The Law School held a ceremony on May 2 to formally dedicate a statue of St. Thomas More in appreciation of the Privitera family, who provided funding for the sculpture. Constructed by Bolivian-born sculptor Pablo Eduardo of Gloucester, the statue stands adjacent to the Law Library looking toward Barat House.
The statue of the famous lawyer, author, statesman and philosopher is the most recent example of the commitment to the Law School shown by Francis D. Privitera ’56 – who went from shining shoes and delivering newspapers as a child in Boston’s West End to half a century of legal practice, commercial ventures in real estate and computers, and philanthropy – and his family. Their generosity has included the Francis D. Privitera ’56 Law Scholarship and the Philip Joseph Privitera ’95 Commencement Award.
Privitera also has supported other local artistic projects, such as the bronze statue of Dante that stands outside the Dante Alighieri Cultural Society in Cambridge, and a six-foot-high bronze relief dedicated to Bishop John Baptist Scalabrini that was the family’s gift to the Sacred Heart Church in the North End.
A plaque on the St. Thomas More statue bears the names of his late wife, Jean, and their children, Francis D. Privitera Jr. ’95, Philip Privitera ’95 and Jeannine Privitera. Privitera and his children were present at the May 2 dedication, along with University President William P. Leahy, SJ, and Law School Dean Vincent Rougeau.
[For more on Privitera and the family’s gift, read this article in BC Law Magazine here] –Boston College Law School