Catching Up with Chris O’Donnell
How the proud BC grad went from Hollywood It Boy to star of the hottest show on network television.
Campus Digest: Fall 2026
News and happenings from around Boston College.
Photo: Andrew Craig
Restoring the BC Eagle to Glory
The iconic BC Eagle statue in front of Gasson Hall is looking particularly luminous lately, following a meticulous restoration project. Last spring, Massachusetts craftsman Walter Eayrs, whose family company specializes in historic preservation projects, spent more than a week employing techniques similar to those practiced in ancient Egypt to regild and refresh the eagle. The eagle statue first arrived on campus in 1954, when the estate of Larz Anderson, US ambassador to Japan, gifted it to BC. After weathering the elements for decades from its perch atop a thirty-foot-high column, the original statue was replaced in 1993 with the replica Eayrs carefully restored. Here are the steps he took to ensure it’ll gleam for years to come.
1) Prep. Eayrs used abrasive pads to remove corrosion and dirt from the statue. Years of exposure to New England weather had caused the statue’s gold-leaf coating to chip away, revealing its cast-bronze surface underneath.
2) Prime. Next, Eayrs coated the eagle in a yellow-tinted primer to smooth its surface. Then he applied a special adhesive that requires approximately six hours of drying time to become perfectly sticky.
3) Regild. Finally, he gently covered the statue in two thousand leaves of tissue-thin 23.75-carat gold, using a painstaking, centuries-old hand-application method. —Elizabeth Clemente
It Came from Mars!
A Martian meteorite named Northwest Africa (NWA) 13441 was studied by BC researchers. Photo: Courtesy of Ethan Baxter
Using advanced laboratory techniques, BC scientists recently determined that a rare Martian meteorite is 1.27 billion years old, which sheds unprecedented light on the red planet. “The unique age and composition tell us this is a new part of the planet that has never been analyzed before,” said Ethan Baxter, founder of BC’s Center for Isotope Geochemistry. While there is no definitive evidence that Mars hosted life, Baxter said, such discoveries are critical to understanding “the conditions and processes that may have led to the emergence, existence, and end of life there.” — Scott Kearnan
#31
BC moved up five places to land at number thirty-one in the latest US News & World Report ranking of national universities, tied with Tufts University and New York University. Meanwhile, BC placed twenty-fourth in the magazine’s Top Private Colleges list, the first time the publication has separately ranked private and public institutions.
What’s the Story Behind the Sundial on the Lawn at Bapst Library?
Photo: Matthew Healey
Generations of Eagles have likely noticed the pedestal sundial that stands waist-high on the grassy lawn outside Bapst Library. What they may not know is the story behind it. Now a newly installed plaque explains how the sundial ended up at Boston College. The limestone pedestal was sculpted and presented to the University as a gift in 1933 by the Boston-area stonemason David J. Murphy, in gratitude for the education received by his son, John “Jack” Murphy ’35. Jack Murphy would go on to become an army captain during World War II, and then to own a prominent Sacramento insurance firm. "My grandfather was poor, and thankful for the education his son was receiving,” said Jack’s son, also named David Murphy, who visited the BC campus from California in late June with his wife, Susan, and two of their grandsons. On the bright, clear morning, they laid a cheerful arrangement of maroon, gold, and green flowers at the foot of the sundial, where the plaque acknowledges their family. Murphy said the sundial continues to be something of a tradition in their clan. “Whenever anyone in the family is in Boston, they visit the sundial,” he said. — Scott Kearnan
Campus News
Travis Rhodes ’93 was elected chairman of the BC Board of Trustees. Rhodes, president of Boston-based Abrams Capital, was elected in June, succeeding John Fish, who’d led the board since 2014. James Carey ’88, JD’91 was named vice chair, and Susan Martinelli Shea ’76 was reappointed secretary.
Corey Kelly has been named vice president for student affairs. Kelly, previously associate vice president and dean of students, as well as a licensed social worker with experience in crisis intervention, is credited with enhancing student well-being and addressing behavioral and mental health challenges by fostering what she calls a “culture of care.”
Summer Sherburne Hawkins is the new head of the BC Global Public Health and the Common Good Program. Hawkins, a social work professor, takes over from biology professor Philip Landrigan, who has directed the interdisciplinary program—which prepares students to address local and global public health challenges—since its launch in 2018.
Boston College rises on LinkedIn’s ranking of the nation’s best colleges for long-term career success. The University is twenty-first on the 2026 list, moving up one spot from last year’s inaugural LinkedIn survey of fifty colleges.
Joshua Snyder was named Cooney Family Director of the PULSE Program for Service Learning. PULSE, founded in 1970, connects classroom instruction to community service opportunities with social change organizations. Snyder, associate professor of the practice in theology, succeeds Meghan Sweeney, who led the program for the past twelve years.
BC Law Professor Ray Madoff was named to the 2026 TIME100 Philanthropy list. The list recognizes the “most influential people shaping the future of giving.” Madoff, cofounder of the Boston College Law School Forum on Philanthropy and the Public Good, was cited for her critique of the US tax code, which she argues favors the wealthy. ◽
More to Explore from BC Magazine
Our web and social channels are full of extras you don’t want to miss.
LISTEN: On the Boston College Magazine podcast, Ken Casey, frontman of the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys, discusses the legacy of Welles Crowther ’99, who died guiding survivors to safety during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Dropkicks song “A Hero Among Many” is a tribute to Crowther.
WATCH: For generations, BC students have walked and jogged around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. But how much do you really know about this campus-side landmark? Visit BC Magazine on Instagram to find a brief history lesson about the reservoir and its ties to lower campus.
SHARE: Attention, die-hard Eagles: do you think you’re Boston College’s all-time biggest fan? We want to hear about the unique ways you show your school spirit. Over-the-top tailgate setups, BC-themed weddings, University-inspired tattoos…Tell us how you bleed maroon and gold, and you might find yourself in a future issue of the magazine. Email us at bcm@bc.edu.
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