History
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Boston
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From the Beginnings
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Charles R Donovan, SJ. ;;^
David R. Dimiean, SJ. fe
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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.
fOV^
MA^OR
Of
bo
STOH
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CU?^^^"^
3oe-30» c-
A3
^^^Ud'^
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
OLAF HENSICKSEN, Conch
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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
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Hb-_;__,
■■Hmiii IBllJUJ^UliLlJI
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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
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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
/ >'■• ' /-^ '■ ■'
/ ,-.^^.-
^ /r- ^
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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with her back to the window
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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
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