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Mary Agnes Clark
Alumna (1941)

Mary Agnes Clark was born circa 1920 to Herbert F. and Catherine (Sullivan) Clark in Everett, Massachusetts. She spent some of her adolescence in Somerville, Massachusetts with her two (2) brothers and sister. She matriculated as an undergraduate at Emmanuel College where she participated in the Foreign Mission Society, Social Services Club, the Athletic Association and as Class Secretary. She graduated from Emmanuel in 1941 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Ms. Clark would later receive a degree from Boston University (1955).

She served as a teacher and principal in the Somerville Public Schools for forty-five (45) years.

Ms. Mary Agnes Clark died on January 26, 2007.

 

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Anna M. Doyle
Alumna (1924)

Anna Marie Doyle was born to Edward A. and Mary A. (Daley) Doyle in Holbrook, Massachusetts on June 11, 1902. Ms. Doyle attended Emmanuel College where she participated in the literary, dramatic and musical societies, as well as, being a manager for the Epilogue, the student yearbook.

After graduating from Emmanuel College in 1924, she became a Latin teacher in the Boston Public Schools, where she would serve, not only as a teacher, but eventually as an administrator. Ms. Doyle, known for her cheerful disposition, was an advocate for religious life supporting those students that entered the priesthood or a convent.

Anna Marie Doyle died on July 29, 1986 in Brockton, Massachusetts.

 

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Sr. Ann Francesca (Mary Frances Dunfey), SND
Alumna (1956)

Mary Frances Dunfey was born in Lowell, MA on December 14, 1921, to Leroy and Catherine (Manning) Dunfey. She grew up in Lowell where she attended St. Patrick’s School. Mary Dunfey entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Congregation in 1939. She earned a teaching certificate (1947) and a bachelor’s degree (1956) from Emmanuel College. Sr. Ann Francesca received a master’s degree in English from the University of Hawaii (1966). She also studied religion at the New School in Detroit.

Sr. Ann Francesca taught primary and secondary education in the Archdiocese of Boston, St. Michael’s School in Exeter, NH and at Schools in Hawaii (1956-1966), San Francisco, Maryland and Washington, DC. Sr. Ann Francesca joined the Maryland province in 1969 where she taught at Martin Spalding High School and Notre Dame Academy. In 1976, Sr. Ann Francesca requested a dispensation from vows and was secularized in March 1977.

Mary Dunfey community activities focused on social justice issues, especially in the area of women’s issues and human rights in Ireland, Central America and South Africa. She retired in 1986.

Mary Dunfey died on May 2, 1989.

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Anna L. (Grady) Fleming
Alumna (1931)

Anna Lantry (Grady) Fleming, often referred to as Ann, was born on July 8, 1910 to Bartholomew and Honora (Sullivan) Grady, in Somerville, Massachusetts . She was the younger sister of Emmanuel College’s eight president, Sister Ann Bartholomew Grady, SND ’28. Ms. Fleming, attended Emmanuel College and participated in the Musical Society, Dramatic Society and the Historical Society before earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and English in 1931.

Ms. Fleming spent thirty years on the Alumni Board of Directors in various capacities, but most specifically as President, when she created the first Alumni office on campus . Ms. Fleming also created the first Emmanuel College Alumnae Fund, and served as volunteer director on the board for thirteen years. Ann L. (Grady) Fleming was the first alumni to be appointed to the Board of Trustees in 1956, and held that position for fourteen (14) years . She also served as the professional Alumnae Association Executive Secretary, and spent the majority of her time in that position serving as council for Emmanuel College presidents . In 1981, Ann Grady Fleming was appointed Alumnae Archivist and All-College Resource Person, where she stayed for over twenty years . Ann was also awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters in 1998 for her lifetime commitment to Emmanuel College.

Ann L. (Grady) Fleming passed away February 12th, 2005 at the age of ninety-four (94).

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Sr. Mary Friel, SND
Alumna (1960)

Sister Mary Friel grew up in Utica, New York and graduated from Emmanuel College in 1960 with a degree in Biology. After teaching in Alaska for a year Ms. Fiel entered Boston College’s graduate school where she wrote a dissertation on the first fifty-five (55) years of Emmanuel College by 1979. The work is entitled A History of Emmanuel College, 1919-1974.

It was during the late 1970s that Mary Friel joined the Psychology Department of Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) and established, with Dr. Daniel Joynt, the Guidance and Counseling program that she helped run until her retirement from WCSU in 1998. It was during this time that Mary Friel entered the Congregation of Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. After retiring from WCSU Sr. Friel, SND became an adjunct professor of Psychology at Manchester Community College (Manchester, CT) where she worked with students of different ages and experiences. Through the course of her career Sr. Friel, SND has worked as a high school guidance counselor in Brockton, Massachusetts and as a tutor at Grace Academy, a middle school for underserved girls in Hartford, Connecticut.

 

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Lucy Marie (Verza) Fitzgerald
Alumna (1937)

Born in Peabody, Massachusetts in 1915, Lucy Marie (Verza) Fitzgerald ‘37 was the daughter of the late Louis and Teresa (Bertoldi) Verza, immigrants from Italy’s Veneto region. She was raised alongside her three sisters while attending St. John, the Baptist, School and St. John’s High School in Peabody, where she was formally introduced to the English Language by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She graduated high school in 1933.

In 1933, Ms. Verza entered Boston University, however, she found the student body, the sciences and the German requirement not to her liking and transferred to Emmanuel College where and matriculated as an English student. At Emmanuel, Ms. Verza was a member of the Epilogue staff and the Solidarity of the Blessed Virgin. She was also a member of the Literary Society where she had the opportunity to interview Carl Sandburg, person she would later describe as “crusty, unhappy old man.” Mr. Verza graduated from Emmanuel in 1937 and proceeded two years as a substitute teacher in the Peabody School System. She would later marry Richard W. Fitzgerald and raise a son, Daniel Fitzgerald.

Lucy (Verza) Fitzgerald then shifted her career from teaching to the industrial sector and became a bookkeeper with the Verza Tanning Company. Her duties entailed general ledger accounting that resulted with “columns and columns of figures in my [Lucy Vera Fitzgerald] sleep”. At the Verrza Tanning Company where she assisted her father, Louis Verza, the President, with English translations for correspondences and in meetings. In addition, her duties included being a substitute nurse in the factory. Her recollections of medical emergencies ranged from fractures skulls, to shredded arms and war related seizures. Mrs. (Verza) Fitzgerald would eventually serve as the Assistant Treasurer of both the Verza Tanning Company and the New Hampshire Hide Corporation.

In addition to her career, Lucy (Verza) Fitzgerald was a polymath of the arts, she transcended the mediums of painting, crafting, and the written word to produce oil paintings, crafted flowers, nature decorations and collections of short stories. She exhibited in local art shows and symposia. A passionate reader of English literature, she was happy to convey her passion to students and enthusiasts alike.

Lucy M. (Verza) Fitzgerald died on January 22, 2011 at the age of ninety-five (95).

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Anastasia (Kirby) Lundquist
Alumna (1935)

Anastasia Kirby was born in 1915 to Charles Francis and Lilian Lyons Kirby and grew up in Watertown, Massachusetts with her younger brother Charles F. Kirby, Jr. She graduated from Cambridge High and Latin School in 1931, before attending Emmanuel College, an institution established by her cousin Sr. Helen Madeline Ingraham, SND. While at Emmanuel she was a member of the Solidarity and Foreign Mission Society, as well as, the Dramatic Society, Literary Society and Athletic Association. After graduating from College in 1935, Ms. Kirby wrote the book A Dream of Christmas Eve (1937) before serving as the associate director of the Red Cross Blood Donor Services for Boston, Massachusetts during World War II. During this time she also co-produced the weekly radio broadcast Life to the Front for WEEI with Lenient Henry Lundquist. The two were married in 1944. Together they had three children: Carl I. Lundquist, Marilyn (Lundquist) Anderson and Edward H. Lundquist.

In the 1970s, Anastasia (Kirby) Lundquist was active in the bicentennial celebration of Newton, Massachusetts. Ms. Lundquist also wrote a History of the College Chapel (2000) and the book Out for Blood: the Pursuit of Life for the Wounded (2014) that discussed her experiences with blood donors and recipients she interviewed for the broadcast Life to the Front she conducted during the Second World War.

Anastasia Kirby Lundquist died at her home in Auburndale, Massachusetts on November 3, 2016 at the age of 102.

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Sr. Mary Rose McGeady, DCSVP
Alumna (1955)

Sr. Mary Rose McGeady, was born on June 28, 1928 in Hazelton, PA to Joseph J. and Catherine McGeady, an engineer and bookkeeper, respectively. She was raised, for a time, in East Orange, NJ with her brother and sister. Sr. Mary Rose went to high school in Washington D.C. at the Immaculate Conception Academy. In 1946, at the age of eighteen (18), she joined Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. She continued her education at Emmanuel College by earning a degree in Sociology (1955). In 1961, she obtained her Master of Clinical Psychology from Fordham University.

Sister Mary Rose her life working with the homeless and troubled children. She served as the executive director of Nazareth Child Care Center for Homeless Children in Boston and as the executive director of Rhinebeck, New York’s Astor Home for Children. In 1973, she became the director of mental health services at Brooklyn Catholic Charities where she was responsible for opening mental health clinics, day–treatment centers, and alternative living programs. From 1981 to 1987, Sr. Mary Rose became the provincial superior of her congregation’s Northeast Province which is based in Albany, NY. Then she returned to Brooklyn Diocese as associate executive director of Catholic Churches. In this position she was responsible for mental-health services and programs for youth and families as well as elderly, homeless and disabled persons.

Sr. Mary Rose is most known for her impact at the Covenant House. Upon her arrival in the fall of 1990, she had to face the organizations lethal public relations issue. Father Bruce Ritter, who founded the organization, stepped down after he was accused of sexual abuse. Sister Mary Rose addressed the issue of public mistrust by formalizing the rules of child-volunteer relationships and promised the donors details of the organization’s spending.

Her efforts were a success. The organization was able to open new crisis centers, institute a 24-hour hotline, improve street outreach tactics, develop a long-term housing program for homeless youth, and work with representatives to create job training opportunities and childcare resources for teen moms. By the time Sr. Mary Rose retired in 2003, donations had reached $130 million and reaches over 50,000 children and teenagers a year.

Sister Mary Rose McGeady passed in 2012 due to respiratory failure.

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Mary McGrory
Alumna (1939)

Mary McGrory was born on August 22, 1918 to Boston Postal Clerk. She was a graduate Boston Girl’s Latin School. In 1939, she graduated from Emmanuel College with a Bachelor of Arts. McGrory’s path to reporting political events was not easy. She spent six years as a book editor of the Boston Herald Traveler. In 1947, she became a book reviewer for the Washington Star. But in 1954, McGrory’s big break came. She was sent to Capitol Hill to cover the Army-McCarthy hearings by her editor, Newbold Noyes. Her editor encouraged her to write stories as if she was writing a letter to her favorite Aunt. This allowed McGrory to begin her path as a humorous, thought-provoking commentator.

From 1956 on, McGrory covered every presidential campaign. Phil Gailey, editor of editorials at the St. Petersburg Times, states that McGrory was legendary on the campaign trail for enlisting male reporters as her porters. On the trail, she made Richard M. Nixon administration’s famous enemies list after her column about his loss of the 1962 California governor’s race. One of her greatest passions was the Vietnam War which framed her coverage of the 1968 presidential campaign. Throughout her career, she covered all the classic Congressional dramas – including the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

When the Washington Star closed (1981) McGrory was hired by the Washington Post. In 1975, she won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary for her columns on Watergate. McGrory was named the 33rd Elijah Parish Lovejoy Fellow in 1985. She also received the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Award for Freedom of Speech in 1995 and the Fourth Estate Award in 1998 from the National Press Club. Lastly, the Washington Post gave her its highest honor in 2001 – the Eugene Meyer Award.

In her private life, Ms. McGrory was a volunteer with St. Ann’s Infant and Maternity Home. McGrory bought the children Christmas presents, paid private school tuition, financially assisted the staff and young mothers and the institution during budget shortfalls at the orphanage. Also, she made sure the children enjoyed regular pool outings to Hickory Hill at the home of Robert Kennedy. The children often referred to her as Mary Gloria as they could not pronounce “McGrory.”

Mary McGrory passed away on April 20, 2004.

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Margaret A. McKenna
Alumna (1967)

Margaret A. McKenna, a native of Cumberland Rhode Island, graduated from Emmanuel College in 1967 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology before earning her Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University in 1971. McKenna began her career as a civil rights attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice. She has served as deputy counsel in the White House and as undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Education during the Jimmy Carter Administration (1977-1981).

In 1985, Ms. McKenna was appointed President of Lesley College, a position she held until 2007. During McKenna’s 22 years as president at Lesley, the college grew from 2,000 to more than 10,000 students, from a college to a university and from a small regional college to a nationally recognized leader in teacher education. As president of the Walmart Foundation from 2007 to 2011, she created a strategy that emphasized hunger relief, education and the economic empowerment of women. Ms. McKenna led the transition team for President Bill Clinton (1993-2001), May Thomas Menino (1993–2014) and Governor Deval Patrick (2007–2015).

She has served as vice president of Radcliffe College and as a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University. Ms. McKenna was Visiting Professor at the Heller School of Social Policy at Brandeis University. She was the vice chair of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Board and sat on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Boston School Committee. Ms. McKenna served, for a brief period, as the President of Suffolk University.

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Mary (Beatty) Muse
Alumna (1941)

The second of four children, Mary Beatty was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1921 to John F. and Dr. Mary (Moore) Beatty. She was the second of four children. The family was supported by their builder father and their physician mother, who was the first woman to serve as a school physician in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Beatty was also the first woman appointed as a trustee at Boston City Hospital.

Like her mother, Ms. Muse graduated from Boston Girls’ Latin. She studied biology and chemistry at Emmanuel College, graduating in 1941 and enlisting in the Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). Before leaving for basic training, she fell in love with Robert Muse, a Marine fighter pilot during World War II, and together they would have eleven (11) children. After the war she attended Boston College Law School and earned her Juris Doctorate (1950). Ms. Muse began practicing law and helped to run a nursing home she and her husband, now a trial lawyer, had purchased.

She was fifty-eight (58) when Governor Edward J. King appointed her to the Judicial Nominating Commission, and sixty-two (62) when he nominated her, in 1982, to fill a Probate and Family Court opening in Suffolk County. Presiding with an even-tempered dignity in a court, Mrs. Muse sometimes began divorce proceedings by telling a couple, “Just remember, at one point you loved each other.” She was a justice until the mandatory retirement age of seventy (70).

She was a leader in legal organizations, among them the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers, one of the many avenues she traveled to help women advance in the profession of law. Ms. Muse was awarded honorary degrees from Emmanuel College (1983) and Boston College (2003).

The Honorable Betty Muse ’41 died on February 20, 2015 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital of complications of a heart attack.

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Rosemary A. (Seibert) Tierney
Alumna (1953)

Rosemary Seibert was born on April 29, 1932 to Edward T. and Mary (Kirby) Seibert at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Ms. Seibert was raised in Milton, Massachusetts with her sister Joanne Siebert. She graduated from St. Gregory’s High School and Emmanuel College (1953) where she served as a class vice-president and was member of the student literary magazine Ethos. While at Emmanuel, she met her husband John A. Tierney with whom she would have five children. Mrs. Tierney received her master’s degree from Bridgewater State University.

Shortly after their marriage, Rosemary accompanied Mr. Tierney to France where they lived in Chaumont for three years while he was an officer in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the United States Air Force. While in France, Mrs. Tierney taught English.

After her husband’s discharge from the Air Force, they decided to settle and raise their family in New Bedford, Massachusetts and where she taught at Keith Junior High School Mrs. Tierney also taught at Southeastern Massachusetts Technical Institute (SMTI), a precursor of University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She was the Director of Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Skill Center on Hillman Street for several years. Mrs. Tierney was committed to public education and learning and firmly believed in education’s ability to improve one’s life.

Rosemary Tierney believed in public service and loved politics. She ran and won a seat on the New Bedford School Committee where she served for many years. She was the Chairwoman of the committee during the contentious teachers’ strike in 1976. She relished campaigning, canvasing door-to-door throughout the neighborhoods of New Bedford, greeting factory workers in the early morning hours, speaking with strangers to learn their stories and concerns, handing out her famous nail files, standing on street corners holding her signs and waving to passing voters.

She subsequently ran for and won a seat on the Governor’s Council in Boston representing the First District which includes the Counties of Barnstable, Bristol, Plymouth, Dukes and Nantucket.

In 1991 Rosemary was elected the first female mayor of the City of New Bedford. She served three terms focusing on improving the city’s finances as well as the quality of its citizens’ lives. She was instrumental in the designation of New Bedford’s Historic District as a national park, the restoration of the Buttonwood Park Zoo, the establishment of the Art Museum and the Fort Taber Park. She was a champion for veterans and the elderly, opening new senior centers, investing in new transportation for seniors and upgrading existing senior centers. She improved the city’s bond rating, built a budget surplus and initiated a strategic plan to restore and maintain parks, beaches and municipal facilities.

Rosemary (Seibert) Tierney pass away on February 15, 2020.

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Lorraine M. (Maher) Weaver
Alumna (BS ‘50)

Lorraine M. Maher was born on February 4, 1929, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Walter L., a Cambridge police officer, and Alice B. (Dacey) Maher. She grew up in the Commonwealth with her brother and sister, Walter L. Maher, Jr., and Rosemary (Maher) Ave. Lorraine was a graduate of St. John's High School (Cambridge, MA) and Emmanuel College (Boston, MA). While matriculating at the College she participated in the Sodality, Literary and Spanish Clubs. She also served as the Business Manager for the publication Epilogue: Emmanuel College Yearbook. She was granted a Bachelor Secretarial Sciences on June 6, 1950.

In 1950, she entered the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the Boston Field Office as a stenographer. In 1958, transferred to the San Juan, Puerto Rico for four years. In 1962, she transferred to the San Francisco FBI Office where she retired in 1988 as an office manager. It was at this time she met James W. Weaver and they were married in 1963.

Lorraine became a volunteer for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. She served a three-year term on the Steering Committee that oversaw volunteers and served a term as its chairman. She was editor of the volunteer newsletter. In addition to gaining an appreciation for fine art, she thoroughly enjoyed her work and the friends she made at the museums.

Mrs. Weaver became active in the national Society of FBI Alumni and was elected President for the 1991-1993 term. For the next 14 years she served as the volunteer editor of the Society’s quarterly magazine, The Informant, winning praise for her interesting, innovative articles and layout. She also was a committee chairman, plus instrumental in organizing and attending annual conventions of the Alumni and the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI held in a different city each year.

Mrs. Weaver was a Lector and Eucharistic Minister at her parish, St. Philip's Catholic Church in Noe Valley of California. Lorraine M. (Maher) Weaver died April 6,2023.

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Louise A. (Doherty) Wyant
Alumna (BA ’63, BFA ‘64)

Louise Doherty was born on February 4th, 1942 and grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Following in her mother and aunt’s footsteps, she enrolled at Emmanuel College and received her Bachelor of Arts (1963) and her Bachelor of Fine Arts (1964). After graduating, she was an active participant in art associations across Massachusetts – Cambridge, Concord, Chelmsford, Bedford, and Billerica. In 1974, she moved to Tucson, Arizona with her husband James Wyant and together they raised one son.

Following her move to Arizona, Mrs. Doherty, a noted watercolor artist, became the Chairman for University of Arizona Faculty Women’s Club, became a Charter Member of the Southwest league of Fine Arts and was a member of the National League of American Pen Women. Mrs. Doherty, participated in several youth events, including watercolor demonstrations for the Tanque Verde School, Pima County Fair, and Pima College Open Studio.

Shortly before her passing, Louise and her husband James decided to fund the Louise Doherty Wyant Professorship at Emmanuel College. This marked a historical moment in the College’s history, as it was their first endowed professorship. It is a $2 million gift honoring Sr. Anne Cyril Delaney, SND ’30, Professor of Art at Emmanuel (1952-1978).

Louise Doherty Wyant passed away on October 24, 2004.

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Richard Berggren
Assistant Professor of Psychology (1971-1982)

Richard Berggren was born May 27, 1942 in Westerly, Rhode Island. He graduated from Southern Connecticut State College, with his future wife Kathy Kanehl, in 1965 before entering Tufts University where he earned his PhD in 1970. In 1971, Berggren began teaching in the Psychology Department and he brought his love of photography and racing with him. During the 1970s, he taught a course on psychology and its relationships to photography, management and society. In 1971, he joined the Stock Car Racing Magazine and became a columnist and northeast editor and chief area photographer for the publication. His interest in auto racing extended further than managing races and working for the Stock Car Racing Magazine. He owns and drives a race car that were driven on dirt tracks (as opposed to asphalt). As a result, he gained the moniker “Dr. Dirt.”

In 1982, Richard Berggren hung up his tam and began to focus on a career as a NASCAR announcer with ESPN, where he served as a booth analyst and pit road reporter. He also worked for CBS from 1994-2001. He later became an announcer and commentator for FOX Sports. Berggren worked for Stock Car Racing for twenty-two (22) years. In 1999, the same year he won the Writer of the Year award from the National Motorsport Press Association, Berggren decided to start a new magazine. He dubbed the new publication Speedway Illustrated.

Richard Berggren was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2002. He was inducted in the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 2008. Berggren received the 2007 Bobby Isaac Memorial Award for his outstanding contributions to short track racing.

He appeared as himself in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006).

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Philip Cash
Professor of History (1958-1989)

Philip Cash was born in 1931 to Leonard D. and Margret (Fuery) Cash and was raised with his two brothers and two sisters in South Portland, Maine. He graduated from the University of Gorham State Teachers College in 1958 and received Doctoral Degree from Boston College in 1968 and became a noted historian of medical history.

He was hired as a Professor of history at Emmanuel College in 1958 and during that time wrote several books that included Medical Men at the Siege of Boston (1973). Dr. Cash also participated in a symposium entitled " Health Care in Revolutionary America” (1976). Upon his retirement, in 1989, he became Professor Emeritus and he focused his research on Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse, a physician most well known for being the first doctor to test the smallpox vaccine in the United States. Dr. Cah’s biography was published in 2006 entitled Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse: A Life in Medicine and Public Service (1754-1846). He also contributed articles to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the Harvard Medical Alumni Bulletin and the New England Journal of Medicine. Philip Cash was a Fellow of the Countway Boston Medical/Harvard Medical Library, a member of the Colonial Society, and the American Association for the History of Medicine. He was a member of First Parish Church, Sudbury, Massachusetts.

Philip Cash was married to Louise (Gadbois) Cash ’59 with whom he raised three sons.

Dr. Philip Cash died on January 31, 2015.

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Sr. Mary Camilla Coveney, SND '43
Professor of Chemistry and Biology (1956-1973)

Mary Camilla Coveney was born on Oct. 15, 1921 in Dorchester, the daughter of John and Winifred (McGrail) Coveney. She was raised alongside her two siblings, John and Patricia Ann Coveney. Mary Coveney held an AB Degree from Emmanuel College (1943), a MS from Catholic University of America and a PhD from Boston University.

Mary Camilla Coveney entered the Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Order in 1943 and went on to teach biology at the Notre Dame Academy, Roxbury. She went on to serve as Professor of Chemistry and Biology (1956-1973) at Emmanuel College. Sr. Mary worked as a CSO Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools between 1974 through 1987 and for the Catholic School Office Special Projects from 1987 to 1995. During that work she was responsible for the review of the Chancery's Budget Report, banking, payroll, etc. Sr. Mary also managed all maintenance and renovation of the property.

Sr. Mary Camilla Coveney, SND died on July 21, 2002.

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Sr. Berchmans Louise (Margaret Currie), SND
Professor of English (1927-1962)

Margaret Currie was born on May 20, 1879 in South Boston to Jasper and Anna (Ford) Currie. In 1901, she entered the Sisters of Notre Dame (SNDs). In In 1923, Sr. Berchmans Louise graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Emmanuel College. She went on to receive a master’s degree from Emmanuel (1931) before attending and receiving a Ph.D. from Boston College in 1937. 

Sr. Berchmans Louise taught at Notre Dame Academy, Roxbury and Worcester’s Ascension. By 1927, she moved on to teach at Emmanuel College in the Greek, Latin and English Departments. By 1935, she was serving as the head of the English Department, a role she would fulfill until 1958. To improve the student journalism on campus, Sr. Berchmans Louise assigned seven seniors to serve as editors for a new student newspaper—The Emmanuel Focus—in 1948.

On December 31, 1962, Sr. Berchmans Louise died in Ipswich, Massachusetts.

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John Cusack 
Professor of History (1966-1999)

John "Bernie" Cusack was born on February 16, 1933, in St. John, New Brunswick, the third son of Eddie and Anne Cusack. Bernie, as he was known, was the first in his family to go to college. He attended St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, where he earned a degree in Engineering and, more importantly, met the love of his life, Elizabeth Sears, through her brother, John T. Sears, a fellow student. After their marriage, they moved to Boston, a city where they lived for sixty-four (64) years.

After working for a few years as a structural engineer, he made a career pivot into academia and spent the next ten years as a student teacher earning his American History PhD in 1969 at Boston University. By the time he got his degree, he and Elizabeth were blessed with four children, Fran, Carrie, John and Jen.

John Cusack was hired as a history professor at Emmanuel College where he taught courses in American History and the development of the City of Boston. During the construction of Ruggles Station, in 1986, he co-taught the field course “The City” with Britta Fisher, Associate Professor of Sociology, that examined the development of the transportation system in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Cusack was a popular professor, known for his service to the College and was officially honored with Emeritus status, upon his retirement, in 1999.

Dr. Cusack also coached Brighton Little League and volunteered at St. Anthony's Church in Allston and the Brighton-Allston Heritage Museum.

Dr. John Bernard Cusack died in June 2020.

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Sr. Anne Cyril Delaney, SND '30
Professor of English (1952-1978)

Sr. Anne Cyril Delaney, SND was born Mary Genevieve Delaney on May 20, 1909 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Joseph and Ellen (Lawton) Delaney. She was the third of six children, her sister Margaret would become the Massachusetts Provincial for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur from 1959 to 1964 under the religious name Sr. Eleanor Joseph Delaney, SND. Mary G. Delaney graduated from Emmanuel College in 1930 and then entered the Sisters of Notre Dame Congregation in 1932.

Sr. Anne Cyril Delaney taught high school in Lawrence, Massachusetts and in Boston, Massachusetts between 1935 and 1951. She earned a Master’s of Arts Degree from Boston College in 1946 with her Master’s Thesis “The Christocentricity of Gerard Manley Hopkins.” Sr. Anne Cyril Delaney then went on to earn a PhD at Boston University in 1954 with her dissertation “Anagogical mirrors: reflections in the poetry of T.S. Eliot of the doctrine of Saint John of the Cross.” Sr. Anne Cyril Delaney taught at Emmanuel College for twenty-six (26) years starting in 1952 and retiring in 1978. While at Emmanuel she was Director of the College’s public relations program (starting in 1974) before being granted the rank of Professor Emeritus in 1978. In 1982, Sr. Anne Cyril Delaney lectured at Notre Dame Seishin University in Okayama, Japan. Sr. Anne Cyril Delaney died on Nov. 29, 1997.

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Walter F. Downey
Professor of Education (1927-1939)

Walter F. Downey was born circa 1886 to Irish immigrants and he grew up the Town of North Brookfield, Massachusetts with his eight (8) siblings where he aimed to become an industrial chemist. Mr. Downey earned his degree from Amherst College before joining the teaching staff at Albion New York High School where he learned his true passion was education. In 1910, Walter F. Downey joined the Boston English High School faculty as a teacher in mathematics and football coach. After receiving his Master of Education degree (1921) from Harvard University, he was appointed headmaster of English High School before joining the Emmanuel College faculty in 1927 in the Education Department.

In 1939, Walter F. Downey was appointed the Commissioner of Education for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts where he warned society not to fragment into its various constituency, but rather, embrace the differences in education and the larger society. During his time as Commissioner, Mr. Downey aware of the problems of unemployment and the cost of education supported vocational guidance and state loans for college. In 1943, he step down as the Massachusetts Commissioner of Education to again assume the role of headmaster of Boston English High School because, in his own words, “my boys [English High students and alumni] need me.” He served in that position until his retirement in 1954. In his career he was supported by his wife Josephine (Fleming) Downey and their two children James W.F. Downey and Katherine (Downey) Burke. Walter F. Downey died in January 1965.

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Sr. Catherine Dorothea (Mary Elizabeth Fox), SND
Professor of English (1927–1940)

Mary Elizabeth Fox was born on December 7th, 1892 in Dedham, MA. She was one of seven children of Patrick and Mary (McEntee) Fox. In 1911, she graduated Radcliffe College with a Bachelor of Arts. During her time at Radcliffe, she taught at Pepperell High School and a Grade School in Boston. She went on to receive a PHD from Boston College.

In 1919, Mary Fox entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Mamur. She took her first vows in 1922 and her perpetual vows in 1927. Sr. Catherine Dorothea was named as a member of the teaching staff in the Emmanuel College English Department in 1927. In 1934, she had established Trinity Preparatory School, Ilchester, Maryland, and led it to full accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Between 1930 and 1935, Sr. Catherine Dorothea served as Emmanuel College’s English Department chair.

After this, she transferred to Maryland Province and became Trinity College’s eighth president in 1940, one of first presidents since 1920 from an “outside college”. The alumnae, faculty, and students welcomed her cautiously as she came to face different problems surrounding growth and development of the institution. During her thirteen years at Trinity College, Sr. Catherine left a lasting impact on the community and the growth of the college. In summer of 1953, Sr. Catherine Dorothea had to step down from her position because of illness. She retired to the Provincial House at Ilchester, Maryland, where she thought that extra rest, she could continue to work as Director of Education for the sisters.

Sr. Catherine Dorothea Fox died on August 8, 1954.

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Sr. Anne Barbara Gill, SND '38
Professor of English (1947–1969)

Barbara Frances Gill was born in Somerville, MA on May 16, 1917 as the youngest child of John and Anna (Sullivan) Gill in Somerville, Massachusetts where she was raised with her siblings Anne and Mary. Ms. Gill attended Saint Joseph’s High School before attending Emmanuel College and receiving a degree in English (1938). During her college’s career, Gill had made many contributions. She held offices as the Class Treasurer, the Chairman in Publicity Committee, Agent 3, and Chairman 4. She also served as an editor for Emmanuel Ripples. In 1949, Barbara Frances Gill took the perpetual vows under the religious name Sr. Anne Barbara, SND . In that same year, she graduated from Boston College with a master’s degree. Sr. Barbara received her Ph.D. from Catholic University (1960).

Sr. Anne Barbara began teaching at Emmanuel College in 1947 for the English Department. During here time as a College faculty member she taught a two-hour long course called the “Introduction to Journalism,” “English Language and Literature Prior to 1400,” “Seventeenth Century Studies,” and “Modern Poetry: Major Forces and Figures.” She continued her career at Emmanuel College in the 1960s and served as the chairman in the English Department. By 1974, that same year, she moved on to be an International Students Academic Councilor at Long Island University, where she worked until 1990.

Sr. Anne Barbara passed away on February 16, 2004 in Worcester, Massachusetts.

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William Paul Haas
Professor of Philosophy and Theology (1954-1962)

William Haas was born May 31, 1927 to Joseph J. and Elizabeth (Ryan) Haas and was the third of five children. He was educated primarily in the Newark, N.J., public schools. He also took painting classes with Richard Boyce at the Newark Museum School. He spent his last year of secondary education at Seton Hall Preparatory School in South Orange, N.J. In 1945, he entered Providence College with the Class of 1948 and joined the Philomusian Society, the organization preparing pre-ecclesiastics for Dominican Community life, and the Glee Club. In 1946, he was accepted into the novitiate and, in 1947, he professed at St. Rose Priory in Springfield, Ky. His philosophy and theology studies proceeded at St. Joseph’s Priory in Somerset, Ohio, from 1947 to 1949 and in Washington, D.C., from 1949 to 1954. He was ordained in Washington on June 4, 1953.

Fr. William Haas, O.P. received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Providence College in 1948 and several degrees from the Dominican House of Studies — the Bachelor of Sacred Theology in 1952, and both the license of sacred theology and the lectorate in sacred theology in 1954. Father Haas resumed his degree work in 1960 at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland and was awarded doctorate degree in 1962.

From 1954 to 1962, Father Haas was assigned to St. Stephen’s Priory in Dover, Mass., and taught philosophy and theology at Emmanuel College in Boston. During this period, he also taught at the Cardinal Cushing School of Theology in Boston and at the Oblate Seminary in Natick, Mass., conducted a three-semester course on problems of contemporary Thomism for the Harvard Catholic Club, and participated in conferences at Packard Manse, a Boston center for ecumenical studies. In 1963, after completing his doctoral studies in Fribourg and then teaching for a year at Providence College (PC), he inaugurated an innovative University of Notre Dame cooperative program offering students at Purdue University, a state institution, courses in contemporary Christian thought. He was an associate professor at Notre Dame from 1963 to 1965 and a professor of contemporary theology at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana from 1964 to 1965.

From 1965 to 1971, he served as the President of Providence College. Among his first appointments, Father Haas named Paul van K. Thomson to fill a new office, Vice President for Academic Administration. Among the first tasks of the new administration was to organize a centralized faculty structure. In the preceding era, with few lay faculty, department chairs hired new faculty and there was no central personnel file. Thomson called on all faculty to submit credentials and discovered that in a couple of cases degree claims were questionable. What followed was the establishment of a Committee on Rank and Tenure, a formal process for granting tenure and promotions, and standards for new hires as the lay faculty grew.

Despite Father-President's Haas reservations, the faculty established an American Association of University Professors (AAUP) chapter in the mid-1960s.  Among the first actions was a call to create a Faculty Senate, to which the president responded positively. The Senate was shaped the college tenure and promotion standards, provided for the election of department chairs, gaining faculty representation on the college budget, and endorsing the establishment of a psychology department and programs in drama and film, art, and music. The Senate advocated coeducation in 1968. The administration was reluctant, insisting that the college should continue preserving "a healthy all-male atmosphere." The next year saw dropping enrollment and a steep budget deficit. As a result, in the 1969-1970 session, the Senate adopted a resolution to admit women, and the administration approved. Women were enrolled in the freshman class in 1971.

Among the greatest achievements of the Haas administration was the revision of the college curriculum. The curriculum demanded so many required courses that there was little opportunity for elective choices, and in most majors six courses per semester were needed to meet all requirements. A study committee, which included students and faculty, was led by Paul van K. Thomson and English Professor Rene Fortin. Also serving on the committee was Rodney Delasanta, and Rev. Thomas R. Peterson, O.P. '51, dean of students. They interviewed members of every department, tested ideas, and solicited suggestions. The result was a proposal for a completely new core curriculum, with a sharp reduction in requirements and much innovation. The centerpiece was a four-semester, 20-credit course, the Development of Western Civilization. This was an adaptation of a kind of "great books" course in the college honors program. A key difference was that books were to be studied in historical and cultural context. Despite reservations, the Faculty Senate passed the new core curriculum by an overwhelming vote. The legislation was signed and strongly applauded by Father-President Haas in academic year 1969-1970.

The college was confronted with repeated episodes of protest the Vietnam war. There was some feeling on campus that the government's military policy should not be questioned in war time, and the issue was much debated. By a vote of the Faculty Senate and with the approval of the president, the college joined the nationwide Moratorium in October 1969, when classes were suspended for "teach-ins" and antiwar speeches on the college campus.

In May of 1971, he received the Outstanding Faculty Service Award from the PC Alumni Association. Fr. William Haas resigned the presidency and was succeeded by Fr. Thomas Reginald Peterson, O.P.

Fr. William Haas, O.P. taught philosophy at Providence College (where he taught in the Western Civilization Program) and at the University of Rhode Island in the year following his resignation as president. In the fall of 1972, he began a leave of absence and became a post-doctoral research associate in the Boston University Department of Philosophy, and in April 1973, he resigned from the PC faculty. On August 10, 1973, he received notification that he had been granted a dispensation. He was laicized and married shortly afterwards. In July 1973, he was appointed associate director for academic affairs of the Massachusetts State College System.

Dr. Haas continued his career in higher education for more than 20 years after leaving Providence College. He held a number of administrative and teaching posts in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including four years as president of North Adams State College, until 1996. He also retired as professor of humanities from Bryant College in Smithfield, R.I., in 1996. Dr. Haas and his wife Pauline (Burke) Haas then retired to Newport, R.I. Dr. William Haas was also a gifted painter and sculptor. His plaque depicting the life of Saint Paul hangs in Providence College’s Ruane Center for the Humanities.

Dr. William Haas died on May 9, 2023, in Hartford, Connecticut.

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Patricia A. Herlihy
Wyant Professor Emerita (2006-2009)

Patricia Ann Mcgahey on June 1, 1930 in San Francisco, California, a city she would call home through her childhood. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and obtained her PhD in History from the University of Pennsylvania. She authored Odessa: A History 1794-1914 (1987), The Alcoholic Empire: Vodka and Politics in Late Imperial Russia (2002) and Vodka: A Global History (2012).

She was Professor Emerita at Brown University (2001) and an Associate at the Ukrainian Research Institute and the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. She also was a Co-Master of Mather House at Harvard University (1976-1986). Dr. Herlihy served as the first Louise Wyant Professor at Emmanuel College (2006-2009).

She was married to David J. Herlihy with whom she had six children.

Dr. Patricia A. Herlihy died on October 24, 2018.

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Mary E. Hines '66
Professor of Theology (1992-2019)

Mary Elizabeth Hines was born in Long Beach, CA on May 14, 1943, the daughter of Edward and Jeanne (Caulfield) Hines. She graduated from St. Charles High School in Woburn, MA. She entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1961. Sr. Mary received her B.A. in English and Education from Emmanuel College (1966). She went on to earn an M.A. in Theology from St. Michael’s College in Toronto (1976) and her Ph.D. in Systemic Theology from St. Michael’s (1984).

She taught Junior High School at St. Joseph’s in Waltham from 1965-1967 before teaching English and Religion at Bishop Stang in North Dartmouth, MA from 1967-1973. She served as the Department Chair from 1971-1973. Sr. Mary became a Teaching Assistant in Sociology of Religion and Christology at the University of Toronto from 1974-1977. After that she was a Teaching Assistant in Fundamental Christian Ethics at St. Augustine’s Seminary at the Toronto School of Theology from 1977-1980.

She then became a professor at the Washington Theological Union from 1981 until 1992. In 1992, she became a professor of Theology at Emmanuel College where she served in the Religious Studies and Theology Department until 2019. In 1996, she left the Sisters of Notre de Namur order.

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Carson Carl Johnson, Jr.
Professor of Psychology (1962-1998)

Carson Carl Johnson, Jr. was born January 12, 1930 in the then-segregated Baltimore, Md. to Carson C. Sr. and Katharine (Oliver) Johnson. He was a graduate of Baltimore’s Frederick Douglass High School, received a Bachelor of Science degree from Lincoln University, Chester County, Pa., a master’s degree in Psychology from Howard University in Washington D.C., and in 1963 a Ph.D. in Psychology from Boston University.

He was Professor of Psychology at Emmanuel College, Boston, where he taught for many years. He served as faculty representative to Emmanuel’s Board of Trustees and on the Faculty Senate, as well as on numerous faculty committees. He retired as Professor Emeritus in 1998, at which time a Scholarship in his name was established at Emmanuel. Over the years he also taught at Northeastern University Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Sciences, Boston University, St. John’s Seminary, New England Baptist Hospital School of Nursing and Newton Junior College.

Dr. Johnson’s other professional activities included: a private counseling practice, research psychologist at the Bedford Virginia Hospital where he published in clinical psychopharmacology and participated in research motivation and psychosomatic dentistry.

A husband to Elizabeth (McCarthy) Johnson and father of Cecilia and Laura, he was a talented singer. Carson performed as a soloist with numerous area organizations including the choirs of Boston University’s Marsh Chapel, Arlington Street Church, Church of the Covenant, and Christ Church (Old North), Boston; Trinity and Grace Churches, Newton as well as with the Lexington and Framingham Choral Societies. A long-time member of Grace Church and its choir, he served at various times as Vestry member, Junior Warden, Lay Eucharistic Minister and on numerous committees. He was, also, an avid gardener, hiker and mountain climber and an enthusiastic devotee of classical music.

Dr. Carson Carl Johnson, Jr. died on September 22, 2010 after a battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

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Sr. Julie (Marion T. Kilderry), SND '48
Professor of French (1950-1981)

Marion T. Kilderry was born in Peabody, MA on October 8th, 1910 to Thomas and Mary Kilderry. She entered the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1929, taking her first vows in 1931. She took her perpetual vows in 1937, and became formally known as Sister Julie Kilderry. In 1948, Sr. Julie Kilderry received her B.A. from Emmanuel College. She went on to earn her M.A. from Boston College in 1951 and finalized her education with a Ph.D. from Laval University in 1960.

She taught at St. Gregory’s in Dorchester, St. Patrick’s in Lowell, NDA in Tyngsboro, and St Mary’s in Lynn. She began teaching French and English at Emmanuel College in 1950, continuing to teach solely French from 1952 until 1981. She eventually became the Chair of the French Department. She also directed the Emmanuel Paris Program in the year of 1974, which was a fifth year program that allowed participants to gain a Masters of Arts in French. She went on to teach French at NDA in Hingham from 1981 to 1991, before finally retiring.

She died in Ipswich, MA on August 29, 2000.

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Elizabeth C. Logan '23
Professor of English (1934–1953)

Elizabeth Catharine Logan was born on February 13th, 1889 to Lawrence and Katherine (O’Connor) Logan . Ms. Logan graduated from the Academy of Notre Dame in 1907 . She spent time as a member of the Tabernacle Society and made religious vestments for missionaries across the world. She also taught Sunday School and participated in the Red Cross and Canteen activities during the First World War. Elizabeth Logan was a member of the first Emmanuel College Class of 1923, where she received her Bachelor’s degree.

After attending Emmanuel College, Ms. Logan took graduate courses at Radcliffe College and Harvard University, but returned to Emmanuel to receive her Master’s degree in 1927 . Elizabeth Logan taught English at Emmanuel College for nineteen years (1934-1953). Throughout this period she continued her charity work, sat on the Board of Carney Hospital School of Nursing and was treasurer of the 101st Infantry Regiment Auxiliary during the Second World War . After her resignation, Ms. Logan was appointed the first executive secretary of the Emmanuel College Alumni Association.

Elizabeth C. Logan passed away on November 3rd, 1957 after an illness.

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F. Donald Logan
Professor of History (1964-1993)

Francis Donald Logan was to Joseph (a milk deliverer) and Laura (MacDonald) Logan on March 9, 1930 Boston, MA. He was educated at St. John's Seminary, where he received his bachelor’s degree (1951) and a master’s degree (1954). A year later F. Donald Logan was ordained as a Catholic Priest. He went on to study at the University of Toronto where he earned his second master’s degree (1959). Fr. Logan continued his studies by earning a License in Mediaeval Studies (1959) and a Doctorate in Medieval Studies (1966) from the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies.

Fr. Logan started his teaching career at St. John’s Seminary where he served as an Assistant Professor of Ecclesiastical History (1965-1970). He also taught at Emmanuel College where he instructed courses in Medieval History. During his time at the College Fr. Logan served as the Historical Society Advisor (1960s) and served as the Cinema Club’s first adviser. Its aim was to promote film as an art form in all its genres. Its first films were The Knights of Cabiria, The Mouse That Roared, Raisin in the Sun, and Potemkin.

Doubting his vocation, Fr. F. Donald Logan took unauthorized leave in June 1977 and he was officially laicized on October 14, 1998.

In 1993, F. Donald Logan was granted the rank of Professor Emeritus of History.

F. Donald Logan passed away on February 22, 2022.

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Rose Irma Lynch ‘52
Professor of Chemistry (1955-2001)

Rose Irma Lynch was Born in Boston to the late John and Rose (Doyle) Lynch on April 10, 1931. She grew up with her two sisters, Sr. Rose Irma OP and Grace Dube in the Boston suburbs. Ms. Lynch enter Emmanuel College where she studied chemistry and was a member of the Sodality, Biology, Chemical and Mathematics Clubs. At this time, she became known for her hilarious and heart lifting spirit among her colleagues. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the College in 1952. She was hired by Emmanuel College to teach in the Department of Chemistry in 1955. She went on to earn her master’s degree from Boston College in 1957.

As a professor she taught such courses as inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, qualitative analysis, analytic chemistry, principles of chemistry and bio-analytic chemistry. During this time, she periodically served as chairman of the Department and, for a period, served in the Academic Adviser’s Office. Rose Irma Lynch retired from Emmanuel College in 2001.

She was a fan of Boston sports, particularly the Red Sox. In her last years, Ms. Lynch resided at Youville Place in Lexington, Massachusetts. She died on September 1, 2021.

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Mary C. Mellyn
Professor of Education (1926-1929)

Mary C. Mellyn was born in Boston, Massachusetts on December 11th, 1870, to Martin J., and Ellen T. Mellyn . After graduating high school in January 1890, Mary C. Mellyn was a substitute teacher in Everett Elementary School, Dorchester, from February 1890 to January 1891 . She was then appointed second assistant at Rice Training School, Boston, on February 11th, 1891, where she stayed until November 1894 . Mary joined Wells School, Jamaica Plain, as a first assistant, third year from 1894 to September 1896 . Mary C. Mellyn took a position as an assistant at Boston Normal School in September 1896, and continued her work there until May 1905.

From there, Mary C. Mellyn spent time at Dillaway School, Boston, as a master until September 1906 . She was appointed Supervisor of Substitutes for Boston Public Schools in September 1906, and was promoted to Director of Substitutes in December 1911 . Mary C. Mellyn was further promoted to Director of Practice and Training for Boston Public Schools in September 1912 , a position she stayed in until her election as Assistant Superintendent of Schools in 1916.

Mary C. Mellyn received her Ed. M. at Boston University in 1924 . In 1925, Mary received an honorary doctorate from Boston College in education, making her the first woman to receive a degree from Boston College . Mary C. Mellyn taught secondary education as a graduate program at Emmanuel College from 1926 to 1929 , as well as taught courses at Boston College and Boston University . Mary C. Mellyn maintained her position as Assistant Superintendent at Boston Public Schools until 1946.

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Theresa A. Monaco
Professor of Art (1969-2005)

Theresa A. Monaco was born to Michael and Flora Monaco on August 25, 1939. She attended Stoneham High School in Massachusetts and matriculated at Emmanuel College receiving degrees in Studio Arts (1962) and Painting (1965). She received an MFA at Syracuse University in printmaking and drawing. During this period Theresa Monaco entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Reflecting the Congregations focus on education Sr. Theresa taught at different elementary and high schools that included: Bishop Fenwick in Peabody, MA and Bishop Stang in North Dartmouth, MA.

In 1969 Sr. Theresa began teaching at Emmanuel College and directed art courses on subjects that included: printmaking, drawing, pottery, and photography. Though Theresa Monaco renounced her religious life in 1976, she continued her work at Emmanuel and earned Excellence in Teaching Award in 1992. In 2005, Prof. Theresa A. Monaco was granted the rank of Professor Emerita of Art.

Her artwork has been exhibited at the Boston Printmakers annual shows, Gallery Naga (Boston, MA) and the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum (Lincoln, MA). She also created the “Stations of the Cross” in the chapel at Notre Dame du Lac (Worcester, MA) and the bronze doors for the chapel in the Notre Dame Convent (Ipswich, MA)

After a long and hard-fought battle with kidney disease, Theresa Monaco passed away on April 2, 2017.

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John B. Mullin
Professor of Education (1928-1937)

Rev. John Bernard Mullin was born on March 20th, 1887 in Dorchester, Massachusetts to John and Catharine Mullin, both Irish immigrants . He had two brothers, Patrick and Michael . He attended Boston College and graduated in 1912 with a Bachelor’s degree and after completing his college studies, John Mullin entered St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts and was ordained on June 24th 1916 . He was originally assigned to St. Agnes Church in Arlington, but later transferred to St. Paul’s Church in Cambridge. Rev. Mullin volunteered to serve in World War I as a chaplain and was commissioned as a lieutenant on July 24th, 1918 .

During his time in the war, Rev. John B. Mullin saw duty at Waynesville, North Carolina Base Hospital, Hoboken, New Jersey, and aboard the Great Northern and America Railway lines . He was discharged in Hoboken with the rank of first lieutenant on August 12th, 1919 . After his time in the War, Rev. Mullin served as the curate at St. Peters Church, Plymouth, Massachusetts and then transferred to St. Lawrence Church in Brookline, Massachusetts, where he stayed for thirteen years.

Rev. John B. Mullin received a Master’s degree from Boston College in 1929, and served as a professor of Education at Emmanuel College from 1928 until his death in 1937 . Rev. Mullin passed away at the age of 50 after an illness on August 29th, 1937.

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Sr. Marie Augusta (Helen Catherine Neal), SND '42
Professor of Sociology (1953-1991)

Sr. Marie Augusta Neal, SND was born Helen Catherine Neal on June 21, 1921 in Brighton, Massachusetts to Thomas F. and Helen A. (Taylor) Neal. She had three siblings Frank Neal, Marie (Neal) Kelley and Grace (Neal) DiSciullo. She was educated at Notre Dame Academy on Granby Street in Boston, Massachusetts, before attending Emmanuel College where she graduated in 1942 and then entered the Sisters of Notre Dame Congregation in 1943. She taught secondary school between 1946 and 1953 in Lawrence, Massachusetts and in Boston, Massachusetts before starting her teaching career at Emmanuel College in 1953, after earning her Master’s Degree from Boston College. Sr. Marie Augusta Neal, SND then earned her doctorate in 1963 from Harvard University.

In 1965, She became the Director of the Research Committee of the Conference of Major Superiors of Women’s Institute (CMSW) which conducted an examination of the resources of nuns in the United States for the work of the Church in a post-Conciliar (i.e. post-Vatican II) period. She was also involved with studies of Jesuits in the California and Oregon Provinces, a multi-national study of the SND Congregation, and a survey of Catholic schools in South Africa, a study that she refused to participate in until it was agreed to include black schools, as well as, white schools. The study survey exposed the vast inequities between the white and black schools. Sr. Marie Augusta Neal, SND was awarded the Distinguished Contribution to Teaching Award by the American Sociological Society in 1986.

She retired from Emmanuel College in 1991 as head of the Sociology Department. and was granted the rank of Professor Emeritus. Sr. Marie Augusta Neal, SND died on February 25, 2004.

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Sr. Wilfrid de Sacre Coeur (Elise Marie Parsons), SND
Professor of Latin and Political Science (1932-1967)

On November 18th, 1881 in Philadelphia, PA, Elise Marie Parsons was born to Paul Julien and Alice Cecilia (Avery) Parsons. She attended Trinity College and was a member of its first graduating class in 1904. She then entered the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1905, taking her first vows in 1907 and her perpetual vows in 1916. She took on the religious name Sister Wilfred de Sacre Coeur (of the Sacred Heart), in honor of her brother Reverend Wilfrid Parsons.

Following her joining of the covenant, Sr. Wilfrid taught in Northampton, England, and Rittenhouse, PA. In 1909, she returned to Trinity as an instructor in Latin. She would earn her master’s degree there (1911) and later her Ph.D. in classical languages from the Catholic University of America (1923). In 1924, Sr Wilfrid took on the position as Dean of Students at Trinity College. She would remain in this position until 1932, when she was transferred to Emmanuel College and became an instructor ¬¬¬of Latin and Political Science.

On May 31st, 1954 Sr Wilfrid was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. She received this award for her translation of collected letters of Saint Augustine. Five total volumes were published, making up the “Fathers of the Church” series, which are owned by the Catholic University of America. Emmanuel College’s publication known as LOGOS made note of her accomplishment, stating, “We rejoice with Sister in the richly-deserved honor that has come to her, and we wish her many more happy, fruitful years”.

Sr. Wilfrid de Sacre Coeur passed away on March 30th, 1970 in Worchester, MA.

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Mary Reardon
Professor of Art (1952-1970)

MA (Mary Agnes) Reardon was a liturgical artist, portraitist and teacher during the 20th century. Born on July 19, 1912, she was the middle child of Mary Agnes (Cashman) and Daniel B. Reardon MD. MA Reardon and her brothers Paul and George grew-up in Quincy, Massachusetts. After graduating from Quincy High School in 1929, she attended Radcliff College and Yale University’s School of Fine Arts where she earned a BA (1934) and BFA (1938), respectively.

After earning her degrees, MA Reardon continued to hone her skills earning a honorable mention at the Challoner Prize Foundation (1937) and established a studio at 30 Ipswich Street in Boston, Massachusetts. She participated in many different projects that included: sketching wounded service men of the Second World War (1941-1945), illustrating children’s books (1942-1946), exhibited her work at the Institute of Modern Art, now the Institute of Contemporary Art ( 1944) and assisting David Siqueiros with mural paintings in Mexico (c. 1948-1949). In the 1950s, in addition to becoming a professor of Art at Emmanuel College in Boston, Reardon began to lead her own artistic projects that would include murals for St. Peter and Paul’s Church (1952), Cardinal Spellman High School (1955-1958), and St. John’s Seminary (c. 1958-1959), all in or around the Boston area.

MA Reardon continued her work into the 1960s when she designed mosaics for at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC (1964-1966, 1970-1973), created a portrait of her brother Justice Paul C. Reardon of the Massachusetts Supreme Court (1966), and won the President’s Medal at the Second International Exposition of Sacred Art in Italy (1966). In the 1970s Reardon not only continued her work at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, but also designed the artwork for the new building of St. Mary’s Cathedral (c. 1973-1977). MA Reardon continued, in her relocated studio at 12 Martins Lane, Hingham, Massachusetts, her artwork into the 1980s when she designed mosaics for St. Louis Cathedral in St. Louis, Missouri. It was during this period that she painted portrait of Humberto Cardinal Medeiros (c. 1979), Robert Gilmore MD (c. 1985) and Judge Francis P. Murphy (c. 1987).

Although MA Reardon entered semi-retirement in the 1990s, she continued to practice her craft by taking part in art exhibits and designing artwork for churches near her home in Hingham, Massachusetts. These included St. Paul’s Church in Hingham (c. 1996) and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Cohasset, Massachusetts (c. 2000).

She was honored for her work by Emmanuel College with a honorary doctorate in 1999. MA Reardon died on May 8, 2002, leaving behind an impressive artistic record of liturgical and 20th century artwork.

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C. David Thomas
Professor of Art (1978-2001)

C. David Thomas was born in Portland, Maine on July 15, 1946. He graduated from Westbrook High School in 1964 and then attended Tufts University. He was married to Jean Milliken in June of 1968. He joined the U.S. Army in 1968, and was sent to Pleiku, South Vietnam, to serve as a combat engineer/artist. He later returned to the United States (U.S.) to complete his military service at Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX. He was discharged from the Army in 1971.

After leaving the U.S. Army, Thomas joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War to protest U.S. War in Vietnam. Much of his artwork was the focus of the anti-war movement. Thomas attended the Rhode Island School of Design and received his MFA in 1974. By 1978 he began a teaching career at Emmanuel College where he taught studio art until 2001. He is currently an adjunct professor at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston.

He has periodically returned to Vietnam to do research and conduct programs of cultural exchange between the United States and Vietnam. In 1990 he began the Indochina Arts Partnership (formerly the Indochina Arts Project) and has been the director ever since. As director he is responsible for all activities including programs, fundraising, accounting, and managing of staff. Since 1990 he has curated two major exhibitions the “As seen by Both Sides: American and Vietnamese Artists Look at the War” and “An Ocean Apart: Contemporary Art from the United States and Vietnam.” He has also curated several smaller exhibitions that have traveled to museums and universities across the United States. In 2000, he was awarded the “Vietnam Art Medal” by the government of Vietnam in recognition of his contributions to the arts.

He received a Fulbright Grant in 2002 to conduct his work in residence in Hanoi. During this time, he designed the book HO CHI MINH – A Portrait (2003). From 2002 until 2004 he also worked at the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts helping to redesign marketing and museum brochures. In 2007, he designed the book Huynh Phuong Dong: Visions Of War And Peace.

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Barbara Raftery ‘54
Staffer (c.1957-c.1982)

Barbara A. Raftery was born in 1933 to John M. and Gertrude E. (Mahoney) Raftery and was raised alongside her brother and sister. She graduated from Notre Dame Academy, where she was the sole female recipient of a full scholarship awarded by the Archdiocese of Boston. She continued her education at Emmanuel College, where she was a member of Sodality, Chemical Society, Literary Society, Focus and served as Ethos Editor-in-Chief for Ethos before earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1954. Ms. Raftery went on to earn her master's degree from Simmons College where she studied Children’s Librarianship.

Barbara A. Raftery then pursued a career in higher education administration at Emmanuel College starting circa 1957 where she served as the assistant to the Academic Dean and Assistant Librarian. After leaving Emmanuel circa 1982 to care for her ailing mother, she worked and volunteered for several years at Catholic Charities in Boston. Barbara was an avid Red Sox fan, gardener and audiophile.

Ms. Barbara A. Raftery died on October 17, 2020.

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