Boston College magazine

100 Pages·2000·10 MB·English

by  Boston College. Office of Communications

also: man about town / THE beat / TRUE north
BOSTON COLLEGE
magazine
FALL
2
,.
n
I
BY JAMES M. O'TOOLE
PROLOGUE
True
confession
Given the evidence oftelevision, America may be the most afternoon with no expectation ofbeing arrested. I seem to
profusely confessional nation since the Spanish Inquisition recall that all the accused were men ofabout 30, many had
put aside its rack and auto-da-fe. — moustaches, all of them mumbled when addressing the
Center stage one recent mor—ning, a man urged on by a court, and all said "sir" as frequently as they could.
pleasant master of ceremonies confesses that he betrayed And then a door opened to admit a court officer leading
his wife with her younger sister. Stage left, the sister crosses four young men who were manacled at arm and ankle and
her legs in a mini-skirt and confesses that she had always re- shackled to each otherwith chain. Two ofthese sad figures,
sented heroldersibling. Stage right, the wifeweeps, confess- it developed, had been arrested for assault, and a third for
ingthatshe had not paid sufficient attention to her husband. car theft. Sitting side-by-side on a wooden pew, they be-
A little farther along the electronic midway, an array of haved like fools. One admitted to a second crime while
sinners beckons: a former sitcom actress who has just pub- being arraigned for the first and had to be told bythe judge
lished the story ofher decline and fall by drugs and bulim- to shut up. A second would not take his lawyer's advice re-
ia; an admitted murderer who has found God but is still garding a plea bargain. A third ogled the young female dis-
seeking commutation ofhis death sentence; a woman who trict attorneys and at several points urged his fellows to do
left her infant behind a police station; an athlete who is not the same.
goingtosnortcoke ever again; a genial mob hitman (subject The fourth was a short, muscularyoung man who might
ofa made-for-TV movie) on a velvet sofa in a ranch house have stepped from a mural in an Aztec ruin. It developed
somewhere in the Southwest; an insurance appraiser who that he had beaten his roommate with a claw hammer and
duped car accident victims for 20 years and who says, from was being charged with attempted murder. He stood at at-
behind the dark circle that chases his face like a tadpole tention and gazed at a place high on the courtroom wall
scurrying for the safety of shade, that he wasn't the only while his story emerged from a dialectic between DA and
guilty party, only the one they caught. lawyer: argument, struggle over hammer, 911 call, bloody
"We cannotwell do without oursins. They are the high- scene, quiet surrender to police, no previous criminal
way of our virtue," Thoreau mused in his journal. Henry record, references from an employer who wanted him back
David could be a wise-guy, and itisn't always safe to assume atwork, a plea for bail. Occasionally, the young man's chest
his meanings. But I take his metaphors here for granted. Sin swelled suddenly, like the bosom ofa child trying to catch
is a road. It stretches to the horizon and never gets any his breath after a crying jag.
wider, deeper, or more interesting than it already was. Ultimately the manwas refused bail. As hewas beingled
Brother kills brother. Lover betrays lover. President is un- away, he turned to face the congregation of defendants,
faithful towife in Oval Officewhile at the same time talking lawyers, town counsels, nervous sweethearts, police wit-
on the phone with a lobbyist from the sugar industry. It's a nesses, and me. Red-eyed with exhaustion, he threw us a
repeated dim figure, dull and dulling as the TV shows that lookofanguish, remorse, terror, and appeal thatlanded like
profit by amplifying its banal strain. a rock thrown through a window. "Salve ?ne," the note
I was reminded ofthis when I visited a courthouse a few would have read.
months ago to sue a guywho'd resurfaced a bathtub forme. I have notheard fromAlexB. since the courtdeclared him
I was prepared with spee—ch and photographs, but winning to be in my debt; nor do I expect to hear from him until the
the case took 15 seconds the length oftime it took for the contempt-of-court fines start to pile up. But ifI should ever
judge to determine thatAlex B. hadn't showed up to contest see him again, I would not know him, despite the fact thathe
my claim that he'd made my bathtub look like a guano-cov- once spent several hours in my company in my house.
ered atoll. Time suddenly bestowed on me, I went upstairs His face is gone. The face of the sorrowful prisoner in the
to catch an hour ofcriminal court. Quincy District Court I believe I will always remember.
I happened to walk in on arraignment hearings and so Our story on confession begins on page 24.
was tnat i to a swift parade of 10 or so sinners, including a Ben Birnbaum
man wh< .;lked naked down a city street on a Saturday
BOSTON COLLEGE «BOST*Wj
ARCHIVES
magazine
FALL 2000 VOL. 60 NO. 4
24 35 52
DEPARTMENTS
Hear no
24 evil
2 LETTERS
ByJamesM. O'Toole
Perhaps the most striking development in the practice of 4 LINDEN LANE
confession in the U.S. has been its disappearance. Now arriving. Rankings filed.
Tea for 75,000. Out ofNigeria.
A Superior mystery. That certain
35 Beantown je ne sais quoi. Good chemistry.
The defendant. Flights offancy.
By Thomas H. 'Connor Red all over.
One man's tour ofthe details. 60 ADVANCEMENT
62 Q&A
The
42 hipster of Joy Street Political scientist Alan Wolfe
on intellectual ambitions at
By Pamela Petro evangelical colleges.
John Wieners left BC to live a Baudelairean life
65 WORKS & DAYS
ofpoetry. Amazingly, he survived. So have his poems.
Painter Doug Safranek '78.
52 The voyage of the Monte Carlo ALUMNOTES
Follows page 32.
By Charlotte Bruce Harvey
COVER
Daniel Linehan, SJ, '27 knew better than to sail into Photograph by Lee Pellegrini.
the Arctic in a wooden boat, but di—d it anyway. The record
—
ofhis journey photos and diaries is in BC's archives.
LETTERS
BOSTON COLLEGE WHO'S GREAT Congress during Reagan's term. on as president for 50 more
magazine I disagree entirelywith Profes- Lestwe forget, in 1980 years, had he lived that long.
sorMarc Landy's contention there were manywho openly As for his initiating the path
VOLUMFEAL6L02N0U00MBER4 that there have been no great declared that the Cold War toward a tot—allynonpartisan
presidents since FDR ["Monu- was a lost cause. Reagan government isn'tanonparti-
EDITOR
BenBirnbaum mental achievements," Sum- proved them wrong. The suc- san governmentwhat China
DEPUTY EDITOR(ACTINC) mer 2000]. Whateverblem- cess ofReagan's fiscal policy and Cuba have nowandwhat
AnnaMarieMurphv ishes the Watergate scandal laid the groundworkfor the the SovietUnion had untilre-
DESIGN DIRECTOR has left, the factremains, economic expansionwe enjoy cently? Partypolitics, as frayed
SusanCalla^han as President Clinton said in his today. The ultimatevictoryof as it is, is still a guarantee of
eulogy, that "the time for Reagan's ideas can be gauged some form ofliberty. Landy's
PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR
GaryW.Gilbert judging Richard Nixon on the by the factthatthe Democrats article smacked ofrevisionism.
PHOTOGRAPHER basis ofone aspect ofhis life have since appropriated his FRANKDIANI'54
LeePellegrini is longover." positions on issues such as Go/eta, California
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Nixon is still the manwho reformingwelfare, balancing
AnnetteTrivette ended theVietnamWarand the budget, and strengthening MarcLandyreplies:Iverymuch
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR brought home the American law enforcement. In myopin- appreciate and empathize with
ElizabethGehrman POWs, strengthened the ion, that Reagan was able the ringing endorsements of
CONTRIBUTINGWRITER American militarywhen it had to accomplish so much while Truman, Nixon, and Reagan,
JohnOmbelets grown dangerouslyweak, initi- faced with a Democratic but I ask the letterwriters
ated the firstmeaningful majorityin Congress only en- to remembermy definition of
ReaDdeevrse,lopplmeaesnetsIennfdoardmdarteisosncShearnvgiecessto: arms-limitation talks, opened hances his claim to greatness. greatness. It is not goodness.
140CMoomrmeonHwale!al2t20hAve. up China to Western diploma- ANTHONYP.SCHIAVO,JR.'93 I agree, on thewhole, with the
ChestnutHill,MA02467 cyand business, improved LafayetteHill, Pennsylvania lists ofspecific accomplish-
Fax(:61{76)175}525-5324-400077 our relationswith the Soviet ments theycompile. Butin
Pleasesendeditorialcorrespondenceto: Union, launched one ofthe HarryTruman did not need none ofthese cases do the lists
OfficeofMLaarwkreetnincgeCHoomumsuenications most effective crackdowns Roosevelt's shroud to be elect- add up to a "conservative revo-
Chest1n2u2tCHoillll,egMeARd0.2467 on organized crime in our ed in 1948. He made the lution" on a parwith those led
nations history, integrated the tough A-bomb decisions and by the five greats.
BostonCollegeMagazine vastmajorityofthe American had served almostall ofFDR's Nixonwas not a strong
Sipsrpiunbgl,iSshuemdmqeura)rtbeyrlByo(sFtaloln,WCoilnlteegre,, Souths schools in a constitu- final term. Arecent C-SPAN partyleader; he had made a
owfiPtuhbeldiictaotriioanlsof&fiPcersinattMtahrekOeftfiincge, tional manner, made giant surv—ey puts him at number shambles ofthe Republican
[phone] strides toward peace in the five ahead ofThomasJeffer- partyeven before his ignomin-
Fax:[phone]
ISSN0885-2049 Middle East, turned around son, which makes Harrygreat ious resignation (an event
MaPsesr.io,daicnadlsadpdoisttiaognaelpmaaidilaitngBoosftfoicne,s. the American economy after a in my mind. InJune 1948, thatMr. Zanettchooses to put
PDoesvtmealsotpemre:nstenIdnfaodrdmraetsisonchSaenrgveiscetso longslump, restored law and Truman made the decision to aside). No newregimewas
MoreHall220 order to American campuses, immediately recognize Israel, ushered in as a resultofhis
140CommonwealthAve.
ChestnutHill,MA02467 to some degree successfully an FDR-type move. tenure. Reagan's unwillingness
Copyright2000Trusteesof defended American business Re FDR: Ofcourse his to even tryto obtain a con-
BostonCollege.PrintedinU.S.A.
Allpublicationsrightsreserved. againstunconstitutional social- pluses far outweigh his minus- gressional majorityin 1986
OpinionsexpressedinBostonCollege istic legislation, and gave es. Ifhe had followed George speaks to the strange lackof
Magazinedonotnecessarilyreflect
theviewsoftheUniversity.BCMis 18-year-olds the right to vote. Washington's two-term limit ambition thatundermined his
difsatcruilbtuy,tesdtafffr,eedoonfocrhsa,rgaendtopaarleunmtnsi, PERRYJ.ZANETT'81 —most ofRoosevelt's faux pas "conservative revolution."
ofundergraduatestudents. Waterbury, Connecticut were in his third and fourth Truman is numberfivewith
—
terms he could have been C-SPAN, buthe is number
LINDENLANELOGOBYANTHONYRUSSO I find it incredible, though not called the greatest. onewith me, in terms ofmy
surprisinggiven the ideological JOECARROLL'53 affections. Butthe profound
bentofBC's faculty, thatMarc Framingbam, Massachusetts political transformation that
Landychose to exclude Ronald greatness implies can only be
Reagan from his listofpresi- FDR was a leftist liberal and secured through a re-election
dential greats because the an ambitious, unscrupulous campaign (AndrewJackson
Republicans did notgain in egoistwho would have stayed in 1832, FDRin 1936).
2FALL2000
—
1
Perhaps we should invent path. During the spring and O'Learyatthe AbbeyTheatre Ray, and pretty late in myaca-
a newcategoiy forTruman summerof 1999 Iwas treated Program in Dublin. Wewere demiccareerat BC to be
called bestone-termer. As for with chemotherapy and radia- invited to attend the opening thinkingabout a major. I had
FDR, maybe the letterwriter tion for early-stage non- eveningofBC's Brian P. Burns already flirted with account-
is correctto say"he would Hodgkin's lymphoma, the paintings atthe Hugh Lane ing, finance, and computer
have stayed on for SOyears." same typeJojo had. Since De- Galleryin Dublin. Amid a science, and contemplated
Ifso Iwould probablystill be cember, I have been officially notable crowd ofacademics transferringtoA&S. Sitting in
voting for him. Come to think in complete remission. and dignitaries, includingthe my first BasicMarketingclass,
ofit, Istill am. My attitude during much then-presidentofIreland I waswonderingwhen acade-
ofthe ordeal was not nearlyas Maty Robinson, Adele min- mic flirtation would turn to
FLEABAG FOREVER optimistic and spiritual as gled diroughoutthe room, passion when suddenlyRay
Thankyou for the update on thatofJojo and hiswife. I was meetingand greetingevery- Keyes entered the room with
MyMother's Fleabag ["Free angryand frightened, with one. Then, amongall these his boomingvoice and bound-
play," Summer 2000]. I had periodic states ofoptimism. luminaries, she recognized me less enthusiasm. Within half
the pleasure ofbeingawriter Despite myself, I knew through the crowd and gave an hour mypassion formar-
—
and castmemberforthevery maybe in mysoul? that I meawink.ThatwasAdele ketingwas kindled. Overmy
—
firstshowin 1980. would be fine. Dalsimer a leaderinher field lasttwo years at BC, Ray
I thoughtyou mightbe I admit it's a bitmiraculous who neverforgotherstudents. Keyes served as teacher, men-
interested to learn the career thatwhat happened to me and CHARLESHENRYFLYNN'97 tor, and friend. We never
paths ofmembers ofdie first Jojo (and manyothers) can Ansonia, Connecticut trulv comprehend how our
My
Mother's Fleabag:Jim Pitt be medically fixed; ittakes actions positively influence
'81 is a producerwith the longerto fix the head, though. In 1972, I had the great for- the lives ofothers. Keyes's
Conan O'Brien Show and exec- Jojo's state ofmind during tune to have Adele Dalsimer accomplishments transcended
utive producer ofHardRock his extensive treatment is in- as my freshman English the classroom. God be with
Live after a longtenure as a spiringto me. teacher. In May, when she you, RayKeyes.
producer atSaturdayNight ELLENWILEGSSVV'85 asked my plans and I told her joecordo•-'>
Live; Anne Garefino '81 is ex- Palmetto, Florida I wanted to major in econom- Sudbury,Massachusetts
ecutive producer ofComedy ics, she did notsimplyargue;
Central's South Park; Cindy COMMUNAL ACTS she told me Imustmajor TEAMWORK
Malo '81 is editor ofthe HBO Congratulations on publishing in English, and she selected Iwant to thankBCMandTim
series Oz. Ron Hansen's article, "Com- the two courses I would take Hawleyforthe excellentarti-
As for me, I turned into an munion" [Summer 2000]. So- in the fall. I changed my cle on the optical memoryre-
actorofsorts. I am a trial cial scientistswell know that majorand never looked back, search goingon in my
lawyerin Chicago. Partofmy religion and eatingare two of taking everycourse ofAdele's laboratory ["Underglass,"
practice is devoted to enter- the most communal activities thatI could possiblyfit into Linden Lane, Spring2000].
tainmentlaw. inhuman society. myschedule. I had three male Iwould also like to point out
DOUGMILLER'81 SEYMOURLEVENTMAN friends in a c—lass ofhers my onevery importantaspectof
ClarendonHills, Illinois AssociateProfessorofSociology lastsemester ofcourse, they this research thatwas not
all had huge crushes on her. covered; namely, thatitis
ON BEING FINE dalsimer's effect Wewere in awe; she'd even being carried outbytwo of
WhenIfirstlooked at the CT I read with greatsadness that named herchildren in iambic mytalented graduate-student
scanframe on the table-of- myformerteacherAdele Dal- pentameter. colleagues, Michael Previte
contents page ofyour Spring simer died this pastwinter MARYMACVEAN76 and Chris Olson, who deserve
2000 issue, I selfishly thought ["Italics," LindenLane, Spring LosAngeles equal creditfor even-thing
for a fewseconds that BC had 2000]. Irememberhervividly that has been accomplished.
somehow gotten hold of my in ourGasson Hall classroom, KEYES REMEMBERED JOHNFOURKAS
CTscan. What a shockto see engaginghercolleague Kevin Inoticed the passingofPro- AssociateProfessorofChemistry
"it" again. O'Neill invigorous debate. fessor Raymond Keyes ofthe
I was moved by"Hello my Butthereis one scene thatI School ofManagementon BCMwelcomes letters from readers.
friends: The medical bulletins liketo rememberbest. July IS. Lettersmaybeeditedforlengthandclar-
ofJojo David" because In the summerof1996, Itwas the firstsemesterof Oituy,ranfdaxmnusutmbbeersiisgn(e6d17t)o5b5e2-p2u4b4l1i;shoeud.r
I have been down a similar wasstudyingwithPhilip myjunioryearwhenI met [email protected].
BOSTONCOLLEGEMAGAZINE 3
LINDEN LANE
—
welcome chance Long the homely stepsister ofBoston College entryways, the Lower Campus Road has recently
been improved with trees, a plaza, cafe tables, and a food kiosk. Above, theviewfrom Vanderslice Hall, lookingwest
toward the Middle Campus.
Transitions
A NEW VICE PRESIDENT AND DEAN ARRIVE, WHILE A LEGEND
MAKES PLANS TO DEPART
The leadership of the University In October, Cheiyl Presley joined
continues to evolve under President the University as vice president for
William P. Leahy, SJ, as a new vice student affairs, responsible for vir-
president and dean were introduced tually all aspects of BC students'
this fall. And with the announcement environment outside the classroom.
oftheir appointments came news that Presley was recently associate vice
a senior administrator who played a president for student affairs and
critical role in reviving Boston Col- associate professor in the education
lege in the 1970s will he stepping department at Colorado State Uni-
down after this academic year. versity. A Colorado native, she holds
4 FALL2000
a Ph.D. in higher education Bond Group, where she over-
administration from the Uni- saw the management of$150
versityofMichigan. billion worth ofbonds and
As an administrator at money-marketinstruments.
CSU, Presley led the drive to Peters left the Federal Re-
resuscitate the school's flag- serve in 1980, and wenton to
gingcareercenter, which had manage Merrill Lynch's debt
suffered duringa state bud- strategygroup. At the time,
getary cutback in die late she says, "Itwasveryunique
1980s. She also focused on to see a Ph.D. on Wall Street.
raisingundergraduate reten- Then the industry changed." Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair
tion rates. The resultwas In 1984, she launched Security
Presley: A Coloradotransplant
the coordination ofservices Pacific Strategies, a research JOINT CUSTODY
focuses on "thefull experience"
ranging from academic coun- arm ofSecurityPacificNa- The husband-and-wifeteam of
seling to financial aid, and tional Bankcreated to bring Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair
a program ofclustered courses Presleyalso looks forward to the commercial institution will share BC's newNormaJean
for freshmen aimed atfoster- opportunities for incorporat- into the investment field. Calderwood University Professor-
ingacademic community. She ingspiritualityand religion Dubbed a think tankby the ship in IslamicandAsianArt. Both
received Colorado State's into campus life. "I understand business press, SPS offered scholars hold Ph.D.sfrom Harvard
Distinguished Faculty/Staff and respectthe barriers that high-tech financial analysis University, heinfinearts and she in
Award in both 1997 and 1998. exist atpublicinstitutions," and newfinancial products. finearts and Middle Eastern stud-
At BC, Presleyinherits a she says, "but retention rates Peters eventuallymoved "from ies. Both have been visiting profes-
staffofsome 200 full- and are higherwhen we attend to the sell side to the buyside," sors at Harvard, Dartmouth, and
part-time employees (and 300 the full needs ofstudents." as she puts it, spending seven MIT.Theyareco-authorsofthree
studentworkers) involved in years at Colonial Management books, including Islam:A Thousand
services thatinclude housing, When shewas 13 years old, Associates in Boston, where YearsofPowerandFaith (TV Books,
student development, AHANA Helen Frame Peters, thenew shewas named chiefinvest- 2000), and arethe parents oftwo
studentprograms, healthand dean ofthe Carroll School mentofficer. youngchildren. Bloom and Blairwill
medical services, counseling, ofManagement, spent a week Ata time when business alternateteachingand child-care
LearningResources for livingin a 9-by-12-foot fall- schools are debating the merits dutieson a semesterrotation.
StudentAthletes, the Career outshelterwith herparents ofchoosingtheir leaders from
Center, First-YearExperience, and two sisters. Partofan academeversus the business FIRST CHAIR
Learningto Learn, and the experimentconducted bythe world, Peters emerges as a Thefirstendowed professorship in
RobshamTheaterArts Center. National Civil Defense, the hybrid. Agraduate ofthe Uni- theSchool ofNursing,the Lelia
She succeeds Kevin P. Duffy, experience, Peters jokes, may versityofPennsylvania's arts Holden Carroll Professorship, has
who retired after24years. account forherprofessional and sciences program (she been awardedtoJudithVessey, a
Presleyhas been struck interest in "riskmanagement." majored in economics), Peters professorattheJohns Hopkins Uni-
bywhatshe describes as BC It mayalso explain herwilling- received a master's in statistics versitySchool ofNursing.Vesseyis
undergraduates' "pride in the ness, over a 25-year career, acertified pediatricnursepractition-
—
full experience here what to inhabitavarietyofbusiness erwhose research is in developmen-
they've learned, what they've and academic environments. tal pediatrics and childhood pain.
participatedin, the University's Peters comes to BC from Sheholdsan MAand a Ph.D. in
focus on service, the study- a career thathas taken her nursingfromthe UniversityofPenn-
abroad programs, athletics." from the Federal Reserve sylvaniaand istheauthorofPrimary
Shewould like to see thatkind BankofPhiladelphia (where, CareoftheChildwitha ChronicCon-
ofattachmentgrow among as an economistfinishing up dition (Mosby, 1996).
graduate students as well. "It's her dissertation, she rose to
an issue atalluniversities," she become operatingmanager of SOMETHING BORROWED
says, "notjustBC. Graduate the research department) to, The Interlibrary Loan Department
students often getlost in stu- mostrecently, the position at Boston College has been named
dentaffairs because they're not ofdirectorand chiefinvest- Interlibrary Loan Departmentofthe
a captive audience." Afterher ment officer ofScudder Peters:A background in business Yearby New England's500-member
years ata publicuniversity, KemperInvestment's Global and academicexperience librarycooperative, NELINET
BOSTONCOLLEGEMAGAZINE 5
MAKING THE CUT from the Wharton School of in the construction business versities. First, he created op-
Although BCaccepted only32 per- Management. In 1979, she and a doctorate from Harvard eratingsurpluses byraising
centofapplicants fortheclass also became the firstwoman University, he was in his both the enrollmentand
of2004, and sentout400fewer atWharton to earn a Ph.D.in thirdyearofteachingin BC's the tuition rate, all the while
acceptance lettersthan lastyear, it finance. She serves on the School ofBusiness Adminis- controllingcosts. He chan-
wound upwith a 1 percentgain in graduate board ofoverseers at tration, "veryhappily," he says, neled these surpluses into the
yield (now34 percent).The result Wharton and on the Trustees' when then-PresidentJ. Don- endowment, augmented
is afreshman classwhosecom- Council ofPennWomen. ald Monan, SJ, asked him to by gifts, which he protected
bined middle50 percent rangeof At BC she succeedsJohnJ. take on the job ofmanaging rather than spent. With BC's
SATscores is 1230-1370, compared Neuhauser, who has become the University's operatingand debtcapacitythus enlarged,
with 1200-1340fortheClass of academicvice president. financial affairs. Campanella began borrowing
2000.AHANA students make up Peters is onlythe third The institution's condition to build dormitories and ex-
21 percentoftheenteringclass. woman to head a top-50 at that time was so endangered pand academic facilities, with
business school (the others are that the LmiversityofMassa- additions such as the O'Neill
TAXING MEETING Carolyn Woo at the University chusetts was said to be eyeing and Law School libraries,
Tax and fiscal specialists from ofNotre Dame and Laura the Chestnut Hill campus and theMerkert and Higgins
aroundtheworld attended D'Andrea Tyson atthe Univer- science centers, to attractstu-
the symposium "Globalization sityofCalifornia atBerkeley). dents from across the country
and theTaxation ofForeign Invest- Herbiggestchallenge, coming and abroad.
ment" in Munich last September, from business, Petersays, As a result ofCampanula's
held in honorofLaw Professor will be to maintain connections financial strategy, the Univer-
Hugh Ault.Aspecial adviserto to a morevaried community sityhas reported an operating
—
the Organization for Economic ofstakeholders faculty, surplus everyyearsince 1973.
Cooperation and Development, administration, trustees, Its netassetvalue is now$1.34
Aulthas served as advisortothe students. But, she says, "I've billion, and its endowmenthas
finance ministries ofSweden, always enjoyed working grown to $1.1 billion. Faculty
Albania, China, and Japan. the links. More than beinga salaries hover atabout the
specialist, I like to make an 90th percentile amongcompa-
ALL ABOARD environmentforspecialists." rable universities, while under-
24-year man Campanella: No
The Board ofTrusteeswelcomes graduate applications have
eurekas, butconstant progress
three new members: PeterW. There are manyin the more than doubled, making
Bell '86, presidentand CEOof University's administration, Boston College one ofthe top
StorageNetworks, Inc.; Kathleen faculty, and staff, aswell as in forits own expansion. BC five universities nationwide
A. Corbet'82, chiefinvestment/ the local media, who saythere had been operatingwithwhat in total applications. There
operations officerofAlliance would be no Boston College Campanella calls "major" was no "eureka kind ofexperi-
Capital ManagementCompany; todaywere itnot for the labors deficits for fiveyears, and its ence," says Campanella, but
and Robert F. Cotter '73, president of FrankB. Campanella, exec- liabilities exceeded its assets. "a constant, steady, and persis-
and chiefoperatingofficerof utive vice presidentfor 24 of The University's endowment tentmovement forward."
Starwood Hotels& Resorts, the past 27 years. At the annu- was an insignificant$5 million, When Campanula's
Worldwide, Inc. al Convocation in September, and facultysalarieswere decision to step downwas
PresidentWilliam P. Leahy, frozen ata level that took BC announced atConvocation,
BEST OF BC SJ, surprised faculty and staff outofcompetition forexcel- the full assemblyoffaculty
The BCchapterofPhi Beta Kappa with the announcementthat lent teachers. To make matters and staffrose and salutedhim
has recognized Associate Professor Campanella will leave his post worse, research showed that with a standingovation that
ofCommunication Dale Herbeck this spring and, followinga the University's traditional wenton forseveral minutes.
forexcellence inteachingand year's sabbatical, return to the regional pool ofapplicants Above the din, a faculty
advising bybestowingon him its Carroll School ofManage- was shrinking at a higher rate memberwas heard to explain
2000TeachingAward. Herbeck mentto teach. than the pool ofcollege appli- to a neighbor, "When I first
teachescourses on the First Campanella came to cants nationwide. came here in the '70s, people
Amendmentand communications Boston College as a member The course Campanella would pointhim outto me.
law, includinga popularoffering ofthe facultyin 1970. An charted to revive BC has They'd say, 'he savedus.'"
on cyberlaw. ex-marine with a background become a model forotheruni- AnnaMarieMurphy
6 FALL2000
— ——
STANDINGS UP
Undergrad admission and alumni gifts drive a critical ranking
—
The annual 17.5. News & World averaged overtwoyears also graduation rate (19th) and
ReportsurveyofAmerican improved, from 47th to 32nd, acceptance rate (23rd). In
colleges and universities has with BC enjoyingan average fact, notes Lay, BC ranked
ranked Boston College 38th of28 percent. Though the 5th thisyear amongnational Michael J. Buckley, SJ
amongthe country's 228 Universitydid move from private universities in fresh-
national universities inits 108th to 99thinthe category man applications, just behind HIS EXCELLENCE
—
September 5 issue. offinancialresources which Cornell Universityand USC, The CatholicTheological Societyof
Therankings sawPrince- measures investmentin— and ahead ofHarvard and America has bestowed its highest
ton Universitymove into the research and academics BC Stanford University. award forexcellence in theology,
number-one position, replacing remainsweakin this area in Boston College, the Uni- theJohn Courtney MurrayAward,
the California Institute of comparisonwith otherhighly versityofNotre Dame (19th), on Canisius ProfessorofTheology
Technology. Harvard andYale ranked institutions. and Georgetown University Michael J. Buckley, SJ. Since1992,
universities tied forsecond, Just one pointseparated (23rd) were the onlyCatholic Buckley has been directorofthe
with CalTech (4th) andMIT BC from sharing a 35th-place universities in the top 40, Jesuit Institute at Boston College.
(5th) completingthe top five. rankingwith GeorgiaTech, and BCwas the onlyone of
Boston College, which the UniversityofSouthern thethree to advancein the FORE A GOOD CAUSE
moved up one place in the California, and the University rankings. California boasted Eighty-eight playerscompeted in
overall rankings to 38th (a ofWisconsin. the most schools in the top 40 thefirstannual "Sonny" Nictakis
positionitshares with Case Accordingto Dean ofEn- with six, followed byMassa- Memorial GolfTournament
—
Western Reserve and Lehigh rollmentManagement Robert chusettswith five Harvard, October8atthe Bay PointeCoun-
universities), was aided in Lay, Boston College "contin- MIT, Tufts University, tryClub in Bourne, Massachusetts.
its advance byimprovement ues to be ranked in the top 25 Brandeis University, and BC. Thetournament raised closeto
in admissions selectivity, from fortwo ofthekeycriteria JackDunn $3,000forthe Peter"Sonny"
36th place lastyearto 33rd. that U.S. Newsrecommends Nictakis Baseball Scholarship
Thepercentage ofalumni who forstudents and theirparents JackDunn isdirectorofpublic Fund, establishedthisyearin
—
made a gift to the school choosingcolleges" thatis, affairsatBoston College. memoryofNictakis '99, whodied
ofHodgkin's disease in August.
Nictakiswas catcherforthe
Boston College baseball team, and
1998-99team captain.
— ORIGINALS
one voice Coretta Scott
"TheArtofthe Book," an exhibit
King (center) linked arms
with BC's Voices ofImani, ofearly printed books and illumi-
joining in a rendition of nated manuscripts, miniatures,
"We Shall Overcome" be- and single leaves from thefifthto
fore addressing a packed the 16th centuries, ran October12
RobshamTheateraudience
to November19 atthe Burns
on October 16. King met
privately earlier in the day Library. Included in the100exhibit
with President William P. itemswere narrowstrips from
Leahy, SJ, and with leaders a mid-fifth-century renderingofSt.
of Undergraduate Govern- Hilary'streatise on theTrinity
ment,whichsponsored her
plundered centuries agoto make
visit. She also presented
this year's Martin Luther repairsto another manuscript
King, Jr., Community Ser- and a leaffrom a Gutenberg Bible,
viceAward. circa 1455.
BOSTONCOLLEGEMAGAZINE 7
The
making JFK
of
HOW KENNEDY BEAT LODGE BY INVITING WOMEN TO TEA
On November 4, 1952,John F. Kennedy, a
three-term congressman, defeated incum-
bent Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., to become
only the third Democrat in history elected
to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts. It
was a decisive moment. Had Kennedy lost,
it is likely that his political career would
have ended right there. Lodge, in all likeli-
hood, would have emerged as one of the
most powerful political figures in the coun-
try,with a good chance ofsucceedingOhio's
Robert A. Taft as Senate Majority Leader.
But Lodge didn't win in 1952. In fact, he
never held elective office again. Instead, he
served the remainder of his years in public
life in a series ofappointive offices, starting
with his posting as the U.S. representative
to the United Nations in 1953. Although
many factors contributed to the Democrat-
ic victory, it was Kennedy's blunt, inspired
courtship ofthe relativelynew and unchart-
ed women's vote, introduced in 1920, that
gained him a Senate seat. Women turned out by the thousands to greet the handsome young (and single) candidate for
"These tea parties that Kennedy is hold- U.S. Senate. Above, Kennedy is joined by his mother, Rose, on the receivingline.
ing the length and breadth of the state ap-
pear to have manywomen, ofall ages, quite —
excited about the young candidate," reported the Haverhill strong Democratic Party base there a significant number
Gazette, a conservative daily published 30 miles north of were staged in populous outlying communities like Lowell,
Boston, on October 7, 1952. "They ooh and they aah when New Bedford, Worcester, and Springfield. Always, theirpri-
you mention him, they tell you they think he is wonderful, maryfunctionwas to attractas manypotential femalevoters
they give every indication of yearning to run their fingers as possible.
through his tousled hair. They never mention any qualifica- The procedure used for setting up the tea parties was
tions that he may have or may lack for service in the Senate, straightforward: In everycityortownwhere areceptionwas
but this would be too much to expect." scheduled, Fitzgerald andKeyeswould recruitalocallypop-
Carefully planned by Pauline "Polly" Fitzgerald, a first ular Kennedysupporter, usually a male professional, to help
cousin of Rose Kennedy, and Helen Keyes, a popular gym organize the event. "It was very unusual for women to par-
teacher from Dorchester, the Kennedy teas were a frank ticipate in politics at that time," says Fitzgerald. "The man
playforthewomen'svote, which one publicationatthe time we'd get from each community would form a committee of
put at more than 52 percent ofthe electorate in Massachu- 50 women who were prominent for one reason or another,
setts. An estimated 75,000 women from diverse socio- and we'd ask each ofthe 50 women to get in touch with 10
economic and cultural backgrounds went to these affairs. people to see if they would come to the tea and then ask
Though most oft—he teas were concentrated in the Boston each ofthose 10 people if they could think of 10 more; in
metropolitan area not surprising given the traditionally the end, you'd have 5,000 people."
FALL2000