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A funeral Mass was celebrated on Sept. 18 for Theresa A. Powell, a faculty member at the School of Education for more than 30 years and an advocate of health education for Boston College students. Ms. Powell, a Wollaston resident and South Boston native, died on Sept. 12.
Ms. Powell joined the School of Education in the 1960s as its director of physical education for women. A member of the South Boston Athletic Hall of Fame, a US Army corporal during the Korean War, and an avid fan of BC’s athletic teams and the Boston Red Sox, Ms. Powell — who for a time served as faculty advisor to the BC cheerleading squad — believed all students, male and female, could benefit from a formal program of physical education.
But as she told the University subcommittee on Student Well-Being, “Facilities for such a program, at present, are inadequate,” The Heights reported in 1967. She was eventually appointed director of physical education for the University.
Her interest in health-related issues went beyond recreation and exercise. At SOE, she taught courses in health-related subjects such as Human Sexuality, The Responsible Use of Drugs and Alcohol, and Alcohol and Drug Awareness. She also sought to help students find assistance in dealing with alcohol-related issues, as a 1984 article in The Heights noted: “‘I’m basically just an initiator,’ stated Powell. ‘Kids come to me about their own drinking problem or one within their family.’” The article added that “Powell refers students with a problem of this nature to a counselor for further help.”
Ms. Powell, who retired as an assistant professor in 1998, was known for her love of animals, and her support of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and special education. She is survived by her sisters Rita Murray and Ann O’Connell; she was pre-deceased by her siblings Mary Sullivan, Josephine Connolly, Helen Kepple, Katherine, Michael and John.