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Peter McKenzie possessed many qualities that served him well during his 25-year tenure as Boston College’s financial vice president and treasurer, University President William P. Leahy, SJ, told colleagues and friends who turned out last Friday afternoon to offer McKenzie best wishes upon his retirement from BC.
McKenzie brought to his job a high level of creativity, excellence and competence, said Fr. Leahy, particularly in regard to planning. Devoted to his alma mater, McKenzie – a 1975 alumnus – also displayed “wisdom, strength and gentleness,” even when he “had to say ‘No.’”
Then, picking up a small bag nearby, Fr. Leahy added, “But of all the images that sum up Peter, I think this is the best one.”
He reached into the bag and pulled out a small teddy bear, as McKenzie smiled and the crowd laughed and applauded.
McKenzie’s retirement, which takes effect Dec. 18, caps his two-and-a-half-decades of effective management that, according to colleagues, help foster fiscal stability and unprecedented growth at Boston College. Associate Vice President of Finance John D. Burke, who has worked with McKenzie for the past several years, will succeed him as FVP, the University announced this week.
In his remarks at the Friday reception, which took place in Gasson 100, McKenzie thanked Fr. Leahy and University Chancellor J. Donald Monan, SJ – who as president appointed McKenzie – as well as the Board of Trustees, his fellow vice presidents and other BC senior administrators. He also praised the staff in his office for their support and for “doing such a great job” over the years.
McKenzie also expressed gratitude to his family, in particular his wife Maureen Quinn McKenzie, a member of his graduating class, and took note of his grandson, Patrick – “BC Class of 2035,” he quipped.
“We’ve been on a wonderful journey, and we’re embarking on a new one,” he said. “It won’t be ‘good-bye,’ just ‘so long for a while.’”