William J. Cunningham Jr. '57 strides into the construction zone behind Gasson Hall. He is on a mission. While the building's roof is being repaired, this barricaded area is off-limits to the general public. Suddenly, a man in a hard hat approaches. "Nobody can come in here," he cautions. Cunningham stops and motions toward the building. "My father's name is on a piece of granite," he explains. This information serves as credential enough and the man whisks Cunningham to an 800-pound granite monolith blanketed by a tarpaulin.
Cunningham removes the tarp and begins to tell the story of the stone—a story that inexorably links his fortune to BC. In 1925, Cunningham's father, the late Bill Sr. '26, created his first legacy at BC by penciling his name on the granite wall near the exit door to the Gasson tower roof. More than 80 years later, emblematic of the ingrained love both Cunninghams have felt for BC, the inscription remains.
Bill Cunningham Sr. once raised money for BC by going door to door in West Roxbury selling bricks as naming opportunities for future buildings. Bill Jr. has since carried the torch. Serving as co-chair of his 50th Reunion Gift Committee, Cunningham helped his class break a fundraising record by garnering 58 percent participation and nearly $4 million in gifts.
"We established a very strong, active committee whose goal was to give every class member the opportunity to participate," says Cunningham. "By raising money for BC, we are ensuring that the next generation of students gets to experience this great university as my father and I have."
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