and  academic  progress  rules  for  student  athletes. 
Father  Monan  was  a  member  of  that  committee.^' 

At  the  annual  NCAA  convention  in  January  1983,  the  presidents  pro- 
posed to  the  NCAA  that,  for  initial  eligibiUty,  the  student  athlete  should 


484        History  of  Boston  College 

combine  a  minimum  grade  point  average  in  a  high  school  core  course  with 
minimum  standardized  test  scores.  To  remain  eUgible,  the  athlete  would 
have  to  make  progress  toward  a  degree  and  remain  in  good  academic 
standing.^" 

At  the  1984  NCAA  Convention,  the  membership  adopted  a  proposal  to 
establish  a  44-member  NCAA  presidents'  commission.  Father  Monan, 
representing  the  National  Association  of  Independent  Colleges  and  Univer- 
sities, was  asked  to  serve  on  the  13-member  nominating  committee  to 
choose  31  of  the  44  members  of  the  commission.^'  As  a  result  of  that 
process.  Father  Monan  was  himself  elected  to  serve  on  the  first  NCAA 
presidents'  commission  for  Division  I-A."  When  his  term  expired  in 
January  1985,  he  was  elected  to  a  second  term.  It  would  appear  that  this 
choice  signified  the  confidence  of  the  other  presidents  in  Father  Monan  and 
also  reflected  national  recognition  of  the  Boston  College  varsity  program 
in  Division  I-A. 

Personal  Notes 

Although  his  name  has  already  appeared  in  this  narrative,  one  final 
reference  must  be  made  to  the  man  who  has  worked  closely  with  the 
president  on  matters  relating  to  athletics  and  given  integrity  to  the  athletic 
program.  The  influence  of  athletic  director  William  J.  Flynn  has  extended 
far  beyond  Chestnut  Hill.  On  January  10,  1979,  750  voting  members 
elected  him  president  of  the  NCAA — only  the  second  athletic  director  to 
be  chosen  for  that  post.  In  June  1982  the  NACDA  honored  Flynn  by 
naming  him  winner  of  the  James  J.  Corbett  Award,  symbolic  of  outstanding 
achievements  and  contributions  to  athletic  administration. 

One  of  his  closest  collaborators  was  Father  Joseph  L.  Shea,  S.J.,  special 
assistant  to  the  director  of  development  and  University  representative  for 
athletics.  Unobtrusive  but  effective,  he  was  the  confidant  of  coaches, 
administrators,  and  athletes.  On  November  14,  1986,  he  was  inducted  into 
the  Boston  College  Hall  of  Fame,  a  distinction  he  richly  deserved."  When 
Father  Shea  died  in  December  1987,  St.  Ignatius  Church  was  crowded  to 
the  doors  at  his  funeral  Mass.  Among  the  mourners  were  many  present 
and  former  athletes. 

Indeed,  Boston  College  has  always  been  singularly  grateful  to  those  who 
have  contributed  to  its  character  and  growth.  In  June  1985  the  whole 
community — but  especially  the  Athletic  Department — was  saddened  by  the 
death  of  Frank  Power  ('42).  Admired  by  aU,  he  had  been  associated  with 
the  basketball  team  for  33  years  as  assistant  coach  and,  for  the  1962-1963 
season,  as  head  coach.  With  an  analytical  approach,  he  was  an  acknowl- 
edged student  of  the  game,  and  he  co-authored  a  book  with  Bob  Cousy.'" 

As  the  Boston  College  athletic  program  grew  in  size  and  national 
importance,  it  became  more  and  more  apparent  that  the  sports  facilities 
were  inadequate.  In  fact,  there  were  complaints  from  both  the  Big  East 
Conference  and  the  television  media,  who  found  it  impossible  to  work  in 


Progress  in  Athletics       485 


Sarah  Behn  ('93),  basketball 
standout  and  Big  East  Rookie 
of  the  Year  in  1990. 


the  crowded  corners.  Consequently,  the  Board  of  Trustees  approved  the 
construction  of  a  new  sports  center.  A  few  days  after  the  last  hockey  game 
in  1986,  a  wrecking  crew  began  to  dismantle  McHugh  Forum.  On  the  site 
of  McHugh  Forum  and  surrounding  land  a  new  state-of-the-art  athletic 
facility,  providing  for  both  basketball  and  ice  hockey,  was  erected.  Named 
for  a  30-year  veteran  congressman,  Silvio  O.  Conte  ('49),  Conte  Forum 
houses  all  athletic  offices,  a  modern  weight  room,  band  room,  basketball 
practice  court,  and  function  room.  The  hockey  rink  has  been  named  for 
former  coach  John  Kelley,  the  auxiliary  basketball  facility  for  former  coach 
Frank  Power,  and  the  function  room  for  Father  Joseph  Shea.  The  forum 
seats  8500  for  basketball,  7600  for  hockey.^^ 

On  February  18,  1989  Congressman  Conte  was  honored  at  a  dedication 
ceremony  for  the  new  athletic  facility  that  featured  videotaped  greetings 
from  President  George  Bush,  Senator  Edward  M.  Kennedy,  and  major 
league  baseball  commissioner  and  former  Yale  president,  A.  Bartlett  Gia- 
matti.  The  video  presence  of  these  distinguished  well-wishers  looming  large 
on  the  giant  screen  above  the  arena  made  a  statement  about  the  high-tech 
style  of  Conte  Forum. 

a-  <-  * 

In  the  last  decade  of  the  20th  century  the  scope  of  competitive  programs 
for  men  and  women  athletes  and  the  spacious  new  athletic  facility  matched 
the  maturity  the  University  had  achieved  on  many  other  more  directly 
academic  fronts. 


ENDNOTES 

1.  Falla,  'Til  the  Echoes  Ring  Again,  p.  6. 

2.  Nathanial  Hasenfus,  Athletics  at  Boston  College:  Football  and  Hockey  (1943), 
pp.  1-3. 


486        History  of  Boston  College 

3.  For  a  general  account  of  sports  in  the  1970s  see  "A  Decade  in  Review,"  The 
Heights  (February  1980). 

4.  Boston  College  also  lost  to  Temple,  24-28,  in  the  Mirage  Bowl,  Tokyo,  on 
December  10,  1978. 

5.  The  Heights  (August  31,  1981),  p.  11 

6.  For  a  full  explanation  and  history,  see  Falla,  Echoes,  p.  101;  also  The  Heights 
(November  19,  1979). 

7.  The  Heights  (November  20,  1978),  p.  7. 

8.  In  1981  Boston  College  and  Holy  Cross  were  the  only  two  Jesuit  institutions  in 
the  country  to  field  varsity  football  teams.  In  February  1987  notice  was  served, 
on  the  initiative  of  Holy  Cross,  that  the  Boston  College— Holy  Cross  football 
rivalry  was  terminated.  This  ancient  series,  with  an  enthusiastic  following  from 
both  schools,  began  in  1896.  The  decision  was  not  unexpected.  Two  years  earlier 
Holy  Cross  had  joined  the  Colonial  League  which,  in  effect,  placed  its  football 
team  in  Division  lAA  in  the  NCAA.  Boston  College  remains  in  Division  lA. 

9.  Ian  Thomsen,  Flutie:  The  Story  of  Boston  College  Quarterback  Doug  Flutie, 
Winner  of  the  1984  Heisman  Trophy  (The  Globe  Pequot  Press,  1985),  p.  32. 

10.  On  December  23,  1986,  B.C.  posted  a  victory  (27—24)  over  the  University  of 
Georgia  in  the  Hall  of  Fame  Bowl  at  Tampa,  Florida.  It  was  the  fourth  bowl  in 
five  years.  Shawn  Halloran,  in  a  last-minute  effort,  was  the  winning  quarterback. 

1 1 .  Mike  Ruth  was  winner  of  the  Outland  Trophy  as  top  lineman  of  the  country  in 
1985. 

12.  See  Hasenfus,  Athletics  at  Boston  College,  for  an  account  of  the  early  years;  also 
Falla,  Echoes,  chapter  3. 

13.  See  "The  Passing  of  a  Legend — John  (Snooks)  Kelley,"  Boston  College  Magazine 
(Spring  1986),  pp.  34-5.  Coach  Kelley  died  on  April  10,  1986. 

14.  On  February  9,  1987,  in  the  consolation  Beanpot  game,  Ceglarski  became  the 
winningest  coach  in  college  hockey  with  556  career  victories,  with  a  win  over 
Harvard. 

15.  Boston  College  Magazine  (Spring  1981),  p.  22. 

16.  Boston  College  Basketball:  1983-84  Media  Guide,  p.  8. 

17.  For  yearly  statistics  see  1989  Boston  College  Baseball.  BCA. 

18.  Falla,  Echoes,  pp.  142-43. 

19.  See  Boston  College  Magazine  (Winter  1982),  p.  31. 

20.  Falla,  Echoes,  chapter  5,  probably  has  the  best  account  of  track  and  field  in 
recent  years. 

21.  The  Heights  (March  14,  1983). 

22.  Boston  College:  Intercollegiate  Athletics,  1986—87  Media  Guide,  p.  9. 

23.  Ibid.,p.n. 

24.  The  Heights  (March  19,  1984),  p.  1. 

25.  The  Heights  (March  26,  1984),  p.  1. 

26.  Ibid.,  p.  22. 

27.  This  letter  is  reprinted  in  full  in  The  Heights  (April  9,  1984),  p.  18. 

28.  Ibid.  During  his  tenure  as  academic  vice  president.  Father  J.  Allan  Panuska  had 
issued  two  reports  on  athletics  and  studies.  In  1981  he  reported  that  scholarship 
athletes  had  met  NCAA  admissions  standards  and  that  75  percent  of  scholarship 
athletes  graduated,  compared  with  79  to  80  percent  for  non-athletes  {The 
Heights,  January  19,  1981).  In  March  of  1982  he  emphasized  two  areas  of 
concern:  the  transfer  of  athletes  from  one  school  to  another,  and  the  number  and 
timing  of  course  withdrawals. 

29.  "Higher  Education  and  National  Affairs,"  v.  31,  no.  26  (October  1982),  p.  4. 

30.  Ibid. 


Progress  in  Athletics       487 


31.  John  L.  Toner  to  J.  Donald  Monan,  S.J.,  Mission,  Kansas,  January  27,  1984. 
Botolph  House  File. 

32.  John  L.  Toner  to  Members  of  the  NCAA  President's  Commission,  Mission, 
Kansas,  March  21,  1984.  Botolph  House  File. 

33.  In  1978  another  Jesuit,  Maurice  V.  DuUea,  S.J.  ('17),  captain  of  the  1916 
football  team  and  former  director  of  athletics,  was  inducted  into  the  Hall  of 
Fame. 

34.  See  obituary,  Boston  Globe  (June  5,  1985);  also  Boston  College  Basketball, 
1983-1984,  p.  9. 

35.  See  Big  East  1985-1986  Basketball  Yearbook,  p.  47. 


CHAPTER 


38 


A  Mature  University 


As  the  1981-1982  academic  year  wound  down,  Father  Monan  was  com- 
pleting his  tenth  year  as  president.  It  is  natural  to  evaluate  performance  at 
the  end  of  a  decade,  and  by  internal  standards  the  president's  report  card 
showed  high  grades.  Throughout  the  University  there  was  evidence  of 
faculty  achievement.  Each  year  increasing  numbers  of  applicants  sought 
admission  to  Boston  College.  Fiscal  and  academic  planning  never  lagged. 
Fund-raising  for  the  new  library  proceeded  apace,  and  the  long-awaited 
building  was  under  construction.  From  the  perspective  of  those  within  the 
Boston  College  community,  it  had,  indeed,  been  a  decade  of  healthy 
progress  and  sure-footed  leadership. 

Kudos  for  Monan 

But  what  grade  would  those  in  the  academic  community  outside  Boston 
College  add  to  that  report  card?  Such  evaluation  normally  comes  to 
universities  from  various  accrediting  agencies,  whose  judgments  are  private 
rather  than  public.  But  Father  Monan's  accomplishments  at  Boston  College 
received  a  dramatic  public  grade  of  A  from  Harvard  University,  which 
invited  him  to  accept  an  honorary  doctor  of  laws  degree  at  its  331st 
commencement  on  June  10,  1982. 

Harvard  has  raised  to  an  art  form  the  pithy  one-sentence  salutation  to 


A  Mature  University       489 

its  honorary  degree  recipients  at  the  commencement  ceremony,  relegating 
appropriate  biographical  data  to  the  accompanying  program.  Father  Mon- 
an's  citation  was  a  gem  of  gracious  collegiality:  "With  the  philosopher's 
dedication  to  truth  and  goodness,  he  has  given  fresh  strength  to  the  mission 
of  an  admirable  neighbor."  Of  course  Father  Monan's  scholarly  forte  is 
philosophy,  so  the  reference  to  philosophy  was  appropriate.  But  he  is  also 
a  Jesuit  priest,  so  the  emphasis  on  truth  and  goodness  may  have  been  meant 
as  a  double  bow.  The  citation  implies  no  lack  of  esteem  for  Father  Monan's 
predecessors;  he  is  praised  for  bringing  not  strength  but  fresh  strength  to 
Boston  College.  And  he  is  saluted  not  for  adding  buildings  or  benefactors 
but  for  strengthening  the  mission  of  Boston  College.  One  may,  of  course, 
parse  the  sentence  too  subtly.  Every  university  has  essential  academic 
commitments.  But  Boston  College,  as  a  Catholic  university,  has  special 
religious  concerns,  and  the  word  "mission"  may  have  been  used  to  embrace 
those.  Finally  there  was  the  gracious  tribute  to  Boston  College  as  Harvard's 
"admirable  neighbor,"  making  it  clear  that  Harvard  was  honoring  Boston 
College  in  honoring  its  president. 

It  was  a  historic  occasion,  a  far  cry  from  the  time  eight  decades  earlier 
when  a  president  of  Harvard  and  a  recently  retired  president  of  Boston 
College  contested  in  print  the  merits  of  a  Jesuit  education  and  the  elective 
system.'  Much  had  changed,  and  as  he  sat  in  Harvard  Yard,  resplendent  in 
his  new  doctor's  hood.  Father  Monan  may  well  have  reflected  on  the  82 


At  Harvard's  commencement  on 
June  10,  1 982,  Father  Monan  was 
awarded  an  honorary  degree.  The 
photograph  shows  a  fellow  honorary 
degree  recipient.  Mother  Teresa  of 
Calcutta  (far  left),  with  Father 
Monan  and  Harvard  president 
Derek  Bok. 


490        History  of  Boston  College 

members  of  his  faculty  at  that  time  (lay  and  Jesuit)  who  had  earned  degrees 
at  Harvard. 

The  following  day  the  Boston  Globe  ran  an  editorial  with  the  heading, 
"Crimson,  maroon,  gold."  After  mentioning  that  among  the  other  honor- 
ary degree  recipients  were  Tennessee  Williams,  Virgil  Thomson,  and 
Mother  Teresa,  it  focused  on  the  degree  to  Father  Monan.  "In  the  cultural 
life  of  New  England,  fresh  winds  stirred  when  Harvard  conferred  an 
honorary  doctorate  of  laws  on  Rev.  J.  Donald  Monan,  S.J.,  president  of 
Boston  College.  This  symbolic  event  officially  ends  generations  of  rivalry — 
some  good  natured,  and  some  not — between  two  groups  of  alumni  and 
two  sociopolitical  strains.  It  confirms  an  era  of  mutual  respect  between 
two  major  universities  that  began  long  ago."  The  editorial  praised  the 
citation  for  Father  Monan,  remarking,  "Whoever  writes  Harvard's  honor- 
ary degree  citations  deserves  one  for  conciseness  and  accuracy."  Then,  after 
printing  the  citation,  the  writer  commented,  "Father  Monan,  a  metaphysi- 
cian by  training,  is  also  a  priestly  man  whose  gentleness  and  good  humor 
have  won  friends  for  Boston  College  in  the  10  years  he  has  been  its 
president." 

In  October  the  Board  of  Trustees  and  past  presidents  of  the  Alumni 
Association  sponsored  a  sparkHng  dinner  attended  by  1000  alumni  and 
friends  to  honor  Father  Monan  upon  the  completion  of  a  decade  in  the 
presidency.  Held  in  McElroy  Commons  dining  hall,  it  was  in  all  respects  a 
gala  event  that  resulted  in  a  substantial  contribution  to  the  new  library. 
The  Neta  York  Times  of  October  12th,  under  the  heading,  "Boston's 
Convocation  of  Catholic  Elite,"  carried  the  following  account  of  the  dinner: 

When  1,000  of  Boston  College's  alumni  and  friends  came  home  to  the 
school's  Great  Hall  for  a  banquet  Sunday  night,  it  looked  like  a  convocation 
of  power  brokers:  a  demonstration  of  the  Irish  and  Italian  Roman  Catholic 
communities'  ascension  to  the  heights  of  Massachusetts  and  Washington. 

There,  at  the  table  of  honor,  was  the  great  silver  head  of  Thomas  P.  O'Neill, 
Jr.,  Speaker  of  the  United  States  House  of  Representatives,  class  of  '36.  There, 
in  the  audience,  was  his  son,  Lieut.  Gov.  Thomas  P.  O'Neill  3d,  graduate  of 
the  law  school,  '68.  Others  were  Representative  Edward  J.  Markey,  class  of 
'68,  law  school,  '72;  the  president  of  the  Massachusetts  Senate,  William  M. 
Bulger,  class  of  '58,  law  school,  '61;  the  Jesuit  and  former  Congressman 
Robert  F.  Drinan,  class  of  '42;  and  John  Kerry,  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
lieutenant  governor,  law  school  class  of  '76.  .  .  . 

"We  who  were  the  college-bound  Irish  and  Italian  Catholics,  we  were  the 
feeders  for  this  school,"  Mr.  Markey  said,  as  the  crowd  moved  into  the  $100- 
a-plate  dinner  to  honor  the  10th  anniversary  of  the  school's  president,  the 
Rev.  J.  Donald  Monan.  "We  were  encouraged  and  coerced  in  very  subtle 
ways  to  go  to  Boston  College  to  build  a  Catholic  intelligentsia  to  serve  its 
community." 

The  children  of  that  community,  and  their  children,  came  back  Sunday 
night  to  a  119-year-old  Jesuit  college  that  has  matured  and  broadened 
through  the  decades. ...  a  fact  for  which  Father  Monan  is  given  considerable 
credit. 


A  Mature  University       491 

A  light-hearted  salute  was  given  to  Father  Monan  a  few  months  later  by 
the  Jesuits  at  St.  Mary's  Hall.  The  genial  and  gifted  administrator  of  St. 
Mary's  Hall  at  that  time  was  Father  John  Christopher  Sullivan,  who  enjoyed 
celebrations  and  liked  to  compose  proclamations  in  verse  or  prose,  and  in 
a  variety  of  languages,  for  special  occasions.  He  feted  Father  Monan  at 
dinner  one  evening  and  posted  appropriate  Latin  verses  on  the  dining  room 
bulletin  board.  Biweekly  of  March  17,  1983,  gave  this  account  of  the  event: 

JESUITS  PAY  TRIBUTE  TO  FATHER  MONAN 

On  Monday  evenings,  members  of  the  Jesuit  community  gather  to  honor 
one  of  their  own  for  significant  accomplishments. 

Such  an  occasion  was  held  on  Feb.  7th,  as  the  community  recognized 
President  J.  Donald  Monan,  S.J.,  for  his  recent  elections  to  the  chairmanships 
of  both  the  National  Association  of  Independent  Colleges  and  Universities 
(NAICU)  and  the  Association  of  Jesuit  Colleges  and  Universities  (AJCU). 

To  pay  tribute  to  Fr.  Monan,  Fr.  Christopher  Sullivan,  S.J.,  composed  the 
following  poem: 

Gaudeamus,  quoniam 
Don  honorat  Bostoniam. 
NAICU  praesul  et  solus  princeps 
AJCU — nunc  fit  anceps 
Honores  summos  retulit 
Honores  summos  retulit. 
Gaudeamus  igitur 
Jesuitae  nam  sumus. 
Donald  praeses,  nos  respice 
Fratres  tuos,  te  auspice 
Vocantes  te  supra  "super"  terl 
Vocantes  te  supra  "superman!" 

For  those  whose  Latin  is  a  bit  rusty.  University  Secretary  Leo  McGovern, 
S.J.,  provides  the  following  "loose"  translation: 

Let's  all  rejoice  for  this  good  reason: 
The  honors  Don's  done  us,  this  season. 
In  the  city  whose  patron's  St.  Patrick, 
Prexy  thrice  is  a  cool  hat  trick. 
Pres  BC,  NAICU  and  AJCU, 
These  high  honors  honor  us,  too! 
Therefore,  let's  rejoice. 
For  we  are  his  fellow  Jesuits. 
Pray,  Don  our  pres,  do  us  behold, 
Your  brothers  in  your  care  and  fold. 
As  we  hail  you  tops  and  super  thrice. 
As  we  hail  you  our  Superman! 

Note:  According  to  the  poem's  author,  "Fr.  McGovern  opined  candidly  that  the  translation 
was  terribly  loose  and  needed  to  be  tightened  up — considerably.  Alas,  so  it  goes  in 
academe." 


492        History  of  Boston  College 

The  history  of  an  institution  as  complex  as  Boston  College  in  a  period 
of  explosive  development  must  necessarily  record  details  of  land  acquisi- 
tion, construction  of  buildings,  and  appointment  of  principal  administra- 
tors. But,  of  course,  everything  else  exists  for  academics.  As  we  approach 
the  end  of  the  present  update  of  Boston  College's  history,  it  therefore  is 
appropriate  to  give  an  account  of  the  academic  status  of  the  University. 
This  will  be  done  in  the  form  of  a  school-by-school  review. 

The  School  of  Nursing 

The  School  of  Nursing  celebrated  its  fortieth  anniversary  in  1987,  and 
faced  the  future  with  hope  and  confidence.  Despite  a  decline  in  undergrad- 
uate enrollment  that  had  affected  schools  of  nursing  nationally,  the  Boston 
College  School  of  Nursing  enjoyed  several  signs  of  recognition  and  success. 
Upon  the  retirement  of  Dean  Mary  Dineen  in  1986,  after  14  years  of 
constructive  leadership,  the  School  attracted  as  her  successor  Mary  Sue 
Infante.  Dean  Infante,  a  product  of  Catholic  University  and  Columbia 
University  and  an  author  and  editor,  had  been  a  professor  at  the  University 
of  Connecticut  School  of  Nursing.  She  assumed  the  leadership  of  a  faculty 
of  53,  of  whom  43  percent  held  the  doctoral  degree.-  The  faculty  had 
authored  over  fifty  books,  two  of  which  had  been  chosen  as  Book  of  the 
Year  by  the  American  journal  of  Nursing.  A  1982  ranking  of  school  of 
nursing  faculties  by  deans  and  nurse  researchers  placed  the  Boston  College 
School  of  Nursing  in  the  33rd  spot  among  some  400  baccalaureate  degree 
programs.' 

Mary  Sue  Infante,  appointed  dean  of 
the  School  of  Nursing  in  1986. 


A  Mature  University       493 


Traditional  pinning  ceremony  for  School  of  Nursing  seniors  on  the  Saturday 
before  commencement.  Dean  Dineen  presiding. 

The  school  has  long  been  proud  of  its  outstanding  library,  assembled 
under  the  insightful  direction  of  its  committed  librarian,  Mary  Pekarski.  In 
1984  that  library  was  merged  with  the  collections  in  the  new  O'Neill 
facility.  Special  collections  that  distinguish  the  nursing  holdings  include: 
the  Rita  Kelleher  Collection  of  archival,  historical,  and  research  materials 
in  nursing;  the  Guild  of  St.  Luke  of  Boston  Health  Ethics  Collection,  which 
contains  print  and  audiovisuals  on  the  ethics  of  medicine  and  health  care; 
and  the  National  Health  Planning  Information  Center,  which  is  one  of  26 
U.S.  and  European  depositories  for  NHPIC  noncopyrighted  materials  in 
microfiche  format.  In  1988  the  Josephine  A.  Dolan  historical  collection 
was  established.  It  was  with  great  sadness  that  in  1988  Boston  College  and 
the  School  of  Nursing  mourned  the  death  of  Mary  A.  Pekarski.  Her  memory 
lives  on  in  the  library  holdings  which  she  so  carefully  amassed. 

The  maturing  scholarship  of  the  faculty  and  its  unique  research  resources 
were  acknowledged  in  September  1986  when  the  Board  of  Trustees  ap- 
proved the  establishment  of  a  Ph.D.  program  in  nursing,  to  commence  in 
1988.  The  program  is  research-oriented,  because  of  the  need  for  clinical 
research  and  the  high  demand  for  chnical  researchers.  The  emphasis  of  the 
new  doctoral  program  is  on  the  formation  of  ethical  reasoning,  diagnostic/ 
therapeutic  judgments,  and  human  response  patterns  to  such  judgments.'' 


494        History  of  Boston  College 

Ten  full-time  candidates  enrolled  in  the  program  in  1988  and  another  10 
in  1989;  a  total  enrollment  of  30  is  envisioned  in  1990.  Through  this 
significant  move,  the  School  of  Nursing  joined  a  select  group  of  approxi- 
mately 10  percent  of  schools  of  nursing  which  offer  doctoral  study.^ 

To  underscore  the  School  of  Nursing's  commitment  to  the  highest  level 
of  scholarship  in  nursing  education,  the  University  awarded  an  honorary 
degree  at  the  1983  commencement  to  a  premier  exemplar  of  such  commit- 
ment, Virginia  Henderson,  professor  emerita  of  the  Yale  School  of  Nursing. 
Through  her  teaching  and  writing.  Dr.  Henderson  helped  shape  generations 
of  nurses  and  her  bibliographical  scholarship  opened  treasures  for  research 
in  the  nursing  profession.  Another  nurse  scholar  and  historian,  Josephine 
A.  Dolan,  formerly  of  the  University  of  Connecticut,  received  the  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Nursing  Science  at  the  1987  commencement. 

At  the  time  of  the  fortieth  anniversary  celebration,  two  important  works 
were  published.  Associate  Professor  Mary  Ellen  Doona  contributed  Nurs- 
ing Commemorative,  a  history  of  the  school.  Dean  Emerita  Rita  Kelleher 
printed  her  rich  Memoirs:  Boston  College  School  of  Nursing,  1947-1973. 

As  the  Boston  College  School  of  Nursing  enters  the  new  decade  of  the 
1990s,  it  is  poised  for  growth  and  continued  recognition  for  the  quality  of 
its  graduates.  Curricula  and  teaching  are  meeting  the  challenges  of  today's 
youth;  research  activities  of  faculty  and  students  are  enhancing  the  pursuit 
of  knowledge;  laboratories,  classrooms,  and  office  space  in  Cushing  Hall 
have  been  upgraded  to  support  research  and  learning.  In  1990,  78  percent 
of  the  faculty  hold  the  earned  doctorate  and  student  enrollment  in  all 
programs  compares  favorably  with  that  in  leading  schools  of  nursing.  And 
graduates  are  working  more  closely  with  the  school  through  the  newly 
established  Boston  College  Nurses'  Association. 

The  Carroll  School  (and  Graduate  School)  of 
Management 

Since  1978  the  deanship  of  John  J.  Neuhauser  in  the  Carroll  School  and 
Graduate  School  of  Management  has  seen  the  continuation  and  strength- 
ening of  two  trends  begun  in  the  Kelley  administration:  development  of 
faculty  and  upgrading  of  the  student  body.  Earlier  deans  of  undergraduate 
professional  schools  had  felt  somewhat  disadvantaged  by  the  heavy  empha- 
sis in  admissions  strategy  on  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  But  by  the 
end  of  the  1970s,  the  situation  had  changed.  With  the  admission  of  women 
to  CSOM  in  1971  and  with  a  growing  emphasis  in  society  on  education 
for  business,  competition  for  admission  to  the  school  escalated.  A  place  in 
the  freshman  class  of  CSOM  became  just  as  prized  and  as  hard  to  come  by 
as  one  in  the  entering  class  of  A&S. 

Recent  deans'  annual  reports  show  a  healthy  presence  of  Carroll  School 
of  Management  faculty  in  top  scholarly  journals.  CSOM  now  recruits 
faculty  in  competition  with  the  very  best  schools  in  the  country,  and  its 


A  Mature  University       495 


John  J.  Neuhauser,  dean  of  the 
Carroll  School  of  Management 
since  1978. 


rl 

•■if 

■ 

-  1 

success  is  indicated  by  the  attempts  of  Harvard  and  MIT  to  lure  away 
junior  faculty.  But  research  progress  has  not  meant  less  attention  to 
teaching.  The  faculty  believe  that  recent  course  evaluations  by  students,  as 
well  as  syllabi,  outlines  of  term  projects,  and  examinations,  show  that 
current  courses  are  intellectual,  demanding,  stimulating,  and  up-to-date.*^ 

One  of  the  promising  developments  in  recent  years  has  been  the  establish- 
ment of  academic  programs  across  school  and  departmental  lines.  While 
this  has  happened  principally  at  the  graduate  level,  a  notable  undergraduate 
example  has  been  the  inclusion  since  1984  of  CSOM  honors  program 
students  in  the  A&S  honors  program's  Western  cultural  tradition  courses 
for  freshmen  and  sophomores.  Since  only  about  7  percent  of  any  Arts  and 
Sciences  class  is  invited  to  participate  in  these  challenging  courses,  the 
inclusion  of  these  CSOM  students  is  a  measure  of  the  calibre  of  students 
attending  CSOM.  The  Western  tradition  sequence  fulfills  the  core  require- 
ments in  theology,  philosophy,  English,  and  in  some  cases  social  sciences. 
Among  the  freshman  texts  studied  are  the  Bible  (Genesis,  Exodus,  Job,  one 
or  more  of  the  Prophets,  selections  from  the  Psalms,  one  synoptic  Gospel, 
John,  and  Romans),  Homer,  Greek  drama  and  philosophy,  Vergil,  Augus- 
tine, Aquinas,  Dante,  and  Shakespeare.  Among  texts  studied  in  sophomore 
year  are  Machiavelli,  Thomas  More,  Luther,  Milton,  Pope,  Goethe,  Kant, 
and  Darwin.  Dean  Neuhauser  is  enthusiastic  about  this  rich  Uberal  arts 
experience  for  his  future  managers  and  wishes  it  could  be  expanded.^ 
Currently  juniors  and  seniors  in  the  CSOM  honors  programs  take  honors 
seminars  in  the  College  of  A&S,  and  several  CSOM  faculty  teach  seminars 
for  the  A&S  program. 

The  Carroll  Graduate  School  of  Management  has  a  J.D.-M.B.  A.  program 
in  cooperation  with  the  Law  School,  a  joint  M.S.W.-M.B.A.  program  with 


496        History  of  Boston  College 

the  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work,  and  a  joint  M.B.A.-Ph.D.  in  sociology 
with  the  Department  of  Sociology.  The  M.B.A.  program  was  established  in 
1957  and  steered  successfully  through  the  rigorous  process  of  accreditation 
in  1975  under  the  leadership  of  Richard  Maffei,  who  served  as  associate 
dean  from  1969  to  1975,  and  Raymond  Keyes,  assistant  dean  from  1968 
to  1978.  Maffei's  successor,  William  Torbert,  helped  establish  a  new 
M.B.A.  core  curriculum,  of  which  the  school  is  rightly  proud  as  a  program 
that  integrates  functional  skills,  critical  analysis,  and  ethical  inquiry.  When 
first  established,  it  was  the  only  program  in  the  country  that  required  first- 
year  M.B.A.s  to  work  with  real  clients,  their  grades  being  affected  by  the 
success  or  failure  of  such  experience.^  A  master's  degree  in  computer 
science  was  begun  in  1988. 

The  ultimate  vote  of  confidence  by  the  University  in  the  Carroll  Graduate 
School  of  Management  came  in  December  1987,  when  the  Board  of 
Trustees  approved  a  new  doctoral  program — the  first  for  GSOM — with  a 
specialization  in  the  field  of  finance.  The  Finance  Department  had  previ- 
ously conducted  a  successful  master's  program  in  finance,  with  a  large 
enrollment.  The  Ph.D.  program  will  admit  its  first  class  in  September  1990. 

The  graduate  school  has  been  attracting  national  attention.  Among  the 
various  measures  of  a  school's  effectiveness  is  beginning  salary  for  its 
graduates.  A  national  survey  of  starting  salaries  of  business  school  gradu- 
ates in  1986  placed  GSOM  23rd  out  of  50,  understandably  behind 
Harvard,  Stanford,  and  Chicago,  but  ahead  of  such  major  institutions  as 
Ohio  State,  Texas,  Notre  Dame,  and  lUinois.  That  same  year  Boston 
College  ranked  33rd  in  number  of  M.B.A.s  granted.' 


Fulton  Hall,  home  of  the  School  of  Management,  was  undoubtedly  the  least 
successful  of  the  Maginnis  and  Walsh  buildings  in  the  Gothic  style.  As  the 
first  postwar  building,  its  construction  budget  was  very  spare.  (It  will  be 
remembered  that  students  went  from  door  to  door  selling  "Bricks  for 
Boston  College"  at  one  dollar  apiece.)  In  recent  years  the  University  has 
wisely  and  continually  upgraded  the  interior  facilities  of  Fulton,  and  the 
removal  of  the  business  library  to  O'Neill  made  available  large  spaces  that 
have  become  gracious  and  comfortable  rooms.  In  1990  there  are  plans  to 
add  a  floor  to  Fulton  Hall  and  to  enclose  the  rear  courtyard.  Raising  the 
height  of  the  building  seems  achievable  with  no  embarrassment  to  the 
Gothic  quadrangle,  since  at  present  only  two  stories  of  Fulton  border  the 
quadrangle. 


During  the  school's  golden  jubilee  in  1988,  an  honorary  doctorate  was 
awarded  to  a  graduate,  Richard  F.  Syron  ('66),  president  of  the  Federal 
Reserve  Bank  of  Boston.  As  mentioned  earlier,  the  fiftieth  year  also  saw  the 
first  endowed  professorship  in  the  school,  the  Peter  F.  Drucker  Chair  in 
Management  Sciences,  a  generous  gift  of  John  and  Margaret  McNeice.  In 
1989  the  school  became  the  Carroll  School  of  Management  and  the  Carroll 


A  Mature  University       497 

Graduate  School  of  Management  in  honor  of  a  generous  alumnus,  Wallace 
E.  Carroll  ('28). 

In  the  last  decade  of  the  twentieth  century,  alumni  of  the  Carroll  School 
of  Management  are  found  at  top  levels  of  American  business  management. 
The  alumni,  the  diversified  faculty,  and  the  coeducational  student  body 
have  come  a  long  way  in  five  decades  from  the  tentative  beginning  at 
Newbury  Street  and  O'Connell  Hall  under  Father  James  Kelley,  a  former 
professor  of  classics. ^° 

The  School  of  Education 

During  the  early  days  of  the  School  of  Education  in  the  1950s  and  1960s, 
under  the  entrepreneurial  leadership  of  such  faculty  members  as  Marie 
Gearan  and  Sister  Mary  Josephina  Concannon,  program  initiation  and 
outreach  became  a  way  of  life.  Later,  John  Eichorn  (in  special  education) 
assumed  the  mantle  of  innovation  and  succeeded  in  attracting  substantial 
external  funding.  But  the  pace  in  the  School  of  Education  during  the  last 
decade  and  a  half  has  been  so  lively  that  only  a  few  activities  and  promising 
developments  can  be  mentioned  here. 

As  is  generally  known,  the  past  several  decades  have  not  been  happy  ones 
for  schools  of  education  nationally.  With  a  declining  younger  population, 
many  state  institutions  for  teacher  education  have  been  phased  out.  Nor 
has  Boston  College  been  immune  to  the  general  decline  of  interest  in 
teaching  as  a  career.  The  undergraduate  enrollment  reached  a  peak  of  1344 
in  1973,  but  then  a  decline  set  in:  below  a  thousand  in  1977  and  a  low  of 
623  in  1984.  A  small  increase  then  began  into  the  700s.  The  current  levels 
of  enrollment  (larger,  incidentally,  than  the  enrollment  in  the  1960s,  when 
it  was  agreed  that  SOE  was  a  fine,  robust  school)  are  a  tribute  to  the 
ingenuity  and  adaptability  of  the  faculty  and  to  the  leadership  of  recently 
retired  Dean  Mary  Griffin. 

One  of  the  programs  that  makes  the  Boston  College  undergraduate 
School  of  Education  unique  in  America — and  no  doubt  in  the  world — is 
the  out-of-state/overseas  final  teaching  practicum.  Joan  Jones,  director  of 
the  semester-long  teaching  practicum  of  the  seniors,  decided  to  try  some- 
thing different  in  1973.  Instead  of  limiting  student  teaching  to  local  school 
systems,  she  sent  several  students  to  England  and  others  to  Indian  reserva- 
tions in  New  Mexico  and  South  Dakota.  Since  then  20  percent  of  each 
senior  class  has  done  student  teaching  either  out  of  state  or  in  a  foreign 
country.  Students  have  had  their  final  teaching  practicum  in  Arizona, 
Hawaii,  Cahfornia,  Puerto  Rico,  and  Colorado,  as  well  as  in  several  of  the 
New  England  states  besides  Massachusetts.  Overseas  sites  in  addition  to 
England  have  been  Scotland,  Ireland,  Wales,  Austria,  Spain,  Switzerland, 
Sweden,  Venezuela,  Germany,  France,  and  Australia.  Whether  out-of-state 
or  overseas,  the  students  are  visited  by  Dr.  Jones  or  one  of  several  faculty 
members.  Naturally  such  an  unusual — even  daring — experience  impresses 
employing  superintendents  when  reviewing  dossiers. 


498        History  of  Boston  College 

In  the  early  1980s  both  the  School  of  Education  and  its  graduate 
department  began  to  include  computer  components  in  all  courses.  Tech- 
nology was  permeating  the  entire  curriculum,  and  computer  hteracy  be- 
came a  requirement.  Since  then,  all  students  master  word  processing, 
communications,  computer-assisted  instruction,  data  analysis,  and  pro- 
gramming. A  few  nonrequired  courses  make  available  advanced  competen- 
cies in  such  areas  as  artificial  inteUigence,  robotics,  and  speech  synthesis 
and  recognition.  These  beginnings  led  to  the  establishment  in  1984  of  a 
master's  program  in  educational  technology. 

In  the  early  1980s,  Catholic  school  superintendents  in  New  England 
approached  the  faculty  in  educational  administration  with  the  idea  of  a 
program  to  prepare  Catholic  laypeople  for  administrative  positions.  In 
1982  the  Catholic  School  Leadership  Program  was  begun  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Sister  Clare  Fitzgerald.  Already  hundreds  have  taken  advantage  of 
this  important  ad  hoc  training  for  the  Catholic  school  systems. 

In  1983  the  Division  of  Counseling  Psychology  of  the  Department  of 
Education  in  the  Graduate  School  achieved  national  status  when  its  doc- 
toral program  was  accredited  by  the  American  Psychological  Association. 
The  division  became  one  of  35  APA- accredited  doctoral  programs  in 
counseling  psychology  in  the  country,  and  one  of  two  in  New  England. 

A  good  example  of  significant  service  to  the  community  by  the  School  of 


Joan  C.  Jones,  creator  of  School  of 
Education  out-of-state  and  overseas 
student  teaching  placements. 


A  Mature  University       499 


Diana  C.  Pullin,  named  dean 
of  the  School  of  Education  in 
1986. 


Education  is  what  came  to  be  known  as  the  District  B-Boston  College 
Collaborative.  This  effort  stemmed  from  the  May  1975  desegregation  court 
order  of  Judge  W.  Arthur  Garrity,  Jr.,  for  the  Boston  public  schools. 
District  B.,  with  which  Boston  College  was  paired,  covered  parts  of  West 
Roxbury,  Roslindale,  Dorchester,  and  Mattapan  and  included  one  high 
school,  three  middle  schools,  and  13  elementary  schools.  The  partnership 
lasted  10  years,  from  1976  to  1986,  and  was  funded  annually  by  the  State 
Department  of  Education  with  grants  usually  exceeding  $100,000.  George 
Ladd  orchestrated  and  managed  the  diverse  and  lively  collaboration.  Activ- 
ities varied  from  year  to  year  but  included  such  things  as  a  newsletter  for 
parents  under  the  direction  of  a  parent  editor;  computer  literacy  work- 
shops; a  public  speaking  program  to  increase  student  leadership  and  self- 
confidence;  workshops  for  teachers  of  gifted  pupils;  workshops  for  individ- 
ual school  racial  ethnic  parent  councils;  and  assistance  in  furthering  devel- 
opment of  student  governments  and  other  student  activities  within  each 
school.  The  contribution  of  the  School  of  Education  has  been  judged 
effective  in  facilitating  the  process  of  desegregation  in  a  major  area  of  the 
City  of  Boston. 

The  leadership  of  the  School  of  Education  passed  to  a  new  dean  in 
September  1987.  Diana  PuUin,  possessing  both  a  doctorate  in  education 
and  a  law  degree  from  the  University  of  Iowa,  had  served  as  associate  dean 
for  graduate  studies  at  Michigan  State's  College  of  Education.  No  stranger 
to  Boston  College,  she  had  taught  here  as  an  adjunct  professor  in  1982— 


500        History  of  Boston  College 

1983  while  associated  with  the  Center  for  Law  and  Education  in  Cam- 
bridge. Her  own  record  in  administration  and  scholarship  prepared  her 
well  for  her  leadership  responsibilities  in  practice  and  research. 

The  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work 

The  12-year  deanship  of  Father  John  V.  Driscoll  ended  in  1970  after  he  had 
brought  the  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work  from  its  original  home  on 
Newbury  Street  to  its  splendid  quarters  in  the  building  named  for  the 
school's  founder,  McGuinn  Hall.  When  Father  Driscoll  left  Boston  College 
for  other  professional  endeavors,  he  was  succeeded  by  a  faculty  member, 
Edmund  Burke,  an  alumnus  of  the  School  of  Social  Work  who  had  earned 
his  doctorate  at  the  University  of  Pittsburgh.  Dean  Burke  led  the  school  for 
six  years,  then  opted  to  return  to  his  faculty  post.  Later,  he  assumed  his 
current  position  as  director  of  the  Center  for  Corporate  and  Community 
Relations. 

In  September  1976  the  deanship  was  assumed  by  June  Gary  Hopps,  who 
was  to  win  national  recognition  for  the  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work 
and  for  herself.  Having  earned  a  doctorate  at  Brandeis  University,  she  was 
associated  with  Ohio  State  University  before  coming  to  Chestnut  Hill. 
Dean  Hopps  became  the  second  woman  and  the  University's  first  black 
administrator  at  that  level  of  responsibiUty. 

The  two  most  prestigious  honors  to  come  to  Dean  Hopps  during  the  first 

Edmund  R.  Burke,  dean  of  the 
Graduate  School  of  Social  Work, 
1971-1977;  currently  director  of  the 
Center  for  Corporate  Community 
Relations. 


A  Mature  University        501 

10  years  of  her  administration  were  her  four-year  appointment  by  the 
National  Association  of  Social  Workers  as  editor  of  the  association's 
journal,  Social  Work,  in  1985,  and  her  election  in  1986  as  president  of  the 
National  Conference  of  Deans  and  Directors  of  Graduate  Schools  of  Social 
Work.  Social  Work,  with  more  than  30,000  subscribers,  is  the  most 
influential  periodic  publication  in  social  work  and  public  policy.  In  1979 
the  Massachusetts  Chapter  of  the  National  Association  of  Social  Workers 
named  Dean  Hopps  "Social  Work  Educator  of  the  Year." 

Since  June  Hopps  assumed  office  there  have  been  a  number  of  significant 
developments  in  the  School  of  Social  Work.  A  new  course,  "Comparative 
Social  Policy  Analysis  and  Field  Experience,"  has  given  students  an  oppor- 
tunity to  study  and  observe  welfare  policy  and  service  systems  in  nonmar- 
ket  or  socialist  countries.  Classes  have  visited  Cuba,  Greece,  Yugoslavia, 
and  the  People's  Republic  of  China,  and  visits  are  planned  to  Scandinavia 
and  Eastern  Europe.  The  course  has  attracted  students  from  other  local 
universities  and  colleges,  including  Harvard,  MIT,  Brandeis,  Simmons,  and 
Boston  University. 

In  1979  an  A.B.-M.S.W.  program  was  established  in  cooperation  with 
the  Arts  and  Sciences  Psychology  and  Sociology  departments.  Carefully 
selected  students,  limited  to  10  a  year,  can  complete  the  double  degree 
program  in  five  years.  The  program  has  proved  to  be  a  good  tool  for 
recruiting  talented  undergraduates  to  the  field  of  social  work  and  a  valuable 
acceleration  for  undergraduates  prepared  to  make  an  early  commitment  to 
the  profession. 

The  most  important  academic  development  in  the  Hopps  era  was  the 
establishment  in  1979  of  a  doctorate  in  social  work.  As  was  true  of  the 
School  of  Nursing  a  decade  later,  the  University  made  a  public  declaration 
of  confidence  in  the  school  when  the  carefully  crafted  doctoral  proposal  of 
the  GSSW  was  approved.  In  the  program's  first  eight  years,  64  students 
enrolled  for  the  doctorate;  10  had  graduated  by  1987,  with  5  D.S.W. 
degrees  awarded  that  spring  and  1 6  more  candidates  reaching  the  disserta- 
tion stage.  Some  of  the  graduates  have  assumed  faculty  positions  at  other 
distinguished  schools  of  social  work. 

Three  joint  professional  degree  programs  were  established  in  the  1980s: 
an  M.S.W./M.B.A.,  with  the  Carroll  School  of  Management;  an  M.S.W./ 
J.D.,  with  the  Law  School;  and  the  M.S.W./M.A.,  with  the  Institute  for 
Religious  Education  and  Pastoral  Ministry.  In  an  effort  to  embrace  human 
services  and  professional  educational  opportunities  in  outlying  communi- 
ties and,  in  particular,  in  response  to  requests  from  the  Worcester  and 
Portland  (Maine)  Diocesan  Catholic  Charities,  the  school  arranged  for  four 
off-campus  sites  to  offer  many  of  the  first-year  foundation  courses.  While 
part-time  students  matriculate  at  Chestnut  Hill  for  the  final  full-time 
academic  year,  field  work  can  be  arranged  in  the  students'  own  locale.  To 
date,  sites  have  been  established  in  the  Plymouth,  Worcester,  Springfield, 
and  Portland  areas. 


502        History  of  Boston  College 

In  1979  the  school  estabUshed  the  Bureau  of  Continuing  Education  to 
coordinate  many  of  the  research  and  nondegree  educational  activities  of 
GSSW.  The  bureau  conducts  training  programs  for  public  and  private 
human  service  providers  through  workshops,  seminars,  and  short-term 
courses.  In  1985  the  state  of  Massachusetts  established  licensing  for  social 
workers,  and  the  bureau  set  up  courses  for  alumni  and  other  M.S.W.s  in 
the  Greater  Boston  area  to  help  them  update  knowledge  in  special  areas 
and  to  enable  them  to  obtain  their  required  continuing  education  credits. 
In  1986  a  full-time  director  was  appointed  for  the  program. 

In  1986  two  faculty  members  were  honored  by  the  Massachusetts  chapter 
of  the  National  Association  of  Social  Workers:  Carolyn  Thomas,  for 
distinguished  contributions  to  social  work  practice,  and  Robert  Castagnola 
as  social  worker  of  the  year.  The  University's  continued  recognition  of  the 
school's  goals  and  the  contributions  of  its  graduates  was  symbolized  by  the 
1979  honorary  doctorate  awarded  to  GSSW  alumna  Dorothy  Baker  ('46) 
for  her  work  in  India  preparing  professionals  to  bring  social  services  to  the 
poorest  of  the  poor. 

The  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences 

In  professional  schools,  progress  is  sometimes  measurable  by  new  initia- 
tives and  projects  generated  by  the  administration  and  faculty  to  adapt  to 
changing  societal  needs.  The  account  elsewhere  in  this  chapter  of  recent 
developments  in  the  School  of  Education  is  a  good  example.  A  college  of 
liberal  arts  in  the  traditional  Jesuit  view,  on  the  other  hand,  represents 
considerable  curricular  and  programmatic  stability,  so  that  innovations 
and  experimental  enterprises  are  of  secondary  importance  compared  with 
the  ongoing  main  business  of  the  college.  The  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences 
fits  this  pattern.  It  has  never  become  addicted  to  the  academically  periph- 
eral; rather  it  has  been  resoundingly  loyal  to  the  basic  liberal  studies,  the 
disciplines  represented  by  the  A&S  departments.  As  we  have  seen,  when 
the  A&S  faculty  was  invited  to  consider  new  configurations  of  studies  and 
cross-disciplinary  programs  for  the  Newton  campus  when  it  was  acquired 
in  1974,  there  was  no  response  except  from  the  Perspectives  Program, 
which  was  already  in  operation  and  externally  funded.  This  lack  of  faculty 
reaction  was  seen  not  as  a  reflection  of  inertia  or  indifference  but  as  a 
reassertion  of  commitment  to  the  parent  disciplines. 

In  the  1950s  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  (and  Graduate  A&S)  began 
to  organize  enthusiastically  and  ambitiously  along  departmental  lines.  Each 
departmental  faculty  renewed  itself  and  increased  its  numbers  by  rigorous 
selection  of  candidates  with  prestigious  academic  pedigrees.  When  Victor 
Butterfield  of  Wesleyan  University  warned  against  excessive  departmental 
emphasis  in  A&S  early  in  the  1960s,  Uttle  attention  was  paid  that  advice. 
In  the  last  decade  of  this  century  the  A&S  faculty  may  be  more  fragmented 
than  Butterfield  would  think  desirable,  but  the  departmental  faculties  are  a 


A  Mature  University       503 


Father  Joseph  Fahey,  ac- 
ademic vice  president 
and  dean  of  faculties, 
1982-1987. 


credit  to  their  respective  professions  as  well  as  to  the  University,  and  they 
have  developed  serious  and  challenging  curricula.  Dean  Robert  Barth  has 
initiated  an  ongoing  program  of  external  review  of  all  departments,  which 
will  lead  to  a  long-range  plan  for  each. 

Given  its  basic  stability,  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  has,  neverthe- 
less, introduced  new  programs  in  recent  years.  It  is  hardly  surprising  that  a 
major  in  computer  science  was  approved  by  the  Educational  Policy  Com- 
mittee in  1980.  This  program  takes  advantage  of  computer  courses  in  the 
School  of  Management,  which  was  the  first  campus  unit  to  introduce  this 
specialization,  plus  appropriate  courses  in  the  A&S  Mathematics  Depart- 
ment. 

In  1985  a  major  in  biochemistry  was  begun.  A  response  to  the  strides 
being  made  in  the  investigation  of  life  processes,  it  focuses  on  new  discov- 
eries and  techniques  in  genetics,  such  as  genetic  cloning,  genetic  slicing, 
and  DNA  research.  The  biochemistry  major  is  jointly  administered  by  the 
Biology  and  Chemistry  departments. 

The  Department  of  Geology  and  Geophysics  has  responded  to  current 
social  and  student  concerns  by  establishing  a  major  in  environmental 
geosciences,  whose  purpose  is  to  provide  students  with  a  knowledge  of  the 
dehcate  balance  of  nature  and  methods  of  preserving  it. 

For  some  time  language  majors  have  been  able  to  live  together  in 


504        History  of  Boston  College 

Greycliff,  the  "modern  language  house."  More  recently  the  "Immersion 
Program"  enables  qualified  students  to  take  some  required  or  elective 
courses  entirely  in  the  French  or  the  Spanish  languages  in  the  departments 
of  History,  Philosophy,  and  Fine  Arts  and  in  the  School  of  Social  Work. 

In  1980  the  Educational  Policy  Committee  of  Arts  and  Sciences  approved 
a  major  in  classical  studies.  This  major  reflected  increased  enrollment  in 
Latin  and  Greek  courses  and  a  more  aggressive  stance  by  the  department. 
A  concession  from  the  practice  of  earlier  years  allowed  students  a  choice  of 
reading  classical  works  in  the  original  language  or  in  translation.  The 
chairman,  Eugene  Bushala,  Father  David  Gill  (who  was  also  director  of  the 
honors  program),  and  Professor  Dia  M.  Philippides  were  largely  responsi- 
ble for  this  progress.  Father  Carl  Thayer,  of  course,  always  kept  the  candle 
burning. 

In  1988  the  college  established  the  Music  Department,  followed  in  1989 
by  a  music  major.  This  effort  has  happily  resulted  in  a  burst  of  musical 
activity  on  campus. 

In  order  to  enable  students  to  make  connections  between  disciplines  and 
integrate  their  academic  programs,  the  college  has  established  a  number  of 
interdisciplinary  minors  "designed  to  provide  a  coherent  grouping  of 
courses  drawn  from  various  disciplines  and  focused  around  a  specific 
theme.""  There  are  currently  19  such  minors,  which  range  from  black 
studies  through  women's  studies.  The  most  recent  addition  is  the  minor  in 
"faith,  peace  and  justice."  The  latter  program  has  a  dual  purpose:  to  utilize 
the  curriculum  so  that  students  may  focus  on  faith,  peace  and  justice  study 
and  to  sponsor  and  organize  related  campus-wide  activities.  So  the  College 
of  Arts  and  Sciences,  long  devoted  to  carrying  on  and  keeping  up  to  date 
the  major  liberal  arts  disciplines,  has  not  been  timid  about  trying  new 
academic  paths. 

To  help  students  chart  their  course  through  the  maze  of  majors  and 
electives  available  to  them,  a  reinvigorated  and  elaborate  faculty  advising 
program  was  established  in  1980.  A  system  of  class  deans  has  been 
instituted.  The  freshman  dean  is  responsible  for  administering  the  advising 
program  and  keeping  up  to  date  the  130-page  "Faculty  Advisor  Hand- 
book" developed  by  former  Assistant  Dean  Patricia  De  Leeuw.  The  hand- 
book facilitates — even  for  new  faculty  members — the  sometimes  daunting 
role  of  helping  students  make  enlightened  academic  decisions. 

The  Graduate  School  of  Arts  and  Sciences 

What  has  been  said  above  about  the  steady  strengthening  of  Arts  and 
Sciences  departments  obviously  is  pertinent  to  the  Graduate  School  of  Arts 
and  Sciences  which,  since  1972,  has  been  guided  by  Dean  Donald  J.  White. 
Liberal  arts  faculty  recruiting  committees  tend  to  assume  that  faculty 
candidates  from  first-rate  universities  are  competent  in  undergraduate 
teaching,  and  they  focus  more  particularly  on  scholarly  expertise  and 
interests  that  will  strengthen  graduate  programs. 


A  Mature  University       505 

The  major  development  for  the  Graduate  School  of  Arts  and  Sciences  in 
the  past  decade  was  the  review  of  its  role  and  direction  stimulated  by  the 
Graduate  Educational  Policy  Committee  in  the  spring  of  1983.  Academic 
Vice  President  Father  Joseph  Fahey  responded  positively  to  the  EPC's 
intention  of  exploring  the  identity  and  future  of  the  school  by  organizing  a 
weekend  retreat  on  the  subject  for  37  faculty  members  and  administrators 
from  the  full  spectrum  of  graduate  programs.  This  exploration  was  fol- 
lowed in  June  1984  by  a  meeting  with  Father  Monan,  in  which  he 
enthusiastically  endorsed  an  18-month  planning  effort. 

At  the  faculty  convocation  in  September  1984,  Father  Monan  announced 
the  planning  program  for  the  graduate  school  and  his  serious  commitment 
to  it.  After  reminding  the  faculty  that  the  Graduate  School  of  Arts  and 
Sciences  administratively  embraces  graduate  programs  in  education  and 
nursing  as  well  as  in  arts  and  sciences  disciplines,  the  president  stated: 

...  It  will  be  important  for  each  of  the  faculties  involved  with  graduate 
education  ...  to  conduct  a  realistic  assessment  of  the  present  status  and 
prospects  of  the  individual  program.  But  the  purpose  of  this  study  will  be  to 
express  a  vision  of  graduate  education  at  Boston  College  that  will  be  realistic, 
will  be  a  stimulus  to  progress  and  a  guarantee  to  the  fulness  of  our  stature  as 
a  university.  Obviously,  the  world  of  graduate  education  has  been  changing 
in  recent  years — if  anything,  at  a  faster  rate  than  at  the  undergraduate  level, 
as  financial  pressures  and  job  markets  and  career  preferences  continue  to 
shift.  Yet,  1  would  want  you  to  know  from  the  outset  that  the  inspiration  of 
this  study  is  not  any  cost-cutting  imperative  or  preference  for  contraction. 
This  study  will  proceed  not  from  any  suspicion  of  weakness  but  with  the 
sincere  necessity  to  define  our  own  ambitions  and  clarify  the  distinctive  role 

Father  Leo  J.  McGovern,  secretary  of 
the  University,  1982-1985. 


506        History  of  Boston  College 

of  graduate  education  in  the  identity  of  the  university.  The  fact  of  the  matter 
is  that  our  academic  planning  of  the  mid-70s  laid  principal  emphasis  upon 
undergraduate  education,  and  it  is  at  that  level  that  our  stature  is  more 
spontaneously  recognized.  But  in  a  genuine  sense,  our  repute  as  a  university 
and  our  distinctive  contribution  to  scholarship  will  depend  in  a  particular 
manner  upon  our  graduate  programs.  I  believe  that  both  the  impressive 
quality  of  the  scholarship  of  our  individual  faculty  members  and  the  impor- 
tance of  our  graduate  programs  to  our  stature  as  a  university  make  it 
important  that  we  carefully,  but  ambitiously,  search  into  this  aspect  of  our 
identity.  Once  again,  ambitions  and  ideals  translate  into  needs,  and  I  would 
expect  the  enumeration  of  our  needs  in  Graduate  Arts  and  Sciences  to  feed 
directly  into  the  university-wide  goals  for  the  nineties  that  I  mentioned  earlier. 

With  that  comprehensive  charter  and  challenge,  the  study  went  forward. 
The  Graduate  Educational  Policy  Committee  (GEPC),  under  the  chairman- 
ship of  Dean  White,  was  supplemented  by  two  elected  faculty  members 
from  the  School  of  Education,  the  academic  vice  president  and  dean  of 
faculties,  and  the  dean  of  the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences  as  voting 
members  for  the  duration  of  the  study.  The  first  step  was  the  formulation 
of  a  "Mission  Statement  for  the  Planning  Effort,"  which  was  sent  to  the 
faculty  of  every  department  in  November  1984.  In  turn  the  individual 
departments  prepared  mission  and  target  statements  and  profiles  of  faculty 
accomplishments  and  activities,  and  submitted  them  to  the  GEPC  in 
February  1985. 

While  these  projects  were  under  way,  the  office  of  the  executive  vice 
president  prepared  careful  analyses  of  current  program  costs.  The  GEPC 
used  the  Graduate  Program  Self- Assessment  Service  of  the  Graduate  Record 
Examination  Board  to  survey  faculty,  students,  and  alumni  concerning 
program  quality.  In  addition,  five  areas  were  selected  for  external  review, 
since  the  committee  believed  that  outside  consultation  about  them  would 
be  helpful.  By  late  summer  1985,  the  targets  specified  by  each  program 
were  translated  into  specific  resource  requirements  and  an  evaluative 
instrument  was  devised  to  insure  uniformity  in  the  review  of  each  program. 
In  the  fall  of  1985  the  GEPC  reviewed  each  submitted  program  and 
developed  individual  reports  without  recommendations.  These  were  sub- 
mitted to  the  respective  departments  for  review  and  comment  to  insure 
accuracy  and  completeness.  After  receiving  responses  from  the  depart- 
ments, the  GEPC  held  intensive  meetings  in  December  to  arrive  at  final 
recommendations.  The  committee's  report  was  submitted  to  Father  Monan 
in  February  1986. 

The  report  outlined  the  mission  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Arts  and 
Sciences.  It  emphasized  the  special  contribution  the  school  should  make  to 
facilitating  and  reinforcing  the  University's  continuing  pursuit  of  higher 
levels  of  academic  excellence  through  the  quality  of  faculty  research  and 
the  preparation  of  students  to  carry  on  the  quest  for  new  discoveries  and  a 
deeper  understanding  of  the  world  and  its  peoples.  It  saw  this  effort  as 


A  Mature  University       507 

adding  an  academic  quality  dimension  not  only  at  the  graduate  level  but 
widely  in  the  University  and  specifically  in  undergraduate  education.  The 
report  envisioned  a  continued  commitment  to  the  University's  Jesuit  and 
Catholic  traditions,  which  gave  special  motivation  in  the  unwavering  search 
for  truth  and  in  the  application  of  rigorous  methodology  to  the  issues  and 
problems  of  the  scholarly  disciphne,  a  concern  for  the  worth  and  integrity 
of  persons  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  higher  learning,  and  a  desire  to  be  of 
service  to  those  in  need  in  the  world  beyond  the  campus.  The  report 
perhaps  went  beyond  any  prior  planning  document  in  eliciting  from  the 
departments  statements  of  aspiration  accompanied  by  resource  require- 
ments as  explicit  as  possible.  It  also  presented  a  set  of  more  general 
recommendations,  including  such  matters  as  endowed  chairs,  improved 
research  and  learning  facilities,  the  possibility  of  a  University  press,  and 
graduate  student  housing. 

The  report  assigned  programs  to  one  of  three  categories:  high  priority 
(among  the  first  to  receive  additional  resources),  priority  (eUgible  for  added 
resources  after  high-priority  needs  have  been  met),  and  steady  state  (not 
recommended  for  added  resources).  In  the  humanities,  theology  and  philos- 
ophy were  given  high  priority,  and  the  same  ranking  was  given  to  political 
science  and  psychology  in  the  social  sciences  and  to  chemistry  and  mathe- 
matics in  the  physical  sciences  and  mathematics.  In  education,  high  priority 
was  given  to  counsehng  psychology  and  special  education,  and  high  priority 
was  also  assigned  to  nursing.  Almost  at  once  the  University  began  to 
respond  to  the  recommendations.  Two  dramatic  examples  were  the  ap- 
proval of  the  doctoral  program  in  the  School  of  Nursing  and  plans  for  a 
new  chemistry  building  which,  as  the  1990s  dawned,  was  being  erected  on 
the  site  formerly  occupied  by  Roberts  Center.  ^^ 

The  Law  School 

The  year  1985  was  an  important  one  in  the  history  of  the  Law  School: 
Dean  Richard  Huber's  productive  15-year  leadership  ended  and  a  new 
dean  was  named,  and  an  important  national  legal  journal  rated  the  Law 
School  faculty  among  the  elite  in  the  country  in  terms  of  scholarly  writing. 
The  Law  School  had  been  blessed  with  three  outstanding  deans:  Father 
William  Kenealy,  Father  Robert  Drinan,  and  Richard  Huber,  men  who  led 
the  school  to  national  prominence  and  professional  distinction.  The  search 
for  a  successor  scoured  the  legal  world — and  found  the  new  dean  nearby 
in  the  prestigious  Boston  law  firm  of  Palmer  and  Dodge.  Daniel  Coquillette 
attended  Williams  College  and  won  a  Fulbright  Scholarship  at  Oxford 
University,  where  he  studied  law  and  legal  history.  At  Harvard  Law  School 
Coquillette  was  editor  of  the  Harvard  Law  Review.  Upon  graduation,  he 
held  one  of  the  most  prized  clerkships  a  young  lawyer  can  hold,  under  Hon. 
Warren  Burger,  chief  justice  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court.  He  served 
for  several  years  on  the  faculty  of  Boston  University  Law  School  and  was  a 


508        History  of  Boston  College 


Daniel  R.  Coquillette,  dean  of  the 
Law  School  since  1 985. 


visiting  professor  at  Cornell  University  and  Harvard  Law  School.  His 
Lawyers  and  Moral  Responsibility:  Problems  and  Materials  has  been  used 
as  the  basis  for  an  advanced  seminar  in  legal  ethics  at  Harvard  Law  School. 
He  was  the  editor  of  Laiu  in  Colonial  Massachusetts,  1630-1800.  In  1988 
his  The  Civilian  Writers  and  Doctors'  Commons,  London  was  published. 

No  sooner  had  Dean  Coquillette  taken  office  than  good  news  arrived  to 
give  a  forward  surge  to  his  administration.  A  major  article  in  the  Journal 
of  Legal  Education  of  the  Association  of  American  Law  Schools  ranked 
Boston  College  Law  School  among  America's  foremost  research  law 
schools.  Forty-four  law  schools  were  ranked  according  to  the  scholarly 
productivity  of  senior  faculty.  Three  "cohorts"  were  established,  and 
Boston  College  Law  School  was  ranked  thirteenth  in  Cohort  One,  along 
with  Chicago,  Cornell,  Stanford,  Harvard,  Yale,  Virginia,  Columbia,  and 
other  first-line  schools.  Analyzing  this  extraordinary  accolade,  Dean  Co- 
quillette said  it  was  based  upon  an  impressive  effort  by  all  ranks  of  faculty, 
with  a  particular  emphasis  in  the  areas  of  comparative  law,  taxation 
research,  domestic  relations  law,  international  law,  federal  and  constitu- 


A  Mature  University       509 

tional  law,  and  legal  philosophy."  Leading  treatises,  articles,  and  casebooks 
were  published  by  Hugh  J.  Ault  and  Paul  R.  McDaniel,  on  federal  income 
and  comparative  tax  law;  by  Charles  H.  Baron,  on  the  use  of  applied  social 
research  in  courts;  by  Arthur  L.  Berney,  on  legal  problems  of  the  poor;  by 
Robert  C.  Berry,  on  sports  and  entertainment  law;  by  George  D.  Brown, 
on  federal  courts;  by  Robert  J.  Cottrol,  on  legal  history;  by  Peter  Donovan, 
on  trade  regulation;  by  Sanford  J.  Fox,  on  modern  juvenile  justice;  by  Mary 
Ann  Glendon  (now  at  Harvard),  on  comparative  family  law;  by  Ruth- 
Arlene  W.  Howe,  on  child  neglect  law;  by  Sanford  N.  Katz,  on  family  law; 
by  Zygmunt  J.  B.  Plater,  on  environmental  protection  law;  and  by  Frank 
K.  Upham,  on  Japanese  comparative  law.  And  this  list  is  only  a  sample  of 
recent  faculty  publications. 

Symbolic  of  the  faculty's  success  was  the  election  in  1987  of  Professor 
Cynthia  C.  Lichtenstein  as  president  of  the  North  American  Division  of  the 
International  Law  Society,  the  appointment  of  Dean  Daniel  Coquillette  as 
Reporter  to  the  Judicial  Conference  of  the  United  States,  and  the  election 
in  1987  of  the  former  dean.  Professor  Richard  Huber,  to  the  highest  office 
in  American  legal  education,  president  of  the  Association  of  American  Law 
Schools.  Finally,  in  1988,  John  J.  Curtin,  Jr.  ('57),  long  an  adjunct  teacher 
on  the  faculty,  was  elected  to  the  ultimate  professional  honor,  President- 
Elect  of  the  American  Bar  Association.  The  faculty's  research  activity  has 
been  bolstered  by  generous  funds  established  by  the  alumni:  the  Florence 
Fund,  the  Kane-McGrath  Fund,  the  Lawless  Fund,  the  Moynihan  Fund,  the 
Simon  Fund,  the  Perini  Fund,  the  Carney  Fund,  and  the  Fellows  Fund.  A 
major  endowed  fund,  the  Huber  Endowed  Visitorship  (named  for  the 
former  dean),  enables  outside  scholars  to  visit  the  Boston  College  Law 
School,  and  the  Simon  Fund  has  provided  an  endowment  for  the  Law 
School's  championship  advocacy  teams. 

The  student  body,  as  well  as  the  faculty,  is  a  matter  of  pride  for  the  Law 
School.  During  a  decade  of  extraordinary  decline  in  law  school  applicants 
nationally,  Boston  College  Law  School  enhanced  its  position  and  reputa- 
tion as  a  first-rate  institution  of  legal  education.  It  is  now  among  the  twenty 
most  selective  American  law  schools,  currently  receiving  more  than  6000 
applications  for  250  spaces  in  the  entering  class.  For  the  entering  class  of 
September  1989,  the  median  grade  point  average  was  3.46  and  the  median 
LSAT  score  was  at  the  93rd  percentile.  In  1987  the  average  age  of  the 
entering  student  was  24,  with  only  40  percent  entering  directly  from 
college.  Many  first-year  students  have  had  10  years  of  experience  since 
graduating  from  college,  and  10  percent  of  entering  students  have  earned  a 
graduate  degree.  A  significant  change  in  the  composition  of  the  student 
body  in  recent  years  has  been  the  remarkable  increase  in  the  number  of 
women,  with  the  1987  entering  class  being  50  percent  women.  The  Law 
School  also  has  a  good  record  of  attracting  and  graduating  minority 
students.  In  1987  William  Mathis,  then  a  second-year  student,  was  elected 
president  of  the  National  Black  Law  Students  Association. 


510        History  of  Boston  College 

In  the  past  decade  the  Boston  College  Law  School  has  confirmed  its 
stature  as  a  national  school.  Well  over  200  undergraduate  institutions  are 
represented  in  its  student  body,  from  Hawaii  to  Florida.  The  17  colleges 
sending  the  largest  numbers  of  graduates  to  the  Law  School  are  located  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  country,  but  they  are  also  among  the  nation's  most 
select  institutions.  The  initiation  in  1987  of  a  major  loan  forgiveness 
program  through  alumni  gifts  and  the  generosity  of  a  former  faculty 
member,  William  F.  Wilher,  promises  to  increase  the  distinction  and 
diversity  of  the  student  body.  There  are  additional  funds  to  aid  minority 
students  from  the  Stevens  and  Nelson  Scholarship  Funds,  named  for 
distinguished  judges  who  are  black  alumni  of  the  Law  School.  In  1987, 
Richard  P.  Campbell  ('74)  and  his  firm  made  a  major  gift  of  endowment 
to  assist  minority  students  in  obtaining  excellent  legal  placement. 

The  faculty  has  been  active  in  the  past  decade  in  modifying  the  traditional 
curriculum  by  the  introduction  of  teaching  methodologies  drawn  from 
faculty  and  student  experience  with  the  off-campus,  hands-on  clinical 
education  courses  the  school  developed  for  some  students  in  the  1960s  and 
1970s.  The  most  innovative  changes  have  been  made  in  the  past  several 
years  in  the  first-year  curriculum  to  give  students  broad  perspectives  early 
in  their  legal  studies  in  areas  such  as  ethics  and  jurisprudence.  A  new 
course,  "Introduction  to  Law^yering  and  Professional  Responsibility,"  in- 
troduces the  adversary  system  and  tensions  in  the  lawyer's  role  through  a 
simulated  lawsuit,  from  initial  interview  to  litigation  and  settlement. 
Students  are  videotaped  and  critiqued  by  faculty  members,  8  of  whom 
teach  sections  of  only  32  students  (compared  with  the  traditional  first-year 

In  1984  Maya  Angelou's  per- 
formance in  Roberts  Center 
drew  one  of  the  largest  audi- 
ences in  the  long  history  of  the 
Humanities  Series. 


A  Mature  University       511 

class  of  over  100  students).  Ethical  issues  are  intertwined  with  the  simula- 
tion, giving  students  realistic  exposure  to  common  professional  responsi- 
bility and  ethical  problems. 

In  its  sixty-first  year  of  service  in  1990,  the  Law  School  holds  an  honored 
position  in  American  legal  education  in  terms  of  its  faculty,  student  body, 
and  curriculum. 

The  Evening  College 

As  was  mentioned  earlier,  studies  at  the  Evening  College  are  not  for 
dilettantes.  Substantially  the  same  as  those  of  the  undergraduate  day 
colleges,  they  demand  students  of  talent.  Because  evening  courses  are 
superimposed  upon  full-time  employment,  successful  students  have  an 
unusual  level  of  commitment  and  drive.  A  document  submitted  by  the 
Evening  College  in  1985  to  the  "Goals  of  the  Nineties"  planning  project 
revealed  that  recent  students  are  older  and  more  experienced  academically 
than  was  true  of  similar  students  several  decades  ago.  Over  53  percent  of 
beginning  students  in  the  Evening  College  are  over  24  years  of  age.  Ninety- 
six  percent  have  had  some  post-secondary  education  or  academic  experi- 
ence prior  to  admission,  and — perhaps  most  surprisingly — nearly  30  per- 
cent have  already  earned  a  bachelor's  degree.  The  students  tend  to  be 
mature  adults  and  young  professionals,  serious  about  the  academic  enter- 
prise and  demanding  of  themselves  and  of  the  college. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  Evening  College  in 
1979,  a  survey  of  alumni  was  conducted.  Asked  about  their  motivation  in 
attending  the  Evening  College,  the  largest  number  of  respondents  gave 
personal  satisfaction  in  earning  a  bachelor's  degree  as  the  primary  motiva- 
tion. The  second  most  frequent  reason  was  the  desire  to  understand  and 
improve  one's  skills  and  to  establish  personal  interests.  And  the  third 
reason  was  the  need  for  a  bachelor's  degree  for  career  advancement.  That 
the  Evening  College  is  attracting  academically  ambitious  individuals  is 
confirmed  by  the  survey,  which  revealed  that  of  those  receiving  a  degree 
from  the  college,  almost  70  percent  pursued  some  graduate  education  and 
42  percent  earned  a  graduate  degree.  Furthermore,  the  experience  at  the 
Evening  College  seems  to  stimulate  a  desire  for  further  education:  51 
percent  of  those  alumni  who,  on  entering,  stated  that  they  had  no  intention 
of  going  beyond  the  bachelor's  degree  did,  in  fact,  engage  in  graduate  study, 
and  of  these  an  impressive  54  percent  earned  a  master's  degree. 

In  addition  to  the  leadership  of  Father  James  Woods,  dean  since  1967,  a 
continuing  strength  of  the  Evening  College  is  its  faculty,  drawn  mainly 
from  the  full-time  undergraduate  and  graduate  faculty  of  Boston  College 
and  supplemented  by  highly  qualified  and  long-term  teachers.  The  previ- 
ously mentioned  report,  "Goals  for  the  Nineties,"  made  the  point  that  of 
225  courses  presented  in  the  1984-1985  academic  year,  only  three  had 
instructors  teaching  in  the  college  for  the  first  time.  It  is  fortunate  for  the 


512        History  of  Boston  College 

Evening  College  and  its  students  that  faculty  get  special  satisfaction  from 
teaching  the  dedicated  people  attending  college  classes  "after  hours." 

Excellence  in  Publications 

One  measure  of  faculty  achievement  is  quality  of  publication,  especially  in 
books.  To  acknowledge  and  encourage  the  publication  of  books  by  the 
faculties  of  the  28  American  Jesuit  universities  and  colleges,  the  Association 
of  Jesuit  Colleges  and  Universities  (AJCU)  began  in  1980  to  award  annual 
prizes  of  $1000  for  the  books  judged  best  of  those  submitted  in  the  areas 
of  humanities  and  physical  science.  In  the  first  year  of  the  awards,  called 
Alpha  Sigma  Nu  awards  after  the  Jesuit  honor  society,  both  prizes  were 
won  by  Boston  College  faculty  members.  The  award  in  the  humanities  went 
to  Samuel  Miller  of  the  History  Department  for  Portugal  and  Rome  c. 
1 740-1 830:  An  Aspect  of  the  Catholic  Enlightenment.  James  Gips  of  SOM 
(computer  science)  received  the  science  award  for  Algorithmic  Aesthetics. 

A  few  years  later  AJCU  added  a  third  book  prize,  for  the  social  sciences, 
and  in  1984  Gasson  chair  incumbent  Father  F.  Paul  Prucha,  S.J.,  won  that 
award  for  The  Great  Father:  The  United  States  Government  and  the 
American  Indian.  That  same  year,  honorable  mentions  were  given  to  John 
McAleer  of  the  English  Department  for  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson:  Days  of 
Encounter  and  to  Thomas  O'Connor  of  the  History  Department  for  his 
biography  of  the  bishop  who  helped  Father  McElroy  found  Boston  College, 
Fitzpatrick's  Boston,  1846-1866.  Also  in  1984,  AJCU  gave  a  special 


Donald  Brown,  director  of  AH  AN  A 
student  programs. 


A  Mature  University       513 


The  Voices  of  Imani  is  a  choir  whose  performances  celebrate  the  beauty  of 
religious  and  concert  music,  with  a  predominant  focus  on  people  of  color. 


citation  to  honor  Father  Paul  FitzGerald,  university  archivist,  for  his  book, 
The  Governance  of  Jesuit  Colleges  in  the  United  States,  1920-1970.  It  was 
when  he  had  finished  the  manuscript  for  that  impressive  book  that  Father 
FitzGerald  undertook  co-authorship  of  the  present  history  of  Boston 
College,  a  project  that  benefited  from  his  scholarship  and  judgment  until 
his  sudden  death  in  April  1987. 

The  Black  Community  at  Boston  College 

Chapter  30  gave  an  account  of  the  earnest  but  troubled  initial  efforts  at 
Boston  College  to  increase  the  enrollment  of  black  students  and  to  make 
them  an  integral  part  of  the  Boston  College  experience.  We  may  now  record 
the  maturation  and  progress  of  that  program.  In  1978  Donald  Brown 
became  the  director  of  minority  programs,  with  an  office  located  in  Gasson 
Hall;  several  years  later  the  office  was  moved  to  72  College  Road.  Because 
other  houses  on  College  Road  are  the  headquarters  of  such  important 
University  offices  as  the  dean  of  faculties,  the  vice  president  for  student 
affairs,  the  senior  vice  president,  and  the  Office  of  Communications,  the 
College  Road  location  gave  visibility  and  prestige  to  minority  programs. 
The  name  was  changed  to  the  acronym  AHANA,  standing  for  African- 
American,  Hispanic,  Asian,  and  Native  American.  As  the  acronym  indi- 
cates, black  students  were  merged  with  other  minorities  as  beneficiaries  of 
the  special  concern  and  encouragement  of  AHANA  student  programs,  yet 
the  black  students  maintained  an  identity  and  have  developed  a  black 


514        History  of  Boston  College 

cultural  and  social  agenda  that  livens  each  academic  year.  Black  parent 
weekends  have  been  held.  Starting  in  1981  special  events  have  marked 
Martin  Luther  King  Day.  Lectures  and  musicals  featuring  nationally  prom- 
inent personalities  and  artists  have  been  used  as  fund-raisers  for  the  Martin 
Luther  King  scholarship.  In  1981  the  scholarship  award  was  $500;  by  the 
end  of  the  decade,  a  scholarship  of  $5000  was  awarded  each  year  to  a 
junior. 

The  black  community  at  Boston  College  has  actively  participated  in  the 
annual  "Blacks  in  Boston"  conferences  that  have  been  held  in  recent  years, 
as  well  as  in  the  rich  offering  of  Black  History  Month,  and  UGBC  has 
cosponsored  cultural  lectures  with  AHANA.  Among  prominent  black 
Americans  who  have  been  featured  in  these  campus  events  are  Alex  Haley, 
Angela  Davis,  Juhan  Bond,  Coretta  Scott  King,  Jesse  Jackson,  Mary  Berry, 
and  Martin  Luther  King  III.  In  1984  the  Humanities  Series  presented  "An 
Evening  with  Maya  Angelou"  at  Roberts  Center.  It  drew  one  of  the  largest 
audiences  in  the  history  of  the  series,  comparable  to  the  crowds  that  packed 
the  basketball  court  and  stands  to  hear  T.  S.  Eliot  and  Robert  Frost  in  the 
sixties.  At  commencement  in  1989  the  University  awarded  an  honorary 
degree  to  one  of  America's  outstanding  black  Catholic  leaders.  Sister  Thea 
Bowman,  a  member  of  the  Franciscan  Sisters  of  Perpetual  Adoration.  The 
following  October  Sister  Bowman  stirred  an  audience  in  the  Gasson 
assembly  room  as  she  responded  in  song  and  speech  to  Father  Monan's 
naming  AHANA  house  on  College  Road  the  Thea  Bowman  Center.  Boston 
College's  success  in  attracting,  supporting,  and  retaining  minority  students 
(in  recent  years  the  graduation  rate  of  minority  students  has  equalled  or 
surpassed  that  of  nonminority  students)  has  been  recognized  by  several 
major  grants  to  strengthen  AHANA.  In  1988  the  L.  G.  Balfour  Foundation 
gave  the  University  a  million  dollars  as  an  endowment  for  AHANA 
scholarships  and  activities.  In  1990  the  General  Electric  Foundation,  ex- 
pressing a  desire  to  be  a  partner  in  the  University's  AHANA  program  of 
outreach  and  retention  of  minority  students,  gave  a  grant  of  $150,000  to 
Boston  College."  Donald  Brown,  Amanda  Houston  (director  of  black 
studies),  and  Richard  Jefferson  and  Barbara  Marshall  (past  and  present 
directors  of  affirmative  action)  must  be  credited  with  much  of  the  progress 
of  the  black  presence  at  Boston  College,  but  the  principal  credit  goes  to  the 
black  students  themselves.  The  1985  edition  of  The  Black  Student's  Guide 
to  Colleges  gave  a  positive  assessment  of  Boston  College  as  an  academic 
environment  for  black  students.'^ 

Emphasis  here  has  been  principally  upon  the  undergraduate  schools,  but 
the  graduate  schools  have  also  been  active  in  recruiting  minorities  and 
sponsoring  minority  programs.  The  Graduate  School  of  Social  Work  has 
an  exemplary  record  in  this  regard,  and  the  Law  School  enjoys  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  hospitable  to  minority  students,  with  a  20  percent  presence 
of  minority  representatives  among  the  student  body  (compared  with  a 
national  average  of  8  percent).  Following  a  recommendation  of  the  recent 


A  Mature  University       515 


Sister  Thea  Bowman,  for  whom  the 
AHANA  house  on  College  Road  was 
named  in  October  1989.  Sister  Bow- 
man died  in  March  1 990.  A  moving 
memorial  service  was  held  for  her  in 
St.  Joseph's  Chapel  on  April  18. 


report  of  the  Graduate  A&S  Educational  Policy  Committee,  in  1987  the 
University  established  four  minority  fellowships  with  full  tuition  remission 
and  stipends  up  to  $8000.  Master's  stipends  may  be  renewed  once  and 
doctoral  fellowships  may  be  held  for  four  years.  Each  succeeding  year,  four 
additional  fellowships  will  be  given  until  a  total  of  16  is  reached  in  1990. 
So,  although  blacks  are  still  underrepresented  among  the  student  popula- 
tion and  on  the  faculty,  progress  has  been  made. 

A  wise  counselor,  encourager,  and  role  model  for  two  decades,  Judge 
David  Nelson  ('57  B.S.,  '60  J.D.)  was  a  member  of  the  Boston  College 
Board  of  Directors  when  the  Black  Talent  Program  started.  Later  he  served 
as  a  trustee  and  as  vice  chairman  and  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
until  his  retirement  in  1987.  Judge  Nelson  was  a  gentle  but  persuasive 
advocate  for  the  black  programs.  In  an  interview  in  1987,  on  the  occasion 
of  his  stepping  down  as  chairman  of  the  trustees,  he  remembered  that  as 
an  undergraduate  he  was  the  sole  black  in  the  school.^*^  He  is  impatient  that 
progress  has  been  so  slow,  but  he  is  a  major  reason  for  the  progress  that 
has  been  achieved  and  for  the  good  health  of  current  minority  programs. 


ENDNOTES 

1.  Pp.  108-109. 

2.  Letter  of  Dean  Infante  to  School  of  Nursing  Alumnae,  December  23,  1986. 

3.  Nursing  Outlook  (September/October  1984),  p.  238. 

4.  Biweekly  (September  25,  1986). 

5.  Biweekly  (December  4,  1986). 


516        History  of  Boston  College 

6.  Letter  of  Jerry  A.  Viscione  to  Dean  Neuhauser,  March  12,  1987. 

7.  Letter  to  C.  F.  Donovan,  April  28,  1987. 

8.  Boston  College  Magazine  (Spring  1985),  p.  17. 

9.  MBA:  The  Magazine  for  Business  Professionals  (January  1987). 

10.  For  the  school's  fiftieth  anniversary.  Professor  Raymond  Keyes  prepared  a  de- 
tailed account  of  the  first  four  decades:  1938-1978. 

11.  Boston  College  Bulletin  (1985-1986),  p.  19. 

12.  The  account  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Arts  and  Sciences  planning  process, 
1983—1986,  is  based  on  a  communication  to  the  author  from  the  dean's  office  on 
August  7,  1987,  and  on  the  Biweekly  article  on  it  on  March  13,  1986.  Dean 
Donald  J.  White  was  chairman  of  the  planning  committee.  Other  members  of  the 
committee  were  Ali  Banuazizi,  Associate  Professor  of  Psychology;  Paul  Breines, 
Associate  Professor  of  History;  Stephen  Brown,  Professor  of  Theology;  Robert 
(Duff)  CoUins,  master's  candidate  in  geology;  Russell  Eckel,  doctoral  candidate 
in  sociology;  Rev.  Joseph  R.  Fahey,  S.J.,  Academic  Vice  President  and  Dean  of 
Faculties;  Marjory  Gordon,  Professor  of  Nursing;  Irving  Flurwitz,  Associate 
Professor  of  Education;  William  Keane,  Associate  Professor  of  Mathematics;  T. 
Ross  Kelly,  Professor  of  Chemistry;  George  Ladd,  Professor  of  Education;  Spen- 
cer MacDonald,  Director  of  Admissions  and  Financial  Aid,  GSAS  (ex  officio); 
John  L.  Mahoney,  Professor  of  English;  Rev.  William  B.  Neenan,  S.J.,  Dean  of 
the  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences;  James  M.  O'Neill,  Assistant  Dean,  GSAS  (ex 
officio);  Alec  F.  Peck,  Associate  Dean  for  Graduate  Studies,  School  of  Education; 
Kenneth  Wegner,  Associate  Professor  of  Education;  and  Lisa  J.  Day,  recording 
secretary. 

13.  Communication  to  the  author,  January  26,  1988. 

14.  Biweekly  (February  1,  1990),  p.  5. 

15.  Biweekly  (March  28,  1985),  p.  2. 

16.  Biweekly  (November  5,  1987),  p.  3. 


CHAPTER 


39 


Pointing  to  the 
Twenty-First  Century 


As  we  come  to  the  final  chapter  of  this  history  of  Boston  College,  there  is  a 
troubling  awareness — perhaps  on  the  reader's  part,  certainly  on  the  histo- 
rian's part — that  a  somewhat  shadowy  and  incomplete  image  of  Boston 
College  as  a  community  of  scholars  and  learners  has  been  presented. 
Buildings  and  budgets,  committees,  planning  groups,  administrative  ap- 
pointments and  activities — topics  that,  without  disrespect,  may  be  called 
important  incidentals  of  a  university — have  received  far  more  space  than 
the  pioneering  scholarship,  prestigious  publications,  and  innovative  teach- 
ing that  have  become  common  in  all  schools  and  departments  of  the 
University.  But  a  single  writer  in  a  single  volume  cannot  do  justice  to  the 
scholarly  contributions  of  faculty  members  in  40  or  more  diverse  disci- 
plines. In  this  regard,  it  is  significant  that  in  his  three-volume  tercentenary 
history  of  Harvard,  Samuel  Eliot  Morison  covered  the  first  two  and  a  half 
centuries  himself  with  broad  strokes  in  the  first  two  volumes.  When  he 
came  to  the  last  fifty  years,  a  period  that  saw  Harvard  emerge  as  a  true 
research  center  with  doctoral  programs  in  most  disciplines,  Morison  turned 
to  representatives  of  each  school  and  department  for  an  insider's  exposition 
of  the  development  of  each  faculty.  That  is  to  say,  for  the  third  volume 
Morison  was  editor,  not  author. 

At  Boston  College,  the  Law  School  is  fortunate  in  having  a  good  brief 
history  of  its  first  50  years.  For  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  Carroll  School 

517 


518       History  of  Boston  College 

of  Management,  Raymond  Keyes  wrote  an  excellent  account  of  the  first 
four  decades,  and  Mary  Ellen  Doona  did  the  same  for  the  School  of 
Nursing  for  its  fortieth  anniversary  in  1987.  The  other  professional  schools, 
and  especially  the  individual  departments  of  the  College  and  Graduate 
School  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  need  detailed  intimate  accounts  of  their 
coming  of  age  written  by  faculty  members  who  witnessed  and  abetted  the 
maturing.  But  those  must  await  another  publication. 

Three  Profiles  in  Excellence 

To  give  the  reader  a  glimpse — albeit  tantalizingly  brief — of  the  quality  of 
the  Boston  College  faculty  at  the  end  of  the  twentieth  century,  profiles  of 
three  faculty  members  are  given  here.  These  outstanding  teachers  are  Pheme 
Perkins,  professor  of  theology;  T.  Ross  Kelly,  professor  of  chemistry;  and 
Father  William  Meissner,  S.J.,  university  professor  of  psychoanalysis.  Many 
other  professors  have  records  of  similar  distinction;  these  three  are  pre- 
sented as  an  indication  of  current  faculty  excellence  and — perhaps  more 
important — as  examples  of  the  ideals  of  excellence  promoted  by  the 
University  in  the  recruitment  and  advancement  of  faculty  members.  Equally 
impressive  profiles  of  faculty  members  from  each  of  the  professional  schools 
could  be  presented.  But,  because  the  quality  of  teaching  and  research  at  the 
doctoral  level  is  the  most  challenging  measure  of  a  university,  selections 
were  made  from  arts  and  sciences  disciplines. 

Professor  Pheme  Perkins  did  her  undergraduate  work  at  St.  John's 
College  (Annapolis,  Md.)  and  earned  a  doctorate  at  Harvard  in  New 
Testament  and  Christian  Origins.  She  joined  the  Theology  Department  at 
Boston  College  in  1970.  Among  the  dozen  books  she  has  published  as  a 
Boston  College  faculty  member  are  Reading  the  New  Testament:  An 
Introduction,  The  Gnostic  Dialogue:  The  Early  Church  and  the  Crisis  of 
Gnosticism,  and  Resurrection:  The  Early  Christian  Witness  and  Contem- 
porary Reflection.  Her  latest  contribution  is  her  introductions  and  com- 
mentaries for  St.  John's  Gospel  and  the  letters  of  St.  John  in  the  New 
Jerome  Biblical  Commentary.  This  monumental  work,  called  a  triumph  of 
American  Catholic  bibUcal  scholarship,  was  pubUshed  in  1990.  (One  of  its 
three  editors  was  Father  Joseph  Fitzmyer,  S.J.,  recently  Gasson  professor  at 
the  University.)  Among  a  half  dozen  books  Professor  Perkins  has  in 
progress  are  Peter  in  the  New  Testament  and  Early  Christianity  and 
Gnosticism  and  the  New  Testament.  There  have  also  been  some  80  articles 
on  biblical  subjects  in  journals  or  in  books  edited  by  others. 

Professor  Perkins  has  had  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  woman  elected 
president  of  the  Catholic  Biblical  Association  of  America  (1986-1987). 
She  is  current  editor  of  the  Society  of  Bibfical  Literature  Dissertation  Series, 
has  served  (1982-1985)  as  associate  editor  of  Harper's  Biblical  Dictionary, 
is  on  the  executive  committee  of  the  Society  of  Bibhcal  Literature,  and  is 


Pointing  to  the  Twenty-First  Century       519 


Pheme  Perkins 


Father  William  W.  Meissner 


T.  Ross  Kelly 


treasurer  of  the  American  Theological  Society.  In  1978—1979  Professor 
Perkins  had  a  research  fellowship  from  the  National  Endowment  for  the 
Humanities,  and  in  1989-1990  she  served  as  Kaneb  Visiting  Professor  in 
Catholic  Studies  at  Cornell  University. 

Among  courses  Professor  Perkins  has  taught  at  Boston  College  are 
Parables  of  Jesus,  New  Testament  Ethics,  Pauline  Letters  and  Theology, 
and  New  Testament  Christology. 

Father  William  Meissner  received  his  bachelor's  degree  from  St.  Louis 
University.  Ordained  to  the  priesthood  in  1961  as  a  member  of  the  New 
York  Province  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  he  attended  Harvard  Medical  School 
and  received  the  M.D.  degree  in  1967.  After  training  at  the  Boston 
Psychoanalytic  Institute  and  a  residency  in  psychiatry  at  the  Massachusetts 
Mental  Health  Center,  Father  Meissner  joined  the  faculty  of  Harvard 
Medical  School,  becoming  clinical  professor  of  psychiatry  in  1981.  In  1987 
he  joined  the  faculty  of  Boston  College  as  university  professor  of  psycho- 
analysis. From  1975  to  1977  Father  Meissner  was  chairman  of  faculty  at 
the  Boston  Psychoanalytic  Institute. 

Father  Meissner  has  authored  or  co-authored  12  books,  among  them  The 
Paranoid  Process,  The  Borderline  Spectrum:  Differential  Diagnosis  and 
Developmental  Issues,  Psychoanalysis  and  Religious  Experience,  and 
Treatment  of  Patients  in  the  Borderline  Spectrum.  An  important  mono- 
graph is  Internalization  in  Psychoanalysis.  Besides  contributing  chapters  to 
36  books.  Father  Meissner's  frequent  articles  have  appeared  in  such  diverse 
periodicals  as  Journal  of  Religion  and  Health,  Journal  of  Existentialism, 
Theological  Studies,  Journal  of  the  American  Psychoanalytic  Association, 
International  Journal  of  Psychoanalytic  Psychotherapy,  and  Psychoanalytic 


520        History  of  Boston  College 

Inquiry.  He  is  currently  editor,  associate  editor,  consulting  editor,  or 
editorial  board  member  of  a  dozen  journals  in  the  field  of  psychoanalysis. 

Among  honors  conferred  on  Father  Meissner  are  the  Felix  and  Helene 
Deutsch  Prize  from  the  Boston  Psychoanalytic  Institute  in  1969  and  the 
Osker  Pfister  Award  by  the  American  Psychiatric  Association  in  1989. 

Among  courses  Father  Meissner  has  given  are  Psychoanalysis  and 
Method,  for  the  Philosophy  Department;  Psychoanalysis  and  Ethics,  for  the 
Theology  Department;  and  Treatment  of  Borderline  Personahty,  for  the 
Graduate  School  of  Social  Work.  Each  year  he  arranges  and  presents  a 
series  of  psychoanalytic  lectures  by  leading  members  of  the  profession. 

Professor  T.  Ross  Kelly,  a  graduate  of  Holy  Cross  College,  earned  his 
doctorate  in  chemistry  at  the  University  of  California,  Berkeley.  After  a 
year  at  Brandeis  University  on  a  National  Institutes  of  Health  postdoctoral 
fellowship  in  1968-1969,  he  joined  the  Boston  College  Chemistry  Depart- 
ment. 

Professor  Kelly's  research  focuses  on  the  application  of  organic  synthesis 
to  the  preparation  of  molecules  for  biomedical  research,  including  drugs 
for  the  treatment  of  cancer  and  other  diseases.  In  recent  years  he  has  done 
pioneering  research  into  the  design  and  synthesis  of  artificial  enzymes. 

Of  Professor  Kelly's  numerous  research  pubfications,  three  that  have 
brought  him  wide  recognition  are  T.  R.  Kelly,  J.  Vaya,  and  L.  Ananthasu- 
bramanian,  "A  Short  Regiospecific  Synthesis  of  ( ±  )-Daunomycinone," 
Journal  of  the  American  Chemical  Society,  102,  5983  (1980);  T.  R.  Kelly, 
N.  Ohashi,  R.  J.  Armstrong-Chong,  and  S.  H.  Bell,  "Synthesis  of  (±)- 
Fredericamycin  A,"  Journal  of  the  American  Chemical  Society,  108,  7100 
(1986);  and  T.  R.  Kelly,  C.  Zhao,  and  G.  K.  Bridger,  "A  Bisubstrate 
Reaction  Template,"  Journal  of  the  American  Chemical  Society,  111,  3744 
(1989).  Kelly's  research  has  been  supported  by  18  competitive  grants, 
mostly  from  the  National  Institutes  of  Health,  totalling  nearly  $3  million. 
He  received  an  NIH  Research  Career  Development  Award  in  1975  and  sits 
on  several  study  sections  for  the  evaluation  and  ranking  of  proposals  in 
NIH  grants. 

Besides  graduate  courses  in  his  areas  of  specialization.  Professor  Kelly  is 
described  as  spectacular  in  his  general  chemistry  course  for  freshmen. 
Extending  his  scientific  influence  into  the  community,  he  volunteers  on 
Sunday  afternoons  at  the  Boston  Museum  of  Science.  In  September  1989 
Professor  Kelly  was  named  to  the  Margaret  A.  and  Thomas  A.  Vanderslice 
Chair  in  Chemistry,  founded  by  the  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
Thomas  Vandersfice  ('53),  a  graduate  of  the  Chemistry  Department. 

An  Encouraging  Survey 

In  the  spring  of  1989  a  study  was  circulated  that  reflected  considerable 
credit  upon  the  faculty  of  Boston  College,  present  and  past.*  The  study, 
which  involved  doctoral-granting  private  institutions,  focused  on  the  bac- 


Pointing  to  the  Twenty-First  Century       521 

calaureate  origins  of  doctorate  recipients  from  1920  to  1986.  The  report 
ranked  76  universities  according  to  the  number  of  baccalaureate  graduates 
of  these  institutions  earning  doctorates  (at  their  alma  mater  or  elsewhere) 
in  20  disciplines.  The  data  were  presented  in  two  lists,  giving  the  number 
of  doctorates  earned  in  each  disciphne  from  1920  to  1986  and  also  from 
1976  to  1986.  The  purpose  of  the  second  list  was  undoubtedly  to  identify 
institutions  that  only  recently  have  begun  to  encourage  or  stimulate  under- 
graduates to  pursue  doctoral  degrees.  A  surprising  result  for  Boston 
College  was  how  well  the  institution  fared  in  the  total  1920—1986  period, 
where  it  ranked  29th  in  all  disciplines.  The  University  ranked  24th  in  the 
shorter  1976-1986  period.  When  one  considers  that  these  hsts  include  the 
Ivy  League  institutions  plus  Chicago,  Stanford,  Duke,  MIT,  Carnegie- 
Mellon,  Caltech,  and  similar  universities,  ranking  in  the  top  third  overall  is 
creditable,  indeed.  Boston  College's  special  strengths  may  be  seen  in  the 
table  below  listing  discipline  areas. 


1920-1986 


Total  Non-Sciences 

Mathematics 

Economics 

History 

English  Literature 

Health  Sciences 

Education 

Professional  Fields 


21 
24 
17 
22 
17 
10 
16 
27 


17 
19 
12 
20 
16 
7 
7 
17 


Louise  M.  Lonabocker,  university 
registrar. 


522        History  of  Boston  College 

The  study  did  not  give  definitions  of  categories  such  as  heahh  sciences, 
professional  fields,  and  education,  which  leaves  some  doubt  as  to  what  the 
categories  include,  but  in  any  case  to  be  ranked  16th  behind  Columbia 
University  in  English,  12th  behind  Harvard  in  Economics,  and  7th  behind 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  Health  Sciences  is  reason  for  institutional 
satisfaction.  Undergraduates  are  motivated  to  doctoral-level  study  by  the 
example  of  stirring,  enthusiastic  scholar-teachers.  Boston  College's  impres- 
sive record  of  alumni  with  doctorate  degrees  is  a  tribute  to  the  faculty  of 
the  University  over  the  past  half  century. 

A  Night  to  Remember 

A  stellar  night  in  Boston  College  history  was  the  St.  Patrick's  Day  dinner 
in  1986  in  Washington,  D.C.,  honoring  Speaker  Thomas  P.  "Tip"  O'Neill 
as  he  approached  retirement.  Generous  alumnus  that  he  is,  the  Speaker 
turned  a  celebration  of  his  years  of  honorable  public  service  into  a  fund- 
raiser for  his  alma  mater.  Friends  and  colleagues  from  all  over  the  country 
and  from  overseas,  2300-strong,  gathered  at  the  Washington  Hilton  to 
salute  the  guest  of  honor  and,  incidentally,  to  raise  $2  million  for  O'Neill 
scholarships  to  Boston  College  for  poor  and  working-class  youth  of  the 
Boston  area.  Among  the  speakers  at  the  dinner  were  former  president 
Gerald  Ford,  O'Neill's  golfing  partner  and  generous  friend  of  Boston 
College,  Bob  Hope,  and  President  Ronald  Reagan,  whose  witty  one-liners 
matched  Hope's. 

A  Presidential  Appointment 

Reference  to  President  Reagan  calls  to  mind  the  important  appointment  of 
a  Boston  College  faculty  member  in  1985.  Professor  Thomas  H.  O'Connor 
of  the  History  Department  was  one  of  23  distinguished  Americans  named 
by  President  Reagan  to  serve  on  the  Commission  on  the  Bicentennial  of  the 
United  States  Constitution,  under  the  chairmanship  of  Warren  Burger,  then 
chief  justice  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court.  The  commission's  aim 
was  educational  as  well  as  celebratory,  and  it  involved  Professor  O'Connor 
in  significant  presentations  and  meetings  nationally.  In  1988  Professor 
O'Connor  accompanied  Warren  Burger  to  England  and  Ireland,  where  they 
lectured  on  the  U.S.  Constitution  to  legal  scholars  and  jurists  at  Oxford 
and  University  College,  Dublin. 

Continuity  and  Change  in  the  Administration 

As  long  as  the  president  of  Boston  College  was  also  rector  of  the  Jesuit 
Community,  he  served  for  a  term  of  six  years  or  less,  according  to  church 
law  for  religious  superiors.  Exceptions  were  made  for  two  president-rectors, 
Father  Fulton  in  the  nineteenth  century  and  Father  Michael  Walsh  in  the 
twentieth,  each  of  whom  had  terms  of  10  years.  Since  Father  Monan  was 
the  first  president  who,  when  appointed,  did  not  have  the  burden  and 


Pointing  to  the  Twenty-First  Century        523 


Father  ].  Robert  Barth,  dean  of 
the  College  of  Arts  and  Sci- 
ences. 


limitation  of  the  office  of  rector,  fortunately  the  University  has  enjoyed  his 
continuing  leadership  well  into  a  second  decade.  Stability  at  the  presidential 
level  has  not  only  allowed  the  development  and  execution  of  long-term 
programs  but  also  assured  a  steady  ship  when  key  administrative  changes 
took  place. 

In  late  1986  the  academic  vice  president  and  dean  of  faculties,  Father 
Joseph  Fahey,  announced  that  he  would  resign  from  that  position  at  the 
end  of  June  1987.  (When  he  accepted  the  vice  presidency,  he  had  committed 
himself  to  a  five-year  term.  Father  Fahey,  an  alumnus  of  Boston  College 
High  School  as  well  as  of  Boston  College,  assumed  the  presidency  of  B.C. 
High.)  Although  a  national  search  was  conducted  to  determine  Father 
Fahey's  successor,  the  vice  presidential  mantle  fell  upon  a  Jesuit  ensconced 
in  Gasson  Hall,  Father  WiUiam  B.  Neenan,  dean  of  the  College  of  Arts  and 
Sciences  since  1980.  In  commenting  on  the  opportunity  facing  him,  Father 
Neenan  observed,  "We  are  a  national  university  now.  We  weren't  before, 
and  this  rapid  advance  has  brought  its  share  of  problems  and  challenges." 
He  added,  "The  collective  internal  perception  of  the  University  seems  to 
lag  behind  the  reality;  we  haven't  internalized  our  quality  status."^ 

Father  Neenan's  appointment  left  a  vacancy  in  the  deanship  of  the 
College  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  Associate  Dean  Marie  McHugh  stepped  into 
the  breach  as  acting  dean  for  the  1987—1988  academic  year,  while  a  formal 
search  for  a  permanent  dean  was  initiated  by  a  committee  headed  by 
Graduate  School  dean  Donald  White.  The  search  led  to  the  University  of 
Missouri,  to  Father  J.  Robert  Barth,  who  had  been  Gasson  Professor  in  the 
EngUsh  Department  in  1985—1986.  Father  Barth,  who  earned  his  doctorate 


524        History  of  Boston  College 

at  Harvard,  is  a  distinguished  literary  critic  who  had  been  at  the  University 
of  Missouri  since  1974.  The  Jesuit-sponsored  Gasson  Chair  thus  has 
yielded  rewards  beyond  the  presence  of  outstanding  Jesuit  visiting  scholars, 
for  two  Gasson  professors — Fathers  Neenan  and  Barth — have  become  key 
academic  administrators. 

After  10  years  as  vice  president  for  university  relations,  James  Mclntyre 
assumed  the  newly  created  position  of  senior  vice  president.  The  new  role 
allows  him  to  concentrate  on  special  aspects  of  major  giving.  Succeeding 
Mclntyre  as  vice  president  of  university  relations  was  Paul  H.  LeComte, 
who  had  most  recently  been  senior  vice  president  for  development  and 
alumni  relations  at  Brandeis  University.  LeComte  joined  the  University  as 
it  began  the  most  ambitious  fund  drive  in  its  history. 

An  era  ended  when  Father  Edward  Hanrahan,  long-time  dean  of  stu- 
dents, resigned  in  1986  to  join  the  Development  Office.  Robert  A.  Sher- 
wood succeeded  Father  Hanrahan  in  a  restructured  and  retitled  office,  as 
dean  for  student  development.  Sherwood  came  to  Boston  College  from 
MIT,  where  he  had  been  associate  dean  of  student  affairs  and  dean  of 
residence  and  campus  activities. 

In  September  1987  Robert  K.  O'Neill  was  appointed  director  of  the 
recently  named  Burns  Library  of  Rare  Books  and  Special  Collections. 
O'Neill  had  been  director  of  the  Indiana  Historical  Society's  library  in 
Indianapolis.  A  highhght  of  his  first  year  at  Burns  Library  was  the  publica- 
tion by  the  Yale  University  Press  of  a  biography  of  Francis  Thompson  by  a 
scholar  from  Bath,  England,  Brigid  Boardman,  whose  work  was  based 
principally  on  the  Burns'  Thompson  collection.  The  appearance  of  Board- 
man's  book.  Between  Heaven  and  Charing  Cross,  under  the  sponsorship 
of  a  distinguished  university  press,  is  the  most  notable  fruit  to  date  of  the 
enlightened  collecting  begun  50  years  ago  by  a  former  University  hbrarian. 
Father  Terence  Connolly. 

Two  other  important  administrative  appointments  were  made  in  the  fall 
of  1987.  As  the  University  grew  more  complex  in  financial  structure  and 
needed  services,  the  trustees  concluded  that  the  office  of  financial  vice 
president  and  treasurer  covered  too  many  departments,  so  a  new  vice 
presidency  was  created:  vice  president  for  administration,  to  oversee  the 
major  services  that  support  the  academic  mission  of  the  University,  includ- 
ing physical  plant,  campus  security,  bookstores,  and  dining  services.  A 
seasoned  and  respected  administrator,  John  T.  DriscoU,  Boston  College 
class  of  1949,  was  named  to  the  new  post.  DriscoU  had  long  served  as 
chairman  of  the  Massachusetts  Turnpike  Authority,  and  earlier  he  had  been 
treasurer  and  receiver-general  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  and 
a  state  representative.  An  active  alumnus,  DriscoU  was  president  of  the 
Alumni  Association  in  1980-1981. 

Another  Bostonian  experienced  in  public  service  joined  the  administra- 
tion when  Jean  Sullivan  McKeigue  became  director  of  the  Office  of  Com- 
munity Affairs.  An  alumna  of  Newton  College  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  with 


Pointing  to  the  Twenty-First  Century       525 


John  T.  Driscoll  ('49),  named  vice 
president  for  administration  in  1987. 


master's  degrees  from  Columbia  University  and  MIT's  Sloan  School  of 
Management,  McKeigue  had  earlier  in  the  decade  served  for  four  years  on 
the  Boston  School  Committee,  including  terms  as  vice  president  in  1981 
and  president  in  1982. 

In  1988  Robert  S.  Lay,  who  had  prior  experience  at  Boston  College  as 
director  of  enrollment  management,  returned  as  director  of  the  offices  of 
financial  aid,  university  registrar,  and  enrollment  management  research. 
Also  in  1988  Douglas  Whiting  ('78),  who  had  been  on  the  staff  of  the 
Office  of  Communications,  was  named  director  of  that  office.  There  was 
also  a  change  in  command  at  St.  Mary's  Hall:  Father  Joseph  Duffy's  term 


Father  Joseph  P.  Duffy,  after  a 
six-year  term  as  rector  of  the 
Jesuit  Community  at  Boston 
College,  was  named  university 
secretary  in  1 988. 


526        History  of  Boston  College 

as  rector  ended  and  he  was  replaced  by  Father  WiUiam  A.  Barry,  a  chnical 
psychologist  and  prolific  author  in  the  field  of  spirituality  and  pastoral 
counseling.  Father  Duffy  was  named  by  the  trustees  to  the  office  of 
Secretary  of  the  University,  vacant  since  the  untimely  death  of  Father  Leo 
McGovern  in  1986.  Still  in  the  spiritual  realm,  the  University  chaplain. 
Father  John  Dineen,  announced  that  at  the  completion  of  his  tenth  year  in 
that  office  he  would  resign.  In  the  fall  of  1989  he  joined  the  Office  of 
Development.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  University  chaplaincy  by  Father 
Richard  T.  Cleary,  who  had  served  as  Provincial  of  New  England  Jesuits 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Boston  College  trustees.  A  final  administrative 
change  in  the  fall  of  1989  was  the  elevation  of  Leo  V.  Sullivan,  long-time 
director  of  the  Office  of  Human  Resources,  to  a  vice  presidency  in  that 
office. 

Library  Awards  and  Advances 

In  January  1988  Interiors,  a  respected  journal  in  architectural  circles, 
named  the  Bapst  Library  renovation  the  winner  of  its  ninth  annual  Interiors 
Award.  The  competition  was  nation-wide  and  included  the  acclaimed 
renovation  of  New  York's  Carnegie  Hall.  Interiors  praised  the  conversion 
of  "old  classrooms  into  exquisitely  detailed  new  library  space  that  echoes 
the  original  grandness"  of  the  building. 

A  few  months  later  Albert  M.  Folkard  donated  to  Boston  College  his 
personal  library  of  1800  carefully  chosen  books,  mostly  in  the  field  of 
English  letters.  The  gift  was  made  to  honor  the  Jesuits  of  Boston  College, 
past  and  present.  Folkard,  a  veteran  of  the  English  Department,  had  a  long 
tenure  as  director  of  the  A&S  honors  program.  At  the  1980  Commence- 
ment, in  recognition  of  his  valued  service  for  35  years,  the  University  most 
aptly  named  Albert  Folkard  Doctor  of  Humane  Letters,  honoris  causa. 

The  libraries'  humanities  holdings  and  influence  were  further  enhanced 
in  1989  by  a  $700,000  challenge  grant  from  the  National  Endowment  for 
the  Humanities.  The  grant  challenged  the  University  to  generate  four 
dollars  for  each  NEH  dollar— $2,800,000  over  four  years.  By  1990  the 
University  had  raised  more  than  half  of  its  goal.  The  purpose  of  the 
endowment  is  to  strengthen  collections  and  programs  in  the  humanities. 
University  Ubrarian  Mary  Cronin  said  that  besides  broadening  the  libraries' 
scope  of  coverage  in  collecting,  the  endowment  will  support  a  scholar-in- 
residence  who  will  use  the  Irish  materials  of  Burns  fibrary.  In  1990  Burns 
library  was  the  recipient  of  a  significant  collection  of  rare  books  by  and 
about  William  Butler  Yeats.  Named  for  its  donors,  the  gift  will  be  known 
as  the  Brian  and  Jane  Leeming  Collection  of  Irish  Literature. 

Professor  of  the  Year 

The  humanities  received  further  stimulus  in  the  fall  of  1989  when  the 
Council  for  the  Advancement  and  Support  of  Education  named  John  L. 


Pointing  to  the  Twenty-First  Century       527 


The  name  of  John  L.  Mahoney 
('SO)  of  the  English  Depart- 
ment has  appeared  often  in 
these  pages.  In  1 989  he  was 
named  Massachusetts  Profes- 
sor of  the  Year. 


Mahoney  of  the  EngHsh  Department  Massachusetts  Professor  of  the  Year. 
This  was  a  fitting  tribute  to  one  who  gave  enUghtened  leadership  to  the 
department  in  several  stints  as  chairman  and  whose  teaching  for  close  to 
40  years  was  accurately  described  by  a  Biweekly  writer  as  passionate  and 
erudite.  Complementing  Mahoney's  spirited  teaching  have  been  his  books 
on  Coleridge  and  Keats,  Hazlitt,  the  English  Romantics,  and  the  Enlight- 
enment. His  generous  service  to  the  University,  decade  after  decade,  on 
major  University  committees  and  boards  is  recorded  in  these  pages. 


Father  Kolvenbach  Helps  Celebrate  an  Anniversary 

The  year  1988  marked  the  University's  125th  anniversary,  and  a  year-long 
series  of  celebrations  were  held  under  the  leadership  of  Senior  Vice  Presi- 
dent James  Mclntyre.  The  climax  of  the  year  was  the  visit  to  the  campus  on 
October  5  and  7  of  the  Superior  General  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  Peter-Hans 
Kolvenbach,  S.J.  He  brought  messages  of  congratulations  and  inspiration 
first  to  a  large  gathering  of  alumni  of  Boston  College  and  Boston  College 
High  School  in  Conte  Forum  and  to  a  more  intimate  and  informal  group 
of  students  and  faculty  in  Gasson  Hall.  A  month  later  the  anniversary  was 
brought  to  a  solemn  conclusion  with  the  first  liturgy  held  in  Conte  Forum. 


528       History  of  Boston  College 

The  homilist  was  the  New  England  Jesuit  Provincial,  Robert  E.  Manning, 
S.J.  He  told  the  large  gathering  that  the  University  had  prospered  so 
exuberantly  that  it  had  grown  beyond  the  capacity  of  any  group  of  Jesuits 
to  staff  and  maintain  it,  and  that  the  Jesuits  must  now  depend  on  the 
collaboration  of  lay  colleagues  to  carry  on  the  mission  of  the  once  small 
institution.  Some  60  alumni  and  faculty  priests  joined  Father  Monan  in  the 
concelebration.  Presiding  at  the  Mass  was  the  Most  Rev.  Roberto  O. 
Gonzalez,  O.F.M.,  auxiliary  bishop  of  Boston. 

Significant  Presidential  Missions 

Father  Monan  was  one  of  18  Americans  invited  to  a  conference  on 
education  in  Rome  on  April  18—25,  1989.  Preliminary  to  issuing  a  docu- 
ment on  Catholic  colleges  and  universities  around  the  world.  Pope  John 
Paul  II  had  a  draft  document  developed  by  Vatican  aides.  This  was 
circulated  world-wide  for  commentary  and  suggested  revision.  After  a 
revised  draft  was  circulated,  the  congress  at  the  Vatican  was  held,  attended 
by  175  representatives.  At  the  Faculty  Day  meeting  on  May  2,  Father 
Monan  spoke  of  the  open  and  democratic  spirit  of  the  Vatican  sessions  and 
expressed  confidence  that  a  forthcoming  document  will  address  the  inter- 
ests and  concerns  expressed  by  the  delegates. 

The  world  at  large,  but  especially  the  network  of  Jesuit  campuses  around 
the  globe,  was  stunned  and  saddened  by  the  assassination  of  six  Jesuit 
priests  and  scholars  at  the  Jesuit  university  in  San  Salvador  on  November 
16,  1989.  Three  days  later,  St.  Ignatius  Church  was  thronged  with  mour- 
ners at  a  somber,  stirring  Mass.  In  attendance  were  students,  alumni,  and 

Father  Francis  J.  Murphy  of 
the  History  Department  is  one 
of  several  priests  of  the  Boston 
archdiocese  who  are  valued 
faculty  members. 


Pointing  to  the  Twenty-First  Century       529 

neighbors,  with  40  concelebrating  priests  and  two  bishops  assisting.  Joining 
Father  Monan  at  the  altar  were  the  Provincial,  Father  Robert  Manning,  and 
the  rector  of  Boston  College  Jesuits,  Father  William  Barry.  Father  David 
Gill  of  the  Classics  Department,  an  acquaintance  of  several  of  the  martyred 
Jesuits,  was  homiUst. 

American  Jesuit  universities  kept  the  assassination  in  the  public  eye  and 
significantly  influenced  the  investigation  into  it.  In  February  1990  Father 
Monan  was  one  of  six  representatives  of  American  Jesuit  higher  education 
who  spent  four  days  in  El  Salvador  to  express  solidarity  with  the  Jesuits  at 
the  Central  American  university  and  to  heighten  pressure  on  the  investiga- 
tion process.  The  visit  included  meetings  with  President  Alfredo  Cristiani, 
the  president  of  the  Salvadoran  Supreme  Court,  the  chief  of  staff  of  the 
militia  of  El  Salvador,  and  the  United  States  Ambassador,  as  well  as  the 
archbishop  of  San  Salvador  and  the  Jesuit  Provincial.  Upon  his  return 
Father  Monan  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  mission  advanced  both  of  its 
goals — namely,  sympathy  and  support  for  the  Jesuits,  and  a  spothght  on 
the  judicial  process.  One  of  Father  Monan's  companions  on  the  El  Salvador 
mission,  Father  Paul  S.  Tipton,  president  of  the  Association  of  Jesuit 
Colleges  and  Universities,  reported  on  the  Jesuits'  visit  in  his  Laetare 
Sunday  address  to  the  alumni. 

Plans  for  the  Future 

Planning  has  become  a  major  preoccupation  of  the  University's  administra- 
tion, and  an  account  is  given  here  of  recent  and  current  planning  which,  it 
is  hoped,  will  provide  vision,  direction,  and  resources  as  the  University 
enters  a  new  century.  Boston  College's  initial  self-study  of  1954,  though 
modest  by  later  standards,  struck  the  participants  as  a  massive  and  once- 
in-a-lifetime  undertaking.  In  the  next  decade  the  A&S  self-study  of  1963 — 
though  somewhat  more  extensive — seemed  perhaps  by  its  association  with 
the  University's  centenary  to  be  a  unique  and  not  repeatable  project.  In 
those  simpler  times  the  faculty  and  administration  did  not  foresee  that  in 
the  1970s  and  1980s  self-study  and  University-wide  and  school  planning 
would  be  ongoing — an  uninterrupted  feature  of  the  University's  life. 

In  the  mid-1980s,  so  much  diversified  planning  and  self-assessment  was 
going  on  that  when  the  time  came  for  another  10-year  accreditation  review 
by  the  New  England  Association  of  Schools  and  Colleges,  the  University 
asked  that  a  review  of  four  planning  programs  be  substituted  for  the  usual 
examination  of  academic  programs.  The  association  agreed,  and  the  visit- 
ing team  spent  most  of  its  time  scrutinizing  the  following:  (1)  an  ambitious 
forward  look  that  Father  Monan  set  in  motion  in  1984  to  establish  goals 
for  the  nineties;  (2)  the  study  of  the  Graduate  School  of  Arts  and  Sciences; 

(3)  a  document  on  computing  and  communications  strategic  planning;  and 

(4)  a  lower  campus  facilities  plan.  All  of  these  studies  had  been  completed 
by  early  1986  and  were  incorporated  into  a  volume  for  the  New  England 
Association,  which,  after  review,  renewed  accreditation. 


530        History  of  Boston  College 


Father  William  A.  Barry  became  rec- 
tor of  the  Boston  College  Jesuit 
Community  in  1988. 


"Goals  for  the  Nineties"  was  a  landmark  document.  It  stated  aspirations 
for  Boston  College  in  the  year  2000,  outlined  a  distinctive  academic 
excellence  to  be  aimed  at,  reaffirmed  and  redefined  the  Catholic  and  Jesuit 
identity  of  the  institution,  and  proposed  an  enriching  intellectual  and 
moral  environment  for  the  University.  Position  papers  were  developed  and 
given  in  summary  in  the  final  report  on  six  topics:  academic  excellence, 
core  curriculum.  Catholic  and  Jesuit  identity,  enrollment  challenges,  aca- 
demic goals  and  residential  life,  and  financing  the  future.  Critical  to  the 
significance  of  the  report  were  goals  statements  by  the  several  schools  and 
colleges  of  the  University,  with  ideals  translated  into  proposals  concerning 
space,  facilities,  and  personnel.  For  the  first  time  in  the  University's  planning 
history,  the  individual  college  goals  statements  were  followed  by  a  practical 
section  called  "resource  implications,"  which  listed  and  priced  stated  needs 
such  as  a  new  chemistry  building,  an  additional  wing  for  Campion  Hall,  a 
doctoral  program  and  more  offices  for  the  School  of  Nursing,  a  building 
for  Fine  Arts,  renovation  of  McElroy  Commons,  and  a  new  doctorate  in 


Pointing  to  the  Twenty-First  Century       531 

the  School  of  Management.  An  important  resuh  that  should  bolster  the 
morale  of  future  planning  bodies  was  the  immediate  response  of  the 
trustees  and  administration  to  major  recommendations.  The  financial 
implications  of  "Goals  for  the  Nineties"  have  been  translated  into  a  daring 
capital  fund  campaign  to  underwrite  many  of  the  targets  of  the  planning 
document.^ 

The  lower  campus  facilities  plan  summarized  elements  to  be  replaced  or 
renovated  and  elements  under  design  or  construction.  They  are  listed  here, 
with  action  taken  by  1990  in  parenthesis  to  indicate  the  massive  activity 
that  has  occurred  since  1986: 

Elements  to  be  replaced  or  renovated: 

McHugh  Forum — demolition  (completed). 

Modular  Apartments — demolition  to  be  coordinated  with  construc- 
tion of  lower  campus  housing. 

Alumni  Hall  and  Philomatheia  Hall — demolition  (completed). 

66  Commonwealth  Avenue  (former  Baptist  Home) — renovation  (com- 
pleted). 

Flynn  Recreation  Complex — to  be  demolished  by  2000. 

Roberts  Center — reprogramming/renovation  (later  decision  to  demol- 
ish to  make  room  for  chemistry  building). 

Elements  under  design  or  construction: 

Stadium  Parking  Facility  Phase  II  (completed). 

Sports  Center  (completed). 

Commonwealth  Avenue  Housing,  Buildings  A  and  B  (completed). 


In  1989  Leo  V.  Sullivan  (M.Ed.  '80) 
was  promoted  from  director  to  vice 
president  of  Human  Resources. 


532        History  of  Boston  College 

The  new  student  residences  on  Commonwealth  Avenue  deserve  more 
than  the  above  terse  reference.  They  are  by  all  measures  the  most  stylish  of 
any  dormitories,  externally  and  inside,  and  their  architecture  blends  well 
with  the  Gothic  buildings  above  them.  What  began  life  with  the  plain  name 
"Building  B"  became  William  J.  and  Mary  Jane  Voute  Hall,  in  honor  of 
University  trustee  William  J.  Voute,  in  November  1989.  The  approach  to 
Linden  Lane  was  further  beautified  by  the  construction  in  the  summer  of 
1989  of  an  elaborate  gateway  entrance  that  echoes  the  Gothic  style  of  the 
surrounding  buildings.  Another  piece  of  construction  not  planned  in  1986 
was  the  adaptation  of  the  gymnasium/auditorium  of  Campion  Hall  for  the 
Campus  School,  which  had  formerly  been  located  in  Roberts  Center.  When 
it  was  decided  to  raze  Roberts  to  make  space  for  a  chemistry  building,  the 
gymnasium  wing  of  Campion  Hall  was  completely  remodeled  and  a  second 
story  added,  with  many  small  classrooms  and  other  facilities  for  the 
handicapped  children  who  attend  the  Campus  School. 

In  "Goals  for  the  Nineties"  the  Fine  Arts  Department  suggested  a  new 
building  on  the  central  campus.  While  this  project  remains  only  a  hope  at 
present,  in  1988  an  excellent  art  gallery  was  created  in  Devlin  Hall  in  space 
occupied  by  the  science  library  before  O'Neill  Library  opened.  Since  the 

Father  Richard  T.  Cleary  be- 
came university  chaplain  in 
1989. 


Pointing  to  the  Twenty-First  Century       533 

Chemistry  Department  will  be  moving  from  Devlin  to  the  building  under 
construction  on  Beacon  Street,  the  moving  of  the  Fine  Arts  Department  to 
Devlin  is  one  of  the  options  being  considered. 

In  June  1989  the  Board  of  Trustees  authorized  the  engagement  of  an 
architect  to  develop  plans  for  a  campus  center  for  improved  dining  and 
bookstore  facilities,  offices  for  student  activities,  and  improved  accommo- 
dations for  several  other  University  services.  In  September  1989  the  trustees 
also  approved  preliminary  planning  for  a  residence  for  graduate  students. 
The  spring  of  1990  saw  satisfactory  progress  on  the  chemistry  building  and 
the  start  of  work  on  the  extension  of  Campion  Hall. 

Computer  Progress 

If  action  has  outrun  planning  in  building,  it  has  so  outstripped  planning  in 
the  computer  area  that  a  summary  of  the  1986  strategic  plan  for  commu- 
nications and  computing  is  not  the  best  way  to  represent  the  computing 
situation  as  this  chapter  is  being  written.''  In  February  1990  Rodney  Feak, 
director  of  the  computer  center,  sent  the  author  an  account  of  the  develop- 
ment of  computing  at  Boston  College,  taking  1981  as  the  baseline.  Feak 
reported  an  astonishing  upgrading  of  computer  hardware,  year  by  year. 
For  each  change  of  equipment,  he  gave  two  measures  of  power:  the  number 
of  instructions  per  second  the  machines  are  capable  of  and  the  on-line 


GROWTH  OF  COMPUTER  FACILITIES, 

1980- 

-1990 

1980 

7990 

Computer  workstations  in  administrative  offices 

133 

1080 

Computer  workstations  in  faculty  offices 

5 

439 

Computer  workstations  in  laboratories 

50 

400 

Computer  workstations  in  the  library 

2 

200 

Micro  computers  purchased  by  students  annually 

0 

1200 

Storage  capacity  of  the  computer.  These  quantitative  measures  chart  a 
dizzying  trajectory  of  growth  from  1981,  when  the  computers  were  capable 
of  executing  1 .2  milhon  instructions  per  second  and  had  an  on-line  storage 
capacity  of  about  8  billion  characters,  to  1990,  when  computing  capacity 
reached  25  million  instructions  per  second  and  there  was  on-hne  storage  of 
55  billion  characters.  Faculty  and  student  research,  as  well  as  administrative 
operations,  have  benefited  from  this  extraordinary  growth  in  computing 
power. 

The  Council  on  Catholic  and  Jesuit  Identity,  and  the 
Jesuit  Institute 

A  direct  outgrowth  of  "Goals  for  the  Nineties"  was  the  establishment  by 
Father  Monan  of  the  Standing  Council  on  the  Catholic  and  Jesuit  Identity 


534        History  of  Boston  College 


In  the  spring  of  1989  the  University  Chorale  had  a  memorable  trip  to  Rome.  After 
performing  at  the  Vatican,  members  had  a  papal  audience  on  March  1 .  With  Pope 
John  Paul  11  is  C.  Alexander  Peloquin,  director  of  the  chorale.  In  the  front  row  are 
officers  of  the  chorale,  from  the  left:  Philip  Rectra  ('90),  men's  secretary;  Christopher 
Downing  ('89),  president;  Joseph  Gesmundo  ('89),  vice  president;  Terry  Bonello  ('89), 
social  director;  Linda  Wilenski  ('90),  women's  secretary;  Katherine  Soriano  ('89), 
publicity  director;  and  Mariflor  Maulit  ('90),  librarian.  On  April  20,  1990,  the  chorale 
celebrated  35  years  of  Peloquin's  musical  leadership  with  a  concert  at  Boston  Sym- 
phony Hall. 


at  Boston  College  in  December  1987.  In  his  initial  letter  to  council 
members,  Father  Monan  set  three  purposes  for  the  group:  to  redevelop  and 
express  a  philosophy  of  CathoHc  and  Jesuit  higher  education;  to  commu- 
nicate the  key  elements  of  the  Jesuit  educational  tradition  to  the  larger 
University  community;  and  to  offer  recommendations  on  operational  ways 
Boston  College  might  strengthen  its  CathoUc  and  Jesuit  identity.^ 

The  council  was  established  as  a  permanent  body,  like  the  University 
Council  on  Teaching  and  the  Council  on  Liberal  Education,  with  members 


Pointing  to  the  Twenty-First  Century       535 

serving  two-year  terms.  In  his  invitational  letter  Father  Monan  set  down 
the  challenge  to  the  council:  "In  all  cases,  it  will  need  breadth  of  vision  to 
conceptualize  and  reinforce  the  Jesuit  and  Catholic  character  of  the  insti- 
tution, not  as  a  limit  or  barrier  to  our  full  responsibility  as  a  University, 
but  as  a  source  of  distinctive  cultural  enrichment  both  for  the  University 
and  for  the  larger  community  we  serve."'' 

Before  the  year  1987  was  out,  there  were  exhilarating  developments  not 
directly  due  to  council  action,  but  surely  compatible  with  its  hopes,  that 
proved  how  strongly  the  University  was  committed  to  its  religious  roots. 
For  several  years,  under  the  leadership  of  their  rector.  Father  Joseph  Duffy, 
and  abetted  especially  by  Fathers  Joseph  Appleyard  and  Joseph  Flanagan, 
the  Jesuits  at  Boston  College  had  been  inviting  lay  colleagues  to  weekends 
at  their  Cohasset  house  to  discuss  ways  in  which  lay  and  Jesuit  faculty  and 
administrators  could  cooperate  to  maintain  and  promote  the  Jesuit  ethos 
of  the  University.  As  a  result  of  these  meetings  and  through  ongoing 
apostolic  planning  by  the  Jesuits  concerning  possible  new  structures  for 
fulfilling  their  mission  at  the  University,  the  Jesuit  Community  pledged  $1.5 
million  for  a  Jesuit  Institute  whose  purpose  would  be  to  promote  research 
on  the  religious  and  Jesuit  traditions  of  the  institution,  especially  on  their 
relatedness  to  the  universe  of  scholarship  and  learning.  Father  Monan,  who 
had  been  part  of  the  planning  process  for  the  institute,  warmly  embraced 
the  Jesuit  Community's  proposal  and  funding,  and  agreed  to  match  the 
Community's  gift.  Thus  the  new  body  reached  a  formative  stage  of  exis- 
tence with  a  substantial  endowment.  Father  Robert  Daly,  who  had  chaired 


Father  Robert  J.  Daly  of  the  Theol- 
ogy Department,  director  of  the  Bos- 
ton College  Jesuit  Institute.  In  the 
spring  of  1990  he  was  named  editor 
of  the  prestigious  national  Jesuit 
journal,  Theological  Studies. 


536        History  of  Boston  College 

the  Theology  Department  for  15  years,  was  named  director,  and  a  12- 
member  administrative  board  was  appointed  to  assist  him  in  giving  shape 
and  hfe  to  the  Institute.^ 

The  Jesuit  Institute  was  launched  publicly  with  a  two-day  academic 
symposium  and  celebration  in  Conte  Forum  on  April  21  and  22,  1989. 
The  keynote  address  was  given  by  noted  historian  and  director  of  the 
Institute  of  Jesuit  Sources,  Father  John  W.  Padberg.  He  called  Boston 
College's  new  institute  a  forum  of  science  and  scholarship,  sympathy  and 
respect,  where  heritage  and  imagination  will  be  together  welcome  and 
nurtured.^  It  already  funds  an  annual  research  scholar  and  confers  research 
grants.  The  1990  Institute  Research  Scholar  is  a  Jesuit  from  Loyola  Univer- 
sity in  Chicago,  Father  Philip  J.  Chmielewski,  who  will  write  about  a 
German  Jesuit,  Oswald  von  Nell-Breuning,  one  of  the  20th  century's 
seminal  influences  on  Catholic  social  thought.  Supported  by  a  1990  insti- 
tute research  grant,  Randy  Kafka,  a  research  fellow  in  psychology  at 
Harvard's  Graduate  School  of  Education,  will  analyze  the  psychological 
and  faith  development  of  students  participating  in  the  Boston  College  Pulse 
program. 

Core  Curriculum 

The  most  elaborate  planning  effort  under  way  as  this  account  of  Boston 
College's  history  nears  its  end  has  to  do  with  the  core  curriculum,  the 
designated  liberal  arts  courses  from  which  all  students  in  all  of  the 
undergraudate  schools  must  choose  a  fixed  number.  The  regulation  in 
effect  since  1981  assigned  to  the  core  curriculum  14  of  the  38  courses 
needed  for  graduation.  In  the  spring  of  1989  Academic  Vice  President 
Wilham  B.  Neenan,  S.J.  appointed  20  faculty  members,  administrators, 
and  students  to  a  task  force  to  examine  the  core  curriculum,  with  special 
attention  to  its  philosophy  as  well  as  to  procedures  for  the  inclusion  of 
courses  in  the  core  and  general  oversight  of  the  core  curriculum.  Since  99 
percent  of  core  courses  are  offered  by  A&S  departments,  previous  review 
committees  have  been  staffed  mostly  by  A&S  faculty.  But  the  core  curricu- 
lum involves  students  in  the  professional  schools  as  well  as  A&S,  and  this 
involvement  is  reflected  in  the  composition  of  the  present  task  force,  which 
includes  two  professional  school  deans  along  with  the  six  faculty  members 
and  one  student  from  professional  schools.' 

The  task  force  followed  a  busy  schedule  in  1989.  After  study  and 
discussion  sessions  in  May,  June,  and  September,  it  held  five  fall  meetings 
with  departmental  and  professional  school  representatives.  A  presentation 
on  the  core  curriculum  was  made  at  the  February  1990  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees.  Six  winter  meetings  were  scheduled,  starting  with  an 
evening  session  with  Father  Monan  and  including  further  meetings  with 
departmental  chairpersons,  student  affairs  officers,  black  studies  faculty, 
and  interested  faculty  and  students.  The  task  force  is  to  give  a  report  to  the 
faculty  at  the  1990  May  Faculty  Day. 


Pointing  to  the  Twenty-First  Century       537 


The  magnolias  in  bloom  proclaim  this  a  spring  scene  on  the  "dustbowl,' 
more  properly  called  the  college  green. 


The  "Campaign  for  Boston  College" 

To  support  the  ambitious  programs  and  projects  that  have  emerged  from 
the  several  recent  planning  efforts,  the  University  launched  a  fund-raising 
drive  equally  ambitious:  a  goal  of  $125  million.  Called  the  "Campaign  for 
Boston  College,"  the  first  phase  (1986-1988)  sought  major  individual  gifts 
for  progress  toward  the  ultimate  goal.  The  public  aspect  of  the  campaign 
began  in  the  fall  of  1988.  The  trustees  set  a  mighty  target  for  themselves: 
one-fifth  of  the  campaign's  goal,  or  $25  million.  By  1990,  $25.6  million 
had  been  pledged  by  trustees,  and  the  drive  had  reached  the  $94.5  million 
mark. 

Since  Boston  College  has  until  recently  had  a  history  of  low  endowment, 
the  campaign  aims  to  provide  $73,000,000  for  endowment  funds.  But  the 
University  has  made  dramatic  progress  in  endowment  in  the  past  decade. 
The  February  21,   1990,  issue  of  The  Chronicle  of  Higher  Education 


538        History  of  Boston  College 

published  a  list  of  the  value  of  330  endowments  of  universities  as  of  the 
previous  June,  compiled  by  the  National  Association  of  College  and 
University  Business  Officers.  Boston  College  placed  50th  on  this  list  of 
institutions  with  endowments  of  over  $2  million.  The  University's  endow- 
ment was  given  as  $250,005,000.  The  endowment  status  will  obviously  be 
improved  by  the  success  of  the  Campaign  for  Boston  College.  Other  goals 
of  the  fund  drive  are  $17  million  for  new  construction  and  renovation  of 
facilities  and  $35  million  for  general  support  of  academic  activities. 

Co-chairing  the  Campaign  for  Boston  College  are  two  trustees,  James  F. 
Cleary  ('50),  managing  director  of  Paine  Webber  of  Boston,  and  John  M. 
Connors,  Jr.  ('63),  president  of  New  England's  largest  advertising  agency, 
Hill,  Holliday,  Connors  and  Cosmopoulos.  Joining  the  co-chairmen  to 
form  the  campaign's  national  committee  are  four  members  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  and  an  associate  member  who  had  served  on  the  board  for  more 
than  20  years  and  as  chairman  from  1981  to  1984,  WiUiam  F.  Connell 
('59),  chairman  and  chief  executive  officer  of  the  Connell  Limited  Partner- 
ship. The  other  members  of  the  committee  are  Thomas  J.  Flatley,  president 
and  chief  executive  officer  of  the  Flatley  Company;  Samuel  J.  Gerson  ('63), 
president  and  chief  executive  officer  of  Filene's  Basement  Stores,  Inc.;  John 
A.  McNeice,  Jr.  ('54),  chairman  of  the  Colonial  Group,  Inc.  in  Boston;  and 
E.  Paul  Robsham  (M.Ed  '83),  president  of  Robsham  Industries,  Inc. 

With  this  powerful  group  energizing  the  drive  and  with  the  growing 
national  prestige  of  the  University  attracting  interest  and  support,  the 
prospects  for  success  are  promising.  An  article  in  the  October  12,  1982, 
issue  of  The  New  York  Times  observed  that  the  allegiance  of  the  Universi- 
ty's graduates  to  their  alma  mater  "has  earned  Boston  College  a  place  with 
Dartmouth  and  Notre  Dame  as  having  the  most  fiercely  loyal  alumni  of  the 
nation's  private  schools."'"  That  level  of  enthusiastic  commitment  to  the 
future  of  Boston  College  on  the  part  of  its  alumni  and  friends  all  but 
guarantees  the  success  of  the  critical  effort  to  broaden  the  University's 
financial  base. 


At  the  beginning  of  the  last  decade  of  the  20th  century,  the  University  is 
in  a  position  of  strength.  Applications  for  admission  to  the  undergraduate 
schools  and  to  the  graduate  and  professional  schools  continue  at  a  volume 
that  guarantees  selective  student  bodies.  Apphcations  for  faculty  and  major 
administrative  positions  are  of  a  quality  and  number  that  underscore  the 
University's  reputation  and  attractiveness.  The  support  systems  of  the 
University — in  administrative  operations,  in  student  affairs  and  housing,  in 
hbraries  and  computer  facilities,  in  student  activities,  and  in  the  influence 
of  music  and  art  on  the  campus — are  at  an  all-time  high.  Finances  are 
sound  and  a  major  fund  drive  is  moving  toward  a  successful  conclusion. 
Such  is  the  state  of  the  University  as  it  approaches  the  twenty-first  century. 

This,  then,  is  a  good  point  in  the  recorded  history  of  Boston  College  to 


Pointing  to  the  Twenty-First  Century       539 

set  aside  the  pen  and  reflect  in  admiration  on  the  vision,  the  courage,  the 
faith,  the  sacrifices,  the  adversities  overcome,  and  the  determined  progress 
that  have  led  to  the  Boston  College  of  1990. 

ENDNOTES 

1.  "Baccalaureate  Origins  of  Doctorate  Recipients,  1920  to  1986.  A  Ranking  by 
Discipline  of  Doctoral-Granting,  Private  Universities,"  Offices  of  Planning  and 
Institutional  Research,  Georgetown  University  and  Franklin  &  Marshall  College. 
April  1989. 

2.  Biweekly  (April  9,  1987)  pp.  1  and  4. 

3.  Members  of  the  Goals  for  the  Nineties  Planning  Council:  J.  Donald  Monan,  S.J., 
President  (titular  chairman) ;  Robert  R.  Newton,  Associate  Dean  of  Faculties 
(chairman);  Richard  S.  Bolan,  Social  Work  (1984-1985  only);  Mary  C.  Boys, 
S.N.J.M.,  Theology;  Donald  Brown,  Director,  AHANA;  Patricia  A.  Casey,  De- 
velopment (1984-1985  only);  Michael  T.  Callnan,  Budget  Director;  Geraldine  L. 
Conner,  Social  Work  (1985-1986  only);  Louis  S.  Corsini,  Accounting;  Robert  S. 
Daly,  S.J.,  Theology;  John  A.  Dineen,  S.J.,  University  Chaplain;  Laurel  A. 
Eisenhauer,  Nursing;  Theresa  M.  Fitzpatrick,  A&S  ('86);  John  M.  Flackett, 
Associate  Dean,  Law;  Philip  W.  Jennings,  A&S  ('86);  Jeong-long  Lin,  Chemistry; 
Marilyn  J.  Matelski,  Speech;  Thomas  J.  Owens,  Philosophy;  Joseph  F.  Quinn, 
Economics;  John  F.  Savage,  Education;  and  David  J.  Smith,  Associate  Director, 
Counseling  Services. 

4.  The  members  of  the  1986  Committee  for  Strategic  Planning  for  Communications 
and  Computing  were  the  following:  Frank  B.  Campanella,  Executive  Vice  Presi- 
dent (chair);  Christopher  F.  Baum,  Economics;  Michael  T.  Callnan,  Budget 
Director;  Rhoda  K.  Channing,  Assistant  University  Librarian;  Rodney  J.  Feak, 
Director,  Computer  Center;  Eileen  M.  Gaffney,  Financial  Analyst;  Bernard  W. 
Gleason,  Director,  Information  Technology;  William  Griffith,  Computer  Science 
(CSOM);  Louise  M.  Lonabocker,  University  registrar;  Donald  F.  Mikes,  Direc- 
tor, Audiovisual  Services;  John  J.  Neuhauser,  Dean,  Carroll  School  of  Manage- 
ment; Robert  R.  Newton,  Associate  Dean  of  Faculties;  C.  Peter  Ohvieri,  Com- 
puter Science  (CSOM);  Leo  F.  Power,  Director,  Space  Data  Analysis  Laboratory; 
Christine  Rinaldi,  Senior  Development  Officer;  and  Donald  S.  Zitter,  Computer 
Science  (CSOM). 

5.  Biweekly  (January  15,  1987),  p.  1. 

6.  Ibid.  A&S  Dean  William  B.  Neenan,  S.J.,  was  named  chairman  of  the  Standing 
Council  on  the  Catholic  and  Jesuit  Identity  of  Boston  College.  Other  council 
members  were:  James  L.  Bowditch,  Associate  Dean,  CSOM;  Robert  F.  Capalbo, 
University  Housing  Director;  Robert  J.  Daly,  S.J.,  Theology;  Joseph  P.  Duffy, 
S.J.,  Rector  of  the  Jesuit  Community;  Scott  T.  Fitzgibbon,  Law  School;  George  J. 
Goldsmith,  Physics;  Marjory  Gordon,  SON;  June  Gary  Hopps,  Dean,  GSSW; 
Louise  Lonabocker,  University  Registrar;  Michael  C.  McFarland,  S.J.,  CSOM; 
Marie  McHugh,  A&S  Associate  Dean;  James  A.  O'Donohoe,  Theology;  Harold 
A.  Petersen,  Economics;  Virginia  Reinburg,  History;  and  Judith  Wilt,  English. 

7.  Members  of  the  administrative  board  were:  Anthony  T.  Annunziato,  Biology; 
Joseph  A.  Appleyard,  S.J.,  Honors  Program  Director;  William  A.  Barry,  S.J., 
Rector,  Jesuit  Community;  James  W.  Bernauer,  S.J.,  Philosophy;  James  L.  Bow- 
ditch,  Associate  Dean,  CSOM;  Mary  J.  Brabeck,  SOE;  Lisa  Cahill,  Theology; 
Scott  T.  Fitzgibbon,  Law;  June  Gary  Hopps,  Dean,  GSSW;  Mary  Sue  Infante, 
Dean,  SON;  John  L.  Mahoney,  English;  Robert  J.  McEwen,  S.J.,  Economics; 
William  W.  Meissner,  S.J.,  University  Professor  of  Psychoanalysis;  William  B. 


540        History  of  Boston  College 


10. 


Neenan,  S.J.,  Academic  Vice  President  and  Dean  of  Faculties;  and  Paul  G. 
Schervish,  Sociology. 
Biweekly  (April  27,  1989),  p.  1. 

The  members  of  the  Core  Curriculum  Task  Force  were:  William  B.  Neenan,  S.J., 
Academic  Vice  President  (Chairman);  Joseph  A.  Appleyard,  S.J.,  A&cS  Honors 
Program;  George  Aragon,  CSOM;  Robert  J.  Barth,  S.J.,  Dean,  A8cS;  Lisa  Cahill, 
Theology;  Jeffrey  R.  Cohen,  CSOM;  Rose  Mary  Harvey,  SON;  Katharine 
Hastings,  Assistant  to  the  Academic  Vice  President;  June  Gary  Hopps,  Dean, 
GSSW;  John  L.  Mahoney,  English;  Martha  McAtee,  CSOM  ('91);  John  J.  Neu- 
hauser.  Dean,  CSOM;  Robert  R.  Newton,  Associate  Dean  of  Faculties;  Rita  J. 
Ohvieri,  SON;  Edward  J.  Power,  SOE;  Joseph  F.  Quinn,  Economics;  Clarence 
Redd,  A&S  ('91);  Frances  Restuccia,  English;  David  C.  Roy,  Geology;  Paul  G. 
Spagnoli,  History;  and  John  F.  Travers,  Jr.,  SOE. 
Cited  in  Biweekly  (February  3,  1983),  p.  6. 


On  ]une  23,  1990,  in  Frederick,  Maryland,  Father  Monan,  as  president  of  Boston 
College,  participated  in  the  dedication  of  a  memorial  for  Father  John  McElroy,  com- 
memorating his  role  as  founder  of  Boston  College  and  his  23  years  as  pastor  of 
Frederick's  St.  John's  Church. 


Epilogue 


The  preceding  chapters  record  the  history  of  Boston 
College  to  1990.  What  of  the  future?  The  last  chapter  is 
practically  an  administrative  blueprint  for  the  future,  with 
its  long-range  planning  projects  and  subsequent  initiatives. 
While  the  University  cannot  determine  its  future  precisely, 
it  is  clear  where  and  how  the  trustees  and  administration 
intend  to  guide  it. 

As  far  as  the  authors  are  concerned,  their  business  as 
historians  is  with  the  past.  As  persons,  as  Jesuits  committed 
to  Boston  College,  their  action  regarding  the  future  is  not 
prediction  but  hope — hope  that  may  be  expressed  as  a 
prayer.  Presuming  to  speak  for  the  two  co-authors  who  are 
deceased,  our  simple  prayer  is  this: 

Father  Ignatius,  we  pray  that  this  Jesuit  university 
may,  for  centuries  to  come,  be  true  to  your  apostolic 
vision  and  uncompromisingly  committed  to  scholarly 
excellence.  We  ask  this  for  Boston  College  through 
Him  whose  name  you,  bold  Inigo,  gave  to  your  Com- 
pany, ad  tnajorem  Dei  gloriam.  Amen. 


541 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF 
FATHER  GASSON'S  DREAM 

An  Aerial  Photographic  Essay 


543 


St.  Mary's  Hall,  completed  in  1917.  This  picture  was  taken  before  construc- 
tion of  Bap  St  Library  began  in  1924. 


The  serene  beauty  of  University  Heights  between  1928,  when  Bapst  Library 
was  completed,  and  1947,  when  Fulton  Hall  was  begun. 


545 


A  closer  view  of  the 
campus  as  it  was  for 
two  decades  after  the 
completion  of  Bapst  Li- 
brary. Behind  Devlin 
was  the  "freshman 
field."  The  photograph 
was  taken  before  the 
elaborate  fence  was 
erected  along  Beacon 
Street  in  the  mid-thir- 
ties. 


"Annex  A,"  an  indispensable  classroom  and  office  building  near  the  tennis  courts.  The 
College  survived  the  sudden  increase  in  enrollment  after  WW  II  by  building  Fulton 
Hall  (1 948)  and  also  by  using  government  surplus  structures.  The  large  structure 
across  from  Fulton  was  the  "recreation  building,"  site  of  theatricals,  assemblies, 
basketball  games,  and  ROTC. 


An  Aerial  Photographic  Essay        547 


The  campus  between  1951,  when  Lyons  Hall  was  completed,  and  1957, 
when  the  stadium  opened. 


The  upper  campus  be- 
tween 1958,  when  Gon- 
zaga  was  completed, 
and  1 960,  when  Fitzpat- 
rick,  Cheverus,  Fenwick, 
and  McElroy  opened. 
Behind  the  original  Tu- 
dor Road  dormitories, 
the  carriage  house  of 
O'Connell  Hall  was  still 
standing. 


548        An  Aerial  Photographic  Essay 


The  scene  before  Carney 
Hall  was  built  in  1962, 
showing  added  build- 
ings: St.  Thomas  More 
and  Campion  (1955), 
McHugh  Forum  and 
Roberts  Center  (1958), 
Gushing  and  McElroy 
(1960).  The  "tempo- 
rary" classroom  build- 
ing still  stood  behind 
Fulton. 


The  campus  after  1966,  when  Higgins  Hall  was  completed,  and  before  1968,  when 
McGuinn  was  built.  "Annex  A"  has  been  removed  to  make  way  for  McGuinn.  The 
partially  filled  reservoir  is  seen  beyond  the  playing  fields. 


'^llr^. .  ■'*?-,.  ■ 


W-^i  .  ^^  • 


yt-^  :~- 


:^'*--"'*. 


m!^^ 


m^u 


Completed  McGuinn  (1 968),  as  well  as  the  latest  of  the  upper  campus  dormitories: 
Roncalli,  Welch,  and  Williams  (1965).  But  the  "mods"  had  not  yet  been  introduced; 
they  were  built  in  1970. 


550        An  Aerial  Photographic  Essay 


The  central  campus,  including  University  properties  across  Beacon  Street.  At 
the  left,  opposite  McElroy,  is  Hovey  House,  where  some  History  Department 
faculty  are  located.  Next  along  Hammond  Street  is  Murray  House,  the 
commuter  center.  Beside  Murray  is  the  faculty  center,  Connolly  House.  Next 
is  Haley  House,  an  administration  building.  The  University  owns  four  other 
properties  in  this  triangle. 


The  Newton  campus.  At  the  bottom  is  the  gracious  home  of  the  Alumni  Association, 
Alumni  House,  with  student  residences  nearby.  The  top  cluster  of  buildings  includes 
Trinity  Chapel,  Stuart,  the  central  building  of  the  Law  School,  Barry  Pavilion  to  the 
left,  and  Kenny-Cottle  Library  to  the  right.  (Photograph  by  Alex  S.  Maclean.) 


An  Aerial  Photographic  Essay       551 


552        An  Aerial  Photographic  Essay 


A  1987  photograph  showing  the  development  of  the  lower  campus  that  took  place  in 
the  1970s  and  1980s:  the  modular  apartments  (1970);  Hillside  dormitories  (1973); 
Edmond's  (1975);  RecPlex  extension  (1976);  Walsh  (1980);  Robsham  Theater  (1981); 
Voute  Hall  and  its  companion  residence  and  Conte  Forum  under  construction  (com- 
pleted in  1988).  Roberts  Center  still  stood  in  1987,  but  was  razed  to  make  way  for  the 
new  Chemistry  building.  (Photograph  by  Alex  S.  Maclean.) 


APPENDICES 


Founder  of  Boston  College 


Rev.  John  McElroy,  S.J. 


Presidents  of  Boston  College 


1. 

John  Bapst,  S.J. 

1863-1869 

2. 

Robert  W.  Brady,  S.J. 

1869-1870 

3. 

Robert  Fulton,  S.J. 

1870-1880 

4. 

Jeremiah  O'Connor,  S.J. 

1880-1884 

5. 

Edward  V.  Boursaud,  S.J. 

1884-1887 

6. 

Thomas  H.  Stack,  S.J. 

1887 

7. 

Nicholas  Russo,  S.J. 

1887-1888 

8. 

Robert  Fulton,  S.J. 

1888-1891 

9. 

Edward  I.  Devitt,  S.J. 

1891-1894 

10. 

Timothy  Brosnahan,  S.J. 

1894-1898 

11. 

W.  G.  Read  Mullan,  S.J. 

1898-1903 

12. 

William  F.  Gannon,  S.J. 

1903  -  1907 

13. 

Thomas  I.  Gasson,  S.J. 

1907-1914 

14. 

Charles  W.  Lyons,  S.J. 

1914-1919 

15. 

William  Devlin,  S.J. 

1919-1925 

16. 

James  H.  Dolan,  S.J. 

1925  -  1932 

17. 

Louis  J.  Gallagher,  S.J. 

1932-1937 

18. 

William  J.  McGarry,  S.J. 

1937-1939 

19. 

William  J.  Murphy,  S.J. 

1939  -  1945 

20. 

William  L.  Keleher,  S.J. 

1945-1951 

21. 

Joseph  R.  N.  Maxwell,  S.J. 

1951-1958 

22. 

Michael  P.  Walsh,  S.J. 

1958-1968 

23. 

W.  Seavey  Joyce,  S.J. 

1968  - 1972 

24. 

J.  Donald  Monan,  S.J. 

1972- 

Trustees  of  Boston  College 

December  1972  through  September  1990 


Joseph  F.  Abely,  Jr. 
William  A.  Barry,  S.J. 
Raymond  C.  Baumhart, 

S.J. 
Raymond  P.  Bertrand, 

S.J. 
Geoffrey  T.  Boisi 
Milton  C.  Borenstein 
Joseph  G.  Brennan 
William  L.  Brown 
Wayne  A.  Budd 


1975-83, 1985-92 
1988-92 

1972-73 

1985-86 
1981-89 
1979-87 
1972-73 

1973-81,  1983-91 
1980-88,  1989-93 


Robert  F.  Byrnes 
Raymond  J.  Callahan, 

S.J. 
Donald  R.  Campion, 

S.J. 
Denis  H.  Carroll 
Wallace  E.  Carroll 
John  M.  Cataldo 
James  F.  Cleary 
Richard  T.  Cleary,  S.J. 
William  F.  Connell 


1972-73 

1983-91 

1980-87 

1985-92 

1972-74 

1978-86 

1972-80, 1982-90 

1987-89 

1974-86,  1988-92 


555 


556        Trustees  of  Boston  College 


John  M.  Connors,  Jr. 

1979-91 

John  M.  Corcoran 

1986-90 

Joseph  F.  Cotter 

1972-79 

James  E.  Coughhn,  S.J. 

1972-75 

John  F.  Cunningham 

1982-90 

Mary  Lou  DeLong 

1984-89 

George  L.  Drury,  S.J. 

1977-85 

Francis  Dubreuil 

1972-73 

Joseph  P.  Duffy,  S.J. 

1982-88 

Christopher  Duncan 

1972-73 

Joseph  R.  Fahey,  S.J. 

1972-79,  1981- 

Michael  A.  Fahey,  S.J. 

1987-91 

John  T.  Fallon 

1972-78 

Yen-Tsai  Feng 

1985-92 

Charles  D.  Ferris 

1987-91 

Joseph  A.  Fitzmyer,  S.J. 

1972-73 

Stephen  E.  Fix 

1976-80 

Thomas  J.  Flanagan 

1979-87 

Thomas  J.  Flatley 

1978-90 

Maureen  Foley 

1973-77 

Jean  Ford,  R.S.C.J. 

1974-77 

Thomas  J.  Galligan,  Jr. 

1972-80 

Samuel  J.  Gerson 

1986-90 

Thomas  J.  Gibbons,  S.J. 

1975-83 

Avram  J.  Goldberg 

1972-78 

Eli  Goldston 

1972-74 

Patricia  A.  Goler 

1972-80 

Roberta  L.  Hazard 

1984-92 

John  J.  Higgins,  S.J. 

1983-91 

George  W.  Hunt,  S.J. 

1985-92 

Denise  Latson  Janey 

1987-91 

Anne  P.  Jones 

1977-85 

William  J.  Kenealy,  S.J. 

1972-74 

Edward  M.  Kennedy 

1976-91 

Mary  M.  Lai 

1972-79 

Michael  J.  Lavelle,  S.J. 

1989-93 

T.  Vincent  Learson 

1974-76 

S.  Joseph  Loscocco 

1972-77 

John  Lowell 

1972-79 

Peter  S.  Lynch 

1988-92 

Joseph  S.  MacDonnell, 

S.J 

1973-81 

Francis  C.  Mackin,  S.J. 

1972-78, 1980- 

Joseph  E.  McCormick, 

S.J. 

1977-85 

John  G.  McElwee 

1978-86 

Leo  J.  McGovern,  S.J. 

1974-77 

James  T.  McGuire 

1982-87 

John  J.  McMuUen 

1978-86 

1-82 


Catherine  T.  McNamee, 

C.S.J. 
John  A.  McNeice,  Jr. 
William  W.  Meissner, 

S.J. 
Robert  A.  Mitchell,  S.J. 
J.  Donald  Monan,  S.J. 
Thomas  M.  Moran 
Diane  J.  Morash 
Robert  J.  Morrissey 
Giles  E.  Mosher,  Jr. 
Emma  Jeanne  Mudd 
Michael  E.  Murphy 
David  S.  Nelson 
Walter  J.  Neppl 
Francis  Nicholson,  S.J. 
Kevin  G.  O'Connell, 

S.J. 
Edward  M.  OTlaherty, 

S.J. 
William  J.  O'Halloran, 

S.J. 
Joseph  A.  O'Hare,  S.J. 
Robert  J.  O'Keefe 
Adrian  O'Keeffe 
Thomas  D.  O'Malley 
James  P.  O'Neill 
Thomas  P.  O'Neill,  Jr. 
Cornelius  W.  Owens 
John  W.  Padberg,  S.J. 
John  P.  Reboli,  S.J. 
E.  Paul  Robsham 
Walter  T.  Rossi 
Warren  B.  Rudman 
Clare  A.  Schoenfeld 
Joseph  L.  Shea,  S.J. 
Daniel  J.  Shine,  S.J. 
Marianne  D.  Short 
Helen  M.  Stanton 
Robert  J.  Starratt,  S.J. 
Robert  L.  Sullivan 
Sandra  J.  Thomson 
Thomas  A.  Vanderslice 
Wilham  J.  Voute 
Michael  P.  Walsh,  S.J. 
An  Wang 

Thomas  J.  Watson,  III 
Thomas  J.  White 
Blenda  J.  Wilson 
Vincent  C.  Ziegler 


1989-93 
1986-90 

1979-87 

1972-80,  1982-90 

1972- 

1980-88 

1977-81 

1980-92 

1972-78 

1981-87 

1980-88 

1972-78,  1979-91 

1981-85 

1972-76 

1988-92 

1986-90 

1972-78 

1973-81 

1974-82 

1972-73 

1985-92 

1973-85 

1972-92 

1972-80 

1975-83 

1972-75 

1985-92 

1986-90 

1988-92 

1980-84 

1972-77 

1976-82 

1985-92 

1977-91 

1978-86 

1983-91 

1977-85,  1988-92 

1978-90 

1987-91 

1972-80 

1978-82 

1973-76 

1972-76 

1983-91 

1972-78 


Honorary  Degrees  Awarded 
by  Boston  College  1952-1990 


1952 

Gregory  Peter  XV  Cardinal  Agagianian, 

LL.D. 

(January  14,  1952) 
James  B.  Connolly,  Litt.D. 
James  M.  O'Neill,  LL.D. 
Most  Rev.  Thomas  F.  Markham, 

LL.D.* 
Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Riley,  LL.D. 
James  J.  Ronan,  LL.D. 

1953 

Dorothy  L.  Book,jLL.D. 

Most  Rev.  James  L.  Connolly,  LL.D. 

Clifford  J.  Laube,  LL.D. 

Francis  J.  O'Halloran,  A.M. 

Most  Rev.  Leonard  J.  Raymond,  LL.D." 

Alex  Ross,  A.M. 

John  C.  H.  Wu,  LL.D. 

1954 

Edward  H.  Chamberlin,  LL.D. 

John  J.  Hearne,  LL.D.'' 

James  W.  Manary,  Sc.D. 

Thomas  A.  Printon,  LL.D. 

Van.  Bro.  William  Sheehan,  C.F.X., 

LL.D. 
Most  Rev.  Christopher  J.  Weldon, 

LL.D. 
Louis  de  Wohl,  Litt.D. 
Wilham  J.  O'Keefe,  LL.D. 

(November  21,  1954) 

1955 

Fred  J.  Driscoll,  LL.D. 
Christian  A.  Herter,  LL.D. 
Edward  A.  Hogan,  Jr.,  LL.D."' 
Rear  Adm.  Bartholomew  W.  Hogan, 

Sc.D. 
John  B.  Hynes,  LL.D. 
His  Beatitude  Maximos  IV,  LL.D. 

(August  23,  1955) 
Valerian  Cardinal  Gracias,  LL.D. 
Russell  Kirk,  Litt.D.,  Nov.  1,  1955 
Edward  A.  Sullivan,  LL.D.,  Nov.  1, 

1955 


1956 

Bartholomew  A.  Brickley,  LL.D. 

PeterJ.  W.  Debye,  Sc.D. 

Most  Rev.  Frederick  A.  Donaghy,  LL.D. 

John  F.  Kennedy,  LL.D.* 

John  W.  King,  LL.D. 

Charles  Munch,  D.Mus. 

Edward  F.  WiUiams,  LL.D. 

1957 

Wallace  E.  Carroll,  LL.D. 

Arthur  J.  Kelly,  LL.D. 

Augustus  C.  Long,  LL.D.* 

Adrian  O'Keeffe,  LL.D. 

Very  Rev.  Msgr.  Patrick  W.  Skehan, 

LL.D. 
Nils  Y.  Wessell,  LL.D. 

1958 

Most  Rev.  Amleto  G.  Cicognani,  LL.D. 

(April  21,  1958) 
Carl  J.  Gilbert,  LL.D. 
Paul  Horgan,  Litt.D. 
Barnaby  C.  Keeney,  LL.D.* 
Henry  M.  Leen,  LL.D. 
Jacques  Maritain,  LL.D. 
Raissa  Maritain,  LL.D. 
Harold  Marston  Morse,  D.Sc. 
Rev.  John  B.  Sheerin,  C.S.P.,  LL.D. 
Francis  Cardinal  Spellman,  LL.D. 

(December  8,  1958) 

1959 

His  Excellency  Sean  T.  O'Kelly,  LL.D. 

(March  22,  1959) 
Ernest  Henderson,  LL.D. 
Rev.  John  LaFarge,  S.J.,  LL.D. 
Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  LL.D. 
George  Meany,  LL.D. 
Carlos  P.  Romulo,  LL.D.* 
Helen  C.  White,  Litt.D. 

1960 

Marian  Anderson,  D.Mus. 
J.  Peter  Grace,  LL.D. 
Caryl  P.  Haskins,  LL.D. 


*  Commencement  Speakers 


557 


558        Honorary  Degrees  Awarded  by  Boston  College 


1960  (Continued) 
Robert  F.  Kennedy,  LL.D. 
Charles  Malik,  LL.D.* 
Most  Rev.  Russell  J.  McVinney,  LL.D. 
Samuel  Eliot  Morison,  LL.D. 
Rt.  Rev.  Matthew  P.  Stapleton,  LL.D. 
Rev.  Henry  M.  Brock,  S.J.,  D.Sc. 
(October  12,  1960) 

1961 

Allen  W.  Dulles,  LL.D. 

Anthony  JuHan,  LL.D. 

Robert  D.  Murphy,  LL.D.* 

Louis  R.  Perini,  LL.D. 

Abraham  Ribicoff,  LL.D. 

Rt.  Rev.  Robert  J.  Sennott,  LL.D. 

Edward  Teller,  LL.D. 

1962 

DetlevW.  Bronk,  D.Sc* 

Ralph  J.  Bunche,  LL.D. 

Christopher  J.  Duncan,  M.D.,  LL.D. 

Sir  Alec  Guinness,  D.F.A. 

Rt.  Rev.  Francis  J.  Lally,  Litt.D. 

Ralph  Lowell,  LL.D. 

Phyllis  McGinley,  Litt.D. 

Perry  G.  Miller,  Litt.D. 

1963 

Augustin  Cardinal  Bea,  S.J.,  J.U.D. 

(March  26,  1963) 
Rev.  Edward  B.  Bunn,  S.J.,  LL.D. 

(April  20,  1963) 
Lady  Barbara  Ward  Jackson,  Litt.D. 

(April  20,  1963) 
Nathan  Marsh  Pusey,  L.H.D. 

(April  20,  1963) 
Bruce  Catton,  Litt.D. 
Anthony  Joseph  Celebrezze,  LL.D.* 
Arthur  Joseph  Goldberg,  LL.D. 
John  Jay  McCloy,  LL.D. 
James  Barrett  Reston,  LL.D. 
Rt.  Rev.  John  Joseph  Ryan,  L.H.D. 
Jose  Luis  Sert,  Litt.D. 
Joseph  Leo  Sweeney,  LL.D. 
Robert  Clifton  Weaver,  LL.D. 
James  Edwin  Webb,  D.Sc. 

1964 

John  Coleman  Bennett,  LL.D. 

Henri  Maurice  Peyre,  LL.D. 


Most  Rev.  Ernest  John  Primeau,  LL.D. 
Sidney  R.  Rabb,  L.H.D. 
Paul  Anthony  Samuelson,  LL.D. 
Rev.  Joseph  L.  Shea,  S.J.,  LL.D. 
Robert  Sargent  Shriver,  Jr.,  LL.D.* 
Mary  Sullivan  Stanton,  LL.D. 

1965 

John  P.  Birmingham,  LL.D. 

Robert  McAffee  Brown,  LL.D. 

J.  N.  Douglas  Bush,  Litt.D. 

Victor  L.  Butterfield,  L.H.D. 

John  T.  Connor,  LL.D. 

Edith  Green,  LL.D. 

Rev.  John  Courtney  Murray,  S.J., 

L.H.D.* 
Rt.  Rev.  Lawrence  J.  Riley,  LL.D. 
Alan  T.  Waterman,  D.Sc. 

1966 

Most  Rev.  John  W.  Comber,  M.M., 

L.H.D. 
Edward  F.  Gilday,  L.H.D. 
Edward  M.  Kennedy,  LL.D. 
Francis  Keppel,  LL.D.* 
Mother  Eleanor  M.  O'Byrne,  R.S.C.J., 

LL.D. 
Stephen  P.  Mugar,  LL.D. 
Abram  L.  Sachar,  L.H.D. 
Rene  Wellek,  Litt.D. 
George  Wells  Beadle,  D.Sc. 

(November  12,  1966) 
Wilham  Bosworth  Casde,  M.D.,  L.H.D. 

(November  12,  1966) 
Donald  Frederick  Hornig,  LL.D. 

(November  12,  1966) 
James  Alfred  Van  Allen,  D.Sc. 

(November  12,  1966) 

1967 

Sarah  Caldwell,  Litt.D. 
Richard  Palmer  Chapman,  LL.D. 
Very  Rev.  John  Francis  Fitzgerald, 

C.S.P.,  L.H.D. 
John  Kenneth  Galbraith,  LL.D. 
John  William  Gardner,  LL.D.* 
Everett  Cherrington  Hughes,  LL.D. 
John  Anthony  Volpe,  LL.D. 

1968 

Kingman  Brewster,  Jr.,  LL.D.* 

Rev.  Henri  de  Lubac,  S.J.,  L.H.D. 


*  Commencement  Speakers 


Honorary  Degrees  Awarded  by  Boston  College        559 


Erwin  N.  Griswold,  LL.D. 

Rita  P.  Kelleher,  D.Sc. 

Most  Rev.  John  J.  McEleney,  S.J.,  LL.D. 

Cornelius  W.  Owens,  LL.D. 

James  J.  Shea,  Sr.,  LL.D. 

Roger  J.  Traynor,  LL.D. 

1969 

R.  Buckminster  Fuller,  D.F.A.* 
Katharine  Graham,  D.Journ. 
Philip  J.  McNiff,  L.H.D. 
Talcott  Parsons,  D.S.S. 
A.  Philip  Randolph,  LL.D. 
Henry  Lee  Shattuck,  D.C.S. 
Terence  Cardinal  Cooke,  LL.D. 

1970 

James  Edward  Allen,  Jr.,  D.Sc.Ed. 

Rt.  Rev.  John  Melville  Burgess,  LL.D. 

Joan  Ganz  Cooney,  D.Sc.Ed. 

Sterling  Dow,  L.H.D. 

Hartford  Nelson  Gunn,  Jr.,  L.H.D. 

Rev.  Bernard  Joseph  Francis  Lonergan, 

S.J.,  Hist.Phil.D. 
Elliot  Norton,  L.H.D. 
Perry  Townsend  Rathbone,  D.F.A. 
Earl  Warren,  D.Sc.L.* 

1971 

Walter  Jackson  Bate,  H.D. 
Andrew  Felton  Brimmer,  S.S.D. 
Rev.  Msgr.  George  William  Casey, 

Litt.D. 
Mircea  Eliade,  R.D. 
Eli  Goldston,  LL.D. 
Elma  Lewis,  D.F.A. 
Michael  Joseph  Mansfield,  LL.D.* 
William  James  McGiU,  S.S.D. 
Most  Rev.  Humberto  Sousa  Medeiros, 

S.T.D. 
Walter  George  Muelder,  D.Sc.T. 
Leverett  Saltonstall,  LL.D. 

1972 

Mary  Ingraham  Bunting,  D.Sc. 

Arthur  Fiedler,  D.Mus. 

Northrop  Frye,  L.H.D. 

John  James  Griffin,  D.C.S. 

Sir  WiUiam  Arthur  Lewis,  L.H.D. 

Louis  Martin  Lyons,  D.Journ. 


Rev.  John  Anthony  McCarthy,  S.J., 

Litt.D. 
Hildegarde  Elizabeth  Peplau,  D.N.S. 
Adlai  Ewing  Stevenson,  III,  LL.D.* 
Walter  Edward  Washington,  LL.D. 

1973 

A.  J.  Antoon,  L.H.D. 

Harold  Bloom,  L.H.D. 

Fred  J.  Borch,  D.B.A. 

Vernon  E.  Jordan,  Jr.,  LL.D. 

John  George  Kemeny,  D.Sc* 

Rev.  Daniel  Linehan,  S.J.,  D.Sc. 

Thomas  Philip  O'Neill,  Jr.,  LL.D. 

1974 

Sola  Mentschikoff,  LL.D.* 

Thomas  L.  Phillips,  D.B.A. 

Carl  Thomas  Rowan,  L.H.D. 

Thomas  Paul  Salmon,  LL.D. 

Sir  Ronald  Syme,  L.H.D. 

Henry  Bradford  Washburn,  Jr.,  L.H.D. 

1975 

Melnea  A.  Cass,  L.H.D. 

Silvio  O.  Conte,  LL.D. 

John  Thomas  Dunlop,  LL.D. 

Rev.  Francis  J.  Gilday,  S.J.,  L.H.D. 

Edward  Lewis  Hirsh,  L.H.D. 

Paul  Ricoeur,  L.H.D.* 

Vincent  Charles  Ziegler,  D.B.A. 

Bicentennial  Convocation 

September  28,  1975 

Thomas  Joseph  Galligan,  Jr.,  D.B.A. 

Oscar  Handlin,  L.H.D. 

WiUiam  J.  Harrington,  M.D.,  D.Sc. 

Edward  Hirsh  Levi,  LL.D. 

Rev.  Michael  Patrick  Walsh,  S.J., 

L.H.D. 
Mary  Lou  Williams,  D.A. 

1976 

Abram  Thurlow  Collier,  D.B.A. 

John  Hope  Franklin,  L.H.D. 

Rev.  Martin  Patrick  Harney,  S.J.,  H.D. 

Mildred  Fay  Jefferson,  M.D.,  D.Sc. 

Asa  Smallidge  Knowles,  D.Sc.Ed. 

Joseph  Francis  Maguire,  LL.D. 

Daniel  Patrick  Moynihan,  LL.D.* 


'Commencement  Speakers 


560        Honorary  Degrees  Awarded  by  Boston  College 


1977 

Rev.  Raymond  Edward  Brown,  Litt.D. 

Gerhard  D.  Bleicken,  LL.D. 

Alice  Bourneuf,  D.Sc. 

James  F.  McDonough,  M.D.,  D.Sc. 

Maria  Tallchief  Paschen,  D.A. 

Michael  Joseph  Walsh,  Litt.D. 

1978 

Bruno  Bettelheim,  Litt.D. 

Rev.  Charles  F.  Donovan,  S.J.,  L.H.D. 

Charles  D.  Ferris,  LL.D."' 

Marvin  E.  Frankel,  LL.D. 

John  William  McDevitt,  LL.D. 

Leo  Pedis,  D.S.S. 

1979 

Dorothy  Baker,  D.S.S. 
Edward  Patrick  Boland,  LL.D. 
George  P.  Donaldson,  LL.D. 
Richard  EUman,  L.H.D. 
Robben  W.  Fleming,  L.H.D. 
WalterF.  Mondale,  LL-D.^- 
DavidS.  Nelson,  LL.D.'- 

1980 

Germaine  Bree,  Litt.D.''" 
Albert  M.  Folkard,  L.H.D. 
Edward  J.  King,  D.Pub.Admn. 
Joseph  Cardinal  Malula,  LL.D. 
Bernard  J.  O'Keefe,  D.E.Sc. 
Kevin  H.  White,  LL.D. 

1981 

Thomas  Cardinal  O  Fiaich,  Litt.D. 

(October  1981) 
Rev.  Joseph  Delphis  Gauthier,  S.J., 

L.H.D. 
Margaret  M.  Heckler,  LL.D. 
Rose  Fitzgerald  Kennedy,  L.H.D. 
Donald  F.  McHenry,  LL.D. 
Joseph  Harry  Silverstein,  D.A. 
Paul  Donovan  Sullivan,  D.S.S. 
Thomas  P.  O'Neill,  Jr.,  The  Ignatius 

Medal*" 

1982 

Rev.  Robert  L  Burns,  S.J.,  L.H.D. 

George  Bush,  LL.D.''" 

Robert  A.  Charpie,  D.Sc. 

Josephine  L.  Taylor,  D.Sc.Ed. 


1983 

Maya  Angelou,  L.H.D. 
Virginia  A.  Henderson,  D.N.S. 
Joseph  McKenney,  D.Ed. 
Vincent  T.  O'Keefe,  S.J.,  L.H.D. 

(March  1983) 
Bruce  J.  Ritter,  O.F.M.,  D.S.S.* 
An  Wang,  LL.D. 

1984 

Leon  Higginbotham,  LL.D. 

Richard  Hill,  D.B.A. 

Most  Rev.  Bernard  F.  Law,  S.T.D.*" 

Robert  Merrifield,  D.Sc. 

Muriel  Sutherland  Snowden,  D.S.S. 

Otto  Phillip  Snowden,  D.S.S. 

1985 

Rev.  Frederick  Joseph  Adelmann,  S.J., 

L.H.D. 
Lena  Frances  Edwards,  D.Sc. 
Rev.  J.  Bryan  Hehir,  LL.D. 
Agnes  Mongan,  D.F.A. 
Anthony  John  Francis  O'Reilly,  D.B.A. 

(March  1985) 
Andrew  J.  Young,  LL.D.''" 
Edward  Zigler,  L.H.D. 

1986 

Corazon  C.  Aquino,  The  Ignatius 

Medal 

(September  1986) 
Guido  Calabresi,  LL.D. 
Jacques  d'Amboise,  D.F.A. 
Annie  Dillard,  L.H.D. 
Lionel  B.  Richie,  Jr.,  D.Mus. 
Francis  C.  Rooney,  Jr.,  D.B.A. 
Jamie  Cardinal  Sin,  S.T.D.'^" 

1987 

Josephine  A.  Dolan,  D.N.S. 

Garret  FitzGerald,  LL.D. 

Walter  E.  Massey,  D.Sc. 

John  G.  McElwee,  LL.D. 

Rev.  Francis  W.  Sweeney,  S.J.,  L.H.D. 

Vernon  A.  Walters,  LL.D.''" 

1988 

His  Grace,  Samuel  E.  Carter,  S.J., 

S.T.D.'^ 
Esme  Valerie  Ehot,  D.Litt. 


'"Commencement  Speakers 


Honorary  Degrees  Awarded  by  Boston  College       561 

Hans-Georg  Gadamer,  L.H.D.  Richard  Francis  Syron,  LL.D. 

Robert  Francis  O'Malley,  D.Sc.  (March  18,  1989) 

Richard  Alan  Smith,  LL.D.  Jerzy  Turowicz,  L.H.D. 

Paul  A.  Volcker,  LL.D. 

1990 

Edward  A.  Brennan,  D.B.A. 

Thomas  J.  Brokaw,  L.H.D." 

1989  Raymond  G.  Chambers,  The  Ignatius 

Thea  Bowman,  F.S.P.A.,  R.D.  Medal 

George  E.  Doty,  The  Ignatius  Medal  (April  5,  1990) 

(April  6,  1989)  Franklyn  G.  Jenifer,  LL.D. 

Jonathan  Kozol,  D.S.S.*  Cesar  A.  Jerez,  S.J.,  L.H.D. 

Thomas  S.  Murphy,  LL.D.  Eunice  Kennedy  Shriver,  L.H.D. 

Kenneth  Gilmore  Ryder,  D.Sc. Ed.  Robert  M.  Solow,  LL.D. 


''Commencement  Speakers 


Buildings  Related  to  Boston  College  Operations 

Location  and  Primary  Use,  Fall  1989 


Date 

Constructed 

Name 

Location 

Primary  Use 

or 
Acquired 

Alumni  House 

885  Centre  Street 

Administrative 

1974 

Alumni  Stadium 

2601  Beacon  Street 

Sports 

1957 

Bapst  Library 

Middle  Campus 

Library 

1928 

Barat  House 

885  Centre  Street 

Jesuit  Res.  &  Admin. 

1974 

Barry  Fine  Arts  Pavilion 

885  Centre  Street 

Academic  &  Administrative 

1974 

Bea  House' 

176  Commonwealth  Ave. 

Jesuit  Residence 

1965 

Botolph  House 

18  Old  Colony  Road 

Administrative 

1967 

Bourneuf  House 

84  College  Road 

Administrative 

1985 

Brock  House 

78  College  Road 

Administrative 

1972 

Campion  Hall 

Middle  Campus 

Academic  &  Administrative 

1955 

Canisius  House' 

67  Lee  Road 

Jesuit  Residence 

1966 

Carney  Hall 

Middle  Campus 

Academic  &  Administrative 

1962 

Cheverus  Hall 

127  Hammond  Street 

Student  Residence 

1960 

Claver  Hall 

40  Tudor  Road 

Student  Residence 

1955 

Commonwealth  Avenue 

Dormitories-Building  A 

80  Commonwealth  Ave. 

Student  Residence 

1988 

Connolly  Carriage  House 

300  Hammond  Street 

Storage 

1975 

Connolly  Faculty  Center 

300  Hammond  Street 

Academic 

1975 

Silvio  O.  Conte  Forum 

2609  Beacon  Street 

Sports  &  Administrative 

1988 

Cottage  and  Garage 

885  Centre  Street 

Residence 

1974 

Cushing  Hall 

Middle  Campus 

Academic  &  Administrative 

1960 

Cashing  House 

885  Centre  Street 

Student  Residence 

1974 

Daly  House' 

262  Beacon  Street 

Jesuit  Residence 

1981 

Devlin  Hall 

Middle  Campus 

Academic  &  Administrative 

1924 

Donaldson  House 

90  College  Road 

Administrative 

1975 

Duchesne  East 

885  Centre  Street 

Student  Residence 

1974 

Duchesne  West 

885  Centre  Street 

Student  Residence 

1974 

Edmond's  Hall 

200  St.  Thomas  More  Dr. 

Student  Residence 

1975 

Faber  House 

102  College  Road 

Academic 

1938 

Fenwick  Hall 

46  Tudor  Road 

Student  Residence 

1960 

Fitzpatrick  Hall 

137  Hammond  Street 

Student  Residence 

1960 

William  J.  Flynn  Student 

Recreation  Complex 

Lower  Campus 

Sports  &  Administration 

1972 

Fulton  Hall 

Middle  Campus 

Academic  &  Administrative 

1948 

Gasson  Hall 

Middle  Campus 

Academic  &c  Administrative 

1913 

Gonzaga  Hall 

149  Hammond  Street 

Student  Residence 

1958 

Greycliff  Hall 

2051  Commonwealth  Ave. 

Student  Residence 

1969 

Gym  (Newton) 

885  Centre  Street 

Gymnasium 

1974 

Haley  House 

314  Hammond  Street 

Academic  &  Administrative 

1969 

Haley  Carriage  House 

314  Hammond  Street 

Child  Care  Center 

1969 

Hancock  House 

223  Beacon  Street 

Academic 

1907 

Hardey  House 

885  Centre  Street 

Student  Residence 

1974 

Higgins  Hall 

Middle  Campus 

Academic  8c  Administrative 

1966 

Hopkins  House 

116  College  Road 

Administrative 

1968 

Hovey  House 

258  Hammond  Street 

Academic  &  Administrative 

1971 

Ignacio  Hall 

100  Commonwealth  Ave. 

Student  Residence 

1973 

Kenny-Cottle  Library 

885  Centre  Street 

Library 

1974 

'Rented  to  Jesuit  Community  of  Boston  College. 


563 


564        Buildings  Related  to  Boston  College  Operations 


Date 

Constructed 

Name 

Location 

Primary  Use 

or 
Acquired 

Keyes  North  &  South 

885  Centre  Street 

Student  Residence 

1974 

Kostka  Hall 

149  Hammond  Street 

Student  Residence 

1957 

Lawrence  House 

122  College  Road 

Administrative 

1968 

Loyola  Hall 

42  Tudor  Road 

Student  Residence 

1955 

Lyons  Hall 

Middle  Campus 

Academic  &  Administrative 

1951 

Mary  House 

885  Centre  Street 

Academic  &  Administrative 

1974 

McElroy  Commons-^ 

Middle  Campus 

Student  Services  &  Admin. 

1960 

McGuinn  Hall 

Middle  Campus 

Academic  &  Administration 

1968 

Medeiros  Townhouses 

60  Tudor  Road 

Student  Residence 

1971 

Mill  Street  Cottage 

29  Mill  Street 

Residence 

1974 

Modular  Apartments 

Lower  Campus 

Student  Residence 

1970 

Murray  House 

292  Hammond  Street 

Commuter  Center 

1967 

Murray  Carriage  House 

292  Hammond  Street 

Storage 

1967 

O'Connell  House 

185  Hammond  Street 

Student  Union 

1938 

Thomas  P.  O'Neill,  Jr. 

Library 

Middle  Campus 

Central  Research  Library 

1984 

Parking  Garage 

2599  Beacon  Street 

General  Parking  Facility 

1979 

Rahner  House 

96  College  Road 

Administrative 

1952 

Robsham  Theater  Arts 

Center 

Lower  Campus 

Student  Services  &  Academic 

1981 

Roncalli  Hall 

182  Hammond  Street 

Student  Residence 

1965 

Rubenstein  Hall/Hillside  D 

90  Commonwealth  Ave. 

Student  Residence 

1973 

Service  Building 

Middle  Campus 

Trade  Shops  &  Admin. 

1948 

Shaw  House 

377  Beacon  Street 

Student  Residence 

1962 

Commander  Shea  Field 

Lower  Campus 

Baseball  Diamond 

1960 

Southwell  Hall 

38  Commonwealth  Ave. 

Administrative 

1937 

St.  Mary's  HalP 

Middle  Campus 

Jesuit  Residence 

1917 

St.  Thomas  More  Hall 

St.  Thomas  More  Dr. 

Administrative 

1955 

Stuart  House  and  the  James 

W.  Smith  Wing 

885  Centre  Street 

Academic  &C  Administrative 

1974 

Thea  Bowman  AHANA 

Center 

72  College  Road 

Administrative 

1970 

Trinity  Chapel  (Newton) 

885  Centre  Street 

Chapel 

1974 

Voute  Hall 

110  Commonwealth  Ave. 

Student  Residence 

1988 

Michael  P.  Walsh  Hall 

150  St.  Thomas  More  Dr. 

Student  Res.  &  Dining  Fac. 

1980 

Welch  Hall 

200  Hammond  Street 

Student  Residence 

1965 

Weston  Observatory 

Weston,  MA 

Research  &  Administrative 

1948 

Williams  Hall 

143  Hammond  Street 

Student  Residence 

1965 

Xavier  Hall 

44  Tudor  Road 

Student  Residence 

1955 

— 

36  College  Road 

Administrative 

1974 

— 

66  Commonwealth  Ave. 

Student  Residence 

1989 



3 1  Lawrence  Avenue 

Academic 

1979 



55  Lee  Road 

Residence 

1978 

-Student  Services  in  McElroy  Commons  include  bookstore,  dining  halls,  mail  room,  and  the  U.S.  Post  Office. 
'Owned  by  the  Jesuit  Community  of  Boston  College. 
Source:  Boston  College  Fact  Book,  1988-1989. 


INDEX 


Aber,  Jeanne,  457 

Academic  Vice  President,  of- 
fice of,  312,  314,  467,  468 

"Accountability,"  committee 
for,  360 

Accounting:  as  elective,  172; 
intown  classes  for,  169 

Accreditation:  of  CBA,  255;  in 
1800s,  107-109;  granting 
of,  425;  renewed  m  1980s, 
529 

Activism,  student,  354,  358 

Adelman  Collection,  180 

Adelman,  Seymour,  179,  180 

Adelmann,  Rev.  Frederick, 
S.J.,  282,  383 

Adelmann  Chair,  endowed, 
456 

Administration,  in  1970s,  399 
{see  also  specific  administra- 
tions) 

Admissions  process,  271;  by 
certification,  186-187; 
early,  254;  minority  stu- 
dents in,  352;  1938  changes 
in,  186,  187;  tuition  in,  107 

Adult  education,  55-56,  127- 
128,  212;  Institute  of,  200; 
YMCA  and,  74 

Affirmative  action,  411,  514 

Agassiz  Association,  99 

AHANA,  512,  513,514(see 
also  Minorities) 

Ahearn,  Raymond,  244 

Ahern,  Rev.  Michael,  J.,  S.J., 
328 

Air  Force,  U.S.,  campus  re- 
cruitment of,  364 

Alma  Mater,  financial  support 
for,  450  (see  also  Alumni) 

AlphaSigmaNu,  243,  301, 
512 

Alumni,  274  (see  also  Fund 
raising);  among  faculty, 
247-248,  249;  building 
fund  drive  of,  148;  1907 


dinner  of,  116;  opinion 
polls  of,  393-395;  organi- 
zation of,  88;  steady  growth 
of  annual  giving  by,  419— 
420 

Alumni  Association,  329; 
1904  banquet  of,  110; 
building  fund  supported  by, 
136;  home  of,  329;  U.S. 
Steel  Foundation  Award  to, 
450 

Alumni  Awards  of  Excellence, 
459 

Alumni  Bulletin,  The,  146, 
187,329 

Alumni  Field,  178-179,  192; 
dedication  of,  139;  drill  on, 
196;  new,  262-263 ;SATC 
on,  142 

Alumni  Hall,  531;  on  Com- 
monwealth Avenue,  222 

Alumni  News,  294 

Alumni  Stadium  Fund  Drive, 
263,  268 

Amee,  Col.  Josiah  L.  C,  11, 
12 

American  Association  of  Col- 
legiate Schools  of  Business 
(AACSB),  172,  255,  256 

American  Association  of  Uni- 
versity Women  (AAUW), 
304 

American  Bar  Association, 
168,236,509 

American  Studies,  Institute  of, 
285 

Anderledy,  Very  Rev.  Anthony 
M.,  S.J.,  94 

Anderson,  Most  Rev.  Joseph 
G.,  130 

Anderson,  Timothy,  400 

Andover-Newton  Theological 
School,  382 

Andover  workshops,  426 

Andrews,  Gov.  John  A.,  20, 
31,35 


Angelou,  Maya,  510,  514 
Anniversary,  125th,  527-528 
Anthropology,  Dept.  of,  181 
Anzenberger,  Robert,  397 
Apologetics,  intown  classes 

for,  169 
Appleyard,  Rev.  Joseph,  S.J., 

424,  535 
Arbor  Homes,  Inc.,  391 
Architects  (see  also  Maginnis 
and  Walsh):  Design  Alli- 
ance, 435,  436,  439;  for 
Harrison  Avenue  site,  20; 
for  renovation  of  Bapst  Li- 
brary, 443-444;  for  Walsh 
Hall,  439 
Architects  Collaborative,  The, 

440,  443 
Aristotelian-Thomistic  philos- 
ophy, 220 
Army  Enlisted  Reserve  Corps, 

during  WWII,  193 
Army  Specialized  Training 
Program  (ASTP),  195-198; 
scientific  courses  adjusted 
for,  212 
Aronoff,  Samuel,  342,  397 
Arrupe,  Very  Rev.  Pedro,  S.J., 

318,338,350 
Art  [see  also  Dramatics;  Mu- 
sic): fine  arts,  257;  impor- 
tance of,  412;  studio  art, 
431 
Arts  and  Sciences,  College  of 
(A8cS),  234,  257;  adminis- 
tration of,  253,  342,  346; 
classical  education  of,  219; 
departmental  organization 
of,  502-503;  faculty  of, 
504;  honors  program  of, 
283;  "Immersion  Program" 
of,  504;  interdisciplinary 
minors  in,  504;  and  Mary 
Daly  controversy,  345-346; 
and  ROTC  courses,  348; 
second  self-study  of,  529; 


565 


566        Index 


self-appraisal  by,  295-299; 
self-study  committees  on 
Areas  of  Concern,  297  (see 
p.  309,  note  20,  for  names 
of  members) 

Arts  and  Sciences,  Graduate 
School  (GSA&S)  {see  also 
Graduate  School)  504;  ad- 
ministration of,  342;  mis- 
sion of,  506-507;  in  1980s, 
505;  Planning  Committee, 
506-507(seep.  516,  note 
12,  for  names  of  members) 

Association  of  American  Col- 
leges, 202 

Association  of  American  Law 
Schools,  509 

Association  of  American  Uni- 
versities (AAU),  233 

Association  of  Intercollegiate 
Athletics  for  Women 
(AIAW),  474 

Association  of  Jesuit  Colleges 
and  Universities  (AJCU), 
512 

Athletic  advisory  board,  483 

Athletic  Association,  85-86 

Athletic  field:  on  Chestnut  Hill 
campus,  132,  138;  and  in- 
tercollegiate competition, 
110;  sale  of,  126 

Athletic  program  {see  also  spe- 
cific programs),  261;  back- 
ground of,  472-474;  during 
Depression,  178;  football 
in,  262-264;  ice  hockey, 
264-266;  leaders  of,  266- 
268;  in  1960s,  330-332; 
perspectives  on,  482-484; 
proposals  for  athletic  field, 
102;  track,  267-268;  wom- 
en's participation  in,  474 

Atlantic  Monthly,  108 

Attendance  policy,  260,  321 

Austin,  William  D.,  120 

August,  Paul,  397 

Ault,  Hugh  J.,  509 

Baccalaureate  origins  of  doc- 
torate recipients  survey, 
520-522 

Bachelor  of  Arts  Degree  {see 
also  Degree  programs): 
without  Greek  requirement, 
210;  and  updating  curricu- 
lum, 297 

Baird,  William,  354 

Baker,  Dorothy,  502 


Balfour,  L.  G.,  Foundation, 

514 
Banks,  Paul  T.,  St.,  249 
Bapst,  Rev.  John,  S.J.,  25,  26, 
33,  57;  and  charter,  29; 
early  education  of,  32; 
elected  president,  27;  on  en- 
rollment, 52;  finances  and, 
36-39,  54;  and  first  exhibi- 
tion, 45—49;  mission  in 
Maine  of,  32,  34;  retirement 
from  B.C.,  62-65 
Bapst  Auditorium,  180;  con- 
version of,  389 
Bapst  Library,  272,  370,  439; 
complaints  about,  260; 
costs  of,  444;  Gargan  Hall, 
373;  O'Neill  room  of,  83; 
rededication  of,  444;  reno- 
vation of,  159,  443-445, 
526 
Barat  House,  426 
Barnum,  Rev.  Francis,  S.J.,  98 
Baron,  Charles  H.,  509 
Barrister,  Rev.  John,  S.J.,  24 
Barry  Fine  Arts  Pavilion,  438 
Barry,  Rev.  William  A.,  S.J., 

526,  529,  530 
Barth,  Rev.  J.  Robert,  S.J., 

454,  503,  523-524 
Baseball  program,  110,  213, 
330,  472,  474;  m  1800s, 
86;  as  varsity  sport,  479- 
480 
Basketball  program,  330,  473, 

478,481 
Bea,  Augustin  Cardinal,  305 
Beadle,  Dr.  George,  293 
Beanpot  Tournament,  330, 

477 
Beauregard,  Henry  G.,  273 
Becker  Report,  393-394 
Beer,  Samuel,  454,  455 
Bells,  Tower,  132-133  {see 

also  Tower  building) 
Berney,  Arthur  L.,  509 
Berry,  Mary,  514 
Berry,  Robert  C,  509 
Beta  Gamma  Sigma,  301 
Betts,  John  R.,  278,  285 
Bezuszka,  Rev.  Stanley,  S.J., 

284,317 
Bicentennial,  American,  458— 

460 
Bicentennial  Rale  Medallion, 

268 
Bicknell,  Jack,  473,475 
Bidermann,  Jakob,  307 


Big  East  Conference,  473, 
481-482 

Billman,  Carl,  303 

Biochemistry,  major  in,  503 

Biology,  doctoral  program  in, 
292,315,380 

Biweekly,  378,  491,  527 

Black  community,  513—515 

Black  History  and  Culture 
Week,  first,  351 

Black  Student  Forum,  350, 
351-352,353 

Black  students  {see  also  Mi- 
norities): demands  of,  351— 
352;  enrollment  of,  513- 
514;  in  graduate  programs, 
514-515 

"Blacks  in  Boston"  confer- 
ences, 514 

Black  Studies  Program,  352 

Black  Talent  and  Coordinating 
Committee,  353 

"Black  Talent  Program,"  318, 
352,515 

"Black  Talent  Search,"  350 

Blain,  Laetitia,  464 

Blanchette,  Rev.  Oliva,  S.J., 
326 

Blue  Chips,  330 

Bluhm,  Heinz,  380 

Boardman,  Brigid,  524 

Boehm,  Rev.  F.  W.,  S.J.,  166 

Boisi,  Geoffrey  T.,  456 

Boisi,  Norine  Isacco,  456 

Boisi  Professorship,  456 

Bok,  Derek,  489 

Bolan,  John,  417 

Bollmg,  Rep.  Richard,  454 

Bond,  Julian,  514 

Bonn,  Rev.  John  L.,  S. J.,  199, 
213,240 

Book,  Dorothy  L.,  170,  171- 
172 

Bornstein,  Joseph,  249 

Boston:  immigration  of  Irish 
to,  2;  land  for  Law  School 
purchased  from,  236 

Boston  Athenaeum,  97 

Boston  College,  name  of, 
272-275 

Boston  College  Athenaeum,  99 
{see  also  Dramatics) 

Boston  College  Club,  119,  133 

Boston  College  Downtown 
Club,  328 

Boston  College  Focus,  424 

Boston  College  Hall,  on  origi- 
nal campus,  51 


Index        567 


Boston  College  Intown,  170 
{see  also  Intown  College) 

Boston  College  Magazine,  329 

Boston  College  Nurses'  Asso- 
ciation, 494  {see  also  Nurs- 
ing, School  of) 

Boston  College  Women's  Cen- 
ter, 411-412 

Boston  Daily  Advisor,  94 

Boston  Edison  Foundation, 
456 

Boston  Globe:  on  Harvard/ 
B.C.  relationship,  490;  on 
Pres.  Joyce,  400-401;  on 
student  strike,  360 

Boston  Herald,  397 

Boston  Pops  Orchestra,  264 

Boston  Redevelopment  Au- 
thority, 328 

Boston  Saturday  Evening 
Transcript,  94,  139 

Boston  School  Committee,  and 
master's  degrees,  162,  163 

Boston  Symphony  Hall,  Uni- 
versity Chorale  at,  534 

Boston  Theological  Institute, 
317,341 

Boston  University,  272 

Botolph  House,  344,  362 

Boudreau,  Walter,  329 

Bourneuf,  Ahce  F.,  401,  458 

Bourneuf  House,  458 

Boursaud,  Rev.  Edward  V., 
S.J.,  76,  87;  and  alumni 
organization,  88;  appointed 
president,  86;  background 
of,  87;  departure  of,  88 

Bow  ditch,  James,  360 

Bowditch,  N.  I.,  11,  12 

Bowen,  John,  Building  Con- 
tractors, 389 

Bowl  games,  394,  476  {see 
also  Athletic  program) 

Bowman,  Sr.  Thea,  514,  515 

Boyer,  Ernest  L.,  441 

Bradford,  Gov.  Robert,  222 

Brady,  Bishop  John,  101 

Brady,  Rev.  Robert  Wasson, 
S.J.,  54;  appointed  presi- 
dent, 63;  background  of, 
63;  as  Provincial  of  Mary- 
land Province,  66;  as  vice 
president,  29 

Branca,  Alfred,  330 

Brand,  Mr.  D.  Leo.,  S.J.,  86 

Braves'  Field,  179,  213,  262 

Brazier,  Gary  P.,  455 

Bree,  Germaine,  464 


Brennan,  Anita  L.  Professor- 
ship, 456 

Brennan,  John  V.,  456 

Brennan,  Joseph  G.,  340 

Brett,  Rev.  William  P.,  S.J., 
128 

Brewer,  Gardner,  132 

Bridge,  329,401 

Brocard,  Very  Rev.  Ignatius, 
S.J.,  10 

Brock,  Rev.  Henry  M.,  S.J., 
327 

Broderick,  John  F.,  75 

Brosnahan,  Rev.  Timothy,  S.J., 
84,  100;  appointed  presi- 
dent, 99;  background  of, 
100;  changes  instituted  by, 
102-103;  and  intercolle- 
giate debate,  100;  reply  to 
Pres.  Eliot,  108-109 

Brown,  Donald,  512,  513,  514 

Brown,  George  D.,  509 

Brown,  Robert  McAfee,  306 

Brown  vs.  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, 337 

Brown  estate,  176 

Bruyn,  Severyn  T.,  369 

Bryan,  Fred,  192 

Brzozowski,  Very  Rev.  Thad- 
deus,  S.J.,  4 

Buckley,  Rev.  John,  S.J.,  62, 
99 

Budd,  Wayne  A.,  296 

Budget  {see  Operating  budget) 

Budget  Committee,  359,  361, 
399 

Buildiiig  Fund  Drive,  138  {see 
also  Fund-raising) 

Buildings,  "temporary,"  210, 
239 

Bulger,  William  M.,  490 

Bulletin,  The  Alumni,  146, 
187,329 

Bullock,  Alex  H.,  31 

Bunn,  Rev.  Edward  B.,  S.J., 
307 

Burger,  Chief  Justice  Warren, 
522 

Burger,  Hon.  William,  507 

Burghardt,  Rev.  Walter,  S.J., 
306 

Burke,  Bernie,  476,  477 

Burke,  Edmund  R.,  399,  500 

Burke,  Rev.  James  L.,  S.J., 
200,212,234,314 

Burke,  Jeremiah  E.,  161 

Burling,  Philip,  413 

Burns,  Judge  John  J.,  443,  457 


Burns  Chair,  endowed,  457 

Burns  Foundation,  457 

Burns  Library  of  Rare  Books 
and  Special  Collections, 
443,  524,  526;  dedication 
of,  444 

Burns  Library  Visiting  Scholar, 
457 

Bush,  Pres.  George,  459,  485 

Bushala,  Eugene,  504 

Business  Administration,  Col- 
lege of  {see  also  Carroll 
School  of  Management; 
Management,  School  of), 
171,172-173,257,394; 
accreditation  of,  255;  ad- 
ministration of,  313;  advi- 
sory committee  for,  172; 
and  basic  classical  educa- 
tion, 218-219;  faculty  of, 
316—317;  first  graduating 
class,  173;  moved  to  main 
campus,  187—188;  and 
ROTC  courses,  348 

Business  Conference,  first  an- 
nual, 240 

Buteux,  Rev.  Stanislas,  98 

Butterfield,  Victor,  296,  297, 
299-300, 425, 502 

Byrne,  Very  Rev.  William, 
Vicar-General,  101 

Byrnes,  James  J.,  Library,  223 

Byrnes,  Mr.  Michael,  S.  J.,  52 

Byrnes,  Robert  F.,  340 

Byron  Village,  391 

Bruyn,  Severyn  T.,  369 

Calendar,  academic:  holidays 
in,  389;  revision  of,  377— 
379 

Callan,  Patrick  H.,  65-66,  72, 
75 

Cambodia,  "strike  against," 
363 

"Campaign  for  Boston  Col- 
lege," 537—538  {see  also 
Fund  raising) 

Campanella,  Francis  B.,  354, 
411,414,422,438 

Campbell,  Richard  P.,  510 

Campbell,  Very  Rev.  Thomas 
J.,  S.J.,  94 

Campion  Auditorium,  243, 
418 

Campion  Hall,  142,  232,  258, 
259,  380;  Campus  School 
in,  532;  dedication  of,  259; 


568        Index 


extension  of,  533;  1950s 
dance  in,  241 

Campus  (James  St.):  altera- 
tions to,  72;  expansion  of, 
92,  101;  in  1860s,  56;  1907 
renovation  of,  116;  view  of, 
64 

Campus,  Chestnut  Hill  (see 
also  specific  buildings) :  Bea- 
con Street  front  of,  183; 
changes  in,  369;  CBA 
moved  to,  173;  cosmopoli- 
tan atmosphere  of,  285;  en- 
trances, 147;  first  library  at, 
138;  fund  drive  for,  118- 
119;  opening  of,  129;  in 
1917,  139 

Campus,  main  (see  also  spe- 
cific buildings):  entrance, 
235;  and  expanding  enroll- 
ment, 206—207;  expansion 
of  classroom  space  on,  206- 
207;  in  "Goals  for  the  Nine- 
ties," 531-532;  government 
surplus  buildings  on,  210; 
pressure  for  space  at,  205— 
206;  stone-brick  combina- 
tion on,  259 

Campus,  Newton,  430-432 

Campus  Council  Constitution, 
323-324 

Campus  School,  379,  380,  532 

Canavan,  Mayor  John  R.,  195, 
196 

Candlemas  Lectures,  242, 
278,305 

Capital  funds  campaign,  of 
1990s,  531 

Capital  funds  drive,  in  1970s, 
451 

Carey,  Gov.  Hugh,  460 

Caritas,  243 

Carnegie  Corporation,  281 

Carney,  Andrew,  24-26,  35— 
36,292 

Carney  Fund,  509 

Carney  Hall,  223,257,  291; 
construction  of,  292;  dedi- 
cation of,  292,  293 

Carney  Hospital,  35,  37 

Carney,  James,  137 

Carney,  Patrick  G.,  456 

Carovillano,  Robert,  296,  303, 
431 

Carroll,  Rev.  Anthony,  S.J., 
225 

Carroll,  Archbishop,  John,  3, 
4 


Carroll,  Wallace  E.,  497 

Carroll,  Mr.  William  S.  J.,  52 

Carroll  School  of  Management 
(CSOM),  455,494,  517- 
518;  Center,  463;  faculty  of, 
493-494,  495;  graduate 
programs  of,  495-497; 
golden  jubilee  of,  496;  joint 
degree  program  of,  495- 
496,  501;  Ph.D.  program, 
496 

Carruth,  Herbert  S.,  109 

Carson,  Mary,  474 

Carter,  Pres.  Jimmy,  454 

Carter,  Bishop  Samuel  E.,  S.  J., 
460 

Carrier,  Normand,  382 

Casey,  Rev.  William  Van  Et- 
ten,  S.J.,  235,  253-254, 
280,  281,301-302,  316;  as 
academic  vice  president, 
312;  and  curriculum 
changes,  254 

Castagnola,  Robert,  502 

Casde,  Dr.  William  B.,  293 

Catalda,  Gloria,  460 

Cataldo,  John,  460 

Catalog,  English  course  in,  93; 
Jesuit  philosophy  of  educa- 
tion in,  99 

Cathedral  School  Hall,  164 

Catholics:  in  English  colonies, 
2;  19th— century  attitudes 
toward,  1,  3, 

Cathohc,  Schools,  in  Boston, 
2-3 

Catholic  and  Jesuit  Identity, 
Council  on,  533-535  (see  p. 
539,  note  6,  for  names  of 
members) 

Catholic  Peace  Fellowship  of 
Boston,  319,  320 

Catholic  School  Leadership 
Program,  498 

Cathohc  University  of  Amer- 
ica, 209,  224 

Cautela,  Joseph,  249 

Cavanaugh,  Frank,  146 

Cavanaugh,  Rev.  Gerald,  S.J., 
454 

Ceglarski,  Len,  477 

Cenodoxus:  Doctor  of  Paris, 
307 

Centenary  Committee,  274, 
277  (see  p.  287,  note  26,  for 
names  of  members),  305 

Centennial  celebration,  304- 
308;  academic  convocation. 


307—308;  Gushing  address, 
306;  liturgical  celebration 
of,  305;  theater  at,  307- 
308;  theme  of,  277-278; 
theological  conference,  305— 
306 

Centennial  Fund  Campaign, 
295 

Centennial  Lecture,  302 

Central  American  University, 
529 

Change  of  Name  Committee, 
274  (see  p.  287,  note  12,  for 
names  of  members) 

Chapel  (Chestnut  Hill  cam- 
pus), fund  raising  for,  148; 
opened  to  public,  154 

Chaplain,  University,  concept 
of,  382-384 

Charter,  B.C.:  amendments  to, 
31;  language  of,  30—31; 
privileges  conferred  by,  161; 
and  Mass.  legislature,  28— 
29;  petition  for  amendment 
to,  118 

Chase  Manhattan,  456 

Cheerleaders,  women,  304 

Chemistry  course,  99 

Chemistry  Department,  243, 
244;  in  Devlin  Hall,  292- 
293;  doctoral  program  of, 
292,315,380 

Chen,  Joseph,  296 

Chestnut  Hill  site  (see  also 
Campus):  architectural 
competition  for,  119—121; 
early  photos  of,  117;  pur- 
chase of,  118;  selection  of, 
116,  118 

Cheverus  Hall,  290 

Chicago  University,  119 

Childers,  Mrs.  Erskine,  463 

Childs,  Mayor  Edwin  O.,  154 

Chlebek,  Edward,  473 

Chmielewski,  Rev.  Philip  J., 
S.J.,  536 

Choate,  Rufus,  12 

Chorale,  University,  464;  trip 
to  Rome,  534 

CIA,  campus  recruitment  of, 
413 

"Citizen  seminars,"  240,  464 

Civil  Aeronautics  Administra- 
tion (CAA),  191 

Civil  rights  movement,  350; 
and  student  protests,  317- 
318 

Civil  War,  25,  89,  98 


Index        569 


Civilian  Pilot  Training  course, 

191 
Clark,  Rev.  James,  S.J.,  29 
Class  attendance,  required, 

260,  321 
Classes,  boycott  of,  360,  362 
Classics,  commitment  to, 

218-220 
Class  schedule,  first  year,  45 

{see  also  Curriculum) 
Claver  residence  hall,  250 
Cleary,  Barbara  Coliton,  456 
Cleary,  James  F.,  456,  532, 

538 
Cleary,  Rev.  Richard  T.,  S.J., 

526,532,538 
Cleary  Chair,  endowed,  456 
Clerical  attire,  changes  in,  367 
CLX,  252  {see  also  Dormito- 
ries) 
Coalition  for  Aid  to  Private 

Higher  Education,  360-361 
Cockran,  Hon.  W.  Bourke, 

110,  119 
Coeducation,  226  {see  also 
Women);  in  1970s,  364- 
365;  in  A&S,  283;  exten- 
sion of,  367-368;  full,  304, 
346;  and  new  School  of  Ed- 
ucation, 231 
Coe  Foundation,  285 
Coghlan,  Rev.  Thomas  I.,  88 
Cohasset  resthouse,  176,  535 
Coleran,  Rev.  James,  S.J.,  231, 

291 
College  green,  537  {see  also 

Campus) 
College  hall,  new  (1875),  73 
"Collegium  Bostoniese  In- 

choatum,"  68 
Collins  Chair,  endowed,  456 
Collins,  Daniel  J.,  75 
Collins,  Evan,  417,  429 
Collins,  Rev.  John,  S.J.,  240, 

456 
Collins,  Mayor  Patrick  A.,  94 
Commencement  {see  also  Ex- 
hibition): 1877,  75;  1913, 
130;  1921,  154;  1928,  158; 
1944,  198;  1970,364; 
1972,386;  1982,459 
Commentaries  on  the  Gospel, 

181 
Commercial  course,  92-93; 

planning  for,  90,  91 
Commonwealth  Ave.  housing, 

531,532 
Commonwealth  Ave.  site,  115 


Community,  reaching  out  to, 
239  {see  also  Outreach  pro- 
grams) 

Computer  center,  410—411, 
441;growthof,  384,  533 

Computer:  first,  317;  in  li- 
brary, 441;  in  School  of  Ed- 
ucation, 498 

Computer  science,  major  in, 
503 

Computing  and  Communica- 
tions, (1986)  Committee  for 
Strategic  Planning  for,  533 
(see  p.  539,  note  4,  for 
names  of  members) 

Concannon,  Sr.  Mary  Jose- 
phina,  C.S.J.,  234,  244,  497 

Conduct  boards,  and  opposi- 
tion to  military  recruitment, 
366 

Confederacy,  53—54 

Connell,  William  F.,  538 

Connolly,  Msgr.  Arthur  L., 
181 

Connolly,  Rev.  Brendan  C, 
S.J.,  273,  433,438,  439, 
440,  457 

Connolly,  Michael,  433,  438 

Connolly,  Rev.  Terence  L., 
S.J.,  179,213,438,457, 
463,  524 

Connolly  House,  438 

Connors,  John  M.,  Jr.,  538 

Conscription,  141  {see  Mili- 
tary programs) 

Conte,  Rep.  Silvio  O.,  485 

Come  Forum,  477,  485,  536 

Conway,  Jill,  440 

Conway,  Rev.  William  J.,  S.J., 
126,  440 

Coquillette,  Daniel,  507,  508, 
509 

CORE,  318 

Core  curriculum  {see  also  Cur- 
riculum): new,  374—375; 
opposition  to,  374-375; 
task  force,  536  (see  p.  540, 
note  9,  for  names  of  mem- 
bers); reduction  of,  297— 
299;  theology  in,  343;  in 
UAPC  report,  425 

Core  programs,  371 

Corliss,  Rev.  William  V.,  S.J., 
145 

Cornerstones,  laying  of:  at 
Chestnut  Hill,  130;  first,  21; 
for  library,  155;  for  science 
building,  154 


Corporate  and  Community 
Relations,  Center  for,  500 
Corrigan,  Rev.  Jones  1.,  S.J., 

220 
Costs  {See  Operating  budget) 
Cotter,  Daniel,  466 
Cotter,  Joseph  F.,  407 
Cottle,  William  C,  314,  316 
Cotton  Bowl,  476 
Cottrol,  Robert  J.,  509 
Counihan,  Brian  J.,  315 
Cousy,  Bob,  330,  331,478, 

484 
Creative  Building  Systems,  393 
Creeden,  Rev.  John  B.,  S.J., 

167,  168 
Cronin,  Frank,  146 
Cronin,  Mary  J.,  444,  526 
Cross-country  racing,  474  {see 

also  Track  and  field) 
Cross  and  Crown,  Order  of, 

243 
Crowley,  Rev.  Charles  W.,  S.J., 

314 
Crowned  Hilltop,  The,  305 
Cudahy,  Brian,  343 
Cudmore,  Thomas  J.,  295 
Cultural  life,  of  college,  290 
Curley,  Hon.  James  M.,  139 
Curley,John,  179,214,264, 

266 
Curriculum  {see  also  Core  cur- 
riculum; specific  courses; 
departments):  A.B.  Greek, 
217;  classical,  210;  classi- 
cal-philosophical emphasis 
in,  217;  m  1869,  59;  En- 
glish course  in,  92—93;  his- 
tory in,  109;  importance  of 
philosophy  in,  202;  offered 
without  Greek,  182;  philos- 
ophy in,  254;  preparatory 
classes,  93;  theology  re- 
quirement, 342;  updating  of 
(1960s),  297-299;  after 
WWII,  218 
Curtin,  John  J.  Jr.,  509 
Gushing,  Richard  Cardinal, 
221,223,225,226,231, 
259,  271,306,  335;  Carney 
Hall  dedicated  by,  293; 
Crowned  Hilltop  Commis- 
sioned by,  305;  at  dedica- 
tion of  dormitories,  290; 
and  Institute  of  Human  Sci- 
ences, 294;  Law  School  ded- 
icated by,  236;  named  arch- 
bishop, 198;  and  Newton 


570        Index 


College,  426;  and  School  of 

Nursing,  289 
Gushing  Hall,  206,  277,  289, 

290 
Cutler  home,  437-438 
"Cut"  system,  321 

Daley,  Royston,  443,  535 

Dalsimer,  Adele,  462 

Dartmouth  College  Plan,  298- 
299 

Daly,  Chuck,  478 

Daly,  Mary,  345-346,  440 

Daly,  Rev.  Robert  J.,  S.J., 
535-536 

Daly,  William  M.,  249,  296 

Danielou,  Rev.  Jean,  S.J.,  306 

Davis,  Angela,  514 

Davis,  Russell  G.,  278,  283 

Davis,  Tom,  478 

Davoren,  John  F.  X.,  407 

Dean's  list,  321  {see  also  Hon- 
ors program) 

Debate,  first  intercollegiate, 
101 

Debating  Society,  110;  in 
1869,  61-62;  Fulton,  99, 
133,385,429 

DeBoyne,  Rev.  Vicar  Gen. 
Norbert,  S.J.,  225 

Defense  Department,  348; 
contract  with,  349 

Degree  programs:  A.B.,  92- 
93,  106,  127;  A.B.  mathe- 
matics, 217;  advanced,  166; 
bachelor  of  science,  182, 
218;  B.S.  in  education,  231; 
Ed.D.,  382;  master's,  127, 
234;  master  of  arts,  88; 
M.B.A.s,  496;  master  of  ed- 
ucation, 163,  259;  offered 
by  evenmg  college,  511;  of- 
fered in  1958,  271;  Ph.D., 
233,244,382;  Weston  Col- 
lege, 326 

De  Leeuw,  Patricia,  504 

Demonstration,  of  black  stu- 
dents, 353  {see  also  Minori- 
ties; Strike) 

de  Moreira,  Manuel,  109-110 

Depression,  1929,  177,  190 

Departments,  in  1898,  106 
{see  also  specific  depart- 
ments) 

Design  Alliance,  435,  436, 
439 

Desmond,  Robert  J.,  415 

Detention  period,  60 


De  Valera,  Eamon,  463 

Development  of  Entrepreneurs 
in  Boston  for  Ireland,  463 

Devenny,  Rev.  Joseph  A.,  S.J., 
314,327 

Dever,  Margaret,  462 

Devitt,  Rev.  Edward  Ignatius, 
S.J.,  98,  101;  on  alterations, 
92;  appointed  president,  94; 
background  of,  98;  as  vice 
rector,  94 

Devlin,  Rev.  James,  S.J.,  212, 
292,  401 

Devlin,  Paul  A.,  249,  276, 
341,407 

Devlin,  Rev.  William  J.,  S.J., 
146,  156,  166;  appointed 
rector,  145;  background  of, 
146;  building  fund  drive  of, 
147-152;  and  School  of  Ed- 
ucation, 161 

Devlin  Hall,  142,  205,  279, 
292,  533;  gallery  in,  434, 
532;  renovation  of,  388 

Diamond  Jubilee,  185-186 

Dineen,  Rev.  John,  S.J.,  526 

Dineen,  Mary,  399,  492,  493 

Directors,  Board  of,  340;  ad- 
ministrative changes  recom- 
mended by,  396;  and  core 
curriculum,  375;  elimina- 
tion of,  409;  established, 
404;  and  financial  crisis, 
399 

District  B— Boston  College 
Collaborative,  499 

Diving,  480,  482  {see  also 
Athletic  programs) 

Divinity,  School  of,  168 

Dmohowski,  Stanley,  J.,  249, 
455 

Doctoral  programs,  233,  260, 
271;  expansion  of,  379— 
381;  proposals  for,  316;  in 
lAPC  report,  425 

Doherty,  Rev.  John  F.,  S.J., 
169,433 

Doherty,  Paul,  433 

Dolan,  Rev.  Francis,  S.J.,  327 

Dolan,  Rev.  James  H.,  S.J., 
157,  193;  appointed  presi- 
dent, 157;  background  of, 
157;  and  Law  School,  168 

Dolan,  Josephine  A.,  493,  494 

Donaldson,  George,  192,  432 

Donaldson  House,  432 

Donley,  Donald  T.,  314,  342, 
399 


Donnelly,  Mrs.  Edward  C, 
181 

Donovan,  Rev.  Charles  F.,  S.J., 
283,  306,  433,  468;  as  aca- 
demic vice  president,  314, 
467;  as  dean  of  School  of 
Education,  23 1 ;  Festschrift 
for,  468;  on  Priorities  Com- 
mittee, 397;  and  self-study, 
296;  and  UAPC,  422;  on 
Weston  College,  327 

Donovan,  John  M.,  75,  249, 
433 

Donovan,  Peter,  509 

Dooley,  Dennis  A.,  168 

Dooley,  Dr.  Thomas,  286 

Doona,  Mary  Ellen,  494,  518 

Doonan,  Mr.  James,  S.J.,  42, 
52,53 

Dormitories  {see  also  Hous- 
ing; Residence  halls);  and 
coeducational  housing,  368; 
on  Commonwealth  Ave., 
531,  532;  construction  of, 
248—253;  high-rise  resi- 
dences, 389;  opened  in 
1960,  290;  regulations  for, 
251-252 

Dougherty,  Rev.  Manasses  P., 
97 

Dowling,  Eddie,  307 

"Downtown  Center,"  169 

Downtown  Club,  328-329 

Doyle,  Catherine,  113 

Doyle,  Harry,  192 

Draft:  during  Vietnam  War, 
319;  during  WWII,  192- 
195 

Draft  resisters,  counseling  for, 
320 

Dramatics,  240,  307,  418 

Dramatic  art  course,  reorgani- 
zation in,  213 

Dramatic  and  Expressional 
Arts,  School  of,  213 

Dramatic  society,  186,  240 

Dress  code,  367 

Dress  standards,  321 

Drinan,  Rev.  Robert  F.,  S.J., 
237,  465,  490;  and  black 
community,  351;  Centenary 
Committee  chaired  by,  277, 
305;  as  civil  rights  advocate, 
318;  as  dean  of  Law  School, 
313,  507;  Congressional 
election  of,  398 

Driscoll,  Daniel,  264 


Index        571 


Driscoll,  Rev.  John  V.,  S.J., 

314,399,500,524,525 
Drucker,  Peter  F.  Chair,  456, 

496 
Drum,  Rev.  Waher,  S.J.,  130 
Drury,  Rev.  George  L.,  S.J., 

324,341,416 
Duffy,  Rev.  Joseph  P.,  525- 

526,  535 
Duffy,  Kevin  P.,  432,  448 
Duhamel,  Albert,  278,  279, 

281,283;  at  dedication  of 

O'Neill  Library,  441;  on 

Priorities  Committee,  397; 

on  search  committee,  401 
DuUea,  Rev.  Maurice  V.,  S.J., 

267 
Dulles,  Rev.  Avery,  S.J.,  453 
Dulles,  Sec.  John  Foster,  453 
Duncan,  Dr.  Christopher,  264, 

295 
Dunfey,  Vincent  F.,  249 
Dunigan,  Rev.  David  R.,  S.J., 

209,230,231 
Duval,  Sgnt.  Louis  E.,  70 
Dwyer,  Joyce  M.,  249 
Dwyer,  Margaret  A.,  413,  414 
Dyer,  M.  A.  C,  250 

Eagle,  as  mascot,  147,  266 

Eastern  Association  of  Inter- 
collegiate Athletics  for 
Women  (EAIAW),  474 

Eastern  Football  Conference, 
473 

Eastern  Collegiate  Athletic 
Conference  (ECAC),  482 

Economics,  106;  doctorate  of- 
fered in,  233;  intown  classes 
for,  169;  in  UAPC  report, 
425 

Economics  Department,  256 

Ed.D.  degree,  381,  382 

Edmonds  Hall,  435,  436,  438 

Education,  Jesuit,  449  {see 
also  Liberal  education) 

Education,  Mass.  Dept.  of, 
499 

Education,  School  of:  adminis- 
tration of,  232,  314,  342, 
457—458;  coeducation  in, 
226;  computer  programs  of, 
498;  doctorate  offered  in, 
233;  enrollment  of,  497;  fi- 
nal teaching  practicum  of, 
497;  honors  program  of, 
283-284;  inauguration  of, 
161;  and  liberal  arts  studies, 


372;  moved  to  Campion 
Hall,  257-259;  new,  230- 
233;  and  ROTC  courses, 
349;  in  UAPC  report,  425; 
v^fomen  admitted  to,  166 
Education  Amendment  Act 

(1972),  474 
Education  Policy  Committee 
(EPC),  322;of  A&S,  503, 
504;  and  core  curriculum, 
374;  graduate  A&S,  515; 
student  pressure  on,  343; 
and  theology  requirement, 
342-343 
Edwards,  Maj.  Gen.  Clarence 

R.,  142 
Eichorn,John,  316,  379,  497 
Eisenhower,  Pres.  Dwight,  264 
Eliot,  Charles  W.,  107-109, 

220 
Eliot,  T.S.,  243,514 
Eliot  School  controversy,  3 
Emmanuel  College,  231—232 
Endowment,  415;  of  academic 
chairs,  453—457;  and  capi- 
tal funds  drive,  451;  in 
1990s,  538;  non-Catholic, 
65 
Engineering,  B.S.  in,  212 
Engineering  Science  and  Man- 
agement Defense  Training 
course,  191-192 
English:  doctoral  program  in, 
315;  emphasis  on,  50;  in- 
town classes  for,  169;  in 
summer  school,  166 
English  major  course,  73,  92— 

93 
Enrollment:  black  student, 
513-514;  and  campus  ex- 
pansion, 206—207;  and  co- 
education, 368;  decline  in, 
111;  and  fiscal  planning, 
418;  and  Korean  war,  229- 
230;  maintenance  of,  452; 
second  year,  52;  and  tuition 
hikes,  345;  during  WWI, 
140;  after  WWII,  203,  247 
Enrollment,  yearly:  in  1880s, 
100;  by  1911,  126;  in  1913, 
130;  in  1914,  136;  in  1958, 
271;  in  1967,311 
Entrance  requirements  {see 

Admissions  process) 
Estate  Planning  Council,  419 
Ethics,  intown  classes  for,  169 
Evening  College  {see  also  In- 
town College):  of  Business 


Administration,  256;  faculty 
of,  511-512;  student  body 
of,  511 

Everett,  Edward,  12 

Ewaskio,  Charles,  214 

Exhibitions:  annual,  60;  ini- 
tial, 45-49;  second,  55 

Expenses,  in  1951,  230  {see 
also  Operating  budget) 

Extension  school,  169;  moved 
to  Chestnut  Hill,  169-170 

Extracurricular  activities, 
240-242  {see  also  Athletic 
program) 

Faculty  {see  also  Teaching 
staff):  alumni  among,  247— 
248,  249;  and  core  curricu- 
lum, 298;  dining  room  for, 
224;  at  end  of  20th  century, 
518;  increased  numbers  of, 
316;Jesuit,  423;lay,  211, 
247,  423,  528;  office  space 
for,  257-258,  291;  pressure 
on  administration  of,  346; 
publications  of,  512—513; 
and  record  of  doctoral  de- 
grees, 520—522;  recruitment 
of,  300;  remuneration  for, 
211;  residence  for  Jesuit, 
140;  salaries  for,  272,  394; 
and  sports  programs,  483; 
Andover  meetings  for,  426; 
after  WWII,  203-204 
Faculty  Advisory  Council,  296 
Faculty  Building  Fund,  133 
Faculty  center,  438 
Faculty  Committee  on  Re- 
search, 278 
Faculty  house,  construction  of, 

135-136 
Faculty  library,  175 
Faculty  manual,  237-238 
Fahey,  Rev.  Joseph,  S.J.,  453, 

470,  503,  505,  523 
Fahey  (later  Flatley)  Construc- 
tion Co.,  435 
Fairs  {see  also  Fund  raising)  at 
Chestnut  Hill  site,  120;  first, 
36-38;  second,  55—57 
Feak,  Rodney,  533 
Federal  grants,  384,  436 
Federal  Public  Housing  Au- 
thority (FPHA),  205-206 
Feeney,  Rev.  Leonard,  S.J., 

164,214 
Feeney,  Rev.  Walter  J.,  S.J., 
314,342,397 


572        Index 


Fellows  Fund,  509 

Fellowships,  234;  minority, 
515;  Woodrow  Wilson,  304 

FenwayPark,  179,  263 

Fenwick,  Bishop  Benedict  J.,  4, 
7;  Fr.  McElroy's  correspon- 
dence with,  8 

Fenwick  Hall,  290 

Fides  banquet,  419 

Fiedler,  Arthur,  264 

Field,].  E.,  31 

Field  Artillery  Unit,  ROTC, 
239 

Field  hockey,  481,482 

Figurito,  Joseph,  249 

Finan,  Col.  B.  F.,  71 

Financing  {see  also  Fund  rais- 
ing): early  problem  with, 
35—36;  in  early  years,  54; 
first  fair,  36-38;  philan- 
thropic support,  450;  sec- 
ond fair  for,  55-57 

Fine  Arts  Department,  412, 
431,434 

Finley,  Maeve,  scholarship, 
462 

Finn,  Msgr.  Charles,  436 

Fiscal  matters,  during  Monan 
administration,  416—420 

Fiscal  Planning  Committee, 
417-420 

Fitzgerald,  Sr.  Clare,  498 

Fitzgerald,  Rev.  John  J.,  S.J., 
249,317 

FitzGerald,  Rev.  Paul  A.,  S.J., 
234,274,314,436,468, 
513 

Fitzgerald,  Rev.  William,  S.J., 
284 

Fitzmyer,  Rev.  Joseph  A.,  S.J., 
454,518 

Fitzpatrick,  Bishop  John  B.,  9, 
36;  and  Immaculate  Con- 
ception Church,  20,  22;  and 
petition  to  city  council,  13, 
14;  plans  for  college  of,  10; 
on  South  End  site,  15 

Fitzpatrick,  Joseph,  375 

Fitzpatrick,  Rev.  Peter  P.,  S.J., 
42,  52,  53,  75 

Fitzpatrick,  Rev.  Thomas,  S.J., 
438 

Fitzpatrick  Hall,  290 

Fix,  Stephen  E.,  424 

Flag,  campaign,  149 

Flaherty,  Charles,  384 

Flaherty,  Dr.  Edmund,  264 


Flanagan,  Rev.  Joseph,  S.J., 

376,433,535 
Flariey,Thomas,J.,  465,  538 
Flatley  Chair,  endowed,  456 
Flatley  Construction  Corp., 

391-392 
Flatley  Endowment,  456 
Fleming,  Rev.  Thomas  F.,  S.J., 

238,250,428 
Flight  Training,  during  WWII, 

191 
Florence  Fund,  509 
Flutie,  Doug,  475,  476 
Flynn,  Ann,  315,  365 
Flynn,  Christopher  J.,  Jr.,  249, 

263,  342 
Flynn,  Thomas,  401,424 
Flynn,  WiUiamJ.,  265,  266, 

329,  392,  393,  466-467, 

484 
Flynn  Recreation  Complex, 

266,531 
Focus,  Boston  College,  424 
Foley,  Rev.  Ernest,  S.J.,  407 
Foley,  John  L.  "Jack,"  459 
Foley,  Rev.  John  P.,  S.J.,  212 
Foley,  Margaret,  317,  342, 

399,407 
Folkard,  Albert  M.,  249,  353, 

385,  464,  526 
Football  program,  394;  band 

for,  213;  Flutie  era,  474- 

476;  1919-1920  season, 

146,  150;  1940,  189;  in 

1960s,  330;  1978  season, 

473;  stadium  for,  178,262- 

264 
Ford,  Pres.  Gerald,  522 
Ford,  Sr.  Jean,  430 
Ford  Foundation,  234,  235, 

284 
Ford  Tower,  443 
Fordham  University,  170,  270; 

football  games  with,  179 
Foreign  languages  {see  also 

Modern  languages):  French, 

45;  German  studies,  315, 

380,  397-398;  in  summer 

school,  166 
Forsythe,  James,  307 
Fortier,  Rev.  Matthew  L.,  S.J., 

128 
Foster,  Maj.  Gen.  John  Gray, 

69-70 
Foster  Cadets,  69-72 
Foundations,  support  of,  419 

{see  also  Fund  raising) 
Fox,  Sanford  J.,  509 


Free  Speech  Movement,  327 
Freshman  field,  206 
Friary,  Rev.  Walter  F.,  S.J., 

170 
Friends  of  Boston  College,  120 
Frost,  Jack,  305 
Frost,  Robert,  243,  296,  514 
Fry,  Christopher,  241 
Fuir,  Rev.  George  R.,  S.J.,  276 
Fuller,  Hon.  Alvan  T.,  159 
Fulton,  Rev.  Robert,  S.J.,  25, 
34,43,53,  103,  173,522; 
appointed  vice  rector  and 
president,  68;  and  catalogue 
of  1869,  62;  and  College 
debt,  69;  commercial  course 
backed  by,  93;  and  debating 
society,  62;  departure  from 
College,  77-78,  80;  early 
education  of,  42;  final  fare- 
well of,  93-94;  at  first  exhi- 
bition, 48;  fund  raising  of, 
92;  and  pressures  for  expan- 
sion, 90;  as  Provincial,  90; 
return  to  College,  89-92; 
rules  established  by,  73;  and 
scholarship  program,  57; 
YMCA  founded  by,  56 
Fulton  Debating  Society,  99, 

133,385,429 
Fulton  Hall,  204,  220,  222; 

renovation  of,  496 
Fulton  Medal,  78 
Fulton,  Room,  133,  437 
Fund  raising:  alumni  stadium 
FundDrive,  263,  268; 
"campaign  for  Boston  Col- 
lege," 537—538;  Centennial 
Fund  campaign,  295;  early 
fairs  for,  36-38,  55-57, 
120;  from  foundations, 
283—285;  garden  parties 
for,  122;  1921  campaign, 
149-152;  for  Tower  Build- 
ing, 125 

Gallagher,  Rev.  John,  S.J., 

319,383 
Gallagher,  Rev.  Louis,  J.,  S.J., 
133,  170,  177,  183,233; 
and  Alumni  Field  Stadium, 
177—179;  appointed  presi- 
dent, 176;  background  of, 
177 
Galligan,  John  W.,  75 
Galligan,  Thomas  J.,  409 
Galligan  Chair  endowed,  456 
Gallup,  Barry,  330 


Index        573 


Gamma  Pi  Epsilon,  301 

Gannon,  Rev.  William  F.,  S.J., 
111;  appointed  president, 
110;  background  of,  110 

Gargan,  Helen,  158 

Gargan,  Thomas  J.,  158 

Gasson,  Rev.  Thomas  I.,  S.J., 
114,  119,  128,  172;  ap- 
pointed president,  111; 
background  of,  113,  114- 
115;  board  of  advisors  for, 
116;  building  operations 
contracted  by,  125;  Chest- 
nut Hill  site  dedicated  by, 
119;  and  opening  of  Chest- 
nut Hill  campus,  122,  129- 
130 

Gasson  Chair,  524;  endowed, 
453;  occupied,  453-454 

Gasson  Hall,  121,  123,459 
[see  also  Tower  Building); 
Fulton  room  in,  437;  pro- 
test of  black  students  in, 
353;  rededication  of,  436, 
437;  renovation  of,  133, 
436-437;  rotunda  of,  131; 
St.  Patrick  window  in,  427; 
School  of  Education  in,  232; 
strikers  in,  361 

Gauthier,  Rev.  Joseph  D.,  S.J., 
382 

Gavin,  Rev.  Carney  E.,  281 

Gavitt,  Dave,  473 

Geac  Library  Computer  Sys- 
tems, 441 

Geagan,  Daniel  J.,  281 

Gearan,  Marie  M.,  233,  497 

Geary,  Rev.  James,  S.J.,  259 

General  Electric  Foundation, 
514 

Geoghan,  Rev.  John  J.,  S.J., 
145 

Geography,  50 

Geology,  99 

Geology  and  Geophysics  Dept, 
328,503 

Georgetown  University,  128, 
270,  321 

Germanic  studies:  doctoral 
programs  in,  315,  380,  397, 
and  Priorities  Committee, 
397-398 

German  Society,  186 

Gerson,  Samuel  J.,  538 

G.I.  Bill,  201,203,205,  230 

Gilbert,  Carl  J.,  240 

Gill,  Rev.  David,  S.J.,  383, 
504,  529 


Gilligan,  William,  331,332, 
480 

Gips,  James,  512 

Gleason,  Bernard  W.,  384 

Glee  Club,  213,241 

Glendon,  Mary  Ann,  417,  509 

Glennon,  Michael,  75 

Glynn,  Arthur  L.,  249 

"Goals  for  the  Nineties," 
530-531;  campus  changes 
in,  532;  financial  implica- 
tions of,  531;  Planning 
Council,  530-531  (see  p. 
539,  note  3,  for  names  of 
members) 

Goal  posts,  maroon,  138—139 

"God  my  Glory,"  441 

Golden  Jubilee  Fund,  130 

Gold  Key  Society,  243 

Goler,  Patricia,  244 

Golf  program,  474,  480,  482 

Gonne,  Maude,  463 

Gonzaga  College,  90 

Gonzalez,  Bishop  Roberto  O., 
O.F.M.,  528 

Good  Citizens  Award,  458- 
459 

Gorman,  Rev.  Edward,  S.J., 
259 

Government,  intown  classes 
for,  169 

"Grade  inflation,"  470 

Graduate  assistantships,  234 

Graduate  classes,  question  of, 
128 

Graduate  division,  reorganiza- 
tion of,  166-168 

Graduate  Education  Policy 
Committee  (GEPC),  506 

Graduate  programs:  in  busi- 
ness administration,  256;  in 
1950s,  233-234 

Graduate  Record  Examination 
Board,  506 

Graduate  School,  173,  233 
(see  also  Arts  and  Sciences, 
Graduate  School  of);  moved 
to  Chestnut  Hill,  169-170 

Graduates:  first,  62,  74-75;  in 
1945,  205 

Graduation,  in  1943,  195  {see 
also  Commencement) 

Graham,  Edward  T.  P.,  120 

Grants,  federal,  384,  436 

Grassi,  Rev.  John,  S.J.,  4 

Greaney,  Walter  T.,  249 

Great  Depression,  177,  190 

Greek:  in  first  year,  45;  and 


honors  program,  254;  in 
1980s,  504;  requirement, 
210 

Greycliff  dormitory,  389 

Griffin,  John,  264 

Griffin,  Mary  D.,  401,438, 
452,  458,  469,  497;  com- 
mittee of  accountability,  360 

Groden,  Tom,  474 

Guidance,  Committee  on,  297, 
309 

Guidepost,  243 

Guindon,  Rev.  William  G., 
S.J.,  289,  407 

Guiney,  Gen.  P.  R.,  71 

Guinness,  Sir  Alec,  286 

Gymnasium:  on  early  campus, 
53,  72;  fund  raising  for, 
148;  for  high  school,  103; 
in  stadium  plan,  264 

Haley,  Alex,  514 
Hall  of  Fame,  330 
Hall  of  Fame  Bowl,  476 
Halpin,  Rev.  James,  S.J.,  383, 

410 
Hammond,  Nathaniel,  12 
Handbook,  Boston  College, 
Campus  Council's  Constitu- 
tion in,  323 
Handlin,  Oscar,  285 
Hanrahan,  Rev.  Edward  J., 
S.J.,  314,  315,365,  524 
Harding,  Rev.  Michael  J.,  S.J., 

170 
Harney,  Rev.  Martin  P.,  S.J., 

276,  462 
Harris,  Sec.  Patricia,  474 
Harrison,  G.  B.,  242 
Harrison,  John  L.,  354 
Harrison  Avenue  site  {see  also 
Immaculate  Conception 
Church;  South  End),  19;  ad- 
ditions to,  21-25;  frontage 
for,  22;  Jesuit  seminary  at 
25;  purchase  of,  20;  trees  at, 
25 
Harrington,  Vincent  A.,  249 
Harrison,  John  L.,  354 
Harvard  University,  154,  220; 
honorary  degree  conferred 
on  Pres.  Monan  by,  488— 
490;  and  Law  School  con- 
troversy, 107-109 
Hastings,  Katharine,  426,  438 
Hayden,  James  A.,  415 
Health  and  Education  Facili- 


574        Index 


ties  Authority  (HEFA),  435, 
437 

Healy,  Rev.  James  A.,  21 

Hearn,  Rev.  David  W.,  S.J., 
119 

Heath,  Rev.  Thomas,  O.P., 
194 

Heckler,  Margaret,  237 

Heffernan,  Dr.  Roy,  437 

Heights,  The,  147,  203,  204, 
212,  230,  240,  243;  April 
Foolissueof  1969,  392;on 
cafeteria,  223-224;  on 
change  of  name,  274,  275; 
on  civil  rights,  317-318;  on 
Mary  Daly  controversy, 
345;  on  dress  requirements, 
321;  eviction  of,  400;  as  in- 
dependent student  weekly, 
355;  on  intellectualism, 
316;  interview  with  Fr. 
Monan  in,  413;  on  Jesuit 
Community,  332;  "Jesuit 
Education  at  Boston  Col- 
lege" in,  424;  on  New 
School  of  Education,  232,  in 
1950s,  260;  strained  rela- 
tions with  administration, 
366—368;  on  student  gov- 
ernment, 344;  on  Vietnam 
War,  319-320 

Heisman  Trophy,  476 

Henderson,  Virginia,  494 

Hennessey,  Chief  Justice  Ed- 
ward F.,  465 

Henry  V/,  418 

Herlihey,  Rev.  Thomas,  S.J., 
266 

Hewitt,  Rev.  Robert  A.,  S.J., 
270 

Hickey,  Rev.  Augustine  F., 
163,  165,  166 

Hickey,  William  B.,  249 

Higgins,  John  P.,  293 

Higgins  Hall,  388;  construc- 
tion of,  293;  dedication  of, 
293-294 

Higher  Education,  for  reli- 
gious teachers,  163—166 

High  school,  B.C.:  gymnasium 
for,  103;  introduction  of, 
92—93;  on  main  campus, 
199;  separation  from,  145 

Hillside  dormitories,  434-435 

Hilton  Head  Island  Springfest 
Tourney,  482 

Hines,  Kevin,  441,443 

Hines,  Leo,  241 


Hirsh,  Edward  L.,  346 

History,  50,  105,  109;  doctor- 
ate offered  in,  233;  in  sum- 
mer school,  166 

History  and  Government  De- 
partment, 212 

Hockey  program,  213,  330, 
476-478;  rink  for,  264- 
266 

Hogan,  Richard,  401 

Holidays,  in  academic  calen- 
dar, 154,  389 

Holland,  Daniel,  Esq.,  407 

Holy  Cross  College,  10,34, 
59,63,  108,  126;  and  cur- 
riculum changes,  193;  foot- 
ball games  with,  139,  179, 
263,  330,  473;  founding  of, 
275;  as  Jesuit  boarding  col- 
lege, 321;  and  Latin  re- 
quirement, 255 

Holy  Days  of  Obligation,  389 

Honey,  John,  281 

Honor  roll,  143 

Honors  Advisory  Committee, 
281 

"Honors"  course,  373 

Honors  program,  254,  280- 
282,  286;  women  in,  283 

Honors  Program  Committee, 
297,  309 

Honor  societies,  301-302 

Hope,  Bob,  460-461,  522 

Hopkins  House,  366 

Hopps,  June  Gary,  450,  500- 
501 

Hornig,  Dr.  Donald  F.,  294 

Housing  (see  also  Dormito- 
ries: Residence  halls);  mod- 
ular apartments,  390,  391, 
437,  531;  for  resident  stu- 
dents, 389;  after  WWII, 
204-206 

Housing  crisis,  389—392 

Houston,  Amanda,  514 

Hovey  House,  412 

Howe,  Ruth-Arlene  W.,  509 

Howe,  Theodore,  352 

Huber,  Richard  G.,  365,  438, 
459,  465;  as  president  of 
AALS,  509;  as  dean  of  Law 
School,  398-399,  507 

Huber  Endowed  Visitorship, 
509 

HUD  interest  subsidy  grant, 
436 

HUD  loan,  391 

Hughes,  Richard  E.,  381,  385; 


appointed  dean  of  A&S, 
346-347;  as  director  of 
honors  program,  279;  on 
U.N.C.L.E.,  371,373 

Humanities,  244 

Humanities  Series,  242—243, 
412,510,514 

Humphrey,  Vice  Pres.  Hubert, 
319 

Hurley,  T.  J.,  86 

Hynes,  Mayor  John  B.,  240 

Immaculate  Conception 
Church,  financing  of,  23— 
25;  income  from,  125;  lay- 
ing of  cornerstone  for,  21; 
"Red  Mass"  in,  189;  status 
of,  116 

Immaculate  Conception,  So- 
dality of,  61 

Immigration,  and  Catholic 
population,  2 

Incorporation,  act  of,  27,  30— 
31 

Independent  study,  254 

Industrial  and  Commercial 
Law  Review,  B.C.,  237 

Industrial  management  lab.,  in 
Fulton  hall,  223 

Infante,  Mary  Sue,  492 

Infirmary,  176 

Influenza  epidemic,  142 

Institute  of  Human  Sciences, 
294,  397 

Institute  for  Religious  Educa- 
tion and  Pastoral  Ministry, 
joint  degree  programs  of, 
501 

Intellectual  Climate  Commit- 
tee, 297,  309 

Intercollegiate  debate,  100— 
101 

Interdisciplinary  programs, 
development  of,  433—434 

International  Association  of 
Universities,  274 

International  Institute  of  Afri- 
can Languages  and  Cul- 
tures, 182 

IntownCollege,  170,  171,173 
(see  also  Evening  College); 
B.S.  in  business  administra- 
tion offered  by,  200;  moved 
to  Heights,  256-257,  286; 
name  changed,  314 

Intramural  sports  program, 
265,  266  {see  also  Athletic 
program) 


Index        575 


Irish  Hall  of  Fame,  123 

Irish  Literary  Supplement, 
The,  462 

Irish  Room,  437 

Irish  studies,  461-463;  Burns 
library  visiting  scholar  in, 
457;  programs  in,  276,  465 

Irwin,  Judge  John  J.,  466 

Italian  Society,  186 

Italian  studies,  doctoral  pro- 
gram in,  397 

Jackson,  Lady  Barbara  Ward, 
286,  302,  307 

Jackson,  Jesse,  514 

Jail  land:  controversy  over, 
12-14,  20;  purchase  of,  10- 
12;  sold  to  city,  14 

Jamaica  Plain  Youth  Center, 
376 

Janalik,  Rev.  Aloysius,  S.J.,  21 

Janssens,  Very  Rev.  John  B., 
228,  270 

Jefferson,  Richard,  514 

Jeghelian,  Alice,  411 

Jenks,  Weston  M.,  253,  255, 
376 

Jessup,  Rev.  Michael,  S.J.,  137, 
145 

Jesuit-B.C.  agreement,  408 

Jesuit  Community,  separate  in- 
corporation of,  340,  342, 
406-408;  and  statement  of 
purpose,  449;  status  of, 
332;  superior  of,  341-342 

Jesuit  education,  liberal  arts 
core  of,  254 

Jesuit  Educational  Association 
{JEA),202,  238,  314,  333, 
406 

"Jesuit  Education  at  Boston 
College,"  424 

Jesuit  Educational  Quarterly, 
248 

Jesuit  Institute,  535-536;  ad- 
ministrative board  for,  563 
(see  p.  539,  note  7,  for 
names  of  members) 

Jesuit  scholastics,  preparation 
of,  326 

Jesuit  statement,  449 

John  XXIII,  Pope,  307 

John  Paul  II,  Pope,  528,  534; 
visit  to  Boston,  464-467 

Jolson,  Rev.  Alfred  J.,  S.J.,  313 

Jones,  Joan  C,  497,  498 

Jones,  John  Price  report,  393, 
394-395 


Joy,  William  F.,  273 
Joyce,  John  E.,  329 
Joyce,  Rev.  W.  Seavey,  S.J., 
240,256,272,339,416, 
428,  464;  appointed  presi- 
dent, 338;  appointments  of, 
341-342;  background  of, 
339;  "Black  Talent  Pro- 
gram" under,  318;  Boston 
Globe's  article  on,  400- 
401;  as  dean  of  CBA,  313; 
on  downtown  club,  328; 
and  housing  crisis,  389- 
392;  inauguration  of,  338, 
386;  and  Mary  Daly  contro- 
versy, 345;  and  minority 
students,  352;  in  opinion 
poll,  394;  opposition  to, 
395;  resignation  of,  400; 
and  ROTC  on  campus,  349; 
and  social  change,  369,  375; 
and  student  strikes,  317, 
360,  363;  and  tuition  costs, 
358;  UPC  chaired  by,  275; 
and  Weston  College,  327 
Judeo-Christian  tradition,  447 
Junior  College,  169,  170 
Junior  Philomatheia  Club,  138 
"Junior  Year  in  Europe"  pro- 
gram, 254 

Kafka,  Randy,  536 
Kane-McGrath  Fund,  509 
Kattsoff,  Louis  A.,  374,  377 
Katz,  Sanford  N.,  509 
Kaufman,  Herbert,  455 
Keating,  Rev.  Edward  J.,  S.J., 

200,  212 
Keating,  Rev.  Joseph  T.,  S.J., 

120 
Keely,  Patrick  C,  20 
Keeley,  Richard,  377 
Keleher,  Rev.  William  Lane, 
S.J.,  202,  203,210,  231, 
236,  239;  appointed  presi- 
dent, 200,  201;  background 
of,  202;  building  program 
of,  206,  221-224;  and  Fee- 
ney  case,  214;  and  Sch.  of 
Nursing,  225;  on  "tempo- 
rary" building,  208 
Kelleher,  RitaP.,  313,317;as 
dean  of  School  of  Nursing, 
225, 226, 385-386;  mem- 
oirs of,  494;  and  program 
changes,  259 
Kelleher,  Rita,  Collection,  493 


Kelley,  Albert  J.,  313-314, 

342,  457,  494 
Kelley,  Rev.  James  J.,  S.J.,  172, 

497 
Kelley,  John  "Snooks,"  267, 

330;  as  head  hockey  coach, 

476-477;  hockey  rink 

named  for,  485 
Kelly,  Capt.  Andrew  B.,  143 
Kelly,  Ed,  480 
Kelly,  Francis  J.,  249 
Kelly,T.  Ross,  456,  518,519, 

520 
Kenealy,  Rev.  William  J.,  S.J., 

190,205,236,238,313, 

507 
Kennedy,  Sen.  Edward  M., 

465,  485 
Kennedy,  Kennedy,  Keefe  and 

Carney,  436 
Kennedy,  Pres.  John  F.,  306, 

307,  308 
Kenny,  Sr.  Eleanor,  R.S.C.J., 

426 
Kerr,  Rev.  George,  264 
Kerry,  Sen.  John,  490 
Keyes,  Raymond,  496,  518 
Kimball  Building,  205 
King,  Coretta  Scott,  514 
King,  Gov.  Edward  J.,  214, 

464,  466 
King,  Martin  Luther,  Jr.,  341 
King,  Martin  Luther,  III,  514 
King,  Melvin,  350,  351 
Kinnane,  Mary  T.,  304,  342, 

429,  458 
Kirby,  John  J.,  101 
Kirk,  Pres.  Grayson,  337 
Knowledge  Explosion,  The, 

306 
Know-Nothings,  13,  15,  32 
Kolvenbach,  Very  Rev.  Peter- 
Hans,  S.J.,  449,  527 
Korean  War,  229 
Kostka  residence  halls,  253 
Kramer,  Mrs.,  52 
Krassner,  Paul,  355 
Krebs,  Joseph  F.,  249 
Kresge  Foundation,  180,  444 
Kresge  Hall,  443 
Kung,  Rev.  Hans,  305,  306 

Labor  Relations  Board,  315 
Lacrosse,  480,  482  {see  also 

Athletic  program) 
Ladd,  George,  499 
Lady  Eagles,  481 
Laferriere,  Archille  J.,  249 


576        Index 


Laforme,  Joseph  A.,  36,  37, 

38 
Lambert,  Paul,  418 
Lambert,  Pierre  D.,  249 
Lamson,  CoL  Daniel  S.,  97 
Landau,  Richard,  468 
Landreth,  Helen,  322,  459, 

463 
Lane,  John,  55 
Langan,  James  M.,  465 
Larkin,  Rev.  James,  S.J.,  383 
Larkin,  Rev.  Joseph,  S.J.,  241, 

307,412,418,466 
Latin:  in  first  year,  45;  intown 
classes  for,  169;  m  1980s, 
504 
Latin  requirements,  211,  254 
Lavelle,  Thomas  D.,  138 
Lavery,  Sir  John,  181 
Law,  Bernard  Cardinal,  469 
Lawless  Fund,  509 
Lawn  parties,  119  {see  also 

Fund  raising) 
Lawrence,  Amos  A.,  12 
Lawrence,  Bishop  William, 

117 
Lawrence  farm,  117 
Law  school,  173,  183,236- 
237;  administration  of,  313, 
507;  building  for,  168,  169, 
205,  438;  curriculum 
changes  in,  510—511;  en- 
dowment of,  509;  faculty 
of,  507-508,  509;  fiftieth 
anniversary  of,  465,  466; 
history  of,  517;  inaugura- 
tion of,  168;  joint  degree 
programs  of,  501;  loan  for- 
giveness program  of,  510; 
moved  to  Newton  Campus, 
431,  432,  434;  preparation 
for,  168-169;  ranking  of, 
508;  and  "Red  Mass,"  190; 
student  body  of,  509 
Lawton,John,  318,  429 
Lay,  Robert  S.,  525 
Layman,  role  of,  340  (see  also 

Faculty) 
Lazetta,  Rev.  Frank,  383 
Leahy,  Frank,  263,  476 
Learson,  T.  Vincent,  430 
LeBlanc,  Robert  J.,  249 
LeComte,  Paul  H.,  524 
Lee,  Vera,  438 

Leeming,  Brian  and  Jane,  Col- 
lection, 526 
Leen,  Hon.  Henry  M.,  295, 
338,406 


Lennon,  George  W.,  55 
Leonard,  Richard,  459 
Leonard,  Rev.  William  J.,  S.J., 

242,  342 
Lenox,  Mass.,  Jesuit  House  of 

Studies  affliated,  167 
Leo  XIII,  Pope,  76 
Levi,  Hon.  Edward  H.,  458 
Lewis,  Carl,  353 
Liberal  arts  program,  evalua- 
tion of,  234 
Liberal  education:  permanent 
council  of,  375;  University 
Committee  on  (U.N.C.L.E.). 
371,372-374 
Liberty  Bowl,  476 
Libraries  {see  also  Bapst  Li- 
brary, O'Neill  Library):  for 
adult  education,  55—56; 
book  drive  for,  154;  Burns, 
443,  444,  524,  526;  Byrnes, 
223;  computer  system  in, 
441;  construction  of  Bapst, 
150,  156-159;  Fr.  Devitt's 
support  of,  97—99;  early 
collections  for,  97-98;  in 
1869,  60-61;  faculty,  175; 
first  at  Chestnut  Hill,  138; 
fund  raising  for,  148;  inade- 
quate facilities  for,  439;  in 
1980s,  526;  quarters  in 
1894,  99;  School  of  Nurs- 
ing, 225 
Library  Committee,  297,  309 
Licentiate  in  Sacred  Theology 

(STL),  325 
Lichtenstein,  Cynthia,  509 
Life  of  Christ,  St.  Bonaven- 

ture's,  181 
Liggett  Estate,  173,  187,222 
Linehan,  Rev.  Daniel,  S.J.,  328 
Local  254,  315 
Lockhart,  Rev.  Theodore  I., 

352 
Logic,  intown  classes  for,  169 

{see  also  Philosophy) 
Logue,  Charles  W.,  120,  139 
Lonabocker,  Louise  M.,  521 
Long,  Gov.  John  G.,  78 
Long,  Rev.  John  J.,  S. J.,  192 
Long-Range  Fiscal  Planning 
Committee,  417-420,  451 
LoPresti,  Joseph,  242 
Lord,  Rev.  Robert  H.,  3 
Loscocco,  Joseph,  401,  407 
Low,  Rev.  Francis,  S.J.,  220 
Lowell,  John,  407 
Loyola  College,  263 


Loyola  fund,  358 
Loyola  residence  hall,  250 
Lyons,  Rev.  Charles  W.,  S.J., 
128,  135,  145;  appointed 
president,  133;  background 
of,  136 
Lyons,  Kevin,  483 
Lyons  Hall,  222,  223,  224 
Lytton,  Hon.  Neville,  181 

McAleer,  John  J.,  248,249, 

512 
McAvoy,  Daniel  M.  C,  44,  55 
McBride,  Sean,  463 
McCafferty,  Joseph  M.,  249 
McCall,  Gov.  Samuel,  142 
McCarthy,  Eugene  A.,  88,  122 
McCarthy,  Rev.  John  A.,  S.J., 

220,296,312 
McCormack,  Rep.  John  W., 

239 
McCourt,  Ginger,  411 
McCue,  Daniel,  249 
McDaniel,  Paul  R.,  509 
McDermott,  Francis  J.,  249 
McDonald,Jack,  332,  480 
McDonald,  William  G.,  75 
McDonough,  Rev.  Leo 

"Chet,"S.J.,  383-384,  459 
McEleney,  Very  Rev.  John, 

S.J.,  222 
McElroy,  Rev.  John,  S.J.,  5, 
463,  512;  and  College  char- 
ter, 28;  departure  from  Bos- 
ton, 34;  early  history  of,  3, 
4;  early  service  of,  4,  6; 
elected  president,  27;  ele- 
mentary school  plan  of,  10; 
on  Harrison  Ave.  site,  19; 
and  Immaculate  Conception 
Church,  20,  22,  23;  jailland 
purchased  by,  12;  Jesuit  ed- 
ucation of,  4—6;  memorial 
to,  540;  named  pastor  of  St. 
Mary's,  Boston,  9;  and 
opening,  40;  and  petition  to 
city  council,  13;  search  for 
land  of,  11—12;  on  South 
End  site,  15;  transfer  to 
Boston  of,  6,  7 
McElroy  Commons,  291,  419; 

women's  center  in,  411 
McEwen,  Rev.  Robert  J.,  S.J., 

244,  278 
McFadden,  Mr.  George,  S.J., 

137 
McGarry,  Rev.  WiUiam  J.,  S.J., 
159,  186;  appointed  presi- 


Index        577 


dent,  185;  background  of, 

186;andCBA,  172;  short 

tenure  of,  185-187 
McGarvey,  Anne,  113 
McGovern,  Rev.  Leo  S.J.,  491, 

505,  526 
McGrady,  Rev.  Joseph  E.,  S.J., 

199 
McGregor  Bill,  207 
McGuigan,  J.  P.,  86 
McGuinn,  Rev.  Albert,  S.J., 

294 
McGuinn,  Rev.  Walter,  S.J., 

170,  171,294 
McGuinn  Hall,  206,  223,  388, 

500;  opening  of,  294 
McHugh,  Marie  Mullin,  523 
McHugh,  Rev.  Patrick  J.,  S.J., 

169,229,265 
McHugh  Forum,  264-266, 

485,531 
Mclnnes,  Rev.  William  C., 

S.J.,313,  404 
Mclntyre,  James,  341,  350, 

365,410,413,524,527 
McKeigue,  Jean  Sullivan,  524— 

525 
McKenney,  Joseph,  179,  263, 

264,  268 
McKenney  Award,  268 
McKiernan,  John,  463 
McLaughlin,  Edward  A.,  88, 

130 
McLaughlin,  Rev.  Edward  J., 

147 
McLaughlin,  Francis  M.,  249 
McLaughlin,  John,  55 
MacLean,  Rev.  Donald,  S.J., 

397,  404 
McLoud,  Malcolm,  296 
McMahon,  Henry  J.,  253 
McManus,  Rev.  Francis,  S.J., 

321,436 
McNally,  Raymond,  319 
McNeice,  John  A.,  456,  496, 

538 
McNeice,  Margaret,  496 
McNiff,  Brian,  274 
McNiff,  Philip  J.,  457,  459 
Macomber,  Allison,  338,  412, 

459 
Maas,  Very  Rev.  Anthony  J., 

S.J.,  130 
Mackey,  Kevin,  479 
Madaus,  George  F.,  456 
Madeleva,  Sister  M.,  243 
Maffei,  Richard,  397,  496 


Maginnis,  Charles  D.,  137, 
139,  140,  158,223,259 
Maginnis  and  Walsh,  148, 
222,223,426,428,436; 
addition  to  St.  Mary's  Hall 
designed  by,  175;  architec- 
tural award  won  by,  120; 
early  buildings,  135;  reno- 
vation of  work  of,  443; 
School  of  Education  de- 
signed by,  259;  successors 
of,  436 
Magrath,  Margaret  Ursula, 

162 
Maguire,  Rev.  James,  S.J.,  123 
Maguire,  John,  410,  430 
Maguire,  Bishop  Joseph  F., 

384-385 
Maguire,  Joseph  P.,  293 
Maher,  Mary,  225 
Mahoney,  Jeremiah,  198 
Mahoney,  John  L.,  249,  364, 
422,  527;  on  committee  for 
accountability,  360;  Profes- 
sor of  the  Year,  526;  and 
self-study,  296;  VAPC,  422 
Maloney,  Richard,  480 
Maluf,  Fakri,  214 
Malulu,  Joseph  Cardinal,  452 
Management,  School  of,  240 
{see  also  Business  adminis- 
tration, College  of,  Carroll 
School  of  Management);  ad- 
ministration of,  352,  457; 
duringstrikeof  1970,  359; 
and  liberal  arts  studies,  372; 
in  UAPC  report,  425 
Mann,  H.  Michael,  468 
Manning,  Very  Rev.  Robert, 

S.J.,  528,  529 
Manning,  Rev.  Urban  W.,  S.J., 

270 
Marcoux,J.  Paul,  412,  463 
Marier,  Theodore,  459 
Marine  Corps,  B.  C.  unit  of, 

191 
Markey,  Edward  J.,  490 
Marshall,  Barbara,  514 
Martin,  Marianne,  434 
Martin  Luther  King  Scholar- 
ship, 514 
Massey,  Brian,  436 
Mass.  Health  and  Educational 

Facilities  Authority,  391 
Mass.  Hospital  Life  Co.,  118 
MassPIRG  (Mass,  Public  In- 
terest Group),  469 
Master's  degree,  271  (see  also 


Graduate  school):  in  Irish 
studies,  462;  in  1970s,  379 

Master's  program,  161—163; 
requirements  of,  163 

Mathematics,  50;  in  first  year, 
45;  in  summer  school,  166 

Mathematics  Department, 
244,  284 

Mathematics  Institute,  284 

Mathis,  William,  509 

Maxwell,  Rev.  Joseph  R.  N., 
S.J.,  193,229,236,253, 
256,  270;  appointed  presi- 
dent, 228;  Alpha  Sigma  Nu 
established  by,  243;  and 
athletic  program,  262—263, 
265,  266;  background  of, 
229;  building  program  un- 
der, 289;  and  faculty  man- 
ual, 238;  and  introduction 
of  doctoral  programs,  260- 
261;andKorean  War,  230; 
and  name  of  college,  272, 
275;  and  new  School  of  Ed- 
ucation, 230—233 

Mayo,  Walter,  213,  241-242 

Mazzella,  Rev.  Camillo,  S.J., 
76 

MBA  program,  256,  496  {see 
also  Business  administra- 
tion. College  of) 

Mead-Lantham  dormitories, 
206 

Medeiros,  Humberto  Cardi- 
nal, 214,  452,  464 

Medeiros  Townhouses,  391, 
392 

Meissner,  Rev.  William,  S.J., 
518,519-520 

Mellon,  Andrew  W.,  Founda- 
tion, 468-469 

Mellyn,  Rev.  James  F.,  S.J., 
145,  162,  163,  165,  233;  as 
dean  of  Graduate  School, 
166;  extension  schools  es- 
tabhshedby,  165,  166 

Mendel  Club,  243 

Meneely  and  Co.,  132 

Mercier,  Desire  Cardinal,  146 

Meredith  and  Grew,  115 

Merrill  Lynch,  456 

Meyers,  Denny,  213,  214 

Meynell,  Alice,  181 

Meynell,  Wilfrid,  180,  181 

Michaud,  Paul,  296 

Military,  campus  recruitment 
of,  413 

MiUtary  Mass,  239 


578        Index 


Military  programs  {see  also 
Foster  Cadets):  ASTP,  195- 
198,  212;  recruitment  for, 
365-366;  ROTC,  143,221, 
230,  238,  347-350; SATC, 
141-143;  science,  239;  dur- 
ing WWII,  193 

Miller,  Eddie,  332 

Miller,  Samuel,  512 

Millerick,  William  J.,  75 

Millmore,  Martin,  78 

Mills,  Eugene  S.,  425 

Minorities  {see  also  Black  stu- 
dents. Women):  and 
AHANA,  5 13-5 14;  fellow- 
ships for,  515;  in  Law 
School,  509-510 

Modern  languages  {see  also 
Foreign  languages):  doctoral 
program  in,  315;  intown 
classes  for,  169 

Modern  Language  Depart- 
ment, 381 

Modular  apartments,  390, 
391,437,531 

Molyneaux,  Rev.  Robert,  S.J., 
4 

Monan,  Rev.  J.  Donald,  S.J., 
354,  405,  429,  455,  465, 
466;  administration  of, 
413-416,  524-526;  arrival 
as  president,  404;  back- 
ground of,  403;  and  bicen- 
tennial, 458;  building  pro- 
grams of,  434-439;  at 
dedication  of  O'Neill  Li- 
brary, 441-442;  elected  to 
AJCU,  491;  elected  to 
NAICU,  491;  financial  ob- 
jectives of,  398,  420,  451- 
453;  on  Graduate  School  of 
Arts  and  Sciences,  505—506; 
at  groundbreaking  for  new 
library,  440;  honorary  de- 
gree from  Harvard,  488— 
490;  and  Jesuit  Institute, 
535;  member  of  NCAA 
presidents'  commission, 
484;  new  appointments  of, 
457-458;  Newton  task 
force  recommendations  and, 
432;  and  125th  anniversary, 
528;  presidential  missions 
of,  528-529;  and  Priorities 
Committee,  397;  report 
published  by,  447;  and  Rob- 
sham  Theater,  460-461; 
testimonial  dinner  for,  490; 


and  UAPC,  422;  and  UPC, 
425 

Montessori  class,  376 

More  Hall,  259 

Morison,  Samuel  Eliot,  109, 
517 

Morrell  and  Wigglesworth,  20 

Morris,  Frank,  456 

Morris,  Robert,  97 

Morse,  Alfred  L.,  294 

Mount  Alvernia  Academy,  115 

Moynihan,  Cornelius,  278, 
459 

Moynihan,  Rev.  James  F.,  S.J., 
209,  224 

Moynihan  Fund,  509 

Mugar,  Stephen  P.,  293 

Mulcahy,  Rev.  Stephen  A., 
S.J.,  193,  195,  202,  210, 
214 

Mullan,  Rev.  W.  G.,  Read, 
S.J.,  102,  106,  115  ap- 
pointed president,  105; 
background  of,  106;  contro- 
versy with  C.  W.  Eliot,  107- 
109;  entrance  requirements 
endorsed  by,  109;  view  on 
Catholic  colleges  of,  105— 
106 

Mullin,  Francis  R.,  138 

Murals,  campus,  128,  130, 
133 

Murphy,  Rev.  Francis  J.;  528— 
529 

Murphy,  Rev.  John  E.,  S.J., 
462 

Murphy,  Mr.  John  J.,  S.J.,  71 

Murphy,  Theobald,  55 

Murphy,  Rev.  William  J.,  S.J., 
182,  188,  192,  193,  195; 
appointed  president,  187; 
background  of,  188;  mes- 
sage to  veterans  of,  203 

Murray,  Rev.  John  Courtney, 
S.J.,  333,  410 

Murray  House,  410 

Museum,  on  Hammond  St., 
204,  249 

Music,  50,  91,  107,  257;  in 
fund  raising,  122;  major  in, 
504;  University  Chorale, 
413,  534;  after  WWII,  213 

Musical  clubs,  241 

Music  Department,  504 

NAACP,  318 

Name,  question  of  changing, 
272-275,  284,  287 


Nash,  Ogden,  243 

National  Catholic  Educational 
Association,  333 

National  Commission  for 
Civil  Rights,  351 

National  Defense  Education 
Act  (1958),  285 

National  Endowment  for  the 
Humanities,  433,  562 

National  Invitational  Tourna- 
ment (NIT),  479 

National  Science  Foundation, 
278 

National  Students'  Associa- 
tion, during  Vietnam  War, 
363 

Navy  Reserve,  U.S.,  193 

NCAA:  convention,  484;  na- 
tional championship,  330, 
331;  tournament,  473,  479 

NDEA  doctoral  scholarship, 
382 

Neale,  Archbishop  Leonard,  3, 
4 

Neenan,  Rev.  William  B.,  S.J., 
453,523,536 

Nelson,  Judge  David  S.,  401, 
409,515 

Nelson  Scholarship  Fund,  510 

Neuhauser,  John  J.,  429,  457, 
494,  495 

Nevins,  Alan,  285 

Newbury  Street  building,  171, 
205;  Sch.  of  Nursing  in,  226 

New  England  Association  of 
Schools  and  Colleges,  234, 
425,  529 

New  England  Provincial,  338; 
and  Weston  College,  325 

New  Heights  Advancement 
Campaign,  451,453-457 

Newman,  John  Henry  Cardi- 
nal, 279 

Newman  clubs,  274 

Newton,  City  of,  392;  and 
Alumni  Field  stadium,  178; 
and  Beacon  Street  front, 
183;  and  Hillside  dormito- 
ries, 434—435;  and  Hovey 
House,  412;  and  new  dor- 
mitories, 250;  and  "tempo- 
rary" buildings,  207-208; 
and  veterans'  temporary 
housing,  208-209 

Newton  City  Hall,  416 

Newton  College  of  the  Sacred 
Heart,  232,  242,  330,413; 
consolidation  of,  426-430 


Index        579 


Newton  College  campus:  im- 
plementation task  force  for, 
430-431  (see  p.  445,  note 
9,  for  names  of  members) 
plans  for,  430-432 

Newton  Undergraduate  Pro- 
grams Committee,  433 

New  York  Times,  319,  490, 
538 

Nicholson,  Rev.  Francis  J., 
S.J.,  341,396,  407,  465 

Night  school  {see  also  Evening 
school);  discontinued  in  law, 
237;  initiation  of,  127-128 

Normal  School,  of  city  of  Bos- 
ton, 162,  163,  168 

Norton,  Eleanor  Holmes,  455 

Norwegian  chalet,  purchase  of, 
138 

Notre  Dame,  458 

Nuccio,  Vincent  C,  249 

Nursing,  School  of,  171,  212, 
225-226,  272,  323;  admin- 
istration of,  313,  317,  342; 
doctoral  program  of,  507; 
faculty  of,  492,  494;  40th 
anniversary  of,  492,  493; 
history  of,  518;  and  liberal 
arts  studies,  372;  library  of, 
493;  master's  degree  pro- 
gram in,  259;  move  to  main 
campus  of,  286,  290;  pin- 
ning ceremony  of,  493;  25th 
anniversary  of,  385 

O'Brien,  Bernard  A.,  249 

O'Brien,  Charles  W.,  273 

O'Brien,  James,  479 

O'Brien,  Rev.  John  A.,  S.J., 
192 

O'Brien,  John  P.,  119 

O'Brien,  Paul,  463 

O'Connell,  Thomas  F.,  439, 
442,  444,  457 

O'Connell,  William  Cardinal, 
116,118,145,146,  152, 
154;  acceptance  by  college, 
75-77;  as  B.C.  student,  76- 
77;  at  Diamond  Jubilee, 
186;  on  education  for  reli- 
gious teachers,  165—166, 
167;  Golden  Jubilee,  181; 
and  School  of  Social  Work, 
170;  and  war  fund  drive, 
198 

O'ConnellHall,  173,  187, 
190,  195,204,205,221, 
222;  business  classes  in, 


188,  221;  crowding  of  stu- 
dents in,  248,  391 

O'Connell  Memorial  Building 
project,  123 

O'Connor,  Rev.  Jeremiah,  S.J., 
83;  appointed  president,  78; 
and  Athletic  Association, 
85-86;  background  of,  83; 
and  The  Stylus,  82-84 

O'Connor,  Very  Rev.  John  V., 
S.J.,  298,  325,  424 

O'Connor,  Thomas  H.,  249, 
338,361,362,424,512, 
522 

O'Donnell,  David,  296 

O'Donnell,  Rev.  George  A., 
S.J.,  170,  211,  212;  as  dean 
of  graduate  school,  234;  and 
faculty  manual,  238 

O'Donnell,  H.  R.,  55 

O'Halloran,  Rev.  William  J., 
S.J.,  401,409 

O'Keefe,  Bernard,  464 

O'Keefe,  Rev.  Leo  P.,  S.J.,  335 

O'Keefe,  Rev.  Neil  P.,  S.J.,  416 

O'Keefe,  Prof.  William  J.,  205, 
237 

O'Loughlin,  John,  176 

Olsen,  Richard  J.,  340 

O'Malley,  Robert  F.,  249,  343, 
377,378,379,433,468 

O'Malley,  Rev.  Thomas  P., 
S.J.,  343,  397,  415-416, 
437,  453,  468 

Omicron  Chapter,  303 

O'Neill,  James  P.,  451 

O'Neill,  Jean  A.,  249 

O'Neill,  Kevin,  462,  465 

O'Neill,  Robert  K.,  524 

O'Neill,  Lieut.  Gov.  Thomas 
P.,  3rd.,  490 

O'Neill,  Speaker  Thomas  P., 
Jr.:  and  dedication  of  li- 
brary, 441-442;  St.  Pa- 
trick's Day  Dinner  for,  522; 
at  testimonial  for  Fr. 
Monan,  490 

O'Neill  Chair:  endowed,  454; 
occupied,  455-456 

O'Neill  Library,  159,373; 
construction  of,  440-441; 
dedication  of,  441 

Opening  of  Boston  College: 
announcement  of,  41-42;  in 
1864,  42-45;  planning  for, 
37-38;  proposal  for,  40 

Operating  budget,  311;  Loy- 
ola fund  in,  358;  in  1951, 


230;  1971-1972,  416;  and 
tuition  increase,  345 
Opinion  polls,  alumni,  393— 

395 
0'Reilly,JohnBoyle,  78,  94 
O'Toole,  George,  348,  349 
Outreach  programs:  to  Black 
community,  513;  Campus 
School,  379,  380,  532;  Dis- 
trict B— B.C.  Collaborative, 
499;  Pulse  program,  375- 
377,  433,  536;  of  School  of 
Education,  499 
Owens,  Cornelius,  409 
Owens,  Thomas  J.,  249,  385, 
405 

Pacelli,  Eugenio  Cardinal,  183 
Padberg,  Rev.  John  W.,  S.J., 

536 
Panuska,  Rev.  J.  Allan,  S.J., 

467-468 
Paresce,  Very  Rev.  Angelo  M., 

S.J.,  28,40 
Paris,  Rev.  John  J.,  456 
Parke,  Col.  J.  S.,  143 
Parker,  J.  Harleston,  medal, 

155, 156 
Parking:  garage  for,  439; 

problem  of,  410;  stadium 

facihty  for,  53 1 
PaulVI,  Pope,  384 
Peabody  Construction  Co., 

436 
Peace  movement,  338 
Peace,  Program  for  Study  of, 

383 
Peck,  T.  H.,  109 
Pekarski,  Mary,  226,  256,  493 
Pelikan,  Jaroslav,  306 
Pellagrini,  Coach  Eddie,  330, 

480 
Pelletier,  Hon.  Joseph  C,  130 
Peloquin,  C,  Alexander,  305, 

412,441,458,534 
Perini,  Louis,  439 
Perini  Fund,  509 
Perkins,  Pheme,  518-519 
"Permissiveness,"  accusations 

of,  395 
Perry,  Bliss,  108 
Perspectives  program,  433, 

502 
Phi  Beta  Kappa,  301-303 
Philippides,  Prof.  Dia  M.,  504 
Philips,  Ferna,  483 
Phillips,  A.  Robert,  352,  353 
Philomatheia  Ball,  148 


580        Index 


Philomatheia  Club,  136-138, 
140,  164,167,  186;  St. 
Francis  Xavier  letter  pur- 
chased by,  182;  Stimson 
home  purchased  by,  292 
Philomatheia  Hall,  531 
Philosophy:  Aristotelian-Tho- 
mistic,  220;  in  core  curricu- 
lum, 297;  1966  curricular 
changes,  317;  doctoral  pro- 
grams in,  315,  380;  impor- 
tance in  curriculum,  202; 
reallocation  curriculum  for, 
254;  sequence  in,  219;  in 
summer  school,  166 
Philosophy  and  Sciences, 

School  of,  168 
Physics,  doctoral  program  in, 

292,315,380 
Physics,  Dept.,  212 
Pierce,  Rev.  Michael  G.,  S.J., 

209-210, 212 
Pilot,  The:  announcement  of 
opening  by,  41-42;  on  Fr. 
Bapst's  gift,  64;  college  sup- 
ported by,  68;  and  early 
days,  44;  exhibitions  cov- 
ered by,  48,  55;  fairs  cov- 
ered by,  55,  56;  on  Fr.  Ful- 
ton's departure,  78,  80;  on 
perpetual  scholarships,  51 
PIRG  {see  Mass  PIRG) 
Pius  IX,  Pope,  132 
Pius  XII,  Pope,  {see  Pacelli,  Eu- 
gene Cardinal) 
Placement  Bureau,  192 
Planning  {see  also  University 
Planning  Committee): 
"Goals  for  the  Nineties," 
530-531;  m  1970s,  417;  m 
mid-1980s,  529 
Plater,  Zygmunt  J.  B.,  509 
Plunkett,  St.  Oliver,  Club,  462 
Political  science,  in  doctoral 

program,  316,  381 
Political  Science  Dept.,  454 
Pomeroy,  Rev.  Joseph,  S.J., 

384 
Postgraduate  courses,  128  {see 

also  Graduate  program) 
Powell,  Jody,  455 
Power,  Frank,  484 
Power,  Rev.  James,  S.J.,  34 
Pray,  Hubbard  and  White,  138 
Pray,  John  H.,  and  Sons,  207 
Premedical  students,  272 
Preparatory  department  {see 
High  school) 


Prescott,  William,  12 
Presidential  Bicentennial  Com- 
mittee, 458 
Presidential  Scholarships,  237 
President's  Circle  dinner,  419 
President's  office,  344;  student 

occupation  of,  360 
Prince,  Mayor  Frederick  O.,  78 
Priorities  Committee,  397— 

398 
Professional  schools,  in  1950s, 

255-256 
Professor  of  Year,  award  to 

J.  L.  Mahoney,  527 
Professorships,  74,  106; 

funded  chairs,  453-457 
Programs:  of  first  exhibition, 

47;  for  first  graduation,  74; 

for  second  exhibition,  55 
Promotion,  Committee  on, 

278 
Prucha,  Rev.  F.  Paul,  S.J.,  454, 

512 
Przewlocki,  Lester,  399,  401, 

458 
Psychology:  counseling,  316; 

doctoral  program  in,  315; 

intown  classes  for,  169; 

physiological,  99;  in  UAPC 

report,  425 
Psychology  Dept.,  224 
Publication,  faculty,  512-513 

{see  also  specific  faculty) 
Public  Health  Service,  federal, 

278 
Public  issues,  in  1960s,  354 
Public  Law  239,  207 
Public  Law  697,  206 
Public  speaking,  intown 

classes  for,  169 
PuUin,  Diana  C,  499 
Pulse  program,  375-377,  433, 

536 
Purpose,  statement  of  (1975), 

448-450 
Pusey,  Nathan  Marsh,  307, 

338 
Putnam  House,  426 

Quantitative  Management  and 
Computer  Science  Dept., 
317 

Quest  Computer  System,  441 

Quinlan,  Maurice,  296 

Quinn,  Terrence,  55 

Rabb,  Sidney,  294 
Rale,  Rev.  Sebastian,  S.J.,  459; 
Medallion,  459 


Rank  and  Tenure,  Committee 
on,  270 

Reagan,  Pres.  Ronald,  522 

"RecPlex,"  466,481 

Recreation  building,  206 

Recreation  complex,  392— 
393;  addition  to,  437 

Rector,  Superior  of  Jesuit 
Community  as,  270 

"Red  Mass,"  189 

Referendum,  student,  361 

Regan,  Charles  L.,  249 

Regent,  title  of,  225 

Regents,  Board  of,  295  (see  p. 
309,  note  16,  for  names  of 
members),  278,  340,  406 

Regis  College,  232,  242 

Registration  functions,  cen- 
tralization of,  397 

Reinert,  Rev.  Paul  C,  S.J., 
332,  406 

Religious  retreat,  requirement 
for,  321 

Report:  Boston  College  1972- 
1977,447 

Research  Activities,  Commit- 
tee on,  297,  309 

Research  assistantships,  234 

Research  projects,  272,  300 
{see  also  specific  depart- 
ments; Faculty) 

Residence  halls  {see  also  Dor- 
mitories; Housing):  CLX, 
252;  on  Commonwealth 
Ave.,  531,  532;  first,  250; 
new,  252 

Reserve  Officers  Training 
Corps  (ROTC),  143,  221, 
230,  238,  395;  end  of,  347; 
revivalof,  350,  413 

Reston,  James  "Scottie,"  286 

Rhesus,  307 

Ricci  Mathematical  Journal, 
244 

Rice,  Alexander  H.,  13,  15,  75 

Richards,  Rev.  J.  Havens,  S.J., 
100,  101,  119 

Riley,  Bishop  Lawrence  J., 
384;  at  dedication  of 
O'Neill  Library,  441 

Ring,  John  D.,  147 

Roberts,  Mrs.  Vincent  P., 
137-138,236,264 

Roberts,  Vincent  P.,  236,  264 

Roberts  Center,  531;  basket- 
ball in,  478;  fund-raiser  in, 
460;  ROTC  offices  in,  349 

Robsham,  E.Paul  Jr.,  461, 
538 


Index        581 


Robsham  Theater,  461;  fund- 
raising  for,  460 

Rodden,  Rev.  John,  21 

Rolhns,  Bryant,  350 

Roncalh  Hall,  292 

Rooney,  Rev.  Edward  B.,  S.J., 
234 

Roothaan,  Very  Rev.  John, 
S.J.,  8;  correspondence  with 
Bishop  Fitzpatrick,  10 

Rossiter,  Clinton,  285 

ROTC  {see  Reserve  Officers' 
Training  Corps) 

Rourke,  Francis  E.,  455 

Rubenstein  Hall,  236 

Rudd,  Mark,  347 

"Rules  for  Students  of  Boston 
College,"  in  1875,73 

Russell,  Irving  J.,  249 

Russo,  Rev.  Nicholas  S.J.,  76- 
77,  90,  98;  appointed  vice- 
rector  and  president,  89; 
background  of,  90 

Ryan,  Rev.  Abram  J.,  83 

Ryder,  John  A.  (Jack),  179, 
267,268,331,480 

Sachar,  Dr.  Abram,  335 
Sacred  Heart  Review,  108 
Sailing,  480  {see  also  Athletic 

program) 
St.  Benedict  Center,  214 
St.  Catherine's  Guild,  133 
St.  Celia,  Society  of,  61 
St.  EUzabeth's  Hospital,  115 
St.  Francis  Xavier,  original  let- 
ter of,  182 
St.  Ignatius  Church,  159 
St.  John's  Ecclesiastical  Semi- 
nary, in  Brighton,  Mass., 
198 
St.  Joseph's  Chapel,  388-389 
St.  Joseph's  College,  Philadel- 
phia, 135 
St.  Mary's  Church,  in  North 

End,  9,  54 
St.  Mary's  Hall,  139-140, 
149;  expansion  of,  175- 
176;  president's  office  in, 
221;  repainting  of,  197; 
during  WWII,  195 
St.  Thomas  Aquinas  College, 

Cambridge,  Mass.,  Ill 
St.  Thomas  More  Hall,  237 
Salmon,  Gov.  Thomas,  237 
Sampson,  Pauline  R.,  249 
San  Salvador,  Jesuits  assassi- 
nated in,  528-529 


Santayana,  George,  83 

Sasaki  Associates,  389,  439 

Savage,  John,  377 

Scanlan,  Michael  J.,  101 

Scannell,  James,  410 

Schoenfeld,  Richard,  401 

Schofield,  Col.,  350 

Scholar  of  the  College  Pro- 
gram, 280,  281 

Scholarships:  athletic,  483; 
and  capital  funds  drive, 
451;  emphasis  on,  316;  en- 
dowments for,  394;  first  of- 
fered, 50-51;  Martin  Luther 
King,  514;  NDEA  doctoral, 
382;  Nelson,  510;  O'Neill, 
522;  perpetual,  51;  Presi- 
dential, 237;  from  second 
fair,  56-57;  Stevens,  510 

Schneider,  William,  455 

Schroen,  Brother  Francis  C, 
S.J.,  128,  130,  133 

Schweitzer,  Rev.  Paul  A.,  S.J., 
454 

Science  building:  breaking 
ground  for,  154;  funding 
for,  148;  interior  of,  156; 
location  of,  155;  Parker 
medal  for,  155 

Science  Building  Committee, 
292 

Science  Dept.,  99 

Sciences:  early  demonstration 
in,  75;  faculties  for,  292- 
293;  vs.  humanities,  294; 
sacral  and  secular,  279;  in 
summer  school,  166 

Seal,  College:  early  version  of, 
79;  in  1914,  79;  in  1934,  79 

Search  committee,  in  1972, 
401 

Secondary  school,  separated 
from  college,  92—93  {see 
also  High  school) 

Seery,  Rev.  "Jack,"  S.J.,  383 

Seismological  observatory, 
327-328 

Seismograph  station,  pro- 
posed, 156 

Selective  Service  Act  (1967), 
347  {see  also  Military  pro- 
grams) 

Self-study,  by  College  of  Arts 
and  Sciences,  299;  commit- 
tee on,  235;  first,  234-236, 
529 

Selective  Service,  229  {see  also 
Military  programs) 


Semesters,  timing  of,  378  {see 

also  Calendar,  academic) 
Seminarium  Bostoniense,  34 
Service  building,  223 
Seven  Scenes  for  Yeni,  307 
Shakespeare,  in  curriculum, 

219 
Shanahan,  Mark,  397 
Shaw,  Henry  S.,  118 
Shaw,  Rev.  Joseph  Coolidge, 

S.J,  64,  97 
Shaw,  Joseph  Coolidge  medal, 

444 
Shea,  Commander,  Field,  265 
Shea,  Rev.  Francis  X.,  S.J., 

341,353,395,396,406, 

409 
Shea,  Rev.  Joseph  L.,  267, 

276,  340,  348,  409,  484 
Sheed,  Frank,  242 
Sheehan,  Robert  L.,  249 
Sheerin,  Joseph,  301,  302 
Sherwood,  Robert  A.,  524 
Shork,  John,  212 
Shuman,  Mrs.  Edwin  A.,  137, 

140 
Shurhammer,  Rev.  George, 

S.J.,  182 
Shurrieff,  Arthur  D.,  120 
Siciliano,  Ernest  A.,  249 
Sidlauskas,  Francis,  240—241 
Sigma  Xi,  301 
Silver  medals,  103 
Simonelli,  Maria,  382 
Simon  Fund,  509 
Sinnott,  Joseph,  51,  52 
Sisters  of  Charity,  10 
Sisters  of  Notre  Dame,  10 
Skehan,  Rev.  James  W.,  S.J., 

297,328,385,415 
Skiing,  480  {see  also  Athletic 

program) 
Smith,  John  R.,  398,  414,  419 
Soccer,  474,  481,  482  {see  also 

Athletic  program) 
Social  Action  Committee,  375 

{see  also  Pulse) 
Social  change,  369  {see  also 

Outreach  programs);  Pulse, 

375-377;  reading  tutorial 

program,  377 
Social  Commission,  324 
Social  sciences  building,  294 
Social  Work,  Graduate  School 

of:  administration  of,  500; 

and  Bureau  of  Continuing 

Education,  502;  doctoral 


582        Index 


program  in,  501;  programs 
of,  501 

Social  Work,  School  of,  170- 
172,  173,  183;  administra- 
tion of,  314;  faculty  of,  171; 
moved  to  main  campus,  294 

Society  of  Jesus,  3  (see  also 
Jesuits) ;  New  England  Pro- 
vincial, 404,  407;  on  radical 
justice,  318;  superior  gen- 
eral of,  338 

Society  of  Sacred  Heart,  428 

Sociology:  doctoral  program 
in,  316,  382;  intown  classes 
for,  169 

Sodality  of  Our  Lady,  243 

Softball,  482  {see  also  Athletic 
program) 

Somerset  Hotel,  390 

Song  book,  Boston  College, 
186 

Sophomore  standing,  254 

South  Boston  Action  Center, 
377 

South  End,  site  sought  in,  15— 
16  {see  also  Harrison  Ave. 
site) 

South  Street,  properties  on, 
439 

Spalding,  Dr.  James  Field,  109 

Spanish  Society,  186 

Special  Programs,  Office  of, 
281,282,316 

Speech,  in  curriculum,  219, 
257 

Speech  Dept.,  318 

Spellman,  Most  Rev.  Francis 
J.,  183 

Spence,  Jonathan,  444 

Splaine,  Michael  J.,  101 

Sports  field,  plan  for,  102  {see 
also  Alumni  Field) 

Spring  games,  first  annual,  86 
{see  also  Athletic  program) 

Stack,  Rev.  Thomas  H.,  S.J., 
82,  89;  appointed  president, 
88-89;  background  of,  89 

Stadium:  expanding  plan  for, 
264;  first,  262-263;  reno- 
vated, 482;  second,  263 

Stanton,  James,  338 

Statuary:  at  Chestnut  Hill 
campus,  132;  St.  Barbara, 
239 

Steinbacker,  Rev.  Nicholas, 
S.J.,  22 

Steinman,  David,  243 

Steinman  Lectures,  243 


Stevens,  Richard,  438 

Stevenson,  Adlai,  242 

Stevens  Scholarship  Fund,  510 

Stinson,  Rev.  William  M.,  S.J., 
154 

Stone,  Bosson,  Mason  and 
Gannon,  208 

Stone,  Olga,  412 

Stonestreet,  Very  Rev.  Charles 
H.,  S.J.,  14,29 

Strahan,  Rev.  Francis,  464 

Strike,  labor,  315 

Strike,  student,  345;  making 
banners  for,  359;  in  spring 
of  1970,  3  57-3  63;  student 
body  reaction  to,  366 

Stuart  house,  renovation  of, 
438 

Stubbins,  Hugh  and  Associ- 
ates, 391 

Student  aid,  271  {see  also 
Scholarships) 

Students'  Army  Training 
Corps  (SATC),  141-143 

Student  body:  Catholics  in, 
60;  class  of  1913,  129;  edu- 
cational background  of,  60; 
in  1860s,  53-54;  of  Evening 
College,  5 11;  first,  42,  43; 
growth  of,  52-53;  of  Law 
School,  509;  minorities  in, 
350,  351;  in  1950s,  260, 
285-286;  in  1970s,  311; 
non-Catholic,  59-60;  pres- 
sure on  administration  of, 
346;  protests  of,  317-320; 
and  ROTC  on  campus, 
349-350;  women  admitted 
to,  165-166;  during  WWH, 
197-198;  after  WWII,  210 

Student  Coordinating  Com- 
mittee (SCC),  of  SDS,  348 

Students  for  Democratic  Soci- 
ety (SDS),  348,  394 

Student-faculty  ratios,  452 

Student  government,  evolution 
of,  323-324 

Student  recreation  complex, 
466-467 

Student  societies,  243-244 

Student  strikes,  in  1970,  345 
{see  also  Strike) 

Studio  art,  431 

Stylus,  The,  82-84,  242-243; 
and  alumni  organization, 
88;  on  athletics,  86,  110;  on 
athletic  field,  102;  and  Dia- 


mond Jubilee,  243;  on  post- 
war peace,  212—213 
Sullivan,  Charles  Morgan,  244 
Sullivan,  Rev.  Francis,  S.J., 

441 
Sullivan,  Rev.  James  D.,  S.J., 

172,255,313 
Sullivan,  James  H.,  213 
Sullivan,  Rev.  John  Christo- 
pher, S.J.,  491 
Sulhvan,  Joseph  A.,  249 
Sullivan,  Leo  v.,  526,  531 
Sullivan,  Rev.  William  D.,  S.J., 

278 
Summer  Institute,  visiting  pro- 
fessor for,  285 
Summer  school,  165—166;  ad- 
ministration of,  342 
Summer  Theater  Workshop, 

462 
Sumner,  Rev.  John,  S.J.,  52 
Sutherland,  Alfred  E.,  249 
Sweeney,  Rev.  Francis,  S.J.,  79, 
296,  306-307;  as  director 
of  Humanities  Series,  242, 
412 
Sweeney,  James  Johnson,  242 
Sweeney,  Joseph  L.,  455 
Sweeney  Chair,  established, 

455 
Swimming,  474,  480,  481, 
482  {see  also  Athletic  pro- 
gram) 
Syllabus,  first  year,  45  {see 

also  Curriculum) 
Syron,  Richard  F.,  496 
Szoverffy,  Joseph,  380 

Tadolini,  M.  le  Chevalier  Sci- 

pione,  132 
Tangerine  Bowl,  475—476 
Tansill,  Charles  C,  285 
Taymor,  Betty,  43 1 
Teachers'  College,  of  City  of 

Boston,  163 
Teachers  Insurance  and  Annu- 
ity Association  (TIAA),  211, 

238 
Teaching  sisters:  in  graduate 

school,  167;  training  of, 

164-165 
Teaching  staff,  in  1860s,  52 

{see  also  Faculty) 
Telethon,  annual,  419,  450 
Tennis,  474,  480,  481  {see  also 

Athletic  program) 
Tenure  Review  Committee, 

346 


Index        583 


Teresa,  Mother,  489,  490 

Tevnan,  John,  305 

Thayer,  Rev.  Carl,  S.J.,  504 

Thayer,  Col.  Elmer  B.,  239 

Thea  Bowman  AHANA  Cen- 
ter, 514 

Theater,  Jesuit,  240 

Theater  Arts  Center,  Rob- 
sham,  460-461 

Theology:  187,  253;  doctoral 
program  in,  316,  382;  re- 
quirement of,  342—343 

Theology  Dept.,  curriculum 
of,  297,  317 

Thibadeau,  Marc,  433 

Thie,  Paul,  433 

Thomas,  Carolyn,  502 

Thompson,  Francis,  179,  181 

Thompson  Collection,  179— 
181,524 

Thomson,  Virgil,  490 

Thursday  Reporter,  378,  386, 
397 

Tipton,  Rev.  Paul  S.,  S.J.,  529 

Tivnan,  Rev.  Edward  P.,  S.J., 
327 

Tobm,  Rev.  John  A.,  S.J.,  193, 
212 

Tobin,  Mayor  Maurice  J.,  189 

Tobin  Lecture  Series,  286 

Tondorf,  Rev.  Francis,  S.J., 
327 

Tonkin  Gulf  Resolution,  319 

Toomey,  Rev.  Charles,  S.J., 
314 

Torbert,  William,  496 

Total  Curriculum,  Committee 
on,  297,  298,  299 

Tower  Building  (Gasson  Hall), 
195,  199,205,206,286; 
business  classes  in,  188; 
construction  of,  125-127, 
128,  150;  dedication  of, 
129;  mural  for,  128 

Towle,  Henry,  51—52 

Towne  Estates,  Brighton,  390- 
391 

Townhouses,  391  {see  also 
Housing) 

Track  and  field,  331,472, 
474,480,481  (see  a/so  Ath- 
letic program) 

Travers,  John  F.,  Jr.,  249,  314 

Truman,  Pres.  Harry  S,  201, 
207,  230 

Trustees,  Board  of,  278,  340; 
administrative  changes  rec- 
ommended by,  395;  early 


meetings  of,  29;  established, 
404;  and  1973-1974  fiscal 
planning,  419;  reconsti- 
tuted, 408-409;  and  sepa- 
ration of  Jesuit  Community, 
406;  and  tenure  of  Fr.  Joyce, 
401 
Trzaska,  Rev.  John,  S.J.,  407 
Tudor  Road  dormitory,  250 
Tuffer,  Rev.  Michael,  S.J.,  69 
Tuition,  107,  418;  in  1869, 
59;  and  fiscal  planning, 
418;  increases  in,  211,  344; 
for  Master's  program,  163; 
during  1929  depression, 
177;  objections  to  increase 
in,  260;  and  strike  of  1970, 
357-363;  and  \X^II,  198 
TuUy,  Daniel,  392,  466 

U.N.C.L.E.  (University  Com- 
mittee on  Liberal  Educa- 
tion), 371;  report  of,  372- 
373 

Undergraduate  center,  168 

Undergraduate  colleges,  233 

Undergraduate  Education, 
Blue  Ribbon  Committee  on, 
360 

Undergraduate  Government  of 
Boston  College  (UGBC), 
323,  324;  commuter  center 
funded  by,  410;  on  Mary 
Daly  controversy,  345;  and 
PIRG,  469;  Social  Action 
Committee  of,  375;  during 
strike  of  1970,  362;  student 
pressure  on,  344 

Unger,  James,  429 

Unification  of  studies,  109 

Uniform,  issue  of,  71 

Universal  Church,  commit- 
ment to,  452 

Universal  Military  and  Train- 
ing Service  Act,  230 

University  Academic  Planning 
Council  (UAPC),  422  (see  p. 
445,  note  1,  for  names  of 
members);  goals  statement 
of,  423;  report  of,  424- 
426;  and  vision  of  purpose, 
448 

University  Academic  Senate 
(UAS),  399;  Committee  on 
Curriculum  and  Education 
of,  370;  Drafting  Commit- 
tee of,  322  (see  p.  335,  note 
37,  for  names  of  members); 


larger  role  of,  339;  in  1970 
strike,  360;  and  ROTC  is- 
sue, 348,  349;  student  pres- 
sure on,  343;  student  un- 
happiness  with,  323;  and 
theology  requirement,  342— 
343 

University  Budget  Committee, 
362 

"University  Center,  The," 
290-291 

University  Chaplain's  Team, 
382-384 

University  Chorale,  304,  305, 
534 

University  Communication 
Board,  355 

University  Council  Meeting,  in 
1957,  272 

University  Development,  Of- 
fice of,  277 

"University  Faculty  Manual," 
238 

"University  Heights,"  119, 
127  {see  also  Heights,  The) 

University  Orientation  Com- 
mittee, 379 

University  Planning  Commit- 
tee: appointment  of,  275 
(see  p.  287,  note  18,  for 
names  of  members);  first 
year  of,  276 

University  Planning  Council, 
425  (see  p.  445,  note  2,  for 
names  of  members) 

Upham,  Frank  K.,  509 

"Upward  Bound,"  program, 
318,341 

Urban  League  of  Greater  Bos- 
ton, 352 

Values,  and  university  life,  449 
Van  Allen,  Dr.  James,  294 
Vandershce,  Margaret  A.,  456 
Vanderslice,  Thomas  A.,  456 
Vanderslice  Chair,  endowed, 

456 
Vannutelli,  Cardinal,  125 
Van  Tassel,  John  E.,  Jr.,  249 
Varsity  sports  (see  also  Ath- 
letic program):  for  men, 
479-480;  for  women,  481- 
482 
Vatican  Council  II,  297,  317, 

321,342,388,410 
Ver  Eecke,  Rev.  Robert,  S.J., 
412,441 


584        Index 


Verhaegen,  Very  Rev.  Peter  J., 
8 

Veterans:  returning,  201—202, 
203-204;  transition  of,  209 

Veterans'  Matriculation 
Course,  209-210 

Vice  President  for  administra- 
tion, office  of,  524 

Vietnam  War,  347:  escalation 
of,  363;  and  grade  inflation, 
470;  Pres.  Monan  on,  448; 
student  protests  against, 
319-320;  traumas  of,  364 

Voices  of  Imani,  513 

Volleyball,  482  {see  also  Ath- 
letic program) 

Volpe,  Gov.  John  A.,  223,  224, 
335,338 

Volunteers,  fund-raising,  149 
(see  also  Funding) 

von  Henneberg,  Josephine, 
412 

Voorhies,  Eleanor,  399 

Voute,  William  J.,  and  Mary 
Jane,  532 

Walker,  Dorothy,  360 

Walsh  Bros.,  436 

Walsh,  Rev.  Edmond,  S.J., 
352,  435 

Walsh,  James,  214 

Walsh,  John  J.,  249 

Walsh,  Rev.  Michael  P.,  S.J., 
243,  264,  293,  304,  350, 
406-407,  439,  522;  ap- 
pointed president,  270; 
background  of,  271;  and 
Board  of  Regents,  295; 
building  programs  under, 
289;  and  Centennial,  277, 
305,  306;  chair  endowed, 
456;  and  change  of  name 
problem,  274;  and  curricu- 
lum changes,  297-298;  and 
funding  from  outside,  284; 
and  governance,  278—279; 
and  Institute  of  Human  Sci- 
ences, 294;  resignation  of, 
332;  and  self-appraisal  by 
Arts  and  Sciences,  295-299; 
tenure  of,  31 1—312;  testi- 
monial dinner  for,  333— 
334;  and  tuition  costs,  357; 
and  UPC, 275,  277;  and 
Weston  College,  325,  350 

Walsh  Chair,  endowed,  456 


Walsh  Hall,  334,  435,  439 
Ward,  Mrs.  Anna  H.,  52 
War  fund,  198-199 
War  Labor  Board,  171 
Warner,  Hon.  Joseph  P.,  465 
Warner,  Oliver,  3 1 
Warren,  James  Collins,  12 
Wegman,  Carole,  411 
Welch,  Rev.  Edward  Holker, 

S.J.,  29,  34,  37,  64 
Welch  Hall,  292 
Wells,  Norman  J.,  249 
West,  Andrew,  108 
Western  tradition  sequence,  in 

CSOM,  495 
Weston  College,  connection 

with,  168,  325-328 
Weston  Observatory,  327-328 
Whalen,  Rev.  Edward,  S.J., 

236 
Whalen,  James,  428 
White,  Donald  J.,  249,  313, 
417,458,468,504,506, 
516,  523;  on  executive  com- 
mittee of  self-study,  296; 
named  assoc.  dean,  256;  on 
UAPC,  422,  on  Priorities 
Committee,  397 
White,  Edmond,  441 
White,  Frederick,  302,  303 
White,  Helen  C,  301 
White,  Mayor  Kevin  H.,  237, 

338,390,464 
White,  Richard,  and  Sons, 

439,  440,  443 
White,  Rev.  Robert,  S.J.,  327, 

397,417 
Whiting,  Douglas,  525 
Wiget,  Rev.  Bernadine  F.,  S.J., 

15,21 
Williams,  Gary,  479 
Williams,  George  H.,  306 
Williams,  Archbishop  John  J., 

115-116 
Williams,  Rev.  Joseph  J.,  S.J., 

21,36,  181 
WiUiams,  Mary  Lou,  458 
Williams,  G.  Mennen,  242 
Williams,  Nicholas  M.,  Ethno- 
logical Collection,  182 
WiUiams  Hall,  292 
Willier,  William  F.,  510 
WiUis,  Rev.  John  R.,S.J.,  313 
Wissiben  (architect),  20 
Wissler,  John,  329 


Witmore,  Henry,  115 

Women  {see  also  Philomatheia 
Club;  Teaching  sisters):  in 
AAUW,  304;  admitted  to 
CSOM,  494;  in  Arts  and 
Sciences,  282—283;  colleges 
for,  428;  dormitories  for, 
339;  in  graduate  school, 
166-167;  issues  in  1970s, 
364—365;  in  master's  pro- 
gram, 162;  in  new  School  of 
Education,  232;  program 
for  women  in  politics  and 
government,  431;  in  School 
of  Education,  165—166;  in 
sports  program,  474,  481; 
at  YMCA  lectures,  166 

Women's  Action  Coalition, 
365 

Women's  Action  Committee, 
411 

Women's  Center,  411-412 

Women's  ski  team,  482 

Woodrow  Wilson  Fellowship, 
304 

Woods,  Rev.  James  A.,  S.J., 
314,395,511 

Woodstock  College,  100 

Woodstock  Letters,  99 

World  War  I,  141-143,  190 

World  War  II,  143,  173,  187 
{see  also  Military  pro- 
grams): draft  during,  192— 
195;  return  to  normalcy  af- 
ter, 210-211 

Wright,  John  Cardinal,  208, 
242,  305,  459 

Wright,  Vincent  P.,  256 

Wyatt,  Ehzabeth,  411 

Xavier  Residence  Halls,  250 

Yippie  Movement,  355 

Young  Americans  for  Freedom 
(YAP),  320,  469 

Young  Men's  Catholic  Associ- 
ation (YMCA),  56,  74,  78; 
courses  offered  by,  127;  eve- 
ning classes  of,  166,  167; 
fund  raising  and,  92,  121; 
initiation  of,  72;  quarters 
for,  91,  94,  101,  103 

Yukica,  Joe,  472,  473 

Zappala,  Frederick  J.,  249 
Zuffolato,  Bob,  478 


Charles  F.  Donovan,  S.J.,  founding  dean  of 
the  School  of  Education,  academic  vice 
president  (1961-1968),  and  senior  vice 
president  and  dean  of  faculties  (1968-1979). 
He  has  been  university  historian  since  1979. 


David  R.  Dunigan,  S.J.,  chairman  of  the 
Education  Department  (1939-1948).  In  1947 
he  published  the  first  history  of  Boston 
College. 


Paul  A.  FitzGerald,  S.J.,  dean  of  the 
Graduate  School  of  Arts  and  Sciences  and  a 
member  of  the  History  Department  (1956- 
1961).  Later  he  v^^as  secretary  of  the  uni- 
versity and  university  archivist. 


Charles  F.  Donovan,  S.J.,  founding  dean  of 
the  School  of  Education,  academic  vice 
president  (1961-1968),  and  senior  vice 
president  and  dean  of  faculties  (1968-1979). 
He  has  been  university  historian  since  1979. 


David  R.  Dunigan,  S.J.,  chairman  of  the 
Education  Department  (1939-1948).  In  1947 
he  published  the  first  history  of  Boston 
College. 


Paul  A.  FitzGerald,  S.J.,  dean  of  the 
Graduate  School  of  Arts  and  Sciences  and  a 
member  of  the  History  Department  (1956- 
1961).  Later  he  was  secretary  of  the  uni- 
versity and  university  archivist. 


From  the  University  charter,  1863: 

The  clear  rents  and  profits  of  all  the  estate  .  .  .  of  which 
the  said  corporation  shall  be  seized  and  possessed,  shall 
be  appropriated  to  the  endowments  of  said  college  in 
such  manner  as  shall  most  effectually  promote  virtue 
and  piety,  and  learning  in  such  of  the  languages  and 
of  the  liberal  and  useful  arts  and  sciences,  as  shall  be 
recommended  from  time  to  time  by  the  said 
corporation.  .  .  . 


Rev.  Timothy  Brosnahan,  S.J.,  president,  in  the 
1894  College  catalogue: 

Education  is  understood  by  the  Fathers  of  the  Society,  in 
its  completest  sense,  as  the  full  and  harmonious  develop- 
ment of  all  those  faculties  that  are  distinctive  of  man.  It 
is  not,  therefore,  mere  instruction  or  the  communication 
of  knowledge.  In  fact,  the  acquisition  of  knowledge, 
though  it  necessarily  accompanies  any  right  system  of 
education,  is  a  secondary  result  of  education.  Learning 
is  an  instrument  of  education,  not  its  end.  The  end  is 
culture,  and  mental  and  moral  development. 


Rev.  J.  Donald  Monan,  S.J.,  president,  October  14,  1984, 
at  the  dedication  of  O'Neill  Library: 

Throughout  the  history  of  western  culture,  human 
knowledge  and  understanding  have  been  recognized  as 
good  within  their  own  right,  worth  pursuing  for  their 
own  sake.  But  in  the  entire  history  of  Jesuit  education 
since  the  founding  of  our  first  lay  college,  at  Messina 
in  1548,  learning  has  never  been  regarded  as  good  only 
for  itself — but  as  a  critical  ingredient  of  leadership  for 
effective  service  to  others. 


The  University  Press  of  Boston  College 
I  Chestnut  Hill,  MA  0  2167 


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