Officer Devlin, who began working at BC in 1983, was 51.

In September of 1988, an unknown person discharged a tear gas canister in the ventilation system of Edmonds Hall, causing the evacuation of 800 resident students. Twenty-four students, five Boston College police officers, including Officer Devlin, and two Boston firefighters were treated at area hospitals for injuries suffered in the incident.

In the years following the incident, Officer Devlin was hospitalized several times with viral infections caused by exposure to the chemical substance.

But Officer Devlin remained on the BC Police Department force. An avid bicyclist who participated in bike-a-thons for many charitable causes, he helped found the BCPD's Mountain Bike Patrol Unit.

When in May of 1999, an unattended candle caused a fire in a third-floor Ignacio Hall room, Officer Devlin -- despite his chronic lung condition -- rushed toward the blaze and helped evacuate students. He had to be hospitalized but was discharged within a couple of days.

"He was a great guy, everything you would want in a police officer, and more," said Boston College Police Chief Robert Morse. "Tom worked so hard to stay ahead of the illness that dogged him. He always gave 120 percent, and sometimes you had to tell him, 'Just give me 100 percent.'"

Officer Devlin retired from the BCPD in March of 2004. A native of Blackstone, he was a recipient of the Massachusetts Association of Colleges and Universities Public Safety Association Special Recognition Award for special efforts in law enforcement and contributions to the professionalism of campus police.

Officer Devlin is survived by his wife, Patricia, and daughter, Christine, of Franklin; his parents, Thomas Sr. and Margaret, and brother, Michael, all of Blackstone; his sisters, Catherine Gongoleski of North Smithfield, RI, and Mary Wright of Mahopac, NY, and several nieces and nephews.

Burial took place in St. Mary's Cemetery.

--Sean Smith