• SIBLINGS JOHN AND MARY Rourke, longtime owners of Rourke’s Pharmacy in Brighton, extended credit to their neighborhood customers in times of need, and later quietly willed a substantial gift to Boston College. John H. Rourke ’41, ran the old-fashioned family pharmacy for more than 60 years with the help of his sister Mary, a kindergarten teacher who mixed fountain drinks at the pharmacy until she was in her 80s. They stayed connected with Boston College every day by receiving communion from James Woods, S.J., dean of the Woods College of Advancing Studies. The $3 million bequest from their estates was used to create an endowed chair in physics, now held by Kevin Bedell; to establish a research fund in chemistry; and will help fund construction of a new student center.

The Father Joseph Fahey Scholarship was named for Boston College's former academic vice president.

• AS FORMER PRESIDENT of the Boston College Varsity Club, John V. Murphy ’71, has been a champion of Boston College for many years. “There is a long-standing tradition of Jesuit education in our family,” Murphy said. “We value the Jesuit ideals and what it means to be a Jesuit, Catholic school.” John and Kathleen Murphy’s $1 million gift will be used to fund three areas: the James G. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Fund for student athletes participating in non-revenue sports; the Father Joseph Fahey Scholarship (photo left) for students who attended BC High School where the late Fr. Fahey was president; and the Yawkey Athletics Center.

• WHEN ALL EIGHT SIBLINGS graduate from the same university, a remarkable family tradition is created. “Growing up, we heard about how much our older siblings enjoyed Boston and Boston College, so we each aspired to go to BC,” says Barbara Ann Moriarty ’78, a radiologist currently living on Long Island. “I wanted to mark my 25th reunion and to honor my parents, Vincent and Helen Moriarty, and all that they did to prepare eight of us to attend such a wonderful school,” she says. Her $10,000 gift will help the Boston College Fund provide scholarships to University students.

• EVEN BEFORE JIM AND MARY Anne Walsh P’01, P’03, P’05, established a scholarship fund, they were impressed and gratified by the way that they and their three children were welcomed into the Boston College community. Their $150,000 gift establishes the Walsh Family Fund, which will provide scholarships for undergraduate students. “While there are always ways that BC could strive to be even better, the three timeless goals to which it is dedicated as a Jesuit institution are really crucial in the world today,” says Jim Walsh. “These goals are academic excellence, a commitment to service, and to search for God in all things.”

(left to right) Hyman and Bessie Litwack, Mary Anne Lambert and David Litwack, and Alberto Godenzi, dean of the Graduate School of Social Work.

• SCORES OF BOSTON COLLEGE undergraduates have been lucky enough to rent rooms near the Chestnut Hill campus from Bessie and Hyman Litwack (photo left). Bessie, who has devoted her life to the study of aging at the Boston University School of Social Work, has been an unofficial “housemother” to her boarders. When her son, David Litwack, and daughter-in-law, Mary Anne Lambert, wanted to honor Bessie and Hyman’s wedding anniversary, the Graduate School of Social Work was the perfect fit. Their $500,000 gift will provide financial assistance to current graduate students, with preference given to students interested in gerontology.

Gift annuity donor Eisenhauer

• LAUREL EISENHAUER’S (photo left) ties to Boston College and the William F. Connell School of Nursing (CSON) run so deep that a gift to her beloved school was a natural choice. “BC provided me with a wonderful education and a great place to teach,” she says. Eisenhauer ’62, Ph.D.’77, joined the faculty in 1970 and is currently associate dean for graduate programs at the CSON. Eisenhauer’s $10,000 charitable gift annuity for Boston College, which will pay her fixed income for life, will ultimately help CSON continue to remain a leader in nursing education, benefiting others for years to come.

As a junior faculty member, Assistant Professor of History Franziska Seraphim received support for her research in post World War II Japanese history.

• JUNIOR FACULTY Research Funds have enabled many young faculty members to get their careers started. Karen Izzi Bristing ’84 was already a member of the Gasson Society, the premier annual giving society at Boston College, when she was looking for ways to help attract the best faculty for the University. Her $250,000 gift helps establish an endowed Junior Faculty Research Fund in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S). “The young faculty (photo left) we look for are being sought by many outstanding institutions, and these funds allow us to be more attractive in a very competitive market,” says A&S Dean Joseph Quinn. The income from Bristing’s gift will provide support for a new faculty member for a three-year period.

• MAKING A STRONG STATEMENT on behalf of alumni giving, the Boston College Alumni Association pledged $1 million in support of the University and its future students. Spearheaded by William J. Cunningham, Jr. ’57, president of the Alumni Board of Directors, the gift will help support the Alumni Scholars Program, which awards financial aid to children of alumni. The gift also will create a new initiative—the Alumni Association Endowment for Student Retreat and Volunteer Programs. In the spirit of the Jesuit Ignatian tradition, this endowment will support student participation in University programs, such as Appalachia Volunteers and the Kairos retreat program. Funds for the gift, which will be paid over four years, are the result of a partnership with MBNA and represent proceeds from alumni usage of the MBNA credit card.

Former Rector Frank R. Herrmann.

• THE LATEST GIFT from the Boston College Jesuit community is in keeping with recent gifts that established the Jesuit Institute and the Center for Ignatian Spirituality. Former Rector Frank Herrmann, S.J. (photo left), says, “This $3.3 million gift is designed to act as a fund whose interest can support new initiatives that will enhance the Jesuit mission at Boston College for faculty, staff, and students.” The gift is available to help fund programs that foster student growth in faith, self-awareness, and service to others, as well as initiatives that enhance the ethical and religious environment of the University.

George Ladd, founder of College Bound and professor in the Lynch School of Education; and John Cawthorne, interim director of College Bound and associate dean for students and outreach in the Lynch School.

• AT-RISK YOUTHS FROM Boston-area high schools, and graduate students who want to teach in urban settings, will be the beneficiaries of a $1 million gift from The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation to the Lynch School of Education. “This generous gift will strengthen the School’s ability to recruit and educate a wider pool of diverse students,” said Edmund Duffy ’63, a director of the Sharp Foundation. Half of the funds will create an endowment for College Bound (photo left), Boston College’s college preparatory program that assists high school students in making the transition to college. The other half of the gift will be designated to The Peter Jay Sharp Urban Scholars Fund to support 30 to 35 scholarships over the next five years for graduate students of color who are committed to teaching in American cities.

Undergraduate researchers in the sciences held a poster session in the recently renovated Higgins Hall.

• KATHLEEN FRUIN CORBET ’82 has a long history of involvement with Boston College as a University trustee and chair of the Trustee Committee on Development. As executive vice president of Alliance Capital Management and CEO of Alliance’s Fixed Income division, Corbet knows about financial planning. “When I thought about how to help Boston College succeed in the future, I wanted to help give undergraduates professional skills that they can apply directly in their careers, and access to important relationships with faculty,” she says. Her $500,000 gift will support an undergraduate research fund (photo left), a program launched by the University several years ago. Selected undergraduate students are given the opportunity to assist a faculty member with academic research.

• IN ALL AMBITIOUS ENDEAVORS, it takes the contributions of many people to reach a goal. That is emphatically the case with the University’s Ever to Excel Campaign, which has been the most comprehensive fundraising effort in Boston College’s history. The campaign met and exceeded its $400 million goal because of the generosity of more than 90,000 donors. This impressive involvement included alumni and parents, corporations and foundations, employees and friends, as well as the Boston College Jesuit Community, who gave in amounts both large and small. Of particular significance is the fact that the majority of gifts made to the campaign, about 85 percent, were under $1,000. For some, their gift constituted a hardship. That spirit of sacrifice has been the hallmark of this successful campaign. Collectively, these 90,000 gifts have contributed to the strengthening of the University’s resources for teaching, re-search, and student formation, and have supported Boston College’s academic and faith missions. The Ever to Excel Campaign has been a success not simply because of the funds raised but also because thousands of individuals stepped forward and gave what they could to ensure that the hope and promise of Boston College lives on. Their gifts show a remarkable outpouring of affection and commitment to a University whose history is built on a tradition of bold response and generosity.

top of page

development home page | bc home page